Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot dies at 84

TORONTO — Gordon Lightfoot, Canada’s legendary folk singer-songwriter known for “If You Could Read My Mind” and “Sundown” and for songs that told tales of Canadian identity, died on Monday. He was 84.

He toured late into his life. Just last month he cancelled upcoming U.S. and Canadian shows, citing health issues Most of his songs are deeply autobiographical with lyrics that probe his own experiences in a frank manner and explore issues surrounding the Canadian national identity. “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” depicted the construction of the railway.

While Lightfoot’s parents recognized his musical talents early on, he didn’t set out to become a renowned balladeer. By then, Lightfoot had already penned his first serious composition — “The Hula Hoop Song,” inspired by the popular kids’ toy that was sweeping the culture. Attempts to sell the song went nowhere so at 18, he headed to the U.S. to study music for a year. The trip was funded in part by money saved from a job delivering linens to resorts around his hometown.

Lightfoot made his popular radio debut with the single ” I’m the One” in 1962, which led to a number of hit songs and partnerships with other local musicians. When he started playing the Mariposa Folk Festival in his hometown of Orillia, Ontario that same year, Lightfoot forged a relationship that made him the festival’s most loyal returning performer.

Entertainment Entertainment Latest News, Entertainment Entertainment Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot, known for ‘The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald’, dies at 84Gordon Lightfoot, Canada’s legendary folk singer-songwriter whose hits including “Early Morning Rain” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” told a tale of Canadian identity that was exported worldwide, died on Monday. He was 84.
Source: chicagotribune - 🏆 8. / 91 Read more »

Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian Folk Singer-Songwriter, Dies at 84Singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, the Canadian folk music laureate who crossed over to major pop fame in the U.S. during the ‘70s, died Monday evening at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. He was 84…
Source: Variety - 🏆 108. / 63 Read more »

Gordon Lightfoot dies: Canadian folk singer was 84Gordon Lightfoot, Canada’s legendary folk singer-songwriter whose hits including “Early Morning Rain” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” told a tale of Canadian identity that was exported worldwide, died on Monday. He was 84.
Source: denverpost - 🏆 13. / 72 Read more »

Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot dead at 84Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, who followed the folk and country revolution of countercultural America and landed hits in the mid-1960s, has died at age 84.
Source: NBCNews - 🏆 10. / 86 Read more »

Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot has died at 84Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, best known for folk-pop hits such as 'If You Could Read My Mind' and 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,' died on Monday in a Toronto hospital, it was announced on his official Facebook page.
Source: Reuters - 🏆 2. / 97 Read more »