LIGHTFOOT by Nicholas Jennings - Sept.2017

[charlene]

Toronto music historian, Nicholas Jennings has written some wonderful music related books - this is his latest-coming in September:

https://www.amazon.ca/Lightfoot-Nicholas-Jennings-ebook/dp/B01N5ETUTD/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1490096383&sr=8-2&keywords=nicholas+jennings

[3pennies]

At the Englewood, NJ show on April 13th last year I was able to speak to Gordon afterward.

I asked "your friend Robbie Robertson is publishing his autobiography this fall, any chance someday you will do the same?"

He looked at Kim and then looked at me and said something like "yes, it's being worked on."

Could this be what he was referring to?

[Andy T.]

He looked at Kim and then looked at me and said something like "yes, it's being worked on."

Could this be what he was referring to?

I hope so. And when it comes out, I'll be waiting to get my copy in the post. There's no way I would not consider buying such a book that Gord willingly contributed to.

And as the kind of long term fan who often does not even need to hear the songs any more, I know them so well, I don't really expect to learn much new from it. While Gord has been famously reluctant to oblige interviewers over the decades, the interviews he did grant are consistent. I know much about his workman-like approach to writing songs, and the fact some friggin' good tunes came out of that process. Yes, his bandmates and producers also influenced the arrangement of those songs, but Gord hired those people for a reason! And the songs would not exist if he hadn't locked himself into empty spaces and ground them out. :clap:

[charlene]

The Canadian Press
Published Tuesday, May 9, 2017 10:35AM EDT

TORONTO - A biography on Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot is due this fall.
Penguin Canada says "Lightfoot," by music journalist Nicholas Jennings, will be published under the Viking Canada imprint on Sept. 26.

The publishing house says Jennings "has had a long-standing relationship" with Lightfoot for nearly two decades.

The biography will include input from family, friends, musical greats and industry insiders.
Penguin says the book will further "our understanding of how an inspired songwriter works" and "delight Lightfoot fans as well as attract new ones."

[charlene]

reminder:
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/541324/lightfoot-by-nicholas-jennings/9780735232556/

https://www.amazon.com/Lightfoot-Nicholas-Jennings/dp/0735232555

ABOUT LIGHTFOOT

The definitive biography of Canada’s most beloved singer-songwriter, a legendary musician who helped define the folk-pop era.

From the tender ballad of “Beautiful” to the historical lament of “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” to the plaintive political plea of “Black Day in July,” Gordon Lightfoot’s songs have inspired and enchanted fans for more than fifty years. Beloved by a devoted Canadian audience, Lightfoot’s work has been performed and admired by musicians from around the world, including Joni Mitchell, Nico, Ronnie Hawkins and Robbie Robertson. Nobel Prize-winner Bob Dylan once listed “Sundown” and “If You Could Read My Mind” among his favourite Lightfoot songs, before adding, “I can’t think of any I don’t like.” In addition to winning nearly every Canadian music award, in 2012, Lightfoot was inducted into the American Songwriters Hall of Fame alongside such luminaries as Leonard Cohen, Kris Kristoffersen, and Dylan; it honoured Lightfoot as a singer who helped “define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and ’70s.”

Biographer Nick Jennings has had unprecedented access to the notoriously reticent musician. He chronicles Lightfoot’s early efforts–his school principal recorded a disc of “Gordie” singing at age 9–to his beginnings as a songwriter to his heyday in concert halls around the globe. Possessed of a strong work ethic and a perfectionist bent, Lightfoot brought discipline to his craft and performances. But he partied just as hard in that rock ‘n’ roll era, and alcoholism began to take its toll. Lightfoot toured relentlessly and his personal life suffered as marriages and relationships unravelled. At 63, he suffered an aortic aneurysm that nearly killed him and kept him in a coma for six weeks. But his amazing stamina helped him survive and miraculously saw him on stage once again, resuming his touring and yearly sold-out show at Massey Hall.

Jennings paints an unforgettable portrait of an artist in the making, set against the turbulent era of sex and drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. Voices from the music industry mix with loyal fans to illustrate how the boy from small-town Ontario became the legendary bard of Canada. Stuffed with anecdotes and the singer’s own reminisences, Lightfoot is an exhilarating read.

ABOUT NICHOLAS JENNINGS

NICHOLAS JENNINGS is one of Canada’s most respected music journalists. He was the music critic and feature writer for Maclean’s magazine from 1980 to 2000. In addition, he has written for Saturday Night, Billboard,Words & Music, TV Guide, Inside Entertainment… More about Nicholas Jennings

PRODUCT DETAILS

Hardcover | $30.00
Published by Viking
Sep 26, 2017 | 304 Pages | 6 x 9 | ISBN 9780735232556

[paskatefan]

Oh, boy! We'll HAVE to get this one! Thanks for the heads up!

Gail

[charlene]

AMAZON link: https://www.amazon.com/Lightfoot-Nicholas-Jennings/dp/0735232555

[Martyn Miles]

Does anyone know if this will be available in the United Kingdom ?

I assume Amazon UK is the best place to start.

Thanks, in anticipation.

Martyn Miles
Witney
OX28 3HH

MOB: 0741 2277575

[charlene]

I would thing Amazon UK would be selling it as well.. I will ask Nicholas if he knows and what date if they are..

[Martyn Miles]

I would thing Amazon UK would be selling it as well.. I will ask Nicholas if he knows and what date if they are..

Thanks, Charlene.
Pre-ordered at AMAZON U.K.

Martyn

[charlene]

AMAZON uk - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lightfoot-Nicholas-Jennings/dp/0735232555/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1494596914&sr=8-3&keywords=nicholas+jennings

[Jim Nasium]

Have ordered my copy from amazon.uk for 23.11 of my british pounds. Delivery date to be advised.

[Islandgirl1]

I was browsing on Amazon tonight & glanced at their suggestion list for me.
When I came to book section there it was under biographies. I came right here & did a search to see if Char posted (as I expected), but not before I made my preorder @ Amazon(USA). Read the synopsis - can't wait to receive it on my Kindle app on September 27th. I haven't been here @ Corfid for some time. Will be coming around here more often. Miss you guys. Been a lot in my life over the past few years. I last saw GL @ the CBNY Theatre @ Westbury (Long Island, NY) this past May-I thoroughly enjoyed it.
-Dorothea

[BILLW]

I haven't been here @ Corfid for some time. Will be coming around here more often. Miss you guys.
-Dorothea

That is good to hear. We need to do something to attract old members back and new members to sign up. Maybe there is a way to export the member list to the Facebook page but we would probably need the corfid boss man for that project and he doesn't show up very often.

Bill :)

[Auburn Annie]

That is good to hear. We need to do something to attract old members back and new members to sign up. Maybe there is a way to export the member list to the Facebook page but we would probably need the corfid boss man for that project and he doesn't show up very often.

Bill :)

Still here, listening in occasionally. Last year was rough. My husband fell off a ladder in May and broke his skull in three places, damaged the hearing in his left ear, and fractured his back. As for me, I had a very bad reaction to Bactrim, putting me in the hospital for four days and leaving me with a swallowing disorder and severe peripheral neuropathy all over. Fortunately Rich has largely recovered except for the hearing and some residual TBI issues. My swallowing returned to normal after a few months but the neuropathy persists to some degree. And one of my siblings was diagnosed in May with renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer), stage 4. On the plus side we now have 4 grandchildren : Patrick, James, Natalie and Charlotte. Keeps us busy. Don't get to many concerts these days but am seeing Sir Paul McCartney at the Syracuse Dome in about 3 weeks.

[BILLW]

Good to hear from you Annie. Enjoy the show and I hope you get some relief from the trials and tribulations. Years ago I used to ask for a roll call now and then but I'm afraid many of the old members have drifted away.

Bill :)

[imported_Next_Saturday]

https://www.lightfoot.ca/biograph.htm




LIGHTFOOT
by Nicholas Jennings
A comprehensive Lightfoot biography.
Published by Viking - September 19, 2017
ISBN-10: 0735232555
ISBN-13: 978-0735232556

https://books.google.com/books/content/images/frontcover/3iK2DQAAQBAJ?fife=w300-rw

Lightfoot.ca Review - Sept. 12, 2017

Stating at the outset that the bar has been set very low by preceding attempts at chronicling Lightfoot's life and career may be very unfair to Mr. Jennings, it still can be said that in light of the very low threshold laid out before him to overcome, Nichlos Jennings' Lightfoot instantly stakes claim to the gold standard of Lightfoot biogarphies and most certainly would have done so even if the previous attempts had been more substantial in nature.

Jennings' interviews of Lightfoot and others close to him, obviously well thought out and plotted by the author in advance, have yielded meticulous detail never before unearthed in the vast volumes of newspaper and magazine articles that came before this book and which often rehashed many of the same well worn anecdotes. The author for the most part, particularly in the early years, avoids falling into that trap. It seems obvious to me that the author made himself very familiar with much of what has been out there in print over the past 5 decades, not an inconsequential achievement in and of itself, which allows him to follow a path uniquely his own in the telling of the Lightfoot story. Jennings has brought fresh detail and perspective to the arc of Lightfoot's life and musical career that suffuse the subject matter with a renewed energy and focus.

Highlights for me were the many engaging tales of Lightfoot's youth in and around Orillia, which illuminate why Lightfoot so often returns to the many aspects of nature within the framework of his songs, sometimes directly, or even in romantic songs utilizing nature as their backdrop, Shadows being a prime example. Very interesting too, is how Jennings sheds new light on the relationship between Lightfoot and Albert Grossman. Lightfoot being signed to the Grossman stable of artists was pivotal in Lightfoot's ultimate rise, but very little in the past has emerged that has added much in the way of nuance to the conflicted feelings between the two, but Jennings remedies that shortcoming with many stories that reveal a little more of Grossman's personality and his affection and respect for Gord, even after they parted ways. On the other end of the scale, we discover the inner workings of an almost fateful management agreement Lightfoot flirted entering into with Hollywood heavyweight, Jerry Weintraub.

Needless to say, Jennings chronicles the songs, the albums, the hits, the misses, all interspersed with colour from the stage, the backstage, the studio, the Lear jet - and all places in between. Events unfold chronologically, whether dealing with matters of a musical, business or personal nature. So you always know where you are in the grand timeline. The only exception being the introduction which finds us in 1975 Rosedale with the Rolling Thunder crew all under Gord's roof, while the host and Bob Dylan, guitars in hand are trading songs in an upstairs room .

The obvious minefield every author has to navigate when writing about Lightfoot, is in dealing with Gordon's personal life. Jennings to my mind avoids the condescending and moralizing attitudes that so many others have resorted to in their rush to sensationalize Lightfoot's personal struggles. This time we find a very balanced approach to this subject matter - be it the drinking, the failed relationships, not always being there for his children - Jennings does not sugarcoat any of this, but uses a deft hand and avoids being judgmental and gives Lightfoot full credit for how he turned all those issues around to finally become a consummate family man, all the while balancing an overwhelmingly busy music career.

While saying that all things pertaining to Lightfoot's music has become my life's work would be stating the case too strongly. However since first encountering Lightfoot's music as a 13 year old in 1968, it has certainly developed into a serious avenue of interest. With the dawn of the internet for the masses in the early 90's, much of at least the bare bones outline of what Jennings covers here has been out there in the public domain, yet his unique ability to compile all the disparate threads scattered throughout the ether into a very compelling narrative which can be cradled in the palm of your hands, is a masterful accomplishment and in point of fact, a service to Lightfoot's public to say the very least. His exhaustive interviews, often confirm, clarify and in some cases dispel many aspects of the Lightfoot story beforehand taken for granted. Are there factual errors to be found? Well, to my eye there are several, but too few and inconsequential to take away from the overall impact of the book.

