RIP Gordon Lightfoot

Tom the backroads traveller hosts this weekly meme. 

June 2018 - Toronto ON

Reposting May 2, 2023

July 1 is Canada Day so I am going to feature Canadian songs/songwriters for the month.

I'll start with an easy one since we had the honour to attend Gordon Lightfoot's concert at Massey Hall on Friday.

But what song to pick??? So many, I asked John to choose one.

Did She Mention My Name - this version was recorded in 1968 by a much younger Lightfoot. But it drew just as much applause at 79 years old.

There were no restrictions on photos and recording in the Hall which I assume was at Lightfoot's request.

I'm going to include one other song that he did, Early Morning Rain.

His version.

In an interview, he said his favourite version was Peter, Paul and Mary's.

He was also proud of Elvis' version.

I took this photo of his star on Canada's Walk of Fame, on King St. West.

The Toronto Star ran an article with other stars' renditions of his songs.

Click here for his album of greatest hits.

In 2007 Canada Post celebrated his legendary career by creating a limited-edition stamp.

Ken Danby, "Portrait of Gordon Lightfoot", 1987, oil on canvas.
www.kendanbyart.ca Click on Danby in the tags/labels below this post to see more of his work.
Ken Danby was a Canadian artist born on March 6, 1940, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He is best known for his hyperrealist paintings and prints that depicted everyday life, nature, and sports, particularly hockey.

During the late 1980s, Ken Danby painted a series of four portraits of his friend, Gordon Lightfoot. One of the paintings depicts Lightfoot dressed in the white suit he wore on the cover of his album, "East of Midnight." What sets this painting apart is the unique lighting effect that Danby used. He placed Lightfoot in front of a backlight sourced by the sun, resulting in a visually striking image that has become an iconic representation of the singer.