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LifeLightfoot was born November 17 1938, to Jessica Lightfoot and Gordon Meredith Lightfoot in Orillia, Ontario, Canada. As a youth, he sang in the choir of St. Paul's United Church under the direction of choir-master Ray Williams. During this time as a "boy soprano" Lightfoot made several appearances on local radio and local operetta and oratorios as well as Kiwanis music festivals. Lightfoot remarked in 2005 that it was choir master Williams who taught him how to sing with emotion and how to have confidence in his voice.[1] As a teenager, Lightfoot studied piano and taught himself drums and percussion instruments.
Lightfoot was gaining some recognition by this time as a songwriter and two of his songs ("For Lovin' Me" and "Early Mornin' Rain") were covered by Ian and Sylvia Tyson. "For Lovin' Me" was covered again a year later in 1965 by Peter, Paul and Mary, who had a hit with it. That song was again covered by Chad and Jeremy as well as the Johnny Mann Singers. During this time, other artists such as Marty Robbins ("Ribbon of Darkness"), Leroy Van Dyke ("I'm Not Saying"), Judy Collins, Richie Havens, The Kingston Trio and Harry Belafonte were racking up hits with Lightfoot's songs. In 1966, his debut album Lightfoot! was released and it brought him recognition as a singer as well as a songwriter. It featured many now-famous songs including "For Lovin' Me", "Early Mornin' Rain", "Steel Rail Blues", and "Ribbon of Darkness". On the strength of this album, which mixed Canadian and universal themes, Lightfoot became one of the first Canadian singers to achieve real stardom in his own country without moving to the United States. The album was released internationally and was also well-received. It was followed by numerous other albums through the late 1960s. But he remained better known as a songwriter than as a singer, with cover versions of his songs recorded by artists such as Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley. Lightfoot embarked on his first Canadian national tour in 1967. It included performances in New York City. Between 1967 and 1971, Lightfoot toured internationally through Europe as well as two well received tours of Australia. He curtailed his touring schedule in 1972 after contracting Bell's palsy, a condition which left his face partially paralyzed for a time.
In 1974, his classic single, "Sundown", from the album of the same name, went to No.1 on the American charts. "Carefree Highway", the followup single from the same album, charted in the Top Ten.[2] Two years later, Lightfoot had an unexpected hit with a song with the unlikeliest of subject matter. In late November 1975, Lightfoot read a Newsweek magazine article about the Great Lakes ore carrier SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinking during a severe storm. Tragically, all of her 29 crew members died. His song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", most of the lyrics of which were taken from the article, reached #2 on the U.S. Billboard charts. "Sundown" and "Edmund Fitzgerald" continue to receive heavy airplay on many classic rock stations. After "Edmund Fitzgerald" Lightfoot would have one more top 40 hit on the Hot 100, "The Circle Is Small (I Can See It In Your Eyes)" in early 1978. Through the 1990s, Lightfoot released two albums and played about fifty tour dates a year. In the fall of 2002, he was in Orillia when he suffered a near-fatal abdominal hemorrhage that left him in a coma for nearly two months. He recovered and later returned to the music business with the album Harmony and an appearance on Canadian Idol. In 2005, he made a low-key tour called, with characteristically droll humour, the "Better Late Than Never Tour". It is important to note that a large part of the Lightfoot sound was accomplished both in the studio and on tour with the help and expertise of guitarist Red Shea (most lead work) and the bassists John Stockfish and Rick Haynes. These steadfast acompianists were utilized by Lightfoot on many occasions. Whether they were actual contributors or scale employees is not known. The discography of Shea indicates that he was on hand for most of Lightfoot's released studio work. Additionally Shea was on board for many of the hits and tours with Lightfoot. Red Shea also hosted his own Canadian variety show (the exact dates of this show are unknown). HonoursLightfoot has received 15 Juno Awards and been nominated for 5 Grammy Awards. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Canadian Country Music Hall Of Fame in 2001. Lightfoot was inducted into Canada's Walk of Famein 1998. In May 2003 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honour. Lightfoot is also a member of the Order of Ontario, the highest honour in the Province of Ontario. Trivia
Best-selling songs
Tribute and covers
DiscographyOriginal albums
Compilations
Other
References
Bibliography
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