DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Gordon Lightfoot passes

I always liked his music. RIP Gordon.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/new...dies-at-84/ar-AA1aC5sg?OCID=ansmsnnews11

One that means a lot to some. Several of the sailors on the Fitz lived in the Cleveland area.

How sad. Yet again, it's like a part of me is now gone. His songs were staples in my teen years, and I still hum them in my head and play them on my guitar. Even the hard rock folks that I hung out with would listen to Gordon Lightfoot, and that's saying a lot given how we would bash other genres. He often gets overlooked when talking about 70's music, but he definitely had a significant role.

Some of the crew and the captain of the Fitz also lived in the Toledo area. I shared a story here a while back about one of the crew I met that went down on that ship.

RIP Gordon.

Songs like "Sundown", "If you could read my mind", and "Carefree Highway", are among my favorites oif his.

That was the era of truly great songwriters.

I know what you mean. John McCarthy, 1st mate was from my hometown in Bay Village. I can't say I knew the man, but it still brings it home. I did know a few McCarthy's in school. Maybe they were his kids or relatives? I don't know.

I worked the ore boats for a few summers while in college. I was on the Roger Blough. I saw the Fitz a time or two while unloading in Gary, Ind. Chilling to think that could happen, but the Great lakes are full of wrecks. Life of a sailor I suppose.

Sad. I have always thought that he was one of the best songwriters. He could weave a story into a melodious song. You could close your eyes and picture the story he was telling. I also liked his voice. Manly, strong, somewhat melancholy. The latter lended itself to his great storytelling.

Gone now, but did enough to live for eternity...

Great musician .. RIP

Gord’s Gold is in my top ten albums that influenced me. My dad was a big fan. That album was the backing track to many long vacation drives to and from Florida as a kid.
In 2019 they released a documentary called If You Could Read My Mind. I’d always looked at photo of Gordon and listened to his music thinking he must of been a mellow soft spoken dude. Quite the contrary. He a was a bit of a hell raiser and had the party house for the who’s who of the LA music scene of the time. Joni Mitchell, Bob Dillan, James Taylor, amongst many others spent many nights whooping it up at his place.

His music is his legacy. He’ll live on in perpetuity.
RIP songbird.

I saw this earlier this morning. It is very sad. There just aren't enough good storytellers around these days. Maybe there are and it's just that the stories they tell aren't as relative to me. But he was a man whose stories always hit home and touched me. Painting pictures through words is a true gift and he was very gifted.

“Sundown” is probably the first song I can remember hearing as a good. Dad would spin it on the record player in the house, and on the 8 track in the Baby Blue Ford Pinto Wagon.

His best song in my opinion:



RIP

I remember you more than once posting your admiration for him.

I’ll throw in Early Morning Rain as a great Lightfoot song. Edmund Fitzgerald is the kind of song that will live forever; it is so haunting, the music reflective of the subject matter. He almost puts you on the ship to face the rough waters and the fate the Fitzgerald would ultimately meet.
that is the mark of a great storyteller.

A lot of people don’t know he was a Canadian, btw and while his career took a dip in the 80s and 90s, he later enjoyed a resurgence as people re-examined his catalogue.

RIP Mr. Lightfoot, I’ll raise a beer for you tonight.

These are two of my favorites. This song is a part of my Christmas playlist.

This one is an example of a song that every Canadian folk singer/songwriter wishes they could write, but knows they likely never could.

Listening now. I believe it’s Gordon’s Gold.

I can’t help but think about my Dad when I listen to Edmund Fitzgerald… He spent time on the lakes moving ore from Duluth to Ashtabula during WW2. He said that things got pretty bad in November, and he liked this song. He also liked Factory by Springsteen… That is was who he was…

I went on Lightfoot’s Wikipedia page today and found this quote of praise from Bob Dylan. Like him or not, when Dylan talks up a songwriter that’s a serious cred-booster.

“Bob Dylan.... called him one of his favourite songwriters and said, "I can't think of any Gordon Lightfoot song I don't like. Every time I hear a song of his, it's like I wish it would last forever.... Lightfoot became a mentor for a long time. I think he probably still is to this day".

Very nice.

Dylan was obviously a big fan.

I posted that somewhat sarcastically. Dylan seemed less than interested. It’s known though that they were good friends.

None the less, friends, and the intro was by Anne Murray, another great Canadian singer.

I loved Anne Murray. A great singer. When she sang this song, she was singing to me. Well, that is the way I remember it and i am just going to cling to that!