So now that the new Jennings' biography has entered the Lightfoot canon of literature, we can rest in the knowledge that Lightfoot's career has finally been given the proper thoughtful, extensive and authoritative treatment, long overdue and richly deserved, yet until now has remained on the missing list. However we're still waiting for that tantalizingly elusive Lightfoot autobiography, or absent that, an insider's view of the Lightfoot musical odyssey, shedding light on the creative process from the inside looking out, as written by someone who was a first hand witness to many of these events as they unfolded. But that is merely my personal wish list, which should in no way diminish from this new and indispensible book. Nicholas Jennings' Lightfoot is a must read for the legions of followers of the legendary singer-songwriter's music the world over.

- Wayne Francis

[Andy T.]

Good to know that Wayne got an advance copy. Heck... he friggin' deserves it!

And this has been in my Amazon Shopping Cart for months now. This review reminded me I needed to pull the trigger and actually order the bloomin' thing. Done.

I never got the previous bio, having heard ungood things about it. I did my own research back in the pre-internet days at the local collage library. And have read the numerous online interviews over the last 20-ish years. I'm sure Wayne did the same, so with this review I'm happy to order this title.

[charlene]

Click on link then "LOOK INSIDE" on the bottom right of the photo to read several pages of the book - http://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/541324/lightfoot#9780143199205

[Andy T.]

Not for me. I'd rather wait and have the book in my hands.

[jj]

i too have used the Wayne offerings from the Lightfoot website and his and others' (Richard Harrison, etc) injections to the original discussion boards (over 20 years ago now, wow) as a 'Bio type' of resource over the decades

[imported_Next_Saturday]

Review of the book from former manager Al Mair:
http://www.fyimusicnews.ca/articles/2017/09/22/review-lightfoot-nicholas-jennings

http://www.fyimusicnews.ca/sites/default/files/styles/article_page_image/public/field/image/lightfoot.jpg?itok=32B_ZMyF

"My life has been quite complicated."

Gordon Lightfoot 2017

Over his entire career, Gordon Lightfoot chose to avoid any public knowledge about his personal life. Small parts of it have been played out in public...his first divorce, his million-dollar record contract, his drinking, his drunk driving charge, Cathy Smith and his almost career-ending health problems. Books have been written about him without his cooperation and he doesn't acknowledge reading them. Author Nick Jennings spent decades pursuing the opportunity to present Lightfoot's biography with his agreement, which was given - then taken away - and given again. This is the definitive book on Gordon Lightfoot's life and lengthy career.

Growing up in the small town of Orillia, Lightfoot's father, Gordon Sr., a child of the Great Depression, was a quiet and private man, while mother Jessie was always supportive of Lightfoot's musical interests. Early on, Gordon Jr. left Orillia to attend Westlake College of Modern Music in Hollywood. There he learned the tools of songwriting that would lead to the core of his career: personal songs, yet songs that the general public can relate to, be they about lost love, true love, cheating or human nature.

He returned to Canada and landed a spot on Tommy Hunter's CBC Television show...as a singing dancer. Dancing was not his forté, to put it mildly, but the exposure to television was excellent training for later on. He met guitarist Laurice Milton "Red" Shea, who recorded and toured with him for decades. He also joined the burgeoning Yorkville music scene and began to concentrate on performing and writing. Ian and Sylvia were the first to record one of his songs. Starting at Steele's Tavern on Yonge Street's "music row," sandwiched between A&A Records and Sam the Record Man, he began to build a loyal fan base. Steele Basil paid him a salary of $219 a week and food to take back to his basement apartment which he shared with his young Swedish wife, Brita.

Bernie Fielder, owner of the Yorkville club The Riverboat Coffee House, convinced Lightfoot to perform at his venue instead of Steele's, and soon he was filling the 'Boat twice a night for a week. After some 'Boat dates, with the support of Johnny Bassett Jr., heir to The Toronto Telegram newspaper and CFTO Television, Lightfoot performed his first storied Massey Hall concert. He has continued this practice and has played Massey Hall more than 150 times, more than any other artist except The Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

On the recording side, he signed a contract with Warner Brothers in Los Angeles, which led to the release of only one single, "I'm Not Sayin'." His then-manager Albert Grossman switched him to United Artists. He recorded five albums for UA, ending with his first live release Sunday Concert. All five albums surpassed 100,000 sales in Canada.

Unfortunately, there was no gold record certification system here at the time, or all his UA records would have been certified platinum. He then signed with Reprise Records, a Warner Bros. label originally started by Frank Sinatra.

A press conference in his office, which Lightfoot did not attend, led to the announcement of his million-dollar deal. His first release under the new contract was called Sit Down Young Stranger. Again, it soared to platinum in Canada, but US sales were disappointing. Seven months after its release, a Seattle disc jockey started playing "If You Could Read My Mind," and Reprise issued it as a single. It became a massive hit worldwide, and the song was covered by literally hundreds of artists including Barbra Streisand, Johnny Cash and other luminaries, as well as other songs in his catalogue, particularly "Early Morning Rain." Lightfoot is most proud that Elvis recorded it.

During this time, his marriage to Brita started to fall apart. He had become somewhat of a ladies' man, hanging out with Rompin' Ronnie Hawkins and Ian Tyson. He also met Cathy Smith, a beautiful, but wanton, young lady. This on-and-off relationship would last for many years and be the inspiration for many of his later songs. Brita left him, taking their two children Fred and Ingrid. She moved them to France. This action led to a court case where Brita was awarded their home, a sum of money and support.

He hated songwriting, but his strict upbringing gave him the discipline to write when he had a recording session in the near future. He often used bennies to assist in the process as well as Canadian Club Whisky and caffeine. Choosing a location with nothing but a coffeemaker, a music stand or recording device and a chair, he would write for 36 hours straight and then crash. His on-and-off relationship with Ms. Smith was the inspiration for many of his songs, including "Sundown." He also had relationships with many other women, some he married, some he did not. He has six children by four different women. As he told me recently on the street, "I've got a lot of family to take care of."

Lightfoot recorded a number of successful albums, particularly Sundown, which led to him having the #1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 singles and retail album charts.

Many years ago, he agreed with his band to limit performing to about 70 nights a year. He kept this up for decades until he collapsed on stage at the Orillia Opera House. He was airlifted to a hospital in Hamilton where he remained in an induced coma for many days. He survived, got back into physical shape, and renewed his touring schedule. He continues to do so until today, with four nights at Massey Hall coming up in November. He gave up alcohol decades ago and goes to the gym almost every day when he is home in Toronto. I suspect he will continue this until he dies onstage.

The only missing chapter would be about those who perhaps took advantage of him...Grossman, Artie Mogull, (lawyer) Al Stewart and others. Perhaps he just chose not to go there.

Nicholas Jennings' 'Lightfoot' (Penguin Random House, 336pages) is on general release next Tuesday, Sept. 26. Copies can be purchased online here.

Alexander Mair worked with Lightfoot promoting all his UA recordings as Vice President of the Compo Company, now Universal Music Canada, from 1964 to 1968. At Lightfoot's request, he left Compo to set up Early Morning Productions Limited, an umbrella company for all Lightfoot's activities, including setting up and running his publishing companies. This relationship lasted from 1968 to 1976. In 1974, Mair launched Attic Records with Warner promo wiz Tom Williams. Lightfoot was not involved in Attic.

[Dave, Melbourne,Australia]

I have just visited Dymocks Books and ordered the hardback version via the USA for Aust$65. (Apparently there is no paperback version available for importing to Australia in the next 6 months at least.) It will take around 5 days to arrive and when it does, I'll be claiming it as the world's furthest-travelled copy of the book.

[imported_Next_Saturday]

https://scontent.flnk1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/21993081_10154840407486767_2220182195528506609_o.j pg?oh=ee5e46aa73afab0f053e51d993a2cef2&oe=5A81A9B6

https://www.facebook.com/nicholasjennings

From Nic Jennings Facebook :

"Today is the day. Many years in the works. Months of digging in newspaper and magazine archives. Countless hours interviewing, even more transcribing. Endless scanning of photographs and documents. And then the writing and rewriting, trying to make sense of the material and shape it into a readable story that hopefully does justice to a complicated man, his extraordinary life and rich body of work. It's been daunting, but I'm thrilled that my biography of Gordon Lightfoot is now out in the world, available wherever good books are sold as they say. Ultimately, I'm proud to be associated with a great artist whose music I've known and loved since childhood."

[imported_Next_Saturday]

Interview with Nicholas Jennings:

Gordon Lightfoot The man behind the music - YouTube

[formerlylavender]

I enjoyed this. Thanks for posting!

[paskatefan]

What a great interview! Can't wait to receive our copy of the book - any day now!

Gail

[Jim Nasium]

Ordered the book from amazon.UK in May, got email yesterday, delivery date between Oct 25 and Nov 14. I assume it is now out in The States and Canada.

[charlene]

thanks for posting those! I got them onto FB yesterday but didn't have time to get on here...

[charlene]

AUDIO: Part 1 of 3 - NEW PHOTO OF The Lightfoot family when Gordy was a wee one..AUDIO at link: part 1 of 3 - interview with Nicholas Jennings and the writing of "LIGHTFOOT".. - Photo of Bev Lightfoot, Gordon Sr., Jessie Lightfoot and wee Gordy..

https://soundcloud.com/fyimusicnews/lightfoot-advertorial-part-1

https://soundcloud.com/fyimusicnews/lightfoot-advertorial-part-2-revised

https://soundcloud.com/fyimusicnews/lightfoot-advertorial-part-3-revised

[charlene]

http://www.fyimusicnews.ca/sites/default/files/lightfoot-family-ingrid-gordsr-jessie-gordjr-1944.jpg

[charlene]

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/_IYHZoui9O0
https://youtu.be/_IYHZoui9O0?t=20s

https://youtu.be/_IYHZoui9O0?t=20s

hmmm..links don't open to show image... help!

[imported_Next_Saturday]

Looking at the life and career of Gordon Lightfoot | Your Morning - YouTube

[buzzard]

These interviews are fantastic!

Very much looking forward to Part 3.

Thanks so much for posting this!

Brian

[charlene]

EXCERPT FROM THE NEW BOOK: https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2017/09/30/lightfoot-dylan-and-the-wild-rosedale-party.html

Lightfoot, Dylan and the wild Rosedale party

Read an excerpt from Nicholas Jennings’ new authorized biography of Canadian songwriter Gordon Lightfoot.

Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue — a touring band of sorts — was making its way around the U.S. and Canada in 1975. Likened to a “traveling Woodstock” it featured some of the era’s musical luminaries. When it came to Toronto, Dylan organized the concert for Maple Leaf Gardens. Here’s what happened December 1, 1975 — the night Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and others came to town.

Dylan had given Lightfoot an important slot in the show, right before his own final set. It took a long time for Lightfoot to come out; he was backstage tuning guitars, his usual pre-concert ritual. Baez, acting as emcee, entertained the crowd with her impressions of comedian Lily Tomlin’s best-known characters. Then, when it finally came time, Baez introduced Lightfoot. As he walked onstage, Lightfoot looked every inch the handsome hometown hero, clad in denim with sleeves rolled up, ready to work, the spotlight illuminating his blond curls. He’d started out a decade earlier, playing a small room at Steele’s Tavern, a few blocks away on Yonge Street. Now he had the prime spot at the hottest concert of the decade.

