Music legend returns to Thunder Bay in April

Josh Fewings
A & E Editor

Gordon Lightfoot will bring his timeless music to the TBCA in April.

If you grew up like I did, than some of the first songs you heard were Canadian folk classics like “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” “Sundown,” “Canadian Railroad Trilogy,” and “Black Day in July.” These works were written by the world-renowned Canadian singer/songwriter, Gordon Lightfoot.
Hailing from Orillia, Lightfoot was a crucial part of the Mariposa and Toronto folk scene of the late 1960s, along with such Canucks as Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Bruce Cockburn. Now in his 70th year, Lightfoot still loves touring, and during a recent interview on CBC Radio’s “Q” with Jian Ghomeshi he made it clear that he loves “the show and the feel from the audience.”
The legendary musician has reached number 1 on several charts, including in the U.S. and, of course, in Canada. Focusing on the true essence of telling a story, many songs by Lightfoot bring a historical bend to the fabric of our culture. Take “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” for instance, the song is about a ship of that name that went down in Lake Superior, when the “gales of November came early.”
If you’re not planning on going to see Lightfoot when he hits town in April you are surely missing out on a once in a lifetime event. Although the show is a pricey $75 at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium on April 17, it will be worth every dollar to experience Lightfoot’s music live. A chance to see a man that Bob Dylan tried to emulate is surely priceless.

Gordon Lightfoot

• Born: November 17, 1938, Orillia, Ontario
• Has recorded twenty original albums, with fourteen compilation albums
• Endured a six-week coma following a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm
• Companion of the Order of Canada (2003)
• His music has been covered by Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, The Dandy Warhols, Olivia Newton-John, and Sarah McLachlan, among others.
• Was named Canadian male recording artist of the 1970s