Singer-Songwriter Gordon Lightfoot Dies at 84 - WAKA 8

FILE – Singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, strums backstage at the Westbury Music Fair on Sept. 8, 1987, in Westbury, N.Y.

In the 1970s, Lightfoot garnered five Grammy nominations, three platinum records and nine gold records for albums and singles. He performed in well over 1,500 concerts and recorded 500 songs. 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, 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 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.

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