Backed by his usual sidemen, bassist Rick Haynes, guitarist Terry Clements and pedal steel player Pee Wee Charles, Lightfoot launched right into a brand-new song: “Race Among the Ruins.” It was his latest poetic take on a tumultuous romantic life. “The road to love is littered by the bones of other ones,” he sang, “who by the magic of the moment were mysteriously undone.” The audience loved it. Lightfoot’s songs always took listeners on a journey, drawing them into stories rich in emotion and without a trace of artifice. Next up, he sang “The Watchman’s Gone,” one of his many songs steeped in railway imagery. By the time he closed with “Sundown,” his taut tale of sexual jealousy, Lightfoot had everyone cheering wildly. The following night, he added “Cherokee Bend,” about injustices suffered by First Nations people, and finished with “High and Dry,” an upbeat number he liked to call a “toe-tapper.” Meticulously crafted, the songs were nonetheless instantly accessible and sounded entirely natural. With the audience screaming for more, Neuwirth stepped to the mike and urged Lightfoot back. Once again, a simmering “Sundown” enthralled the crowd. Both shows ended with Lightfoot and Mitchell joining tour regulars, friends and family, including Dylan’s mother, Beatty, for a jubilant round of Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land.”

The December 1 show broke the four-hour mark. Everyone was ecstatic. Swept up in the euphoria, Lightfoot invited Dylan and the entire cast of more than seventy people back to his place for a party. The Rolling Thunder circus pulled onto Beaumont Road, a quiet cul-de-sac by a ravine in Rosedale. What took place in Lightfoot’s mansion was a rock-and-roll bacchanal. His blue-and-silver Seeburg jukebox was working overtime, pumping out a steady stream of Cream, Zeppelin, Doobies and Flying Burritos. Everyone was either drinking, snorting or inhaling something, and smoke floated freely about the sprawling house — past the grand piano, the slate billiard table and the Tiffany lamps all the way up to the master bedroom, with its Frank Lloyd Wright stained-glass window. The heavy consumption may explain why memories of the event are so fuzzy. Most people think there was one big noisy party; others believe there were two. Some recall one of Lightfoot’s friends, a six-foot-ten banjo player named Tiny, acting as security and greeting Mitchell, McGuinn, Rivera, Ronson and all the others as they arrived.

But almost everyone remembers Dylan’s buddy Neuwirth throwing his leather jacket into Lightfoot’s fireplace and filling the house with thick black clouds. Says Ramblin’ Jack, “Bobby was a very enthusiastic partier. I don’t remember all that transpired at Gord’s, because we drank to excess. But we were told we had quite a lot of fun.” Ronnie Hawkins, another Rolling Thunder addition, certainly recalls the fireplace incident. “Dylan was into drinking carrot juice at the time, and he and Neuwirth got into an argument. . . . Neuwirth just lost it and threw his jacket into the fire. It was like a smoke bomb going off.”

While revelry raged on the main floor, Lightfoot and Dylan were alone upstairs with their guitars, in a parlor room with a leaded bay window and floral wallpaper. Lightfoot had stripped down to a singlet, jeans and sandals. Dylan was still wearing his leather coat and fur hat. They seemed a mismatched couple, a study in contrasts. Here were two songwriters at the top of their games. But neither was comfortable in conversation, despite their friendship and mutual respect. Too guarded, or maybe too competitive. They did, though, share the common language of music. As others partied wildly below, Lightfoot and Dylan quietly traded songs. A recording made that night of Lightfoot playing Dylan’s “Ballad in Plain D” can be heard on the Renaldo and Clara soundtrack. A few photographs captured the historic exchange.

Each of them had started out the same way — alone in a room with a guitar, pencil and pad of paper. The discipline of that hard, solitary work created timeless songs that reached millions. Dylan had become the greatest songwriter of his era. Lightfoot was close behind. Although more workmanlike and straightforward, Lightfoot’s songs had an artful structure and poetic resonance that made them accessible in ways that Dylan’s weren’t. Both were highly prolific and idiosyncratic. After selling out the largest venue in the city, attracting a constellation of music’s brightest stars and hosting a fabulously decadent party, all these two artists wanted to do was retreat to a room and trade songs over acoustic guitars. For Lightfoot, as for Dylan, it was always about the song.

Excerpted from Lightfoot by Nicholas Jennings. Copyright © 2016 Nicholas Jennings. Published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

[charlene]

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/books/road-warrior-448676293.html

As you turn the pages of this engaging authorized biography of Canadian music legend Gordon Lightfoot, it becomes obvious why it has taken so long for such a book to appear.

Its publicity-shy subject, the composer of such masterpieces as Early Morning Rain, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and Canadian Railroad Trilogy, has avoided any consideration of it.

He likely felt burned by the tough 1988 bio Lightfoot: If You Could Read His Mind, by the late Ottawa author and playwright Maynard Collins.

"I’m not worthy," Lightfoot told a Hamilton reporter in 1993, as though concurring with Collins’ clear-eyed treatment of the boozing, womanizing and often violent temper that dogged the singer-songwriter’s reputation in the 1970s.

"I’m humble to the point of feeling inferior most of the time."

Flash forward another 25 years, and Lightfoot — now scarily gaunt and thin of voice at age 78 — is likely tending his legacy.

He has co-operated with Toronto journalist and author Nicholas Jennings on a new life and times. Titled, simply, Lightfoot, it is much more thorough and generous, without ignoring the singer’s warts.

Jennings has done an excellent job of, among other things, teasing out the roots of his old friend’s chronic insecurities.

He traces them back to Lightfoot’s boyhood in Orillia, Ont. — also famous as the setting of satirist Stephen Leacock’s Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town — where small-town Scots-Presbyterian values took a dim view of anyone getting too big for their britches.

He captures the excitement of the Toronto folk scene in the ’60s when Lightfoot, always driven and focused, climbed the greasy pole of success, meanwhile seeking comfort in the bottle.

Alcohol, he felt, helped him write. It also let him enjoy the company of his musical contemporaries, many of whom he found "overwhelming."

Cathy Smith, Lightfoot’s live-in girlfriend for three years in the early ’70s and later notorious for injecting actor John Belushi with his fatal drug overdose, said that Lightfoot drank "more than any man I’d ever known."

By the late 1970s, he was often blitzed onstage. His name was dragged through Canadian papers after police stopped him for impaired driving.
In England in 1981, an audience booed after he insulted them. His hometown Orillia paper carried the headline "Brits Wish Gord Good Riddance."

Chastened and humiliated, he stopped drinking in 1982. He channelled his formidable willpower into a fitness regimen that continues, Jennings insists, to this day.

Jennings relates Lightfoot’s story in chronological order and without much editorializing — the latter something Collins couldn’t resist.

A longtime Maclean’s music writer, Jennings conducted many original interviews, including several with Lightfoot himself. He has also read Lightfoot’s voluminous clipping file, and credits his sources appropriately.

Needless to say, Jennings enumerates Lightfoot’s many triumphs as a songwriter and performer: a 300-plus-title songbook, 10 million albums sold and an artistic reputation up there with the likes of his fellow Canadian greats Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young.

And Lightfoot accomplished all this without leaving Toronto. Popular historian Pierre Berton, author of The Last Spike, once said, "You did more good with your damn song (Canadian Railroad Trilogy) than I did with my entire book on the same subject."

In the U.S., Lightfoot songs have been recorded by the likes of Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand and Johnny Cash. More than 300 acts have covered one song alone, If You Could Read My Mind.

Frank Sinatra changed his mind. "I can’t sing this," he said. "There’s too many words."

Jennings recounts Lightfoot’s passion for environmental issues and his love of wilderness canoeing. He often talks dollars and cents (no tag day needed for Gord) and documents Lightfoot’s health troubles.

In 1972, he dealt with a debilitating bout of Bell’s palsy, a paralysis of the facial muscles. More seriously, in 2002 he suffered an abdominal aortic aneurysm that nearly finished him. He was in an induced coma for six-and-a-half weeks. A smoker all his life, he now battles emphysema, the disease that killed his mother.

Nor does Jennings shy away from Lightfoot’s energetic love life. He has had three wives, numerous live-in girlfriends and has fathered six children.

Married or single, he was seldom alone on the road. He has spent the last 35 years atoning for his irresponsibility as a father and husband.

Lightfoot has known many of the famous musicians of his day, but the one who stands out for Jennings is Bob Dylan.

He opens the book with an anecdote from 1975, when the Bard of Minnesota was in Toronto with his Rolling Thunder Revue. Dylan and friends stopped by Lightfoot’s Rosedale mansion for a raucous party.

Their paths have always crossed. Despite their many artistic differences, Dylan and Lightfoot share a similar social awkwardness, not to mention a love of playing pool and a mutual regard for each other’s songs.

Moreover, Jennings emphasizes, they both live for the stage. Dylan has his Never Ending Tour, and Lightfoot plans to tour until he drops. These days, he takes a few hits from an oxygen tank at intermission.

He will back in Winnipeg at Club Regent on Nov. 3, two weeks after his 79th birthday.

Morley Walker is a retired Free Press arts columnist and books editor.

[paskatefan]

Our copy arrived on Saturday. I started reading it yesterday, and I can't put it down! So far I've read over 200 pages. I learned quite a few things I didn't know from before. Get this book!

Gail

[Jim Nasium]

Further to my last post, ref: delivery date of book, now 6th Oct. Have refrained from reading the above excerpts, prefer to wait for book!

[New 12 String Mike]

Hi folks!

I haven't posted for awhile, but I've just finished Jennings' book and thought I'd write up a thought or two about it.

I don't want to post any "spoilers" so I'll just say I throughly enjoyed it and it clarified and connected the dots on several things I'd been curious about. The descriptions about the meanings behind the songs will certainly add to the songs' appreciation by many fans.

That said, as a singer/guitarist myself, I was disappointed that there wasn't just a bit more in the book about Gord's song crafting, musicianship, instrument choices, etc. Granted, musicianship was not the purpose of the book, and it could probably require another book to give the subject its due, but I'd have liked to know a few things that I was hoping the book would cover. Such as, I've never figured out why Lightfoot has always used a capo on his guitars. A paragraph on that subject would have been enough. Oh well...

I encourage very fan to read the book, it will be time well spent.

[T.G.]

I was disappointed that there wasn't just a bit more in the book about Gord's song crafting, musicianship, instrument choices, etc. Granted, musicianship was not the purpose of the book, and it could probably require another book to give the subject its due, but I'd have liked to know a few things that I was hoping the book would cover.

That's actually what I proposed to Gordon several years ago when I wrote to him with a book proposal. I thought he might go for avoiding the personal issues and focus on just the music, but I didn't hear anything back. Oh, well.

[jj]

i too am most interested in the stuff that's still not in 'the book' ... but some unearthed bits there, and some mix ups, oops... a couple of unseen pics to enjoy

[imported_Next_Saturday]

http://www.macleans.ca/culture/the-poetry-and-wisdom-of-joni-mitchell-and-gordon-lightfoot/


The poetry and wisdom of Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot
Two new biographies explore the lives of the Canadian music icons
Judith Timson
October 5, 2017

http://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/SEPT07_BOOKS_MUSIC_BIO_POST01.jpg

There’s something incredibly poignant in contemplating our aging musical heroes who have also turned out to be Canadian cultural giants, the ones who sang us to sleep at night when we were twentysomething and lonely, helped to mend our broken hearts, or became our spiritual guides as we figured out who we were.

