Editing Gordon Lightfoot

{{Short description|Canadian singer-songwriter (1938–2023)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name           = Gordon Lightfoot
| honorific_suffix  = {{Post-nominals|size=100%|country=CAN|CC|OOnt}}
| image          = GordonLightfoot_Interlochen.jpg
| caption        = Lightfoot performing at [[Interlochen, Michigan]], in 2009
| image_size     =
| background     = solo_singer
| birth_name     = Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr.
| alias          =
| birth_date     = {{birth date|1938|11|17}}
| birth_place    = [[Orillia, Ontario]], Canada
| death_date     = {{death date and age|2023|05|01|1938|11|17}}
| death_place    = [[Toronto]], Ontario, Canada
| instrument     = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar|piano|percussion}}
| genre          = {{hlist|[[Folk music|Folk]]|[[soft rock]]|[[pop music|pop]]}}
| occupation     = {{hlist|Singer-songwriter|guitarist}}
| years_active   = 1958–2022
| label          = {{hlist|[[United Artists Records|United Artists]]|[[Reprise Records|Reprise]]|[[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]]|[[Linus Entertainment|Linus]]|[[True North Records|True North]]}}
| past_member_of = The Two Tones
}}

'''Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr.''' {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|CC|OOnt}} (November 17, 1938 – May 1, 2023) was a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved worldwide success and helped define the [[singer-songwriter]] era of the 1970s.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/gordon-lightfoot-to-join-u-s-songwriters-hall-of-fame-1.1185264 | work=CBC News | title=Gordon Lightfoot to join U.S. Songwriters Hall of Fame |date=February 21, 2012 | url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161023010909/http://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/gordon-lightfoot-to-join-u-s-songwriters-hall-of-fame-1.1185264 |archive-date=October 23, 2016}}</ref> Widely considered one of Canada's greatest songwriters,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/if-you-could-read-his-mind-134812923.html |title= If you could read his mind|last=Mayes |first=Alison |newspaper= [[Winnipeg Free Press]]|date= December 1, 2011|access-date=December 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423064335/https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/music/2011/12/01/if-you-could-read-his-mind |archive-date=April 23, 2023}}</ref> he had numerous [[Gold album|gold]] and [[Gold album|platinum]] albums,<ref>{{cite news |last=Kerns|first=William|date=August 13, 2010|title=Gordon Lightfoot says his music has improved over lengthy career|url=http://lubbockonline.com/entertainment/2010-08-13/gordon-lightfoot-says-his-music-has-improved-over-lengthy-career|access-date=April 19, 2014|work=Lubbock Avalanche-Journal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231228094212/https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/entertainment/local/2010/08/13/gordon-lightfoot-says-his-music-has-improved-over-lengthy-career/15265796007/ |archive-date=December 28, 2023}}</ref> and his songs have been covered by many of the world's most renowned musical artists.<ref name="songhall.org">{{cite press release |date=February 21, 2012 |url=https://www.songhall.org/news/view/songwriters_hall_of_fame_announces_2012_inductees |title=Songwriters Hall of Fame Announces 2012 Inductees |website=SongHall.org |access-date=June 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309004454/https://www.songhall.org/news/view/songwriters_hall_of_fame_announces_2012_inductees |archive-date=March 9, 2021 |location=New York}}</ref> Lightfoot's biographer Nicholas Jennings wrote, "His name is synonymous with timeless songs about trains and shipwrecks, rivers and highways, lovers and loneliness."<ref>{{cite book |title=Lightfoot |first=Nicholas |last=Jennings |date=October 30, 2018 |isbn=9780143199212 |publisher=Penguin Random House Canada}}</ref>

Lightfoot's songs, including "For Lovin' Me", "[[Early Morning Rain]]", "Steel Rail Blues", "Home From The Forest", and "[[Ribbon of Darkness]]", a number one hit on the U.S. country chart<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gordon-lightfoot-p2053 |title=Gordon Lightfoot &#124; Music Biography, Credits and Discography |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=April 19, 2014}}</ref> for [[Marty Robbins]], brought him recognition from the mid-1960s. Chart success with his own recordings began in Canada in 1962 with the No. 3 hit {{nowrap|"(Remember}} Me) I'm the One" and led to a series of major hits at home and abroad throughout the 1970s. He topped the US Hot 100 or [[Adult contemporary music|Adult Contemporary (AC)]] chart with "[[If You Could Read My Mind]]" (1970), "[[Sundown (Gordon Lightfoot song)|Sundown]]" (1974); "[[Carefree Highway (song)|Carefree Highway]]" (1974), "[[Rainy Day People]]" (1975), and "[[The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald]]" (1976).<ref name="bill">{{cite book|title=The Billboard Book of Hits |isbn=0-8230-8285-7 |first1=Adam |last1=White |first2=Fred |last2=Bronson |publisher=Billboard Books |year=1988}}</ref>

[[Robbie Robertson]] of [[the Band]] described Lightfoot as "a national treasure".<ref name=SeattWeek>{{cite news | url=http://archive.seattleweekly.com/2007-08-22/music/fantasy-trade-gordon-lightfoot-for-neil-diamond-the-last-waltz/ | title=Fantasy Trade: Gordon Lightfoot for Neil Diamond, The Last Waltz: Canadian songwriter passed on the night-of invitation, much to this author's regret. | first=Mike | last=Seely | newspaper=[[Seattle Weekly]] | date=August 22, 2007 | access-date=June 10, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612162229/http://archive.seattleweekly.com/2007-08-22/music/fantasy-trade-gordon-lightfoot-for-neil-diamond-the-last-waltz/ | archive-date=June 12, 2018 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}</ref> [[Bob Dylan]] said, "I can't think of any Gordon Lightfoot song I don't like. Every time I hear a song of his, it's like I wish it would last forever."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sweeting |first=Adam |date=2023-05-03 |title=Gordon Lightfoot obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/may/03/gordon-lightfoot-obituary |access-date=2024-11-04 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Lightfoot was the featured musical performer at the opening ceremonies of the [[1988 Winter Olympics]] and received numerous honours and awards during his career.

==Early life, family and education==
Lightfoot was born in [[Orillia]], Ontario, on November 17, 1938,<ref name="globegazette.com">{{Cite web |title=Kim Hasse and Gordon Lightfoot &#124; Celebrations |url=https://globegazette.com/extras/celebrations/2_col_bw/kim-hasse-and-gordon-lightfoot/article_7160f904-6268-5249-94b9-3b60abb97b3a.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=September 26, 2021 |website=Globegazette.com|date=December 27, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Warner |first=Andrea |date=November 15, 2018 |title=10 things you need to know about Gordon Lightfoot on his 80th birthday |url=https://www.cbc.ca/music/read/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-gordon-lightfoot-on-his-80th-birthday-1.5018248 |accessdate=November 13, 2021 |website=CBC Music |publisher=}}</ref> to Jessie Vick Trill Lightfoot and Gordon Lightfoot Sr.,<ref name="globegazette.com"/> who owned a local dry cleaning business.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Jennings |first=Nicholas |date=May 1, 2023 |title=Gordon Lightfoot, the Canadian bard, wrote the tune for a nation's identity |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/article-gordon-lightfoot-the-canadian-bard-wrote-the-tune-for-a-nations/ |access-date=May 2, 2023}}</ref> He was of [[Scottish Canadians|Scottish]] descent.<ref>{{cite web |last1= Loewenthal |first1=Robyn |title= Lightfoot Back on Track With Fresh Outlook |url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-04-25-ca-3770-story.html#:~:text=Is%20Lightfoot%20a%20Native%20American%20last%20name%3F&text=A%3A%20I'm%20Scottish%20all,%2C%20but%20I'm%20Scottish. |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=April 25, 1996 |access-date= November 20, 2022}}</ref> He had an older sister, Beverley (1935–2017).<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/thestar/name/beverley-eyers-obituary?id=42087953 |title=Beverley Joan Lightfoot Eyers |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=December 22, 2017}}</ref> His mother recognized Lightfoot's musical talent early on and schooled him to become a successful child performer. He first performed publicly in grade four, singing the Irish-American [[lullaby]] "[[Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral]]", which was broadcast over his school's public address system<ref name=":1" /> during a parents' day event.<ref name="larrywayneclark.com">{{cite web |url= http://www.larrywayneclark.com/lightfoot.html |title=Gordon Lightfoot—Portrait of a Painter |website= Larrywayneclark.com |access-date= April 13, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100702050944/http://www.larrywayneclark.com/lightfoot.html |archive-date=July 2, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

