Hi, I'm new and I realized I should have introduced myself. I was happy to find this message board. Anyway, I thought I would post a topic if no one minds and forgive me if it's already been asked. What age were you when you first heard gl's music and why did it impact you, was it the lyrics or the music?

~Moonforest~

Born in 1964, I recall first hearing Lightfoot tunes (the hits) on Detroit radio in the 70s. The Edmund Fitzgerald--wreck and song--were big when I was about 12 years old. At that age, I certainly did not take Lightfoot "seriously." In the mid 80s, when I was deeply into "cool" bands such as R.E.M., I considered Lightfoot embarrassingly UNcool, kind of sappy and dull and outdated! Then I read a brief quote from one of my alternative artists that shocked me: he actually complimented Lightfoot! Speaking of If You Could Read My Mind, he said something to the effect of, "You can tell Lightfoot really felt those emotions strongly..." and I realized this guy truly admired Lightfoot as a songwriter. My eyes were opened. I took note of the release of East of Midnight. Hesitant, I bought the LP, and though the voice was very different than what I was used to, I recognized that many of the tracks were great. Two years later, I was living in Los Angeles. I bought Gord's Gold Vol II and was stunned by the wealth of incredibly beautiful songs I had NEVER heard before. It was then that, one by one, I acquired cassettes and later CDs of all the Lightfoot albums available. Today, though I've parted ways with pop music (even my absolute favorite, the Beatles!) in favor of classical, I still retain two artists in my collection: the Beach Boys (amazing stuff that never got on the radio) and Gordon Lightfoot, who has my permanent respect and admiration.

20 when i first heard of him. then i forgot about him for a year and early in 1999 i started collecting all the albums.
it was the catchy melodies that caught me in.

Hi Moonforest - love your name.

I was 18/19 when I first heard and met Gord
and I've been in love ever since!
He is the Master.

First song I heard him sing was 'The Circle
is Small' followed by 'The Gypsy' ...

Perfection on legs, that's Mr.Lightfoot. IMO

Early 70's, college in Ann Arbor (Mich.), when he did the Fitzgerald and maybe a couple of earlier ones. (I'm Big Chill generation.) We would party at Mr Flood's & they would play it. Became a big fan after he did Sundown, even bigger fan in the 80's. Only saw him live once, in Denver in '94. But he didn't seem the same after he quit drinking.