Don’t misunderstand: younger fans have every right to think those songs are meant for them. They’re eternal. Still, we fans of a certain age claim them as our own. How many times did I, and every other woman of my era, play Joni Mitchell’s Blue album in the 1970s and, more than once, get hollowed out by those soul-scraping lyrics from “River”:
I’m so hard to handle

I’m selfish and I’m sad
Now I’ve gone and lost the best baby
That I ever had
O I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
How many nights did the loneliness of Gordon Lightfoot’s plaintive ballad “Early Morning Rain” reassure us that others, too, were far from where they wanted to be, “with a dollar in my hand, with an aching in my heart and my pockets full of sand.” Well, I don’t remember the sand part. But I was always metaphorically a long way from home.

Two readable new books out this fall—Reckless Daughter: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell by American writer David Yaffe, and Lightfoot by former Maclean’s music critic Nicholas Jennings—seem perfectly timed not only to chronicle each artist’s life and creative journey but to help us understand and appreciate how much they gave to their art, and how much that art in turn has fed us.

Joni Mitchell, now 73, and one of the great musical geniuses—male or female—of the 20th century, has rarely been seen in public since she suffered brain trauma from an aneurysm in 2015. Gordon Lightfoot, 78, hailed as “Canada’s bard,” defined, through songs like “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” what Canada meant to many of us. He is still performing after recovering from his own medical crisis, an abdominal aortic aneurysm that nearly killed him in 2002.
Both artists have been rumoured, at times, to be dying or dead. Lightfoot, driving in his car, once heard his own obituary on the air (he thought it was odd they were playing one of his songs on all-news radio) and called in sensibly to deny his own death.

What should we call this period of their spectacularly creative lives? Post-iconic? With most of the tributes and honours already bestowed, each of these musical legends is free to carry on more private lives and intense conversations with their muses as we count our own inevitable changes.
Each singer has created memorable anthems, some deeply personal, others that stirred in us a new sense of who we were. As someone I know put it, which would you rather sing: “O Canada” or “A Case of You”? Consider one phrase from Yaffe, describing Joni Mitchell’s “years of bottled-up melancholy.” Of course that description could apply to most artists, including the legendary singer both Mitchell and Lightfoot have considered their pace-setter, Bob Dylan. He in turn has admired each of them, once writing about Lightfoot, “Every time I hear a song of his, it’s like I wish it would go on forever.”

Both artists became rich and famous, Lightfoot by staying home in Canada and Mitchell by flying away. As Chuck Mitchell, Joni’s first husband, points out in Lightfoot, they “came from modest backgrounds in small Canadian towns, and shared this survivalist notion to never go back to the restraints of their childhoods.”

Reckless Daughter and Lightfoot do a deep dive into their subjects. Author Jennings spent more than a dozen years interviewing the usually reticent Lightfoot, and thanks him for “entrusting his life story to me.”
Although Reckless Daughter is juicier (it’s about Joni after all, who turned confession into an art form), Jennings’ portrait of Lightfoot mirrors the man himself: it’s a slow reveal, and ultimately tells a full, satisfying story about a stubborn, often lonely man of few words who has never enjoyed explaining himself to the public.

In Reckless Daughter, Yaffe, a Texas-born critic and professor, is clear about his adoration of Mitchell’s work. The author, who interviewed Mitchell several times, writes of her mercurial temperament and unabashed certainty of her own musical genius—“she’s about as modest as Mussolini,” former lover David Crosby said. There are also Mitchell’s scathing put-downs of her peers.“There’s something la-di-da about her,” she sniffed about Judy Collins, who helped her to stardom by first recording “Both Sides Now.”

Roberta Joan Anderson was born in Fort Macleod, Alta., in 1943, the rebellious, artistic only child of straitlaced parents. She started smoking when she was nine. Her mother, Myrtle, once called her “a liar, a quitter and a lesbian.” She got pregnant in art school and gave her baby daughter up for adoption, a deep, bruising loss that sparked at least one song, “Little Green,” and a lifetime of regret. She would eventually reunite with her adult daughter in 1997, and though the relationship became tumultuous, she got to know her grandchildren.

Mitchell’s biggest subject would always be love, writes Yaffe, “even in its absence.” “I sing my sorrow and I paint my joy,” Mitchell once said, explaining the impetus behind her music—she started singing seriously in Toronto coffeehouses in the ’60s—and the exquisite paintings she has continued to do all her life. (cont.)

[imported_Next_Saturday]

http://www.macleans.ca/culture/the-p...don-lightfoot/


The poetry and wisdom of Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot
Two new biographies explore the lives of the Canadian music icons
Judith Timson
October 5, 2017

Continued:


In such seventies hits as “The Circle Game,” “Big Yellow Taxi” and “Help Me,” and in her innovative albums Blue and Court and Spark, Mitchell provided the soundtrack of our lives, winning eight Grammys, including a lifetime achievement award, in the process. Her male peers thought she was way too personal—“Oh, Joni, save something for yourself,” Kris Kristofferson told her—but she couldn’t be any other way. The result was both transcendent and bracing, or as Rolling Stone once put it, “a whole lot of Woman Truth.”

Yaffe depicts Mitchell as “a young woman dodging male authority in a man’s world.” Her male peers—among them Graham Nash and Neil Young—admired the way she tuned her guitar, her intricate melodies and, most of all, the words she wrote. Even the late playwright Sam Shepard, for whom she wrote the song “Coyote” after a brief flirtation, couldn’t get over a lyric like “I’ve got a head full of quandary and a mighty, mighty thirst.”

Yaffe offers some memorable scenes, among them Joni and Jimi (Hendrix) in an Ottawa hotel room in March 1967, trading notes on music sitting on the floor with a third musician, “like a campfire,” says Mitchell, before a hotel detective broke it up. Oh, Ottawa.

Mitchell has bravely made intense forays into jazz and taken other sophisticated musical detours that her fans and radio stations didn’t always appreciate. Blue, meanwhile, remains her biggest-selling album. Yaffe explains the pull of its soulful songs: “In every decade, in every age, there would be those who are sinking, those who needed to be reminded . . . you can make it through these waves.”
On the stage of Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto in December 1975, amid stars like Joan Baez and Elton John, Lightfoot “looked every inch the handsome hometown hero,” Jennings writes. Not only would he have the crowd cheering as he sang “Sundown,” his “taut tale of sexual jealousy,” but there was a helluva party later that night at Lightfoot’s Beaumont Road mansion in Rosedale, site of many a rock-’n’-roll bacchanal, especially after Lightfoot’s sold-out yearly shows at Massey Hall.

Born in Orillia, Ont., in 1938, Gordon Lightfoot developed his love of singing before he was a teen, as a member of a United Church choir. He still sings in a Toronto church, once a year. “Throughout his life Lightfoot faced issues of sin, redemption and repentance and when reflecting upon himself, actually thought in those terms,” writes Jennings.

Time magazine once called him a “cosmopolitan hick.” While he played often in the U.S., he didn’t move there because “I was a bit of a homebody.” He made a lot of money here—buying up expensive Toronto real estate more commonly the habitat, says Jennings, of “stockbrokers, mining executives, the Bay St. boys.”

At the height of his fame, Lightfoot was drinking so hard it almost destroyed his career. At one point he was up to a bottle of Canadian Club a day. In the summers he would take long canoe trips, which also helped him dry out. He eventually stopped drinking.

He’s often been seen as socially brusque to the point of boorishness, and he’s agonized over it: “I’ve asked myself many times if the shyness is really arrogance  . . .  I’m sorry for every faux pas,” he told one interviewer.

Through broken marriages (three wives, six children) and the ups and downs of the music industry Lightfoot has had a “huge work ethic.” For Lightfoot, writes Jennings, “it was always about the song.” Work was his refuge, and it paid off in creating lovely, haunting songs (“If You Could Read My Mind” has been covered more than 300 times) that not only made him famous but were sung by some of the greatest singers of his time, including Elvis Presley and Barbra Streisand.

Stubbornness has been a mainstay of his career. In 1972, he was nominated for a Grammy for “If You Could Read My Mind,” but he refused to perform the song because the producers wanted its time cut, thereby missing “his chance to shine on music’s biggest night on television.” Still, shine he did. In 2000, the New York Times critic Ann Powers wrote after a concert at New York City’s Town Hall that Lightfoot was “a rugged guy who knows how to melt. The slow thaw defines his music and his enduring charm.”

Through health crises, music industry shakeups and periods when they were deeply undervalued or undone by their own demons, Mitchell and Lightfoot each kept doing the thing that sustained them—and us.

Perhaps the greatest gift of both Reckless Daughter and Lightfoot is that both books lead you right back to their music. Feels like you never left, only better.

[imported_Next_Saturday]

In addition to the article above, I added part 3 of the audio interview:

part 1 - https://soundcloud.com/fyimusicnews/lightfoot-advertorial-part-1

part 2 - https://soundcloud.com/fyimusicnews/lightfoot-advertorial- part-2-revised

part 3 - https://soundcloud.com/fyimusicnews/lightfoot-advertorial-part-3-revised

[Travis]

I finished the Jennings book tonight. I've been up late every night unable to put it down. I was most impressed with the straightforward presentation of the material, and he definitely did a great job of making it "neither hagiography nor a hatchet job," as he said he would.

I wanted the book to be at least 50% longer, just because I want to know more. At times
I couldn't understand why he'd described this or that concert, which I guess made me assume he must have been there and wanted to talk about it.

I wanted a bit more commentary on each album overall, but what surprised me the most was that Gold Vol 2 was completely skipped over, as if it never happened. Gold 2 isn't my favorite, because I think every original album recording is better than the 1988 remake. (Whereas I think he improved most of the songs he re-recorded for Gold, which is saying a lot!)

Anyone have any idea why Gold 2 would be completely overlooked? Jennings explains why he did new recordings for Gold. Why for Gold 2?

[charlene]

Ralph Benmergui interview:
https://soundcloud.com/cbc-fresh-air/nicholas-jennings-on-his-new-gordon-lightfoot-biography-oct-0717

[jj]

probably old news, but for the troopers who battle rain and cold to mingle, the official book launch is this evening

[charlene]

wasn't raining - just a spitter spatter for a few moments.. ! thankfully!

I was invited by the author, Nicholas Jennings, to the book launch of the fabulous new authorized biography, LIGHTFOOT. I attended with my daughter Lisa and it was a fabulous evening in TOronto at The Pilot on Cumberland. It was great to spend a few moments with GOrdon and many others.. It was super exciting for me to meet Sylvia Tyson!! We got lots of signatures in our books!

The place was buzzing with Gordon's family (Fred and his wife and daughter, nephew Steven Eyers, daughter Ingrid, daughter Meredith, and wife Kim), band members (RIck and his wife, Carter and his wife and Barry and his wife), musical peers, media folks (Lloyd Robertson, Liz Braun, Bruce Cole) and fans. Jane Harbury, Sylvia Tyson, Liona Boyd, Denise Donlon, Loraine Segato, Mark Jordan, Bernie Fiedler, Al Mair attended as well. Performances/band - The Good Brothers, Jory Nash, David Woodhead, David Matheson, Lori Cullen, Jason Fowler.

