It was one year ago today that Canada and the world bid farewell to Gordon Lightfoot. I never met him, though there are three personal anecdotes about him I promised to share last year. I’ll share them now.
The earliest one is when I was in grade seven. The comprehension class textbook I had included the lyrics to “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” I remember thinking it was a well-written poem about a tragic event. Later on I learned that it is one of his most treasured songs. I believe it is one of the best story songs I’ve ever heard.
In 2000, while attending the Guess Who’s reunion concert in Toronto, I saw him for the first time a few feet away from where I was parked. I recognized him immediately and knew he was a friend of the group. The Guess Who considered him a musical influence, and even wrote a song about him, “Lightfoot” (one of my favourite deep cuts by them).
Seven years later I saw him perform live for the first and only time. He was the final act in a show honouring the now-defunct 1050 CHUM radio station (AM) beside City Hall. His appearance was not announced, and he did a three-song set. “Rainy Day People” being one of the songs.
My mom told me she and her friends used to listen to Gordon Lightfoot when they went to college in Kingston during the sixties. This was before he became successful internationally. Now he is regarded as a national treasure. I hope these anecdotes I told were worth the year-long wait.