As a youth, he sang in the choir of Orillia's St. Paul's United Church under the direction of choirmaster Ray Williams. Lightfoot credited Williams with teaching him to sing with emotion and to have confidence in his voice.<ref>{{cite news | last =MacFarlane| first = David | title= Gordon Lightfoot| work = [[The United Church Observer]]| date = January 2006}}</ref> Lightfoot was a [[boy soprano]]; he appeared periodically on local Orillia radio, performed in local operettas and oratorios, and gained exposure through various [[Kiwanis]] music festivals. At the age of twelve, after winning a competition for boys whose voices had not yet changed, he made his first appearance at [[Massey Hall]] in Toronto, a venue he would ultimately play over 170 more times throughout his career.<ref>{{cite news |first=Kenyon |last=Wallace |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2023/05/01/those-stories-and-that-voice-why-gordon-lightfoots-music-hit-home-for-me-and-so-many-canadians.html |title=Those stories and that voice. Why Gordon Lightfoot's music hit home for me and so many Canadians |work=[[Toronto Star]] |date=May 1, 2023}}</ref>

As a teenager, Lightfoot learned piano and taught himself to play drums and percussion. He performed live in [[District Municipality of Muskoka|Muskoka]], a resort area north of Orillia, singing "for a couple of beers".<ref>{{cite web| title =After 'Sundown,' Gordon Lightfoot makes up for lost time |url= http://www.corfid.com/gl/press/press26.htm| website=Corfid.com| access-date= March 26, 2010}}</ref> Lightfoot performed extensively throughout high school, [[Orillia District Collegiate & Vocational Institute]] (ODCVI), and taught himself to play folk guitar. A formative influence on his music at this time was 19th-century master American songwriter [[Stephen Foster]].<ref>{{cite book| last=Adria | first= Marco| chapter=The Myth of Gordon Lightfoot | title = Music of Our Times: Eight Canadian Singer-Songwriters| place=Toronto | publisher = Lorimer| year = 1990| page=15}}</ref> 

Lightfoot relocated to Los Angeles in 1958 to study jazz composition and orchestration for two years at the Westlake College of Music.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brodsky |first=Rachel |date=May 1, 2023 |title=Canadian Folk Icon Gordon Lightfoot Dead At 84 |language=en |work=Stereogum |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2222395/canadian-folk-icon-gordon-lightfoot-dead-at-84/news/ |access-date=May 2, 2023}}</ref>

==Career==
===Beginnings===
To support himself while in California, Lightfoot sang on demonstration records and wrote, arranged, and produced commercial [[jingle]]s. Among his influences was the folk music of [[Pete Seeger]], [[Bob Gibson (musician)|Bob Gibson]], [[Ian & Sylvia|Ian & Sylvia Tyson]], and [[The Weavers]].<ref>{{cite book | chapter = Gordon Lightfoot| title=Wilson Biographies| publisher= H.W. Wilson Co.| year= 1978}}</ref> Homesick for Toronto, he returned there in 1960<ref>{{cite web |title= Gordon Lightfoot article: "Portrait of a Painter" |url= http://www.larrywayneclark.com/lightfoot.html |website= Larrywayneclark.com |access-date=March 26, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100702050944/http://www.larrywayneclark.com/lightfoot.html |archive-date=July 2, 2010 |url-status= dead}}</ref> and lived in Canada thereafter, though some of his recording, and much of his touring, would be done in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title= Gordon Lightfoot article: "If you could read his mind" |url= http://www.connectsavannah.com/news/article/101861/ |website= Connectsavannah.com |access-date=March 26, 2010}}</ref>

After his return to Canada, Lightfoot performed with the Singin' Swingin' Eight, a group featured on the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]'s ''[[Country Hoedown]]'' TV series, and with the Gino Silvi Singers. He soon became known at Toronto folk-oriented coffee houses.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nicholasjennings.com/before-the-gold-rush|title=Before the Gold Rush - Flashbacks to the Dawn of the Canadian Sound| website= Nicholasjennings.com|date=August 16, 2009 |access-date=September 26, 2021}}</ref><ref>McPherson, David. "Bernie Finkelstein's Golden Mountain". Words and Music. Fall 2012</ref> In 1961, Lightfoot released two singles, both recorded at RCA in Nashville and produced by Louis Innis and Art Snider,<ref name="songnote">Chateau Records label C-1108</ref> that were local hits in Toronto and received some airplay elsewhere in Canada and the northeastern United States. {{nowrap|"(Remember}} Me) I'm the One" reached No.&nbsp;3 on [[CHUM (AM)|CHUM]] radio in Toronto in July 1962 and was a top 20 hit on Montreal's [[CKGM]], then a very influential Canadian Top 40 station.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.las-solanas.com/arsa/surveys_item.php?svid=2043 |title= CKGM (AM) |website= Las-solanas.com |access-date= March 26, 2010 |archive-date= December 7, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081207064529/http://www.las-solanas.com/arsa/surveys_item.php?svid=2043 |url-status= dead }}</ref> The follow-up single was "Negotiations"/"It's Too Late, He Wins"; it reached No.&nbsp;27 on CHUM in December. He sang with Terry Whelan in a duo called the Two-Tones/Two-Timers. They recorded a live album, released in 1962, ''Two-Tones at the Village Corner'' (1962, Chateau CLP-1012).<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.lightfoot.ca/tonelist.htm |title= Gordon Lightfoot Albums |work= lightfoot.ca |year= 2004 |access-date= November 10, 2011 |archive-date= August 6, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110806024711/http://www.lightfoot.ca/tonelist.htm |url-status= dead }}</ref>

In 1963, Lightfoot travelled in Europe and for one year in the UK he hosted the BBC's ''Country and Western Show'' TV series<ref name="BBC">{{cite web |last= Rutherford |first= Nichola |url= https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-65455240 |title= Singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot dies aged 84 |publisher= [[BBC]] |date= May 2, 2023 |access-date= May 3, 2023}}</ref> before returning to Canada in 1964. He appeared at the [[Mariposa Folk Festival]] and started to develop his reputation as a songwriter. [[Ian and Sylvia|Ian and Sylvia Tyson]] recorded "Early Mornin' Rain" and "For Lovin' Me"; a year later both songs were recorded by [[Peter, Paul and Mary]]; other performers covering one or both of these songs included [[Elvis Presley]], [[Bob Dylan]], [[Chad & Jeremy]], [[George Hamilton IV]], [[the Clancy Brothers]], and the [[Johnny Mann|Johnny Mann Singers]]. Established recording artists such as [[Marty Robbins]] ("[[Ribbon of Darkness]]"),<ref name="Rio2009">{{cite book |author=Diamond Rio |title=Beautiful Mess: The Story of Diamond Rio (NelsonFree) |year=2009 |publisher=Thomas Nelson |isbn=978-1-4185-8588-4 |page=49 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=16bcVApyxe4C&pg=PA49}}</ref> [[Judy Collins]] ("Early Morning Rain"), [[Richie Havens]] and [[Spyder Turner]] ("I Can't Make It Anymore"), and [[the Kingston Trio]] ("Early Morning Rain") all achieved chart success with Lightfoot's material.