Thank you to Nicholas for giving me a "shout out" in the book and inviting me to the launch. And most of all thank you for being the wonderful person Gordon trusted enough to allow this book to be published now. I took some video and have a few pics..It was crowded, dark and noisy so they aren't optimal as if at a concert! I have assembled the videos into a playlist at:

www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW8fA0x1r8C9xbhTqQ9cmC7kRYpbjFV_U
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM5fFWOZTT0&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C9xbhTqQ9cmC7kRYpbjFV_U&t=0s&index=7

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn-RpEHyK9s&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C9xbhTqQ9cmC7kRYpbjFV_U&index=4&t=0s

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TPu3SJqE0c&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C9xbhTqQ9cmC7kRYpbjFV_U&index=4

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H4PszWQkbc&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C9xbhTqQ9cmC7kRYpbjFV_U&index=5

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe-_Pfr0jCw&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C9xbhTqQ9cmC7kRYpbjFV_U&index=2

[jj]

hey, glad the weather held and that there was a good turnout... it is so great you trek into the heart of the city for so much stuff, and also capture snippets for folks far & wide, via pics, etc... there should be a book about all that alone:) ... i'd good intentions but will apologize to steve this weekend when he's out here. never met fred and liona, very cool:) ... stockfish, shea, harvey, terry, rea, jessie, gord sr. and many other there still is spirit ... looking forward to the autobiography that takes us on a musical ride .... this has raised the bar to where it belongs, congrats to all:clap:

[charlene]

http://nationalpost.com/entertainment/books/book-reviews/the-reluctant-gordon-lightfoot-is-finally-chronicled-in-nicholas-jenningss-biography

The reluctant Gordon Lightfoot is finally chronicled in Nicholas Jennings's biography
Gillian Turnbull: Does Lightfoot's relenting to his life immortalized in book form herald the end?
BY GILLIAN TURNBULL

LIGHTFOOT
BY NICHOLAS JENNINGS
VIKING
336 PP; $36

I’m a longtime admirer of music journalist Nicholas Jennings. It was therefore no surprise to me that he was the one to finally lock Gordon Lightfoot into the series of interviews that became the singer’s biography. Simply titled Lightfoot, the book takes its place among the current spate of biographies that are the setting sun’s final rays on boomer music. Can we finally acknowledge that the ’60s are over? Does Lightfoot’s relenting to his life immortalized in book form herald the end? After all, his career peak began 50 years ago this year, with his centennial song “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” marking a significantly different nationalist fervour than was felt at this moment of our 150th birthday.

Lightfoot arguably comes at a time when old musicians’ legacies are perpetually on our minds. In any given week over the last two years, a rocker’s death has fought for headline space against books and films documenting music by his or her (mostly his) contemporaries. No wonder: the ’60s and ’70s were something of a golden era to be a musician. You could actually make money, or develop your craft through a four-album deal, as Lightfoot did many times over. You didn’t have to fight against the noise of everyone else on Bandcamp or YouTube – or be your own publicist, booking agent and recording engineer in equal measure.

Still, it’s difficult to convince anyone under 40 that Lightfoot and his contemporaries have something to offer us now; their gentle ruminations on heartbreak in an empty Canada hardly reflect the desperation most of us feel just to survive contemporary urban life. When I play Lightfoot, Ian Tyson and the other folkies of the period to my undergraduate students, I feel like I’ve accidentally passed them a pillow and a bottle of whiskey and set them in snooze mode.

If it isn’t already obvious from this review’s opening, I expected to be bored by this book. I grew up with Lightfoot occasionally on in the house (a famous picture in our family shows my mother dancing with her date to “Beautiful” at her graduation), so I was well aware of his extraordinary songwriting and guitar-playing talent. He’s Canadian through and through, despite his push to subvert industry attempts to elevate Canadian musicians above American exports through the Can Con regulations. Too bad, he said, my music will rise to the top despite, not because, of its Canadianness. Lightfoot nevertheless remained in the country, settling for a somewhat benign existence in comparison to his rock colleagues, focusing more on songwriting and annual canoe trips than partying hard.

Or did he? In the tried-and-true formula of the Great Man Rock Biography, Jennings uncovers what we already sort of knew about Lightfoot: he was a drunk prone to fits of anger that sometimes pissed off audiences, demolished his relationships and alienated him from his children. This same aggressive self-determination forged the drive that makes up the other half of the Rock Biography: it’s okay to be a jerk if you’re producing great material. As such, the book follows the familiar trajectory of naked ambition to start, unexpected and overwhelming fame next, followed by descent into substance abuse oblivion, and finally our favourite: redemption.

I should clarify, however, that I wasn’t bored. Jennings as always is a master storyteller, and I’ve read few books faster than Lightfoot. His deft manipulation of narrative, told in clear language, draws the reader in immediately – and though he doesn’t hold back in his most negative portrayals of the singer, his voice is present without detracting from the person at the centre of the book. Jennings’s true gift might be his ability to slowly reveal Lightfoot to us – over the course of the book, the complexity of his character emerges, through a peeling away of the many layers the notoriously reticent singer has kept hidden. Ultimately, we discover that Lightfoot’s abrasiveness is contrasted by a deep sensitivity and generosity. I’ve never come close to disliking any of Jennings’s offerings, and he is undoubtedly a chief Canadian music historian.

We can also argue Lightfoot is one of our principal talents, his poetic descriptions of nature and elaborate guitar-picking style producing a body of work that in many respects outshines his counterparts. But what role does the music biography serve at this point, when the narrative is so similar that the characters are merely swapped out and all else remains unchanged? Are we merely comforting ourselves about a music industry that once actually rewarded its talent by reading these books? In Jennings’s case, it’s more than that. We are no doubt trying to better know our heroes in a personal way. And perhaps that is the best reward for Lightfoot fans who have waited for so long: Lightfoot is your chance to finally know him deeply.

[jj]

getting further updated and kicking myself ... had no idea Wayne Francis (!) was going ... GL web long timers will recall how he (Matt Fifer too?) brought Gord to the word wide web ( 23 year ago?? ) and we all started swapping GL thoughts and stories in that old alt.net newsgroup .... the Lightfoot.ca website was launched and it's still ticking .... i have archived favourite musical banter tidbits from he, Richard Harrison and so many others ... that compilation could be published... although less appealing to the masses... thank you Wayne, char, val, florian (who? wheeeere? lol) and all setlist, review keepers and tidbit contributors from throughout the decades... and also to those who have passed on ... was honoured to meet many.... your legends do live on ....safe travels, Wayne .... next time

[charlene]

VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW8fA0x1r8C9xbhTqQ9cmC7kRYpbjFV_U

https://i.imgur.com/e0igRJZ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/0XA0qgU.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/8SgiGq5.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/37EVjrM.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/0EwHOos.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/aUsm5tX.jpg

[charlene]

https://i.imgur.com/ovBYgtZ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/VxZRqhE.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/NI98MDo.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/feTUpau.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/1rMjKKZ.jpg

[charlene]

https://i.imgur.com/e4BPLGh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/L3rWi3F.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/oiABAsj.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/FSHK3u0.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/LK1s1YR.jpg

[charlene]

https://i.imgur.com/g7KmHMQ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/JNyF35f.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/SNX5HWa.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/nMGQxcd.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/jfF1jLH.jpg

[charlene]

https://i.imgur.com/0Lhupmn.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/aq4TgLl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/R6nk1yV.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/JY24Zcw.jpg

[charlene]

https://i.imgur.com/xKnwwhd.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/n9Lu7Gu.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/IIQoRSI.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/sR6jZ0Q.jpg

[charlene]

https://i.imgur.com/riJ1pHC.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/m7uCq2d.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Hpa96H0.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/NLmcpod.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/KSEueCr.jpg

[charlene]

https://i.imgur.com/qKFzc3T.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/gRmxc43.jpg

[charlene]

Playlist of videos - www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW8fA0x1r8C9xbhTqQ9cmC7kRYpbjFV_U

[paskatefan]

Wow! What gorgeous photos & lovely autographs, Char! What an incredible event it was!
Looking forward to watching the videos!

Gail

[Jim Nasium]

I note in the book that "Rainbow Trout" is described as a "Clunker" I think it is a lovely song, I wish I could write one as good. Am I alone?

[youngstranger]

I note in the book that "Rainbow Trout" is described as a "Clunker" I think it is a lovely song, I wish I could write one as good. Am I alone?

I laughed when I read that becasue I really like the song and everyone else seems to hate it! It's also seems to be the only song so far (I'm up to '83) that he straight out criticises.

The book really has very little focus on the music though...

[charlene]

It's a biography of the musician..not a music book. lol.. :)
maybe that's next on his 'list of things to do'... write a book about the music.. hmmmm.....
I may have to start making that suggestion to him....

[DarylK]

Does anyone know, when Nicholas Jennings was writing about the song "Sometimes I Don't Mind", did he have a case of misheard lyrics or did Gord change the lyrics when recording? Jennings quotes the line "When I'm thinking of you ballerina alone", which shows up in the album liner notes as "When I'm thinking of you better leave her alone". Obviously a very minor point, just curious if anyone else picked up on it or knows the story.

[charlene]

Nicholas says (and I also heard "ballerina" in the recorded version ):lyrics here and at gordonlightfoot dot com are wrong..

Char, it's not misheard. If you listen to the recording, Gord sings in the second verse"When I'm thinking of you ballerina alone." It's there in the singing, clear as day, if not in the liner notes.

In the book there's info about a ballerina he dated...

[charlene]

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-nicholas-jenningss-lightfoot-tries-to-get-at-the-essence-of-the-legendary-canadian-songwriter/article36674965/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com&
OCTOBER 20, 2017

TITLE Lightfoot AUTHOR Nicholas Jennings GENRE Biography PUBLISHER Viking Canada PAGES 315 PRICE $35

Nicholas Jennings introduces his biography of Gordon Lightfoot with a seven-page story about Bob Dylan and his Rolling Thunder Revue tour, which in late November, 1975, rolled into Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens. The scene was wild and it was mobile. A postconcert party happened at Lightfoot's Rosedale mansion, where a leather jacket was thrown into a fire, filling the house with thick black smoke.

"Bobby was a very enthusiastic partier," recalls Ramblin' Jack Elliott, a folk-music legend and raconteur, referring to Dylan. "Dylan was into drinking carrot juice at the time," adds Ronnie Hawkins, a rock-music myth-maker. Partier or carrot-juice enthusiast – who can recall? It was the seventies. Truth and leather jackets, lost in smoke.

The story continues. Lightfoot and Dylan, mutual admirers, were alone upstairs trading songs. The conversation between them was not vibrant. A lion meets a tiger. Wariness and confusion.

They were "too guarded, or maybe competitive," author Jennings suggests.

The reason for the Dylan-Lightfoot stage-setting isn't instantly apparent. Which is okay. What isn't okay is that the reason to link the two great artists never does fully present itself. Although Jennings will thread the theme throughout his book, he never does tie a knot on it. The best he comes up with is "For Lightfoot, as for Dylan, it was about the song."

That seems like a cop out – thin soup.

Lightfoot is an informative, highly readable book, but it has to be seen as a minor disappointment. In the acknowledgments, Jennings, a long-time music critic for Maclean's and the author of the essential Before the Gold Rush: Flashbacks to the Dawn of the Canadian Sound, writes of his extensive interviews over the course of a dozen years with the musician. The book jacket hails the author's "unprecedented access" to his subject. Yet the access results in not enough revelation.

