Quote
KevinPenthouse
I beleive he lived next door to Keiths former house in Toronto . .and possibly back as far as the Toronto debacle time period

Perhaps Keith sung 'Cathy's Clown' at sundown

video: [youtu.be]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2023-05-04 04:20 by Zotz.

^^^

Cathy Smith, among other things, renowned for giving John Belushi his final hit.

If You Could Read My Mind is one of my favorite songs to cover. Timeless, beautifull and unique.
His music will stay with us.

Apart from the popular songs everyone knows, Lightfoot had a deep catalogue of songs that were equally fantastic. Steel Rail Blues, Bend In The Water, Did She Mention My Name, Cobwebs & Dust, and so many more! He will be sorely missed here in Canada and everywhere. RIP Gordon Lightfoot, thank you for your music.

Quote
KevinPenthouse
I beleive he lived next door to Keiths former house in Toronto . .and possibly back as far as the Toronto debacle time period

Keith had a house in Toronto?
edit: I suppose he stayed in one when they were here rehearsing. I'm curious where they were.

Off the top of my head, the places I know Lightfoot lived in Toronto were an apartment building near Maple Leafs Gardens, a house in Rosedale (which is where Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan perform Coyote in Rolling Thunder Revue), and his final house in the Bridal Path (next door to Drake). There's probably other locations, too.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2023-05-04 19:01 by Boognish.

Gordon did indeed leave us with a deep catalog of memorable tunes. While I knew of him as a kid listening to American Top 40 radio where his hits Sundown and The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald received heavy play, it was in the early 1990’s when I started to explore Bluegrass music, particularly the legendary guitarist/vocalist Tony Rice, when I started diving deeper into the Lightfoot songbook.

Tony Rice was a devotee of Gordon’s. His cover versions of Cold On The Shoulder, Ten Degrees And Getting Colder, and Song For A Winter’s night were regular features in his performance repertoire, and he usually introduced them with glowing words of admiration and praise. Eventually, Tony would record a full album tribute of covers of Gordon’s songs.

My interest was piqued, and I started listening to Lightfoot’s records. The hipsters seemed to have overlooked him, as it was easy enough to score excellent copies of his records in the thrift stores and discount bins that populated my record digging trips throughout the 90’s and early oughts of the 2000’s. In those years, the top-selling folk and country artists were often overlooked. I similarily picked up lots of Joni Mitchell and Emmylou Harris LPs on the cheap in those years.

I really took a shine to Gordon’s Warner/Reprise records from the 1970s. His band was fantastic, and his songwriting extraordinary. Eventually, I would circle back to his 60’s work on United Artists, and gain respect for it as well.

Gordon Lightfoot was an exceptional voice and songwriter from an era that produced legends in this field. His opus stands with the best of them. I’m a little surprised to hear how unfamiliar some are of his body of work, and would encourage people to explore it. You won’t be disappointed.

R.I.P. Gordon, and thank you for all you gave.

Quote
Boognish
…
Off the top of my head, the places I know Lightfoot lived in Toronto were an apartment building near Maple Leafs Gardens, a house in Rosedale (which is where Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan perform Coyote in Rolling Thunder Revue), and his final house in the Bridal Path (next door to Drake). There's probably other locations, too.

The apartment was 50 Alexander St - the round white building. I lived there a decade or so later. Apparently ’back in the day’ it was a cool landmark and Gord moved in there when he was going through his divorce. Murray McLaughlin was also supposedly living there at the time, and it became a bit of a party place. I remember looking at some albums one day and, on the back of one of my Dan Hill albums (don’t judge me!) the address for Bernie Finkelstein’s management company (who also managed Bruce Cockburn and others, and ran True North Records) was literally the unit beside me. I took it next door to show my neighbour Maureen and we had a laugh.

This is very sad a great icon. His songs will live forever. He influenced so many Canadian artists. A big loss. Thanks Gord for all the great memories.

Maybe it was my proximity to Canada but he was huge here. One of my first concerts, in Niagara Falls. Great voice, tight band and could really tell a STORY in his songs. Such a gifted writer. KevinPenthouse mentions Keith's debacle days in Toronto. Gord had his a few years earlier, though in LA. His hit song "Sundown" was about getting away from a truly toxic girlfriend that he went down into a hole of addiction went. She later found John Belushi and gave him the speedball that ended his life so early. RIP Gord.

If You Could Read My Mind Love
Sundown
Canadian Railroad Trilogy
Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald and so many more

Quote
SomeTorontoGirl
The apartment was 50 Alexander St - the round white building.

Yep. I believe that was where Bob Dylan paid him a visit which turned into a bit of an awkward occasion for him. I don't remember the specifics. Something about the two of them sitting awkwardly in silence or something. It was in the excellent book about Gordon Lightfoot by Nicholas Jennings. Highly recommended!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-05-05 01:02 by Boognish.

Quote
SomeTorontoGirl
I remember looking at some albums one day and, on the back of one of my Dan Hill albums (don’t judge me!) the address for Bernie Finkelstein’s management company (who also managed Bruce Cockburn and others, and ran True North Records) was literally the unit beside me. I took it next door to show my neighbour Maureen and we had a laugh.

haha amazing! As a fellow Torontonian, I love hearing stories about the city's musical history such as that one.

Quote
Boognish
[As a fellow Torontonian, I love hearing stories about the city's musical history such as that one.

Howdy, fellow Hog-Towner!