===1960s===
[[File:Gordon Lightfoot at Apex Records luncheon.jpg|thumb|Lightfoot, right, at a music industry function in Toronto in 1965]]
In 1965, Lightfoot signed a management contract with [[Albert Grossman]],<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Andy |date=May 2, 2023 |title=Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian Folk Rock Troubadour, Dead at 84 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/gordon-lightfoot-dead-obituary-1234716529/ |url-access=limited |access-date=May 2, 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref> who also represented many prominent American folk performers, and signed a recording contract with [[United Artists Records|United Artists]] who released his version of "[[I'm Not Sayin']]" as a single. Appearances at the [[Newport Folk Festival]], ''[[The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson]]'', and New York's [[The Town Hall (New York City)|Town Hall]] increased his following and bolstered his reputation. 1966 marked the release of his debut album ''[[Lightfoot!]]'', which was made in New York, and brought him greater exposure as both a singer and a songwriter. The album featured many now-famous songs, including "For Lovin' Me", "Early Mornin' Rain", "Steel Rail Blues", and "Ribbon of Darkness". On the strength of the ''Lightfoot!'' album, blending Canadian and universal themes, Lightfoot became one of the first Canadian singers to achieve definitive home-grown stardom without having to move permanently to the United States to develop it. Lightfoot also recorded in [[Nashville]] at [[Bradley's Barn|Forest Hills Music Studio ("Bradley's Barn")]] run by [[Owen Bradley]] and his son [[Jerry Bradley (music executive)|Jerry]] during the 1960s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/hall-of-fame/jerry-bradley |access-date=May 2, 2023 |title=Jerry Bradley |website=Country Music Hall of Fame |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816221321/https://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/hall-of-fame/jerry-bradley |archive-date=August 16, 2022}}</ref>

To kick off Canada's [[Canadian Centennial|Centennial]] year, the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] commissioned Lightfoot to write the "[[Canadian Railroad Trilogy]]" for a special broadcast on January 1, 1967.  Between 1966 and 1969, Lightfoot recorded four additional albums at United Artists: ''[[The Way I Feel (Gordon Lightfoot album)|The Way I Feel]]'' (1967), ''[[Did She Mention My Name?]]'' (1968), ''[[Back Here on Earth]]'' (1968), and the live ''[[Sunday Concert]]'' (1969), and consistently placed singles in the Canadian top 40, including "Go-Go Round", "Spin, Spin", and "The Way I Feel". His biggest hit of the era was a cover of Bob Dylan's "[[Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues]]", which peaked at No.&nbsp;3 on the Canadian charts in December 1965. ''[[Did She Mention My Name?]]'' featured "Black Day in July" about the 1967 Detroit riot. Weeks later, upon the [[assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.]] on April 4, radio stations in thirty states pulled the song for "fanning the flames", even though the song was a plea for racial harmony.  Lightfoot stated at the time radio station owners cared more about playing songs "that make people happy" and not those "that make people think."  

Unhappy at a lack of support from United Artists, he defected to [[Warner Bros. Records]], scoring his first major international hit early in 1971 with "If You Could Read My Mind".  His albums prior to this were well received abroad but did not produce hit singles outside Canada.  Until 1971, he was better known in the US as a songwriter than a performer, but was to find commercial success there before being fully appreciated in his home country.<ref name="Edwardson2009">{{cite book |last1=Edwardson |first1=Ryan |title=Canuck Rock: A History of Canadian Popular Music |date=2009 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-0-8020-9989-1 |page=165 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cwc4o2qntH4C&pg=PA165}}</ref><ref name="Marsh1999">{{cite book |editor1-last=Marsh |editor1-first=James H. |title=The Canadian Encyclopedia |year=1999 |publisher=The Canadian Encyclopedia |isbn=978-0-7710-2099-5 |pages=1865–1866 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wR_-aSFyvuYC&pg=PA1865}}</ref>

His success as a live performer continued to grow throughout the late 1960s. He embarked on his first Canadian national tour in 1967 and went on to tour Europe in addition to his North American dates through the mid-70s.  He was also well-received on two tours of Australia.

===1970s===
"[[If You Could Read My Mind]]" sold over a million copies and was awarded a [[music recording sales certification|gold disc]].<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book
| first= Joseph
| last= Murrells
| year= 1978
| title= The Book of Golden Discs
| edition= 2nd
| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd
| location= London
| page= 282
| isbn= 0-214-20512-6
| url-access= registration
| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/282
}}</ref> It had originally appeared on the 1970 album ''[[Sit Down Young Stranger]].'' After the song's success, the album was reissued under the new title ''If You Could Read My Mind''.  It then reached No.&nbsp;5 in the US and represented the turning point in Lightfoot's career.<ref name="BBC" /> The album also featured his version of "[[Me and Bobby McGee]]", as well as "The Pony Man" and "Minstrel of the Dawn".

Over the next seven years, he recorded a series of albums that established him as a major singer-songwriter:
* ''[[Summer Side of Life]]'' (1971), with the title track, "Ten Degrees and Getting Colder", "Cotton Jenny", "Talking in Your Sleep", and a re-working of one of his early 60s songs, "Cabaret"
* ''[[Don Quixote (album)|Don Quixote]]'' (1972), with "[[Beautiful (Gordon Lightfoot song)|Beautiful]]", "Looking at the Rain", "Christian Island (Georgian Bay)", and the title track
* ''[[Old Dan's Records]]'' (1972), his first frontline album to be recorded in Toronto, with the title track, "That Same Old Obsession", "You Are What I Am", "It's Worth Believin'" and "Can't Depend on Love"
* ''[[Sundown (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Sundown]]'' (1974), known for the title track and "Carefree Highway", plus "The Watchman's Gone", "High and Dry", "Circle of Steel", and "Too Late for Prayin'"
* ''[[Cold on the Shoulder (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Cold on the Shoulder]]'' (1975), with the title track, "All the Lovely Ladies", "Fine as Fine Can Be", "Cherokee Bend", and "Rainy Day People"
* The double compilation ''[[Gord's Gold]]'' (1975) containing his major Reprise hits to that point and twelve new versions of his most popular songs from his United Artists era (as UA were continuing to release compilation albums in light of his success at Warner)
* ''[[Summertime Dream]]'' (1976) including "[[The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald]]" and "I'm Not Supposed to Care", "Race Among the Ruins", "Spanish Moss" and "Never Too Close"
* ''[[Endless Wire (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Endless Wire]]'' (1978) with "Daylight Katy", "Dreamland", a new version of "The Circle Is Small", and the title track

During the 1970s, Lightfoot's songs covered a wide range of subjects, including "Don Quixote", referencing Cervantes' famous literary character, "Ode to Big Blue", about the widespread killing of whales, "Carefree Highway", about the freedom of the open road, "Protocol", about the futility of war, and "Alberta Bound", inspired by a lonely teenaged girl he met on a bus while travelling to [[Calgary]] in 1971.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

In 1972, Lightfoot contracted [[Bell's palsy]], a condition that left his face partially paralyzed for a time. The affliction curtailed his touring schedule but Lightfoot nevertheless continued to deliver major hits: in June 1974 his classic single "[[Sundown (Gordon Lightfoot song)|Sundown]]" went to [[Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1974|No.1]] on the American and Canadian charts. It would be his only number one hit in the United States. He performed it twice on NBC's ''[[The Midnight Special (TV series)|The Midnight Special]]''. The follow-up "Carefree Highway" (inspired by [[Arizona State Route 74]] in [[Phoenix, Arizona]]) also charted Top 10 in both countries.<ref>{{cite web |author=William R. Weiss |url=http://www.lightfoot.ca/chron03.htm |title=Gordon Lightfoot Chronology |website=Lightfoot.ca |access-date=April 19, 2014 |archive-date=April 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140420060851/http://www.lightfoot.ca/chron03.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> 

Late in 1975, Lightfoot read a ''[[Newsweek]]'' magazine article<ref>{{cite web |url= http://gordonlightfoot.com/WreckOfTheEdmundFitzgerald.shtml |title=Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot Song Lyrics |work=gordonlightfoot.com |year=2011 |access-date=November 10, 2011}}</ref> reporting on the loss of the {{SS|Edmund Fitzgerald}}, which sank on November 10th, 1975 on [[Lake Superior]] during a severe storm with the loss of all 29 crew members. The lyrics he wrote for "[[The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald|The Wreck of the ''Edmund Fitzgerald'']]", released the following year, were substantially based on facts found in the article and elsewhere. It reached number two on the United States ''[[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]'' chart and hit number one in Canada. Lightfoot appeared at several 25th anniversary memorial services of the sinking and stayed in personal contact with the family members of the men who perished.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ssedmundfitzgerald.org/gordon-lightfoot-song/|title="The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot|publisher=S S Edmund Fitzgerald Online|access-date=January 12, 2018}}</ref>

In 1978, Lightfoot had a top 40 hit in the United States with "The Circle Is Small", which reached the top 5 on the adult contemporary chart.  It was his last major hit.

===1980s and 1990s===
During the 1980s and the 1990s, Lightfoot recorded six more original albums and a compilation for Warner Bros./Reprise: ''[[Dream Street Rose]]'' (1980), ''[[Shadows (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Shadows]]'' (1982), ''[[Salute (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Salute]]'' (1983), ''[[East of Midnight]]'' (1986), another compilation ''[[Gord's Gold Volume II]]'' (1988), ''[[Waiting for You (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Waiting for You]]'' (1993), and ''[[A Painter Passing Through]]'' (1998).