The book was originally intended to be a memoir, as told to an excellent music journalist by an iconic Canadian songwriter. Such was Lightfoot's reticence, however, that a personal story became a well-researched chronicle, with some Lightfoot-told passages but also with plenty of third-party accounts, some facilitated by microfilm diggings.

The tone is respectful; the detail is great and never pedantically presented. All sorts of album-and-concert-review quotes. Lightfoot fans should rejoice and accept the fine info on their man.

The Rolling Thunder yarn spun, Jennings takes the reader back to Lake Couchiching – the idyllic, edge-of-wilderness spot near Orillia, Ont., where the boy Lightfoot fished for rock bass and searched for wild mushrooms. We get an account from Lightfoot of an incident involving ice fishing and a near drowning with his cousin. "It was such a close call," Lightfoot remembers. "I'm still amazed we survived."

To Jennings's mind, young Lightfoot's escape from peril was indicative of "the kind of dogged determination that would carry him out of Orillia and into international stardom, seeing through all the ups and downs of a large, messy, wonderful and sometimes troubled life."

With Lightfoot, we get snapshots of mid-century Canadiana. The man who would grow up to tunefully offer history lessons on shipwrecks and railways and who as an adult would sing some of the greatest brooding relationship songs ever poured out of a whisky bottle – "Pickin' up the pieces of my sweet shattered dream" – started out as performer in barbershop quartets as a schoolboy.

Apparently a cappella haircutting was all the rage. Fans paid money to see and hear the genre at great venues such as Toronto's Massey Hall. That they did so with no irony whatsoever can perhaps be attributed to a psychic-trauma hangover from the Second World War.

Lightfoot moved on from bow-tie balladry to folk music and, eventually, top-10 troubadouring. Jennings offers an invaluable if unexciting portrait of a superstar: Driven, oft-depressed, a one-time alcoholic, a lover and loser of women, a father who missed his children, a rugged outdoorsman, a hit-maker and Massey Hall filler, a man of great loyalty, a do-the-right-thing dude, a perfectionist, a performer who lives for the stage and a survivor (of a near fatal ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm in 2002 and otherwise).

I've met Lightfoot. I like him. Jennings does, too, and so will the reader (if the reader is any right kind of human – and the fact they are reading this particular newspaper is a persuasive argument that they are).

At one point, a snippet of an interview with Lightfoot in 1991 by CBC Radio's Peter Gzowski illustrates the frustrating reticence of the former. "The world is clamouring to rap with you, and you insist you don't have anything to say," Gzowski said.

"That is precisely correct," the shy Sundown singer answered.

And, so, Lightfoot, who owes us nothing but words, voice and melody, frustrates us (and probably Jennings, too). Read between the lines – that's the great songwriter's answer and our recourse.

Dylan offered us a deal: "I'll let you be in my dreams if I can be in yours." It was no bargain. But he offered. Lightfoot? Not so much. If we could read his mind, we wouldn't need a contextual memoir. One that, despite Jennings's great effort, we still need.

Brad Wheeler is an arts reporter with The Globe and Mail.

[BendRick]

I note in the book that "Rainbow Trout" is described as a "Clunker" I think it is a lovely song, I wish I could write one as good. Am I alone?

My brow did furrow when I read that paragraph in the Biography. As a U.S. Westerner, I just assumed "Rainbow Trout" was just another Canadian ditty, a sing-along song. My friends and family never disliked this song. There was a brother-in-law who hated "Cold Hands from New York" for its plodding repetition. Overall I loved reading Jenning's Lightfoot biography, it was so full of details and research. I read it in two days, couldn't put it down. That's great that Jennings mentioned the Reno, Nevada concert in 2000. I was there in front row. At the time I lived in Reno, that was such a great concert!

[Martyn Miles]

I have just finished 'Lightfoot' and it's been strange reading about GL's life and songs. Not an easy read with all the revelations about his failed relationships. Also, the book puts some of his songs in a different place for me. When I hear them now they have a different 'slant' than previously.
I am seeing/hearing many of them with a new perspective.

[charlene]

https://audioboom.com/posts/6420784-gordon-lightfoot-s-biographer-nicholas-jennings-chews-the-fat-with-tre-s-giles-brown

[charlene]

http://www.nicholasjennings.com/the-ballad-of-ochs-and-lightfoot
https://i.imgur.com/9Kx3jHm.jpg

[charlene]

VIDEO interview; http://www.chch.com/lightfoot/

[charlene]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/if-you-could-read-gordon-lightfoots-mind-this-is-the-tale-his-thoughts-could-tell/2017/11/02/5455ebbc-be60-11e7-8444-a0d4f04b89eb_story.html?utm_term=.1607f87b4ba6

If you could read Gordon Lightfoot’s mind, this is the tale his thoughts could tell
By Don McLeese
If you could read his mind, what a tale his thoughts could tell. So claimed Gordon Lightfoot in his 1970 breakout hit, the song that would launch his career as one of the most consistently satisfying singer-songwriters of the decade and would subsequently be recorded by some 300 other artists.
(Viking)
There was a lot of musical confession in those days, with James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell and so many others wearing their hearts on their lyric sleeves. Yet Lightfoot generally kept his mind to himself. A reserved Canadian, he played his emotional cards comparatively close to his vest, rarely granting interviews and rarely saying much when he did. Even in live performance, he came across as a tight-lipped stoic, the troubadour as rugged northwoodsman.

So, it’s a revelation here to find Lightfoot opening up at all. Not surprisingly, the biographer to whom he has confided is a fellow Canadian, veteran music journalist Nicholas Jennings, who enjoyed his subject’s full cooperation. Not that this is a kiss-and-tell book. But, regrets, he has a few, and Lightfoot airs them. He has paid a price for keeping his feelings to himself, for letting his career consume his private life, for drinking himself numb. It took him three marriages and assorted relationships (at least one of them borderline toxic) to give him a sense of how to be a husband and a father.
We learn that the smooth surface of his signature sound belies the turbulence that has inspired some of his most memorable material, such as the enigmatic “Sundown” (an obsessive jealousy corrodes the soul) and even “If You Could Read My Mind” (a beguiling melody that finds a marriage on the rocks). In Lightfoot’s songcraft, still waters run deep, or at least deeper than you’d expect for someone who became branded an easy-listening artist.

He first showed promise was as a schoolboy soloist in the church choir and then as a harmonizer in barbershop quartets. He served an apprenticeship on a corny TV show called “Country Hoedown,” where he became nicknamed “Gord Leadfoot” for his inability to master the choreography. His first songwriting effort was “The Hula Hoop Song” (1957).

Inauspicious beginnings, but Lightfoot was determined to make music his career. He studied theory and notation and became more interested in jazz than rock. He moved to Toronto, where he found a burgeoning folk scene. Ian & Sylvia were the leading lights, and their blend of folk and Canadian country showed Lightfoot a path forwardHe also found his manager through the duo, the notorious Albert Grossman, whose top clients were Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary, all of whom would record Lightfoot material. He found success as a songwriter through early efforts such as “Early Morning Rain,” but it took much longer for him to establish himself as a recording artist, particularly in the United States.

As Jennings points out, Lightfoot’s breakthrough was something of a fluke. He had signed with a new label to release his fifth album, initially titled “Sit Down Young Stranger.” Despite his reputation as a songwriter, the first single from the album was the only song he didn’t write, an early cover of Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee.” On the flip side was “If You Could Read My Mind,” a track that Reprise Records hadn’t considered very commercial.

“It’s a highly sophisticated, beautiful song, but it didn’t have a conventional structure, so I assumed radio wasn’t going to accept it,” the label’s Lenny Waronker told the author. But one DJ played the flip side, and then everyone did. The album was reissued with the hit as its title, and radio subsequently accepted pretty much everything Lightfoot released through the ’70s, including “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” an even less likely popular favorite. Lightfoot wasn’t an artist who followed formulas or trends; he was a significant artist with a singular sound.

He was also an increasingly troubled man, very conflicted, not comfortable with the glare of the spotlight in a hype-riddled industry. He had trouble with women — not attracting them, but sustaining a fulfilling relationship. And it’s a weakness of the book that we never hear from any of these women — the wives, the girlfriends. This is very much Gord’s story, his version. The more successful he became, the harder he worked, the more he drank, the less he stayed home, the more vicious the circle became.

Inevitably, the hits stopped coming, the marriages and relationships fell apart, and his voice, his health and his performances all suffered.

But there’s a happy ending of sorts, because he sobered up, married happily and survived a couple of serious hospitalizations. He has channeled his obsessiveness into exercise and performing, transforming himself from has-been into something of a mythic icon, certainly in Canada.

How great is he, or was he? Not as great as Dylan, the biography suggests, but the two are mutual admirers who understand each other better than most.

“They’re both reclusive and eccentric, so to some degree they’re kindred spirits,” says singer-songwriter Murray McLauchlan, who knows them both. “Except Gord’s life is not a fabrication. He is who he is. Bob Dylan is a complete myth.”

Don McLeese is a journalism professor at the University of Iowa and a veteran critic of music, books and popular culture.

[charlene]

https://www.pressreader.com/canada/ottawa-citizen/20171111/282454234273810

[charlene]

http://www.nicholasjennings.com/1968-the-year-of-lightfoot-s-u-s-breakthrough
1968: The year of Lightfoot’s U.S. breakthrough

Featured Monday, 13 November 2017 PHOTOS AT LINK:

Gordon Lightfoot became a star at home during Canada’s centennial year. South of the border, he was still mostly known as the composer of hits for others, including Marty Robbins and Peter, Paul and Mary. All that changed in 1968.

Why it didn’t happen earlier had a lot to do with the delayed release of the Canadian artist’s debut album, Lightfoot! Although recorded late in 1964, it didn’t appear until over a year later, by which time the folk boom had largely gone bust, thanks to the twin forces of the Beatles and an electrified Bob Dylan. Lightfoot was working hard at playing catch up, releasing The Way I Feel and touring relentlessly throughout ’67.

By early the following year, the tide was beginning to turn. Armed with his third album, Did She Mention My Name, Lightfoot found himself getting booked into bigger and better venues with the help of Albert Grossman, the powerful manager he shared with Dylan. The first prime gig came in early April, when Lightfoot appeared at the Troubadour in Los Angeles.

Owner Doug Weston opened the 350-seat Troubadour on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood in 1961 and the club quickly became the premier music showcase on the West Coast, a place often packed with agents, managers and record company people. Along with blues artists and standup comedians, it served as the launching pad for folk, rock and country acts ranging from Judy Collins, Tim Buckley and Tom Rush to Nina Simone, the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield. Linda Ronstadt made her debut there with the Stone Poneys and went on to become one of the Troubadour’s most popular solo acts.

When Lightfoot made his debut at the Troubadour on April 2, 1968, accompanied by guitarist Red Shea and bassist John Stockfish, Chuck Mitchell was there to see it. The American folksinger and ex-husband of Joni Mitchell knew Lightfoot from their days together in Detroit. Backstage at the Troubadour, Mitchell witnessed his friend’s nerves up close. “Like all of us, Gordon had genuine self-doubt and wasn’t totally secure,” says Mitchell. “And the Troubadour could be an imposing room. But when Gordon walked out on that stage, he saw that the place was packed. He sang his set and the people knew his songs. In the end, he got several encores, and when he came offstage, he virtually broke down. It was very emotional.”

