NEW-PEEKSKILL Interview:
http://www.lohud.com/story/entertain...ndid/31062027/ Gordon Lightfoot rolls into town ‘Carefree’ and candid
Britt Kennerly, Gannett News Service 4:04 p.m. EDT August 3, 2015
Hall of Fame singer will be at Paramount Hudson Valley
He really did slip away on that Arizona roadway with the lyrical name and was in Canada the night of the tragedy which that inspired his “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”
It’s such personal anecdotes, woven between tunes from an illustrious career, that promise a memorable ride as singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot and his “50 Years on the Carefree Highway" tour roll into the Paramount Hudson Valley on Saturday night.
After 20 albums, five Grammy nominations, five No. 1 hits in the U.S. and 16 in his homeland — where he was awarded the country’s highest civilian honor, Companion of the Order of Canada — Lightfoot could sing all week and not get to all the hundreds of songs he’s written and/or recorded.
Yet, the Orillia, Ontario, native promises a “happy” evening in which he performs his greatest hits and, for the "Gordheads,” tunes that, while not chart-toppers, are beloved classics. “Early Morning Rain." "If You Could Read My Mind,” his first Top 10 hit. “Carefree Highway.” “(That’s What You Get) For Lovin Me.” “Blackberry Wine.” “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” “Beautiful.”
The dark and sultry “Sundown” from 1974, which he wrote while having an affair with Cathy Smith — who in 1982 injected actor John Belushi with the drug overdose that killed the “Saturday Night Live” star. But even after two divorces and medical problems including a near-fatal abdominal aneurysm in 2002, Lightfoot, a member of the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame, has never lost his love of performing.
He got married again in December, to Kim Hasse, and says in a phone interview that he’s enjoying life; likes working out and spending time at home — but can’t imagine not getting out on the road with audiences. He answered some questions:
So after all this time, you still like touring?
It’s one of the best-kept secrets of show business. We do great shows. Very lively shows. I’ve got a really good band, the best band I’ve ever had for the combination; just two guitarists, bass, drums and keyboard. Last year we did 25 states and all 10 provinces of Canada — 91 shows. So it’s not unusual at all for me to tour, but I’m looking forward to this tour ... it’s very cold up here right now, though I don’t mind winter.
What are some of your favorite covers of your songs?
I have a lot of favorites, but I’d say Peter, Paul and Mary doing ‘Early Morning Rain’ — I love it.
(Lightfoot speaks of hearing Dylan covering his “Shadows” and of his band performing Dylan’s “Ring Them Bells,” which he calls “a real beauty.” Then, thinking of all the others who’ve recorded his music — everybody from Dylan to Elvis Presley to Eric Clapton and Jane’s Addiction — the topic of Glen Campbell’s 1971 version of Lightfoot’s “The Last Time I Saw Her” comes up).
Oh, yes. I’d mention that in the same breath as Peter, Paul and Mary.
How intense was the pressure to write, record and tour in the 1960s and ’70s?
I was under contract 33 years to a record company, so it was never off my mind. I’d find myself in periods of isolation ... I messed up a couple of times because I was thinking too much of songwriting and not thinking enough about my personal life. I’ve certainly tried to make up for that in the years that have passed. I’ve gotten quite repentant over the last 20 years about all those abuses, and much more conscientious about spending time with my six children, who are spread out all over the country ... about spending time with family. I robbed them of my time, having to go away for days and days and be isolated.
Do you remember the day you started writing “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” and the circumstances (Nov. 10, 1975) when the freighter actually went down?
That very evening, there was a big, powerful wind blowing through the city, here in Toronto. I remember it was a bad, bad night. At 11 in the evening, I saw on TV what had taken place three and a half hours earlier ... all of a sudden I found myself telling a story with melody and chords already in place.
(After his research about the wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which killed 29 men when the freighter sank in Lake Superior, and a rewrite about six weeks later, the result was a ballad that went to No. 2 in the States in 1976. He performs it at every concert.)
I lived in Phoenix and drank at a bar near Carefree Highway and had my picture taken by the sign. Did you do the photo thing? And how, exactly, did the song come about?
We were driving from Flagstaff to Phoenix, about 1:30 in the morning, trying to make it to catch a plane back to Toronto. And I saw ‘Carefree Highway’ and said to the bass player, ‘That sounds to me like a song title.’ When we got back, I sat down and went right to work.”
And yes. He’s taken a Carefree Highway picture, too.
If You Go
What: “Gordon Lightfoot — 50 Years on the Carefree Highway”
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Paramount Hudson Valley, 1008 Brown Street, Peekskill Tickets: $45-$75.
Info: 914-739 0039 or visit paramounthudsonvalley.com