With the title cut a middling hit on the AC chart, ''Dream Street Rose'' continues the folk-pop sound Lightfoot established during the previous decade. It also includes "Ghosts of Cape Horn" and the [[Leroy Van Dyke]] standard "The Auctioneer" that was a concert staple for Lightfoot from the mid-1960s to the 1980s. ''[[Shadows (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Shadows]]'' represents a departure from the acoustic sound of his guitar playing in the 1970s and emphasizes an adult-contemporary sound. The title track, "Heaven Help the Devil", "Thank You for the Promises", "She's Not The Same", and "I'll Do Anything" suggest an underlying sadness and resignation. The 1982 single "Baby Step Back" marked his last time in the US top 50.

After overcoming a long-standing problem with alcohol, he released the mostly electric ''[[Salute (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Salute]]'' in 1983. It yielded no hit songs and unlike his previous efforts, sold poorly.  The 1986 follow-up, ''East of Midnight'', emphasized [[adult contemporary]] songs, and the lead single, "Anything for Love", was a hit on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart and also made the Pop and Country charts.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sSQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Anything+for+Love%22+billboard+country+and+western+chart&pg=PA35|title=Anything for Love; Billboard|date=October 18, 1986|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|language=en}}</ref>

In April 1987, Lightfoot filed a lawsuit against composer [[Michael Masser]], claiming that Masser's melody for the song "The Greatest Love of All", versions of which were recorded and released by [[George Benson]] in 1977 and [[Whitney Houston]] in 1985, had stolen 24 bars from Lightfoot's 1971 hit song "If You Could Read My Mind". The transitional section that begins "I decided long ago never to walk in anyone's shadow" of the Masser song has the same melody as "I never thought I could feel this way and I got to say that I just don't get it; I don't know where we went wrong but the feeling's gone and I just can't get it back" of Lightfoot's song. Lightfoot later stated that he did not want people thinking that he had stolen his melody from Masser.<ref>{{cite web|author=Florian Bodenseher |url=http://www.corfid.com/gl/biography.htm |title=Gordon Lightfoot – Biography |website=Corfid.com |access-date=April 19, 2014}}</ref> The case was settled out of court and Masser issued a public apology.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://storyofsongs.blogspot.com/2009/08/greatest-love.html |title=Greatest Love |date=August 29, 2009 |access-date=May 5, 2019}}</ref> 

He rounded out the decade with the ''[[Gord's Gold Volume II]],'' made up mostly of new versions of songs that were not part of the first Gord's Gold project. Though commercially successful, the contrast between his vocals on the re-recorded tracks and the originals dramatically underscored just how much thinner his voice had become in the years since his radio peak. Lightfoot performed with [[Ian Tyson]] at the opening ceremonies of the [[1988 Winter Olympics]] at [[McMahon Stadium]] in [[Calgary]] that same year.

During the 1990s, Lightfoot returned to his acoustic roots and recorded two albums. ''[[Waiting for You (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Waiting for You]]'' (1993) includes songs such as "Restless", "I'd Rather Press On", and a cover of Bob Dylan's "Ring Them Bells".  1998's ''A Painter Passing Through'' continued in a style more reminiscent of his early recordings,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Chrispell|first=James|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1-pH4i3jXvAC&q=With+the+release+of+A+Painter+Passing+Through%2C+Lightfoot+appears+to+have+found+home+and+has+turned+in+his+best+work+in+years.+Gone+are+the+uncertain+arrangements+of+the+past%3B+in+their+place%2C+there+is+a+welcome+return+to+the+essence+of+the+%22Sundown%22+musical+era.&pg=PA654|title=All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul|publisher=Backbeat Books|year=2002|isbn=9780879306533|editor-last=Bogdanov|editor-first=Vladimir|location=San Francisco, CA|pages=654|chapter=A Painter Passing Through / May 12, 1998 / Reprise|editor-last2=Woodstra|editor-first2=Chris|editor-last3=Erlewine|editor-first3=Stephen Thomas}}</ref> although his voice was not strong and he relied more on outside material (Ian Tyson's "Red Velvet" and a new song written for him, "I Used to Be a Country Singer"). Throughout the decade, Lightfoot played 50-75 concerts each year.<ref>{{cite web |author=William R. Weiss |url=http://www.lightfoot.ca/tourschd.htm |title=Gordon Lightfoot Tour Schedules |website=Lightfoot.ca |access-date=June 14, 2010 |archive-date=June 5, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605103303/http://www.lightfoot.ca/tourschd.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1999 [[Rhino Records]] released ''[[Songbook (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Songbook]]'', a four-CD boxed set of Lightfoot recordings with rare and unreleased tracks from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s plus a small hardback booklet describing how he wrote his songs and gave facts about his career.

===2000s===
In April 2000, Lightfoot taped a live concert in [[Reno, Nevada]]; an edited one-hour version was broadcast by the [[CBC Television|CBC]] in October, and on PBS across the United States. PBS stations offered a videotape of the concert as a pledge gift, and a DVD was released in 2001 in Europe and North America, making it the first Lightfoot concert video released. In April 2001, he closed the Tin Pan South Legends concert at [[Ryman Auditorium]] in Nashville.  In May, he performed "Ring Them Bells" at [[Massey Hall]] in honour of Dylan's 60th birthday.

By January 2002, Lightfoot had written 30 new songs for his next album. He recorded guitar and vocal demos of some of these new songs. In September, before the second concert of a two-night stand in [[Orillia]], Lightfoot suffered severe stomach pain and was airlifted to [[McMaster University Medical Centre]] in [[Hamilton, Ontario]]. He underwent emergency [[vascular surgery]] for a ruptured [[abdominal aortic aneurysm]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/gordon-lightfoot-is-happy-to-be-all-live|title=Gordon Lightfoot is happy to be All Live|date=April 27, 2012|newspaper=National Post|access-date=September 20, 2018|last1=Kaplan|first1=Ben}}</ref> and he remained in serious condition in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Lightfoot endured a six-week coma and a [[tracheotomy]], and underwent four surgeries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1197/is_/ai_n16519941 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210091226/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1197/is_/ai_n16519941 |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 10, 2008 |title=CBSi |website=FindArticles.com |access-date=December 17, 2016 }}</ref> His remaining 2002 concert dates were cancelled. More than three months after being taken to McMaster, Lightfoot was released in December to continue his recovery at home.

In 2003, Lightfoot underwent follow-up surgery to continue the treatment of his abdominal condition. In November he signed a new recording contract with [[Linus Entertainment]] and began rehearsing with his band for the first time since his illness.  Also in 2003, [[Borealis Records]], a label related to Linus Entertainment, released ''Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot''.  On this album, various artists, including The [[Cowboy Junkies]], [[Bruce Cockburn]], [[Jesse Winchester]], [[Maria Muldaur]], and [[The Tragically Hip]] interpreted Lightfoot's songs. The final track on the album, "Lightfoot", was the only song not previously released by Lightfoot. It was composed and performed by [[Aengus Finnan]].

In January 2004, Lightfoot completed work on ''[[Harmony (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Harmony]]'', which he had mostly recorded prior to his illness. It was his 19th original album and included a single and video of "Inspiration Lady". Other notable entries are "Clouds of Loneliness", "Sometimes I Wish", "Flyin' Blind", and "No Mistake About It". The album also contains the upbeat, yet reflective track, "End of All Time". In July 2004, he made a surprise comeback performance, his first since falling ill, at Mariposa in Orillia, performing "I'll Tag Along" solo. In August he performed a five-song solo set in [[Peterborough, Ontario|Peterborough]], Ontario, at a flood relief benefit. In November he made his long-awaited return to the concert stage with two sold-out benefit shows in Hamilton. Lightfoot returned to the music business with his new album selling well and an appearance on ''[[Canadian Idol]]'', where the six top contestants each performed a song of his, culminating in a group performance – on their own instruments – of his ''[[Canadian Railroad Trilogy]]''. He returned to the road in 2005 on his ''Better Late Than Never Tour''.