While in Los Angeles, Lightfoot appeared on The Skip Weshner Show on KRHM-FM, performing songs and discussing them with Weshner. Like the Troubadour, Weshner’s radio program was an important West Coast showcase. Having turned heads at the Troubadour, Lightfoot stayed in California to appear at the 7th annual Folk Music Festival. Held on the campus of San Francisco State College, the festival featured a mixed bag of performers, from country legend Merle Travis and singer-songwriter Dino Valenti, of “Let’s Get Together” fame, to blues-rock-soul group the Electric Flag and folk-swing/gypsy-jazz adventurists Dan Hicks & his Hot Licks. Also on the bill was Gale Garnett, a Canadian singer-actress who’d moved to LA after winning a Grammy for her album We’ll Sing in the Sunshine, beating out Dylan’s The Times They Are A-changin’. At the time, Garnett was fronting a psychedelic folk group called the Gentle Reign.

Backed by Shea and Stockfish, Lightfoot performed at the festival’s two evening concerts, and took part in a songwriter’s workshop with Garnett and Travis. In keeping with the free-love atmosphere of the times, Lightfoot and the vivacious Garnett wound up sleeping together. As Garnett later recalled: “Gord was a very straight Scottish Presbyterian guy. It was very sweet, very innocent.”

Lightfoot’s appearance at the festival focused attention on his Did She Mention My Name album, which began attracting rave reviews. “A work of rare beauty and sensitivity,” commented one California newspaper. “His voice is wonderfully expressive, and whether a song is light or serious, he is able to sing it with honesty,” it continued, adding “Lightfoot can communicate his emotions with eloquence.”

Later that spring, Lightfoot was in Washington, DC, to perform for a week at the prestigious Cellar Door club. It was an intense time to be in the States, with frequent race riots and Vietnam protests. Lightfoot, Shea and Stockfish arrived as a transit strike coincided with the Poor People’s March, organized by Martin Luther King Jr. Despite gridlock, the club was filled every night.

Grossman continued getting Lightfoot prime bookings, including a spot at the Hollywood Bowl opening for Peter, Paul & Mary, a night at New York’s Bitter End and a return LATimes 1engagement at the Cellar Door. He even booked Lightfoot into the Fillmore West, San Francisco’s hippie auditorium. Rather incongruously, Lightfoot would share the bill with two rock bands, Cold Blood and Canned Heat, and his name was woven into the psychedelic design of the poster advertising the show. Nonetheless, Lightfoot delivered a confident 17-song set that included selections from his second album released that year, Back Here on Earth, and he was called back for an encore, performing “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” to an enthusiastic (and likely very stoned) audience.

But none of those gigs compared to Lightfoot’s second appearance at the Troubadour. His first time there was his introduction to American audiences; his return felt like something of a coronation. Word had spread about this singer-songwriter from Canada who sang poetic lyrics without a trace of artifice. Doug Weston’s club on Santa Monica Boulevard was packed with actors, agents, record executives and beautiful women. Also in the audience that week were DJ Skip Weshner, who had Lightfoot on his radio show for a second time, and Robert Hilburn, the influential music critic from the Los Angeles Times. Lightfoot impressed Hilburn enough for him to write a lengthy “star is born” profile headlined “Lightfoot Arrives.”

Before the year was out, Hilburn’s east coast counterpart, Robert Shelton of The New York Times, had followed suit, hailing Lightfoot as a bright new talent. There was even a Time magazine profile praising Lightfoot as “that rarity in the folk field: a well-schooled singer.” From then on, Lightfoot could do no wrong in America. All he needed now was a hit song.

Adapted from Lightfoot by Nicholas Jennings. Copyright © 2017 Nicholas Jennings. Published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Photographs used are courtesy of Gordon Lightfoot unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved.

[charlene]

from Nicholas Jennings: photo by Henry Grossman

https://i.imgur.com/b9vG7kh.jpg

[charlene]

http://www.nicholasjennings.com/what-a-tale-his-thoughts-could-tell

One of Gordon Lightfoot’s best-known songs was born out of a dying marriage. With its visions of wishing-well ghosts, movie queens and paperback novels, “If You Could Read My Mind” contains some of Lightfoot’s most vivid imagery. Emotionally, the lyrics stand out for their startling honesty. The words had poured out of him one afternoon in 1969, while sitting alone in an empty house.

Baring his soul like never before, he’d written lines like “I don’t know where we went wrong, but the feeling’s gone and I just can’t get it back.” There was little doubt it was about his broken marriage. The words “heroes often fail” suggest he blamed himself for its demise, but the phrase “chains upon my feet” indicates he also felt imprisoned by it.

Lightfoot had met Brita Olaisson in 1962, just as he was trying to get his solo career off the ground. Newly arrived from Sweden, Brita was a smart, attractive blonde who lived in the same rooming house as Lightfoot in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood. They hit it off and married a year later in Brita’s hometown of Stockholm.
After spending their first summer together in London, England, where Lightfoot appeared on a BBC TV series, the couple holidayed in Ireland and then returned to Toronto. Brita was already pregnant with their first child. Meanwhile, Lightfoot’s ambition to succeed with his music kept him away from home much of the time. And the second child that quickly followed only caused him to tour even more to support his growing family.

Honeymoon copy 1Brita had been hugely supportive of Lightfoot’s career. With her level head and mathematical skills, she’d been a willing sounding board and shrewd financial advisor. But Lightfoot’s frequent absences and his affairs with other women in towns and cities where he performed had put a strain on their marriage. There was jealous, mistrust and a growing distance between them—and no apparent way to bridge the gap. In 1969, during one of their frequent fights, Lightfoot had lost his temper with Brita and put his fist through a door. His broken hand became an ugly metaphor for the dissolution of their marriage.

That same year, Lightfoot signed a recording deal with Warner/Reprise. His first order of business was to write new songs for a new album. In July, while his wife Brita and their children, Fred and Ingrid, were still in the family home, Lightfoot moved into a large new house he’d purchased at 222 Blythwood Road in Toronto, in a quiet neighborhood just off Mount Pleasant. With just a wicker chair and his beloved Quebec table for furnishings, it became Lightfoot’s songwriting retreat. It was there he composed “If You Could Read My Mind.”

Lightfoot’s new album, Sit Down Young Stranger, came out in May 1970. Warner decided that Lightfoot’s first single should be his cover of Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee”—the only song on it he didn’t write. If Lightfoot was ticked, he didn’t let on. He was pleased that the album was receiving strong reviews, including one from Rolling Stone, which called it “some of the nicest folk music on record anywhere.” Also heartening: Dylan had just released a version of “Early Morning Rain” on his Self Portrait album.

But then a strange thing happened: Emperor Smith, a disc jockey at Seattle’s highly influential KJR radio station, discovered “If You Could Read My Mind” on Sit Down Young Stranger and started playing it instead of “Me and Bobby McGee.” Soon, other radio stations jumped on board, and Lightfoot’s song started getting airplay across the country. Prompted by the strong listener response, Warner/Reprise released “If You Could Read My Mind” as the follow-up single. “It’s a highly sophisticated, beautiful song, but it didn’t have a conventional structure, so I assumed radio wasn’t going to accept it,” says Warner producer Lenny Waronker. “But it became our unexpected hit, and a very pleasant surprise.” Almost immediately, the song reached Billboard’s Top 40.

In February 1971, thanks to snowballing radio play, “If You Could Read My Mind” hit number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number 1 on the magazine’s Easy Listening chart. It was so successful that Warner/Reprise renamed Lightfoot’s album. Up to that point, Sit Down Young Stranger had sold about 80,000 copies. The title was changed to If You Could Read My Mind and within six weeks it had sold 650,000 copies. And it kept on selling. Lightfoot finally had his long-awaited US hit.

“If You Could Read My Mind” has become Lightfoot’s most covered song, with over 300 recorded versions by everyone from Johnny Cash, Barbra Streisand and Neil Young to Holly Cole, Glen Campbell and Olivia Newton-John. There are two disco hit versions, one by Viola Wills and another by Stars on 54. Diana Krall and Sarah McLachlan recorded a duet of it on Krall’s 2015 album Wallflower.

Speaking of duets, “If You Could Read My Mind” remains one of the few songs of his that Lightfoot has ever sung with another artist. In 1984, Lightfoot sang it on TV’s Solid Gold with Marilyn McCoo, formerly of the Fifth Dimension.

Watch Lightfoot duet with Marilyn McCoo

One final footnote: Lightfoot’s daughter Ingrid had once challenged him on the sentiment expressed in the lyrics. Recalled Lightfoot: “She said, ‘Daddy, it’s not “the feelings that you lack,” it’s “the feelings that we lack.’ She was clear that I was pointing at her mum. She said, ‘Wasn’t it a two-way street, Daddy?’ And I said, ‘You know, you’re right.’” From that point on, Lightfoot has always sung his famous song with the words “the feelings that we lack.”

Adapted from Lightfoot by Nicholas Jennings. Copyright © 2017 Nicholas Jennings. Published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Photographs used are courtesy of Gordon Lightfoot unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved.
https://i.imgur.com/Gpu28V4.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/T7H3UmQ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/1xghYlz.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/4DCzU1I.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/RslntTQ.jpg

[formerlylavender]

It's also seems to be the only song so far (I'm up to '83) that he straight out criticises.

Totally agree! I just got to that part too. I like Rainbow Trout! Even if I didn't, it's strange that it was singled out.

[charlene]

http://heritagetoronto.org/programs/heritage-toronto-awards/2018-historical-writing-book-nominees/

2018 Historical Writing: Book Nominees
This category recognizes English language non-fiction books or e-books.

LIGHTFOOT
Author:
Nicholas Jennings
Publisher:
Penguin Random House Canada Lightfoot
Lightfoot chronicles the life and career of Gordon Lightfoot, unquestionably one of Canada’s greatest songwriters. No matter how much his fame grew abroad, Lightfoot has always come home to Toronto.

In this book, celebrated music journalist Nicholas Jennings captures how he has influenced the city’s culture and the musicians who followed him – from his first performance at Massey Hall to the Rosedale mansion that hosted his legendary after-parties.


The 2018 nominees are:


Author:
Bruce Newton

Publisher:
Bruce Newton, Toronto Paramedic Services

Accidents, Illness and Sirens: The History of Toronto’s Ambulance Service
Accidents, Illness and Sirens is the first book written detailing the history of Toronto’s ambulance service. It describes 184 years of history of the service by describing the issues surrounding the paramedic and medical services.

It offers information on teams, support units, major incidents, and important milestones that have shaped the service. As well, it focuses on the cultural importance of disease and the impact of the ambulance service on people living in Toronto.


Editors:
John Lorinc, Jane Farrow, Stephanie Chambers, Maureen Fitzgerald, Ed Jackson, Tim McCaskell, Rebecka Sheffield, Rahim Thawer, Tatum Taylor

Publisher:
Coach House Books

Any Other Way: How Toronto Got Queer
Any Other Way is a richly woven history that reveals how individuals and queer community networks transformed Toronto from a place of churches, into a city consistently leading the way in queer activism internationally.

From the earliest pioneers to politics of the contemporary era, the book explores how queer Toronto has shaped one of the world’s most diverse cities.


Author:
Tim Morawetz

Publisher:
Glue Inc.

Art Deco Architecture across Canada: Stories of the Country’s Buildings between the Two World Wars
Art Deco Architecture across Canada is a portrait of architecture in Canada between the late 1920s and the early 1950s. Of the 150 structures featured in the book, 30 are located in Toronto.

