Gordon Lightfoot Biography

Gordon Lightfoot was born in 1938 in Orillia, Ontario. His mother recognized her son’s musical talents early on, and young Gordon was encouraged to perfect his vocal ability. By the time he was in elementary school, he was singing with the local church choir and occasionally on local radio. When he was a teenager, Gordon learned to play the drums and piano, and while in high school, he began performing extensively in local bars and clubs.  His particular brand of folk music began to garner some interest in his talents, and some of his earlier singles were featured on local Canadian radio stations.

By the mid 1960’s, Gordon Lightfoot’s music had caught the attention of United Artists, and his debut album, Lightfoot, was released in 1966. The album featured many of what have now become Lightfoot’s signature songs, including “Early Mornin’ Rain,’ “Ribbon of Darkness,” “and For Lovin’ Me.” A steady stream of albums for the next few decades brought Gordon Lightfoot increasing success both in Canada and beyond. Some notable works include: The Way I Feel (1967), Did She Mention My Name (1968), Sunday Concert (1969), Summer Side of Life (1971), Don Quixote (1972), Sundown (1974), Summertime Dream (1976), Endless Wire (1978), Shadows (1982), Salute (1983), East of Midnight (1986), Waiting for You (1993), and A Painter Passing Through (1998.) The albums gave folk music some of its most memorable hits, including: “I’m Not Sayin’,” “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues,” “Spin Spin,” “Me and Bobby McGee,” “If You Could Read My Mind,” “Summer Side of Life,” “You Are What I Am,” “The Same Old Obsession,” “Sundown,” “Carefree People,” “Rainy Day People,” “The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald,” and “The Circle Is Small (I Can See It In Your Eyes.)”

In the new millennium, Gordon Lightfoot has continued to perform and record. His live performance from 2000, was broadcast as a one-hour PBS special across the nation and released as a DVD in the year following. Additional performances have followed, and most recently Gordon Lightfoot performed in the fall of 2012 at the 100^th Grey Cup and released his latest album, All Live, in the same year.