On September 14, 2006, during a performance in Harris, Michigan, Lightfoot suffered a minor stroke that temporarily left him without the use of the middle and ring fingers on his right hand.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/gordon-lightfoot-dead-1.6828991 |title=Canadian folk music icon Gordon Lightfoot dead at 84 |author=Susan Noakes |date=May 1, 2023 |website=cbc.ca |access-date=May 1, 2023}}</ref> He returned to performing nine days later and briefly used a substitute guitarist for more difficult guitar work.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/lightfoot |title=Music: Stroke doesn't diminish Lightfoots skills as an entertainer |date=September 25, 2006 |website=Onmilwaukee.com |access-date=May 1, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Denis Armstrong |url=http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/L/Lightfoot_Gordon/ConcertReviews/2006/11/12/2326377.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710212859/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/L/Lightfoot_Gordon/ConcertReviews/2006/11/12/2326377.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=July 10, 2012 |title=CANOE – JAM! Music – Artists – Gordon Lightfoot – Concert Review: NAC, Ottawa – November 10, 2006 |website=Jam.canoe.ca |access-date=June 14, 2010 }}</ref> Full recovery took longer, "I fought my way back in seven or eight months".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thespec.com/whatson-story/2197822-gordon-lightfoot-making-the-best-use-of-borrowed-time-/|title=Gordon Lightfoot making the best use of 'borrowed time'|date=April 24, 2012|website=thespec.com|access-date=September 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909112036/https://www.thespec.com/whatson-story/2197822-gordon-lightfoot-making-the-best-use-of-borrowed-time-/|archive-date=September 9, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> By 2007, Lightfoot had full use of his right hand and played all of the guitar parts in concert as he originally wrote them.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gordonlightfoot.com/GordonLightfoot-11-2006.shtml |title=Gordon Lightfoot at Massey, November 2006 |website=Gordonlightfoot.com |access-date=June 14, 2010}}</ref>

===2010s and final work===
In February 2010, Lightfoot was the victim of a [[death hoax]] originating on [[Twitter]], when then-[[CTV News|CTV]] journalist [[David Akin]] posted on Twitter and [[Facebook]] that Lightfoot had died.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/gordon-lightfoot-very-much-alive/article1473102/|title=Gordon Lightfoot very much alive|work=[[The Globe and Mail]]|author=Adams, James|access-date=February 19, 2010|location=Toronto|archive-date=February 19, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100219054317/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/gordon-lightfoot-very-much-alive/article1473102/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Lightfoot was at a dental appointment at the time the rumours spread and found out when listening to the radio on his drive home.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/gossip/2010/02/gordon-lightfoot-this-is-your-death-on-twitter.html|title=Gordon Lightfoot: This is your death on Twitter|work=[[Los Angeles Times]] Ministry of Gossip|author=D'Zurilla, Christie|access-date=February 19, 2010 | date=February 18, 2010}}</ref> Lightfoot dispelled those rumours by phoning [[Charles Adler (broadcaster)|Charles Adler]] of [[CJOB]] live on-air, and made clear that he was alive and well.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cjob.com/News/Local/Story.aspx?ID=1197946|title=Gordon Lightfoot on Charles Adler... "NOT dead"|work=[[CJOB]]'s website|author=Copsey, John|access-date=February 19, 2010}}</ref> 

Lightfoot performed at the [[100th Grey Cup]] at [[Rogers Centre]] in November 2012, performing "[[Canadian Railroad Trilogy]]", and was extremely well received.<ref name="HalftimeReaction">{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/bieber-booed-lightfoot-lauded-during-splashy-grey-cup-halftime-1.1222864 |title=Bieber booed, Lightfoot lauded during splashy Grey Cup halftime |work=CBC News |date=November 25, 2012 |access-date=November 26, 2012}}</ref> Lightfoot made his first tour of the United Kingdom in almost forty years in 2016, playing eleven dates across England, Scotland, and Ireland.<ref name="2016 tour of England, Ireland and Scotland announced abroad">{{cite web|url=http://www.gordonlightfoot.com/#uk2016|title=Gordon Lightfoot: UK and Ireland Tour 2016|work=gordonlightfoot.com |access-date=May 21, 2015}}</ref> In a 2016 interview with ''[[The Canadian Press]]'' Lightfoot said: "At this age, my challenge is doing the best show I can ... I'm very much improved from where I was and the seriousness with which I take it."<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.680news.com/2016/11/08/gordon-lightfoot-on-his-moms-little-trick-that-keeps-his-career-ticking/|title=Gordon Lightfoot on his mom's 'little trick' that keeps his career ticking|last=Friend|first=David|date=November 8, 2016|publisher=[[Canadian Press]]|access-date= December 3, 2017}}</ref>

Lightfoot played at [[Canada's 150th birthday]] celebration on [[Parliament Hill]], July 1, 2017, introduced by Prime Minister [[Justin Trudeau]]. The Prime Minister mentioned that Lightfoot had played the same stage exactly 50 years earlier, for [[Canada's 100th birthday]].<ref name="recording of Lightfoot performing on Parliament Hill, July 1, 2017">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z4YRVRJqO4| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/7Z4YRVRJqO4| archive-date=October 30, 2021|title=Canada Day 150 Night Show - GORDON LIGHTFOOT!!!|work=youtube.com | date=July 2017|access-date=October 27, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Lightfoot's 2019 tour was interrupted when he was injured while working out in a gym.  In March 2020 his concert schedule was delayed by governmental restrictions during the [[COVID-19 pandemic|coronavirus pandemic]].

Lightfoot had said in 2016 that he would not return to songwriting late in life as it was "such an isolating thing" earlier in his career, affecting his family life.<ref name=":0" /> However, in 2020 Lightfoot released his 20th studio album, ''Solo'', unaccompanied by other musicians, 54 years after his debut album.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/gordon-lightfoot-solo-new-album-942415/|title=Gordon Lightfoot Announces First New Album in 16 Years, 'Solo'|first=Daniel|last=Kreps|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=January 24, 2020|access-date=May 2, 2023}}</ref> It was put out by [[Warner Music Canada]], marking Lightfoot's return to Warner. 

Two weeks after his death in 2023, it was announced that his 2016 concert performance at [[Royal Albert Hall]] would be released in July 2023 as the live album ''At Royal Albert Hall''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2023/05/15/live-gordon-lightfoot-album-at-royal-albert-hall-set-for-release-in-july.html |title=Live Gordon Lightfoot album, 'At Royal Albert Hall,' set for release in July |work=[[Toronto Star]] |date=May 15, 2023}}</ref>

==Sound and legacy==
Lightfoot's sound, in the studio and on tour, was centred on his [[baritone]] voice and folk-based [[Twelve-string guitar|twelve-string]] acoustic guitar.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/gordon-lightfoot|title=Gordon Lightfoot|encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]]|date=August 2, 2017|access-date=August 17, 2019}}</ref> From 1965 to 1970, lead guitarist [[Laurice Milton “Red” Shea|Red Shea]] was an important supporting player, with bassists Paul Wideman and John Stockfish filling out the arrangements.
[[File:Gordon Lightfoot.jpg|thumb|left|Performing in Toronto, 2008, playing his [[twelve-string guitar]]]]
In 1968 bassist Rick Haynes joined the band, and lead guitarist Terry Clements signed on three years later. After Shea left the band, he continued to appear on the albums and played on several of Lightfoot's hits.  Shea also hosted a CBC variety show, worked with Ian Tyson, and became band leader for [[Tommy Hunter]]'s TV show in the 1980s on CBC. Haynes and Clements remained with Lightfoot and made up the core of his band.

In 1975, Ed Ringwald (billed by Lightfoot as Pee Wee Charles) added [[pedal steel]] guitar to the band, and drummer Barry Keane joined that same year.  In 1981, keyboardist Mike Heffernan completed the ensemble. This five-piece backup band remained intact until 1987, when Charles left to operate a radio station in Southern Ontario.