These buildings are brought to life through more than 400 contemporary colour photographs and rare archival images. The book showcases Toronto’s landmark buildings that remain intact, celebrates those that have been successfully repurposed, and mourns those that have been lost.


Author:
Scott Kennedy

Publisher:
Dundurn Press

Don Mills: From Forests and Farms to Forces of Change
Don Mills remembers the agricultural areas that pre-existed Canada’s first subdivisions surrounding Toronto’s downtown core. This book honours the rich history of the region to make sure that the original farms and farmers of Toronto are not forgotten.

Population growth has resulted in pressure to develop Don Mills, which has caused the landscape of the area to be irreparably altered. Today, the farms have been replaced by industries, homes, and shops.


Author:
Shawn Micallef
Publisher:
McClelland & Stewart Signal Frontier City: Toronto on the Verge of Greatness
Frontier City is a view of the Toronto of today and an inspiring vision of the Toronto of the near future. This book is a collection of conversations with political candidates from across Toronto, observing how they energize their communities and addressed local issues of poverty, violence, racism, and drugs.

It is an introduction to those fighting for a more inclusive Toronto, and reveals the potential for a city long suffering through a severe identity crisis.


Author:
Peter Goddard

Publisher:
Dundurn Press

The Great Gould
The Great Gould, with the support of the Glenn Gould Estate, draws on interviews with Glenn Gould to present a freshly revealing portrait of the musician’s unsettled life, his radical decision to stop playing concerts, his career as a radio innovator, and his deep response to the Canadian environment. Sci-fi and hi-fi, hockey and Petula Clark, Elvis, jazz, chess, the Beatles, and sex—all these inform this exploration of the pianist’s far-reaching imagination.


Author:
David McPherson

Publisher:
Dundurn Press

The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern captures the story of the tavern founded by Jack Starr in 1947 as a country music club on the site of a former blacksmith shop. From country and rockabilly to rock ‘n’ roll, punk, and more, the live music venue has evolved with the times and trends—always keeping pace with the music. This book celebrates the legacy of the Horseshoe Tavern, and its importance to Toronto music culture today.

Author:
Robert C. VipondPublisher:
University of Toronto Press Making a Global City
Making a Global City critically examines diversity in Toronto’s Clinton Street Public School between 1920 and 1990. The book eloquently highlights the challenges posed by multicultural citizenship in a city that was once dominated by Anglo-Protestants and the gradual globalization of the community starting in the 1970s.

This book celebrates diversity as Toronto’s strength while highlighting the vital role that public schools play in integrating immigrants into liberal democracies.

[charlene]

Author:
Roberto Perin

Publisher:
University of Toronto Press

The Many Rooms of This House: Diversity in Toronto’s Places of Worship Since 1840
The Many Rooms of this House recounts the rise and decline of religion in Toronto over the past 170 years. This book is a nuanced analysis of how the growing wealth of Toronto over time stimulated religious congregations to compete over the size, style, materials, and decoration of their places of worship. It provides a lens to understand how this once overwhelmingly Protestant city became a symbol of religious and cultural diversity.


Author:
Phillip Gordon Mackintosh

Publisher:
University of Toronto Press

Newspaper City: Toronto’s Street Surfaces and the Liberal Press, 1860-1935
Newspaper City tells the story of how the Toronto Globe and Toronto Daily Star campaigned for surface infrastructure improvements as liberal editors saw this as the leading expression of modern urbanity. This book traces the opinions expressed in news articles over 75 years to understand the conflict between newspaper editors and property owners who resisted paying for infrastructure improvements.


Author:
Karolyn Smardz Frost

Publisher:
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

Steal Away Home
Steal Away Home captures the story of fifteen year old Cecelia Reynolds’ escape from slavery in Kentucky and her new life as an immigrant in Toronto’s vibrant African-American community. Created out of in-depth research on the Civil War, this book traces the history behind one woman’s escape from slavery and delves into her risky return back to the United States to be reunited with her mother. It provides a larger narrative on the struggle for freedom that supported the growth of diversity in Toronto.


Author:
Lance Hornby

Publisher:
ECW Press

Toronto and the Maple Leafs: A City and Its Team
Toronto and the Maple Leaves explores the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 100 years as Toronto’s team, and the city’s relationship with the beloved sports team. This book gives a thorough analysis of how Toronto and the Leafs have become one through two world wars, the depression, and many years of dysfunctional hockey operations. This book not only is about a hockey team, but it creates a larger picture of the people who live in Toronto and their connection to the city.


Author:
Adam Bunch

Publisher:
Dundurn Press

The Toronto Book of the Dead
The Toronto Book of the Dead delves into the history of the ever-changing city of Toronto through the lives and deaths of those who made it their final resting place. From morbid tales of war and plague, to duels and executions, Toronto’s past is filled with stories whose endings were anything but peaceful. This book uses these stories of death to expose how Toronto has gone from being a muddy frontier town to a booming metropolis of concrete and glass.


Author:
Timothy J. Stewart

Publisher:
WLU Press

Toronto’s Fighting 75th in the Great War 1915–1919: A Prehistory of the Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s Own)
Toronto’s Fighting 75th evokes the spirit and consequences of Toronto at war. It tells the story of urban professionals, university graduates, labourers and the unemployed who fought alongside the British in 1915 to 1921. This book was created out of exhaustive research, drawn from archival sources, diaries, letters, newspaper accounts, and interviews, and has created a lasting record of the sacrifice of Toronto’s Fighting 75th in the Great War.


Author:
Pedro Mendes

Publisher:
Figure 1 Publishing

Walter Beauchamp: A Tailored History of Toronto
Walter Beauchamp is a lively tale of how the renowned company survived the effects of World Wars, the Great Depression, and the wrecking ball, as well as the fickle face of fashion retail with grace, elegance, and always discretion. This book reveals an intriguing history of Toronto from the perspective of a custom tailor and the vantage point of the Beauchamp shop windows, including the stories of soldiers, prime ministers, mayors, artists, and more.


Author:
Trevor Cole

Publisher:
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

The Whisky King
The Whisky King tells a rich and fascinating history of Canada’s first celebrity mobster, Rocco Perri—King of the Bootleggers—and the Mountie who pursued him. With in-depth research and masterful storytelling, this book details the fascinating rise to power of a notorious Prohibition-era Canadian crime figure twinned with the life of Frank Zaneth, Canada’s first undercover Mountie who pursued him.


Author:
Gare Joyce

Publisher:
Simon & Schuster Canada

Young Leafs
Young Leafs tells the story of Auston Matthews, who made history in 2016 by becoming the first player in the modern National Hockey League to score four goals in his debut. It was a momentous occasion for the talented young All-Star, but it was equally important for his newly adopted city and its century-old team, the Toronto Maple Leafs. This book follows Matthews and his team through the 2016 season, tracing the divergent journeys of each player leading up to the teams complete rebuild.

[charlene]

ARKAN ZAKHAROV PHOTOS:
FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/lightfootbook/
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7804/47429360082_03fcb49817.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fgaSkC)LIGHTFOOT book launch-Arkan Zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/2fgaSkC) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7892/40516202393_85388d5216.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/24Jh8pF)lightfoot launch-al mair-nicholas jennings-arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/24Jh8pF) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7904/40516202373_611b374af6.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/24Jh8pk)lightfoot launch-anton zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/24Jh8pk) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7888/47429359952_68d580183c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fgaSio)lightfoot launch-arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/2fgaSio) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7839/47429359882_d02e618f6c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fgaShb)lightfoot launch-fred lightfoot-carter lancaster-arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/2fgaShb) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7872/40516202353_3f635eee16.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/24Jh8oZ)lightfoot launch-barry keane-arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/24Jh8oZ) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

[charlene]

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7825/40516202333_c94eef5296.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/24Jh8oD)lightfoot launch-denise donlon-arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/24Jh8oD) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7834/47429359812_8af502e1ab.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fgaSfY)lightfoot launch-gl.arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/2fgaSfY) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7820/47429359752_8ae19bd117.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fgaSeW)lightfoot launch-good br.-carter-arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/2fgaSeW) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7910/47429359742_4277e1e357.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fgaSeL)lightfoot launch-group-arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/2fgaSeL) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7820/46758859184_d180a043a4.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eeVnMj)lightfoot launch-group pic-arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/2eeVnMj) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7847/40516202243_3e589405b7.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/24Jh8n6)lightfoot launch-group 3- arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/24Jh8n6) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

[charlene]

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7912/40516202223_814f137ab3.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/24Jh8mK)lightfoot launch-ingrid-gl-arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/24Jh8mK) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7901/40516202203_805c92fe77.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/24Jh8mp)lightfoot launch-jane harbury-arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/24Jh8mp) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7888/40516202163_3cf2c5156e.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/24Jh8kH)lightfoot launch-jory-gl-arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/24Jh8kH) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7858/47429359562_c8f1212d39.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fgaSbE)lightfoot launch-lloyd robertson.arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/2fgaSbE) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7842/46758858934_83d1431131.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eeVnH1)lightfoot launch-lori cullen-arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/2eeVnH1) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7858/40516202113_5b7c62af02.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/24Jh8jR)lightfoot launch-jory,david.m.daivid w.jason fowler-arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/24Jh8jR) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7818/46758858864_096b3bc0da.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eeVnFN)lightfoot launch-lorraine segato-arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/2eeVnFN) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7812/47429359462_6531da25a0.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fgaS9W)lightfoot launch-mark jordan-arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/2fgaS9W) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7905/47429359332_cf4abb9c48.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fgaS7G)lightfoot launch-nichols.arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/2fgaS7G) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7845/46758858694_d0c9df15d8.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eeVnCS)lightfoot launch-meredith-arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/2eeVnCS) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7911/47429359222_73b04e1a68.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fgaS5N)lightfoot launch-richard flohill-arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/2fgaS5N) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

[charlene]

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7863/46758858604_b33d3e1bc9.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eeVnBj)lightfoot launch-nj-arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/2eeVnBj) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7880/46758858494_ccfff01ff8.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eeVnzq)lightfoot launch-robbie lane-gl-arkan zakharov photo (https://flic.kr/p/2eeVnzq) by char Westbrook (https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539259@N07/), on Flickr

[lighthead2toe]

Great stuff Char.
Thnx for keepin' it movin'.
The music carries on!

It's Hanover, Ont. April 5th with "Classic Lightfoot Live" and then "Gordon Lightfoot Live" in Mississauga on April 15th.

Springtime has arrived and the maple syrup is flowing.

And I need to and will be there!

[Dave, Melbourne,Australia]

I just recognised the castle in the photo of Gord and first wife Brita in post #77. It's Blarney Castle just outside Cork City in the Republic of Ireland. Tourists visit the top level to hang upside-down and kiss the Blarney Stone in order to attain the gift of eloquence. I suspect it was taken during their honeymoon.

[paskatefan]

Great pics! Thanks!

Gail

[johnfowles]

I just recognised the castle in the photo of Gord and first wife Brita in post #77. It's Blarney Castle just outside Cork City in the Republic of Ireland. Tourists visit the top level to hang upside-down and kiss the Blarney Stone in order to attain the gift of eloquence. I suspect it was taken during their honeymoon.
well spotted David I can just about remember bending over backwards to kiss the Blarney stone during a visit to Cork in 1982 see the two photos on
https://twoandahalfbackpacks.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/ireland/