Gordon Lightfoot Forums - View Single Post - David Rea, "First" Lead Guitar Player for Lightfoot, Passes Away

mcurnutt · 10-31-2011, 09:55 AM

David rented a room (my old bedroom) from my parent's in Calistoga, CA (Napa Valley) sometime back around 1993-1995ish. He was separated from his wife and still trying to be around and be part of his kid's lives. I was very into folk music and was playing gigs at coffee houses/pubs/open mics at the time. He showed me some things, but he was so advanced and I was so new, I had a hard time learning from him (his hands just went too fast, went right over my head). I was a huge Joni Mitchell fan, trying to learn most of the open tunings on the Blue album and learning to play most of the songs (all that I could). He told me stories of him knowing Joni Mitchell, and one day he dug around in his stuff and brought out a journal of songs -- all handwritten papers, bound, that Joni had written. I about flipped. He had it tucked away and apparently didn't dig it out and show it around much. He only let me look at it while he was there, and then took it back and put it back away so that it was safe. It was handwritten poems and songs that Joni had done and apparently had either given him or he somehow got in his possession. Not sure of the whole story, but I know it was the real deal.

Later, when I lived in Seattle, I was at one of the music festivals and was shocked that he was playing on stage. I hadn't seen or heard from him in years, and then I walked around the corner and there he was. I said hello, but he was really busy with what was all going on at the time, being on stage and all.

My parent's have many more stories I'm sure, since he lived with them for more than a year. Funny, he had my old bedroom.....

10-31-2011, 09:55 AM	#16
mcurnutt Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 1	Re: David Rea, "First" Lead Guitar Player for Lightfoot, Passes Away David rented a room (my old bedroom) from my parent's in Calistoga, CA (Napa Valley) sometime back around 1993-1995ish. He was separated from his wife and still trying to be around and be part of his kid's lives. I was very into folk music and was playing gigs at coffee houses/pubs/open mics at the time. He showed me some things, but he was so advanced and I was so new, I had a hard time learning from him (his hands just went too fast, went right over my head). I was a huge Joni Mitchell fan, trying to learn most of the open tunings on the Blue album and learning to play most of the songs (all that I could). He told me stories of him knowing Joni Mitchell, and one day he dug around in his stuff and brought out a journal of songs -- all handwritten papers, bound, that Joni had written. I about flipped. He had it tucked away and apparently didn't dig it out and show it around much. He only let me look at it while he was there, and then took it back and put it back away so that it was safe. It was handwritten poems and songs that Joni had done and apparently had either given him or he somehow got in his possession. Not sure of the whole story, but I know it was the real deal. Later, when I lived in Seattle, I was at one of the music festivals and was shocked that he was playing on stage. I hadn't seen or heard from him in years, and then I walked around the corner and there he was. I said hello, but he was really busy with what was all going on at the time, being on stage and all. My parent's have many more stories I'm sure, since he lived with them for more than a year. Funny, he had my old bedroom.....