Three former members of Lightfoot's band died over the years: Red Shea in 2008, Clements at 63 in 2011, <ref>{{cite web|author=Doc Rock |url=http://thedeadrockstarsclub.com/2011.html |title=2011 January to June |work=The Dead Rock Stars Club |access-date=April 19, 2014}}</ref> and John Stockfish in 2012.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://v1.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/Deaths.20120830.93301879/BDAStory/BDA/deaths |title=John Stockfish |work=globeandmail.com |date=August 30, 2012 |access-date=September 2, 2012 |location=Toronto |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022020423/http://v1.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/Deaths.20120830.93301879/BDAStory/BDA/deaths |archive-date=October 22, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Haynes, Keane, and Heffernan continued touring and recording with Lightfoot, with Carter Lancaster replacing Clements in 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/music/gordon-lightfoot-remembers-late-guitarist-clements-as-one-of-his-best-friends-117076653.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110308033940/http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/music/gordon-lightfoot-remembers-late-guitarist-clements-as-one-of-his-best-friends-117076653.html|url-status=dead|title=Winnipeg Free Press|archivedate=March 8, 2011|via=www.winnipegfreepress.com}}</ref>

Alexander Carpenter, professor of [[musicology]] at the  [[University of Alberta]], noted the number of tributes to Lightfoot in the media that held him as "quintessentially Canadian" and questioned whether this [[nationalist]], nostalgic view [blurred] "the reality that Lightfoot was a musician who had a much wider influence on the popular music scene of the 1970s, well beyond Canada’s borders".<ref name="Carpenter">{{Cite web |last=Carpenter |first=Alexander |date=June 18, 2023 |title=Gordon Lightfoot's musical legacy extended beyond Canada to reflect universal themes |url=https://theconversation.com/gordon-lightfoots-musical-legacy-extended-beyond-canada-to-reflect-universal-themes-205064 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721220238if_/https://theconversation.com/gordon-lightfoots-musical-legacy-extended-beyond-canada-to-reflect-universal-themes-205064 |archive-date=July 21, 2023 |access-date=July 23, 2023 |website=[[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]]}}</ref> Carpenter contended that Lightfoot both romanticized Canadian history and looked more deeply into the country's past – an aspect of his music that has been "largely lost in the effusive eulogies in the media".  Lightfoot's gentle, sentimental delivery style was noted by Carpenter as evoking a nostalgia, but this was not necessarily a "compelling or accurate portrait of Canada", with the article concluding: "Simply casting Lightfoot as an exemplar of Canadian-ness overshadows Lightfoot's legacy. He was a songsmith and a musician who toiled for his entire career – spanning nearly six decades – to bring words and music together in meaningful and enduring ways."<ref name=Carpenter/>

==Personal life and death==
Lightfoot was married three times. His first marriage in 1963 was to Brita Ingegerd Olaisson, a Swede, with whom he had two children. They divorced in 1973, the marriage ending in part because of his infidelity. Lightfoot acknowledged that he found fidelity difficult in a long-distance relationship brought on by touring, which contributed to the failure of at least two relationships.

"[[If You Could Read My Mind]]" was written in reflection upon his disintegrating marriage. At the request of his daughter, he performed the lyrics with a slight change: the line "I'm just trying to understand the feelings that you lack" is altered to "I'm just trying to understand the feelings that ''we'' lack." He said in an interview that the difficulty with writing songs inspired by personal stories is that there is not always the emotional distance and clarity to make lyrical improvements such as the one his daughter suggested.

Lightfoot was single for 16 years and had two other children from relationships between his first and second marriages.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.corfid.com/vbb/archive/index.php/t-15235.html |title=Gord's eldest children |website=Gordon Lightfoot Forums |access-date=December 3, 2017}}</ref>

In the early 1970s, Lightfoot was involved with [[Cathy Smith]]; their volatile relationship inspired "[[Sundown (Gordon Lightfoot song)|Sundown]]" and "[[Rainy Day People]]" among others. "Cathy was a great lady," Lightfoot told ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' after her death. "Men were drawn to her, and she used to make me jealous. But I don't have a bad thing to say about her." Smith later became notorious as the person who injected [[John Belushi]] with a fatal [[Speedball (drug)|speedball]].<ref>{{cite web|website=The Globe and Mail|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/article-mystery-woman-admitted-i-killed-john-belushi/|title=Cathy Smith, who admitted to killing John Belushi, was a woman of mystery|first=Brad|last=Wheeler|date=August 26, 2020|accessdate=May 23, 2022}}</ref>

In 1989, he married Elizabeth Moon. They had two children.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gordon Lightfoot 'still out there': 12/4/00|url=http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20001204/NEWS/312049924|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213073247/http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20001204%2FNEWS%2F312049924|archive-date=December 13, 2013|access-date=December 9, 2013|website=[[South Coast Today]]}}</ref> They divorced in 2011 after a separation of nine years.

Lightfoot married for a third time in 2014 at Toronto's [[Rosedale United Church]], to Kim Hasse.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Keeping In Touch|url=https://us5.campaign-archive.com/?u=b9a568b76255c9240849ea51f&id=21859ea830|access-date=April 8, 2021|website=us5.campaign-archive.com}}</ref>

To stay in shape to meet the demands of touring and public performing, Lightfoot worked out in a gym six days per week, but declared in 2012 that he was "fully prepared to go whenever I'm taken." He calmly stated, "I've been almost dead a couple times, once almost for real ... I have more incentive to continue now because I feel I'm on borrowed time, in terms of age."<ref name="thespec1">{{cite web|url = http://www.thespec.com/whatson-story/2197822-gordon-lightfoot-making-the-best-use-of-borrowed-time-/|title = Gordon Lightfoot making the best use of 'borrowed time'|publisher = Thespec.com|date = April 24, 2012|access-date = April 19, 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140315191051/http://www.thespec.com/whatson-story/2197822-gordon-lightfoot-making-the-best-use-of-borrowed-time-/|archive-date = March 15, 2014|url-status = dead}}</ref>

Lightfoot's band members displayed loyalty to him, as both musicians and friends, recording and performing with him for as long as 55 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gordonlightfoot.com/At_71_Gordon_Lightfoot_Is_Touring_Making_More_Music.shtml |title=At 71, Gordon Lightfoot is touring, making more music |website=Gordonlightfoot.com |access-date=June 14, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Patch |first=Nick |url=http://www.lightfoot.ca/terryc.htm |title=Terry Clements |website=Lightfoot.ca |access-date=April 19, 2014 |archive-date=August 1, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140801201212/http://www.lightfoot.ca/terryc.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Lightfoot was a long-time resident of [[Toronto]] having settled in the [[Rosedale, Toronto|Rosedale]] neighbourhood in the 1970s, which once hosted an infamous after-party following a [[Maple Leaf Gardens]] date on [[Bob Dylan]]'s [[Rolling Thunder Revue]] tour.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lightfoot, Dylan and the wild Rosedale party|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2017/09/30/lightfoot-dylan-and-the-wild-rosedale-party.html|access-date=May 5, 2023|website=Toronto Star|date=September 30, 2017 }}</ref> In 1999, he purchased his final home in the [[Bridle Path, Toronto|Bridle Path]] neighbourhood,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bridle Path Mansions|url=https://nationalpost.com/life/homes/bridle-path-mansions-toronto-celebrities-real-estate|access-date=May 5, 2023|website=National Post}}</ref> where he would eventually live across the street from fellow musician [[Drake (musician)|Drake]] who purchased property in the mid-2010s,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Gordon Lightfoot on Drake as Bridle Path neighbour; 'It'll be good to have him drop by'|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2016/08/04/gordon-lightfoot-says-drake-as-bridle-path-neighbour-itll-be-good-to-have-him-drop-by.html|access-date=May 5, 2023|website=Toronto Star|date=August 4, 2016 }}</ref> and at various times down the street from both [[Mick Jagger]] and [[Prince (musician)|Prince]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Bridle Path's Celebrity History Of Luxury Real Estate|url=https://storeys.com/the-bridle-paths-celebrity-history-of-luxury-real-estate/|access-date=May 5, 2023|website=Storeys|date=December 10, 2019 }}</ref>

Lightfoot was a lifelong fan of the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] and was made an honorary captain of the team for the [[1991–92 Toronto Maple Leafs season|1991–92 season]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Honorary 'C': Late singer Lightfoot served as honorary Leafs captain in 1991-92|url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/2023/05/02/honorary-c-late-singer-lightfoot-served-as-honorary-leafs-captain-in-1991-92.html|access-date=May 5, 2023|website=Toronto Star|date=May 2, 2023 }}</ref>

