[charlene]

I've rec'd a most beautiful hardcover book from Canada Post today. It is black and the cover has the stamps issued in 2007 on the front and back. the removable cover of the book is black as well and imprinted to look like an old 45 record complete with the cutout for the record player peg that the 45 slips onto. Another slip of paper over that is shaped like a guitar and sayd "The High Note - Canada's 2007 stamps and the stories behind them. This guitar part sits at the bottom of the page and the back of it is a full page with some pics of the stamps as well and what is inside. The Feature Story is :Four Living Legends who've been in the spotlight of the Canadian recording industry.

Inside are some superb pictures of all four artists with each being given 4 pages with text and photos included.

The other stamps issued during the year are all beautiful as well - Endangered species, Canadian flowers, Beneficial insects, National Parks, Lilac blooms, architecture, The Queen, 150th anniv.of Otta becomiing ur capital, George Vancouver who sailed with Captain James Cook in 1774, Chief Membertou at Port Royal commemorating French settlement in Canada, World Cup Soccer in 2007 held in Canada, Santa's steeds is of a reindeer against the aurora borealis, the 2007 Year of the Pig, symbols of Christmas - the manger scene representing Hope, the white dove for peace and a trumpeting angel as a symbol for Joy.
All are exquisite and each section has the actual stamp in clear acetate along the descriptions. It's a beautiful, beautiful book.

from the CanPost site:
Product Number: 341751

Product Description: 2007 COLLECTION CANADA (NPC)
Product Details: The beautiful Collection Canada 2007 brings Canada’s stamps to life through engaging essays, breathtaking photographs and exquisite illustrations. This distinctly Canadian collectible showcases all 52 stamps (with a face value of $32.39) issued in 2007 and places them in a broad cultural context spanning history, personalities and events. A truly unique gift!




This is what it says as an intro to the True Canadian Legends:
(all text is in French as well)
Today, the phenomenon of Canadian musical artists selling millions of records around the world is nothing new. Thanks to superstars, such as SHania Twain, Nelly Furtado, Nickelback, Barenaked Ladies, Michael Buble, Bryan Adams, Diana Krall, Celine Dion, and Natalie McMaster, Canadian singers, songwriters and musicians are enjoying an unprecedented level of fame and fortune both at home and on the international stage.

But Canadian music didn't always have so large a piece of the global spotlight. During the first half of the last century, almost all of the records sold in Canada came from overseas or south of the border.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, however, a change swept over the Canadian musical landscape. A handful of performers appeared whose drive, amibtion and sheer talent were simply to obig to escape international notice. Many of these artists got their start singing at talent shows, clubs and coffee houses, but it wasn't long before they were playing to sold-out audiences in concert halls throughout the world.

Their achievements paved the way to international; success for both the Canadian music industry and the current crop of Canadian suprstars. In the process, these pioneering artists also earned millions of fans, numerous gold and platinum records - and a place among the true legends of music history.

To reflect the musical legacy of these Canadian superstars, the four commemorative stamps were designed in the style of album covers, while the souvenir sheet was created to mimic a CD. The stamps were released on June 29, 2007.
(The souvenir sheet is displayed in an acetate pocket.)

Gordon Lightfoot
Printed on black paper is a head shot of him performing in Toronto in 1976. It is printed in a soft bluish/grey tone. His head is slightly turned and it is shot from below, directly in front of the microphone. His eyes are closed. His hair is lit from above and looks like a halo.
The opposite page has 4 images down the centre - the cover of Old Dan's records - 1972, a mustache only/b&w of him 1972, the cover of the May 1978 Macleans magazine and the cover of Canadian Composer magazine of Fall 1990.
The text runs on either side of the pictures - one side English, one side French.

To many Canadians, Gordon Lightfoot is the voice of Canada. His songs about miners, love gone astray and ships lost at sea recount the stories of our country, our history and our lives. His crooning style, deeply textured lyrics and troubadour's soul have made him one of the most familiar and beloved Canadian performers of the past 100 years.

Born in Orillia, Ontario on November 17, 1938, Lightfoot began singing on local radio stations and at small festivals when he was still just a boy. He enjoyed some early success in his native country and as a host of "The Country and Western Show" on BBC Television in England. But it wasn't until late 1964 that he was inspired by performers such as Bob Dylan, Ian and Sylvia Tyson, and Simon and Garfunkle to record his first solo album of folk music.
The rest, as they say, is history. Of the album's 13 tracks, five became hit singles. His song "For Lovin' Me" was recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary, Johnny Cash and more than 100 other entertainers, bringing his work and words to an even broader audience.

Next page has a blue-tone image of him singing at the Live 8 concert in Barrie, Ontario on July 2, 2005.

Legends and Milestones
Has sold millions of albums over a career spanning six decades.

Hit songs include "Canadian Railroad Trilogy," "Early Morning Rain," "Alberta Bound," "Sundown," "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," "The Last Time I Saw Her," "Don Quixote," and "Beautiful"

Has had songs recorded by more than 500 other artists, including more than 100 versions of "For Lovin' Me" and "If You Could Read My Mind"

Has received 11 Juno Awards, four Grammy Award nominations, and the Governor General's Performing Arts Award.

Appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada.

Inducted into the Canadian Country Music, Canadian Broadcast, Canadian Songwriters, Canadian Railway, Canadian Music, and Juno halls of Fame, as well as Canada's Walk of Fame and the Canadian Folk Music Walk of Fame.

Declared the Canadian Male Recording Artist of the Decade (1970s) in a nationwide survey.

Last page has another strip of 4 pics down the middle:
Receiving one of 4 Juno awards in 1977; performing in Toronto in 1999 (Live and Interactive/Much Music TV show); at Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto in 1998; and in Toronto in 2000.

Virtually overnight, Lightfoot went from a struggling unknown to an internationally renowned singer and songwriter earning upwards of $1,000.00 a gig.

When the public appetite for folk music began to flag, Lightfoot successfully made the transition to pop and country, becoming one of the most popular Canadian singers of the 1960s and 1970s. His hit single, "If You Could Read My Mind," sold over a million copies and reached number three on the U.S. charts. In January 1974, his album SUNDOWN reached number one on the charts in both the United States and Canada.

Perhaps most tellingly, Lightfoot's star has never seemed to wane. While the recordings of many of his contemporaries have long since faded into silence, the songs of Gordon Lightfoot are still cherished by legions of loyal fans - many of whom weren't even born when their musical hero first climbed his way to the top of the charts.

Today, Gordon Lightfoot continues to sing the songs of Canada, in a voice that is as deep, rich and thrilling as ever - and as familiar to many of us as our own.