84.

Dang....beat me by 8 seconds...

Not certain if good thing, or bad.

Me too, but no idea by how long. I'm 57 now.

His catalog has almost 1000 songs, I have seen him many times in the 70s and 80s always in small venues.

Great songwriter. RIP
.

Saddened.

"the legend lives on from the Chippewa on down from the big lake they call Gitche Gumee"

I can see her lyin' back in her satin dress
In a room where ya do what ya don't confess

Kinda funky for aCanuck

I never thought I could act this way
And I've got to say that I just don't get it
I don't know where we went wrong
But the feeling's gone and I just can't get it back

Gord’s Gold…RIP

The Edmund Fitzgerald has got to be the best tribute song ever.

Now the liquor tasted good
And the women all were fast
Well, there she goes, my friend
She'll be rolling down at last

This would be my number one but they are both excellent in there own respects.

In college we did a light show for Lightfoot. two shows. 8 and 10 or 10 30... tight to get 3000 people in and out....a burning ember fell from the sky during the second show ballad... by mistake all the house lights were flashed on for 5 horrible seconds to put out the ember on the light board.

The star never missed a beat and kept cadence... but after the show, as good night, he did comment about the mysterious house lights... in a very generous way... we did not get fired...
!

Lake Superior its said, never gives up its dead,
when the gales of November come early...

the iron range miners respected that song deeply. as do all miners...

Takes me back to 7th grade 1975/76 in Wi... my homeroom teacher was Miss Shelly Fitzgerald, Grand daughter of Edmund Fitzgerald...

“The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy”

Probably one of the most haunting lines.

Saw him several times in concert throughout the years, and had a chance to meet him briefly at Whitefish Point on the 20th anniversary of the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. It was an event for family of the lost mariners, and the staff permitted me into the museum while they got things ready. Being alone in the museum, and then meeting him on the way out, is something that has always stuck with me.

I suspect in a musty old hall in Detroit they will ring the church bell; one last time at the maritime sailors cathedral.

RIP

Curious if you recall how old she was? My godmother went to HS with a daughters of Edmund Fitzgerald in Downers Grove - late 1930’s. Would have been your teacher’s mother or aunt.

Saw Mr. Lightfoot almost 30 years ago in Cheyenne, 1994... great concert! I thought at the time he was probably getting late in his career; how wrong I was, he just kept going and going on with performances.

What a talent.

RIP Sir.

She was about 20 ish IIRC... Blonde & attractive, and we were all bummed out when she got married and moved to Iowa ? midway thru the school yr... by the way, we were in Burlington Wi....

Math works. Looks like Fitz had a daughter and a son so would have been her mom. Small world.

Apologize for the tangent.

To get things back on track, another of my favorites:

It is a small world Indeed!... that song takes me back to those days with Shelly and my clic of classmates (we were just barely coming of age) every time i hear it...

One of my favorite artists

One of the few concerts I attended. Fairbanks Alaska in the early 70s. Good entertainer. Edk

saw him in concert just last year he was 83. He was fantastic. Glad i got to see him.

It pretty much was. I have all of his music , can't get tired of his songs unlike other music one hears.

He could sure kick a woman to the curb

I ain't the kind to hang around
With any new love that I found
'Cause movin' is my stock in trade
I'm movin' on
I won't think of you when I'm gone
So don't you shed a tear for me
'Cause I ain't the love you thought I'd be
I've got a hundred more like you
So don't be blue
I'll have a thousand 'fore I'm through

I've seen Gordon play three times in nice small venues, and I've met him twice.

Classy guy, he donated all the profits from "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" to the families of the crew.

Most of his lyrics are so good, they can stand on their own as poetry - precious few songs today can make this claim.

Here is a link to YouTube video with scrolling lyrics...



/John

Missed him last time he came through town. Dang it. Always liked this one:

Did not know that but I am not suprised at all.

One of my useless goals is to be the Jimmy Olsen on here just once.

Take your swing, and apply ta slumlord for membership inta the Clan of the Jimmy Olsen people.

Grew up with his stuff,and still enjoy it today.

Several times when I lived in Minnesota, I went up to Duluth and rode my Motorcycle, the 1200 miles around Lake Superior.

That song was in my mind the entire way, and the following 2 weeks afterwards...

Same thing when I made the trip in my VW Camper, or my old Volvo Wagon.

I like Gordon Lightfoot, that I had the first release of his first album " Sit Down Young Stranger"

album was released again and title changed to "Me and Bobbie McGee"

Thanks for all the memories Gordo...

A nice tribute and deeper look at Mr Lightfoot and his work.


[video:youtube]https://www.youtube.com/live/4Iw7Jei8XOo?feature=share[/video]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but according to his doc....they renamed the album to "If you could read my mind" and that is when it started selling so well. Me and Bobby McGee was on the album...another note Ry Cooder played on that song.

In the mid-70's worked for a sailboat company building sails for sailboats built the sails for the "Golden Goose"....helped teach Gordon how to sail the new boat and use the sails....enjoyed the times Gordon brought out his guitar and would play entertaining us....
Following winter I took on a life long career job and the friendship with Gordon and I drifted apart....several years ago we made contact again.....

When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck
Sayin', "Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya"
At 7 p.m. a main hatchway caved in
He said, "Fellas, it's been good to know ya"


One of the most moving lyrics ever written.

Back in the day, when that was a hit, I learned the song and that quote in particular was always on my lips whenever I was involved in a layoff. Everybody knew it, and everybody would nod acceptance. Office layoffs and corporate buyouts-- boy am I glad I'm past that part of my life.

I have another story. Gordon Lightfoot and that song almost got me killed. Back in the day, I was going up north of Sturgeon Bay, WI every year to fish for salmon, lake trout, rainbows, browns, etc. I started at 14 going out on this boat out of Whitefish Bay called the Mudpuppy II, captained by Mac McKenzie, one of the better known charter captains. As I grew older Mac would use me as a mate on the boat.

One time, we were fishing just north of Sturgeon Bay Lighthouse and fog came in. Things had started off wrong that morning, because I'd been brought on to fill out a 4 man charter and the other 3 didn't show. Mac decided to go anyways, with me and the mate, he could do some of his more complicated moves and not have to worry about upsetting the uninitiated. The fog hit like a wall and we were well out. Mudpuppy II was a fairly small boat, but Capt. Mac was a good captain, and he put the mate and me on the prow and started looking for the shore. We'd motor a ways, cut the engine, and listen for breakers on the shore. This went on for 2 hours or so. By this time we'd had the Coast Guard calling us, because we were long overdue. Mac was peeved, because we were in a bit of a jam. He was getting short with the mate.

I thought I'd break out into The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald just to lighten things up. It had the opposite effect. As it turned out, Mac and the mate had both known crew on the E. Fitz, and both ascribed to the theory that McSorely had taken her to the bottom rather than send her to the breakers. I got a freakin' earful in a very short amount of time, and at one point I was being backed into the rail by both Mac and the mate. I apologized profusely, and Mac finally calmed down. I fished and mated with him for another 5 years, and things were good after that.

After that, I remembered never to mention that song anywhere near Sturgeon Bay.

That’s an awesome song fo sho

RIP Gordon