In his last two years of touring, he had shortened the show to an hour, and remained seated for the last few dates he performed.  Lightfoot played what turned out to be his final concert on October 30, 2022, in [[Winnipeg]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Winnipeg hosted final concert for Canadian musical giant|date=May 2, 2023 |publisher=Winnipeg Free Press|url=https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/2023/05/02/city-hosted-final-concert-for-canadian-musical-giant|accessdate=May 5, 2023}}</ref>  Remaining dates were postponed to 2023, but as his health declined, there were further postponements. In hospital in April, he fully cancelled his 2023 tour.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 1, 2023 |title=Gordon Lightfoot cancels 2023 tour dates due to 'health-related issues' |work=CityNews|url=https://toronto.citynews.ca/2023/04/11/gordon-lightfoot-cancels-tour/|access-date=May 3, 2023}}</ref> Lightfoot died of natural causes two weeks later at [[Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre]] in Toronto on May 1, 2023, at the age of 84.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Morris |first1=Chris |title=Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian Folk Singer-Songwriter, Dies at 84 |url=https://variety.com/2023/music/obituaries-people-news/gordon-lightfoot-dead-edmund-fitzgerald-folk-singer-1235600585/ |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=May 1, 2023}}</ref>

The [[Mariners' Church]] in [[Detroit]] (the "Maritime Sailors' Cathedral" mentioned in "The Wreck of the ''Edmund Fitzgerald''") honoured Lightfoot the day after his death by ringing its bell a total of 30 times, 29 for each of the crewmen lost on the ''Edmund Fitzgerald'', and the final time for Lightfoot himself.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/music/brian-mccollum/2023/05/02/gordon-lightfoot-mariners-church-detroit-bells/70175392007/|work=Detroit Free Press|title=Mariners' Church of Detroit honors Gordon Lightfoot with Tuesday ringing of bells|last=McCollum|first=Brian|date=May 2, 2023|access-date=May 7, 2023}}</ref> Additionally, the [[Split Rock Lighthouse]], which overlooks Lake Superior in Minnesota, shone its light in honour of Lightfoot on May 3.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2023/05/03/split-rock-lighthouse-to-honor-gordon-lightfoot-with-beacon-lighting|work=MPR News|title=Split Rock Lighthouse to honor Gordon Lightfoot with beacon lighting|last=Kraker|first=Dan|date=May 3, 2023|access-date=August 22, 2023}}</ref>

In the days after his death, a series of tributes took place in his hometown of [[Orillia]], one of them previously planned. On May 6, the local opera house hosted Leisa Way & the Wayward Wind Band, a previously planned show that paid tribute to Lightfoot that became a memorial show of sorts. It sold out in the event of his death.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Friend |first=David |date=May 6, 2023 |title='We had to be here': Fans gather at hometown concert celebrating Gordon Lightfoot |work=The Canadian Press/The Toronto Star |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2023/05/06/concert-celebrating-gordon-lightfoot-set-for-orillia-ont-hometown-on-saturday.html |access-date=May 8, 2023}}</ref> A day later, a public visitation was held at St. Paul's United Church that drew more than 2,400 people.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Friend |first=David |date=May 7, 2023 |title=Tears, joy and tributes as fans pay respects to Gordon Lightfoot in his hometown |work=The Toronto Star/The Canadian Press |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2023/05/08/tears-joy-and-tributes-as-fans-pay-respects-to-gordon-lightfoot-in-his-hometown.html |access-date=May 8, 2023}}</ref> On May 8, 2023, a private funeral was held for Lightfoot at St. Paul's United Church.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Friend |first=David |date=May 8, 2023 |title=Family, friends gather at private funeral for Gordon Lightfoot in Orillia, Ont. |work=The Canadian Press |url=https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/national/family-friends-gather-at-private-funeral-for-gordon-lightfoot-in-his-hometown/article_996d6359-66b1-5fd6-bff1-0193d0148a34.html |access-date=May 8, 2023}}</ref> His body was later cremated, and his ashes were buried next to his parents at St. Andrew's and St. James' Cemetery in Orillia.<ref>{{cite web|title='Huge event': Orillia prepares to say goodbye to Gordon Lightfoot|url=https://www.orilliamatters.com/local-news/huge-event-orillia-prepares-to-say-goodbye-to-gordon-lightfoot-6954286|last=McGrath-Goudie|first=Greg|publisher=OrilliaMatters|date=May 5, 2023|access-date=February 2, 2024}}</ref>

A tribute concert took place at Massey Hall on May 23, 2024, featuring performances of Lightfoot songs performed by his band, who continue to tour as The Lightfoot Band, and [[Blue Rodeo]], [[City and Colour]], [[Julian Taylor (singer)|Julian Taylor]], [[Kathleen Edwards]], [[Murray McLauchlan]], [[Serena Ryder]], [[Tom Wilson (musician)|Tom Wilson]], [[Allison Russell]], [[Burton Cummings]], [[Tom Cochrane]], [[Aysanabee]], [[William Prince (musician)|William Prince]], [[Sylvia Tyson]], and [[The Good Brothers]].<ref>Megan LaPierre, [https://exclaim.ca/music/article/blue_rodeo_allison_russell_burton_cummings_set_for_gordon_lightfoot_tribute_at_massey_hall "City and Colour, Julian Taylor, Kathleen Edwards Join Blue Rodeo, Allison Russell, Burton Cummings for Gordon Lightfoot Tribute at Massey Hall"]. ''[[Exclaim!]]'', April 18, 2024.</ref>

==Honours and awards==
[[File:Gordon Lightfoot Star on Canada's Walk of Fame.jpg|thumb|Lightfoot's star on [[Canada's Walk of Fame]]]]
As an individual, apart from various awards associated with his albums and singles, Gordon Lightfoot received sixteen [[Juno Award]]s—for top folk singer in 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969,<ref>Known as the "RPM Gold Leaf Award" 1964–1969; see [[Juno Award]].</ref> 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1977, for top male vocalist in 1967, 1970, 1971, 1972, and 1973, and as composer of the year in 1972 and 1976. He received [[ASCAP]] awards for songwriting in 1971, 1974, 1976, and 1977, and was nominated for five [[Grammy Award]]s. In 1974 Lightfoot's song "Sundown" was named pop record of the year by the Music Operators of America. In 1980 he was named Canadian male recording artist of the decade, for his work during the 1970s.<ref name="BBC" />

Lightfoot was celebrated in song by fellow Canadians The Guess Who on their 1968 album "Wheatfield Soul" with the track "Lightfoot." The opening verse mentions John Stockfish and Red Shea leaving no doubt about the identity of this Lightfoot who "is an artist painting Sistine masterpieces." The track also cleverly interjects titles of some of Gordon's songs in a line of its<ref>{{cite web | url=https://lyrics.lyricfind.com/lyrics/the-guess-who-lightfoot | title=Lyrics &#124; the Guess Who &#124; Lightfoot }}</ref> lyrics, as shown in single quotes. "And as the 'Go-Go (girl went) Round', and our heads were in a spin, I thought about the 'Crossroads', in the 'Early Morning Rain', and 'Rosanna'".

Lightfoot was chosen as the celebrity captain of the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] for the [[NHL]]'s 75th anniversary season in 1991–1992.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McIndoe |first=Sean |date=July 19, 2016 |title=Down Goes Brown: Grading NHL celebrity captains of 1991 |url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/goes-brown-grading-nhl-celebrity-captains-1991/ |access-date=May 2, 2023 |website=www.sportsnet.ca}}</ref>

Lightfoot was inducted into the [[Canadian Music Hall of Fame]] in 1986<ref name="BBC" /> and the [[Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame]] in 2001. He was inducted into [[Canada's Walk of Fame]] in 1998. In May 2003 he was made a Companion of the [[Order of Canada]].<ref name="BBC" /> Lightfoot was a member of the [[Order of Ontario]], the highest honour in the province of Ontario. In 1977, he received the Vanier Award from the Canadian [[Jaycees]]. In 2007 [[Canada Post]] honoured Lightfoot and three other Canadian music artists (, [[Paul Anka]], Joni Mitchell, and [[Anne Murray]]) with postage stamps highlighting their names and images.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Issue: Canadian Recording Artists (Canada, 2007) |url=https://touchstamps.com/Issue/Details/24483/canadian-recording-artists |access-date=May 2, 2023 |website=TouchStamps}}</ref> On June 24, 2012, Lightfoot was inducted into the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]] in a New York City ceremony, along with [[Bob Seger]].<ref name="songhall.org"/><ref name="rollingstone.com">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bob-seger-gordon-lightfoot-jim-steinman-inducted-into-songwriters-hall-of-fame-20120615 |title=Bob Seger, Gordon Lightfoot, Jim Steinman Inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=June 15, 2012 |access-date=April 19, 2014 |archive-date=January 31, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140131205822/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bob-seger-gordon-lightfoot-jim-steinman-inducted-into-songwriters-hall-of-fame-20120615 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="billboard.com">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/483079/bob-seger-gordon-lightfoot-among-songwriter-hall-inductees |title=Bob Seger, Gordon Lightfoot Among Songwriter Hall inductees |magazine=Billboard |access-date=April 19, 2014}}</ref>

