Winner of 12 JUNO Awards, 28 nominations
If Gordon Lightfoot had written no other songs besides the majestic “Canadian Railroad Trilogy”, his place in the Juno Hall of Fame would likely still be assured. Few contemporary performers have so well captured the adventure, the hardship, the tragedy and the elation that goes into building a country, through lyric and melody, in a single epic song. As it happens, however, “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” is but one of dozens of enduring Lightfoot compositions, including “Early Morning Rain”, “Alberta Bound”, “Cotton Jenny”, “If You Could Read My Mind”, “Carefree Highway”, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”, and “Sundown”. In the last twenty-six years Gordon Lightfoot has contributed some of the richest colours to the vivid tapestry of Canadian culture.
In 1960, at the instigation of friends Pete Seeger and Ian and Sylvia Tyson (who included Lightfoot’s “Early Morning Rain” and “For Lovin’ Me” in their repertoire) he began his solo career under the management of Albert Grossman. Soon Lightfoot had a pivotal role in the burgeoning music scene that developed amid the clubs and coffee houses of Yorkville. In ’65, one of Grossman’s other acts, Peter, Paul and Mary, had a hit with “For Lovin’ Me”. Five years later Lightfoot had his own Top Ten single with “If You Could Read My Mind”.Long before the album Sundown and the single of the same name hit number one on their respective charts in 1974, Lightfoot’s reputation and career were assured. He has since sold tens of millions of records and has earned numerous gold and platinum records in Canada and the U.S. Besides his sixteen Juno awards, Lightfoot has received four Grammy nominations, sixteen ASCAP Awards and is a Member of the Order of Canada.
Still prolific and enthusiastic Gordon Lightfoot recently released his eighteenth album, East Of Midnight.
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