He received an honorary [[Doctor of Laws]] degree from [[Trent University]] in spring 1979<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.trentu.ca/administration/pdfs/TrentUniversityRecipientsofHonoraryDegrees.pdf |title=Trent University Recipients of Honorary Degrees |publisher=Trent University |year=2005 |access-date=August 11, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305201329/http://www.trentu.ca/administration/pdfs/TrentUniversityRecipientsofHonoraryDegrees.pdf |archive-date=March 5, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and on June 6, 2015, Lightfoot received an honorary doctorate of music in his hometown of Orillia from [[Lakehead University]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lakeheadu.ca/current-students/graduation/or/sched/mr.-gordon-lightfoot|title=Mr. Gordon Lightfoot - Lakehead University|website=Lakeheadu.ca|access-date=December 17, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610135455/https://www.lakeheadu.ca/current-students/graduation/or/sched/mr.-gordon-lightfoot|archive-date=June 10, 2015}}</ref>

In November 1997, the [[Governor General's Performing Arts Award]], Canada's highest honour in the performing arts, was bestowed on Lightfoot.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gordon Lightfoot biography|url=http://ggpaa.ca/award-recipients/1997/lightfoot-gordon.aspx|publisher=Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation|access-date=February 3, 2015}}</ref> Lightfoot was made a [[Companion of the Order of Canada]] in May 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=1014 |title=Order of Canada |website=Archive.gg.ca |date=April 30, 2009 |access-date=August 11, 2010}}</ref> On February 6, 2012, Lightfoot was presented with the [[Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal]] by the [[Lieutenant Governor of Ontario]].

Between 1986 and 1988, Lightfoot's friend [[Ken Danby]] (1940–2007), the realist painter, worked on a large (60 × 48&nbsp;inches) portrait of Lightfoot dressed in the white suit he wore on the cover of the album ''East of Midnight''. The picture is backlit by the sun, creating a visually iconic image of the singer.

On June 16, 2014, Lightfoot was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by [[SOCAN]] at the 2014 SOCAN Awards in Toronto.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.socan.ca/about/awards/2014-socan-awards |title=2014 SOCAN AWARDS &#124; SOCAN |website=Socan.ca |access-date=December 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628132104/http://www.socan.ca/about/awards/2014-socan-awards |archive-date=June 28, 2017 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

On October 23, 2015, Lightfoot was honoured with a 4-metre tall [[bronze sculpture]] created by [[Timothy Schmalz]] in his hometown of [[Orillia]], Ontario.<ref>{{Cite news|title = Singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot was in Orillia, Ontario for the reveal of his statue, 'Golden Leaves—A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot.'|url = https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2015/10/23/gordon-lightfoot-statue-unveiled-in-singers-hometown-of-orillia.html|newspaper = The Toronto Star|date = October 23, 2015|access-date = February 9, 2016|issn = 0319-0781}}</ref> The sculpture, called ''Golden Leaves—A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot'', features Lightfoot sitting cross-legged, playing an acoustic guitar underneath an arch of golden [[maple leaves]]. Many of the leaves depict scenes from Lightfoot's 1975 greatest hits album, ''[[Gord's Gold]]''.

In 2017, Lightfoot rated fifth in the CBC's list of the 25 best Canadian songwriters ever, and musician [[Ronnie Hawkins]] called Lightfoot the greatest songwriter in the world.<ref>{{cite web|title=25|url=https://www.cbcmusic.ca/posts/11889/best-canadian-songwriters|access-date=September 20, 2018|website=Cbcmusic.ca}}</ref> That same year, Penguin Random House Canada published the Gordon Lightfoot biography, ''Lightfoot'', written by journalist Nicholas Jennings and it topped the national bestseller lists. Lightfoot was awarded the Gold Medal of the [[Royal Canadian Geographical Society]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rcgs.org/awards/gold_medal/previous_winners.asp|title=Gold Medal-Award Recipients since its inception in 1972|website=Rcgs.org|access-date=July 20, 2018|archive-date=November 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106221951/http://www.rcgs.org/awards/gold_medal/previous_winners.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref>

He was the subject of the 2019 documentary ''[[Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind]]''.<ref>{{cite news |first=Chris |last=Knight |url=https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/movies/five-things-we-learned-about-gordon-lightfoot-from-the-doc-if-you-could-read-my-mind |title=Five things we learned about Gordon Lightfoot from the doc If You Could Read My Mind |work=[[National Post]] |date=May 24, 2019}}</ref>

In 2022, Lightfoot received the [[Golden Plate Award]] of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]].<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url=  https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{Main|Gordon Lightfoot discography}}
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* ''[[Lightfoot!]]'' (1966)
* ''[[The Way I Feel (Gordon Lightfoot album)|The Way I Feel]]'' (1967)
* ''[[Did She Mention My Name?]]'' (1968)
* ''[[Back Here on Earth]]'' (1968)
* ''[[Sit Down Young Stranger]]'' (aka ''If You Could Read My Mind'') (1970)
* ''[[Summer Side of Life]]'' (1971)
* ''[[Don Quixote (album)|Don Quixote]]'' (1972)
* ''[[Old Dan's Records]]'' (1972)
* ''[[Sundown (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Sundown]]'' (1974)
* ''[[Cold on the Shoulder (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Cold on the Shoulder]]'' (1975)
* ''[[Summertime Dream]]'' (1976)
* ''[[Endless Wire (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Endless Wire]]'' (1978)
* ''[[Dream Street Rose]]'' (1980)
* ''[[Shadows (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Shadows]]'' (1982)
* ''[[Salute (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Salute]]'' (1983)
* ''[[East of Midnight]]'' (1986)
* ''[[Waiting for You (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Waiting for You]]'' (1993)
* ''[[A Painter Passing Through]]'' (1998)
* ''[[Harmony (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Harmony]]'' (2004)
* ''[[Solo (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Solo]]'' (2020)
{{div col end}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Music|Canada}}
* [[Canadian rock]]
* [[Music of Canada]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
* [http://archive.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=1014 Order of Canada Citation]
* [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/gordon-lightfoot page at Canadian Encyclopedia]
* [https://canadianbands.com/artists/gordon-lightfoot/ page at canadianbands.com]
* [http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/arts-entertainment/music/gordon-lightfoot-canadas-folk-laureate/topic---gordon-lightfoot-canadas-folk-laureate.html CBC Digital Archives: Gordon Lightfoot: Canada's Folk Laureate]
* {{IMDb name|0004492|Gordon Lightfoot}}
* [https://www.broadcasting-history.ca/personalities/lightfoot-oc-lld-gordon Gordon Lightfoot] - [https://www.broadcasting-history.ca/ Canadian Communications Foundation ]
* [http://www.songwriter.co.uk/page702.html Interview with Gordon Lightfoot in International Songwriters Association's "Songwriter Magazine"]
* {{IMDb title|10237902}} 2019 documentary about Gordon and his career

{{Gordon Lightfoot|state=expanded}}
{{Canadian Music Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lightfoot, Gordon}}
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian male singers]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian male singers]]
[[Category:Acoustic guitarists]]
[[Category:Canadian baritones]]
[[Category:Canadian country singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Canadian folk guitarists]]
[[Category:Canadian Folk Music Award winners]]
[[Category:Canadian folk rock musicians]]
[[Category:Canadian folk singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Canadian male guitarists]]
[[Category:Canadian male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Canadian male singers]]
[[Category:Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Canadian people of English descent]]
[[Category:Canadian pop singers]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of Canada]]
[[Category:Fingerstyle guitarists]]
[[Category:Juno Award for Artist of the Year winners]]
[[Category:Juno Award for Songwriter of the Year winners]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of Ontario]]
[[Category:Members of the United Church of Canada]]
[[Category:Musicians from Simcoe County]]
[[Category:Singers from Ontario]]
[[Category:People from Orillia]]
[[Category:Reprise Records artists]]
[[Category:True North Records artists]]
[[Category:United Artists Records artists]]
[[Category:Warner Records artists]]
[[Category:Governor General's Award winners]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters]]