Wednesday, June 12, 2002 7:20:02 AM
Rock 'n' Roll Artists A-Z...Gordon Lightfoot
http://www.lightfoot.ca/
*1938*
- Born November 17 in Orillia, Ontario, Canada to Gordon Sr. and Jessica Lightfoot.
*1943*
- At age five, he makes his performing debut, singing I'm A Little Teapot at St. Paul's United Church Sunday School in Orillia.
*1948*
- Lightfoot cuts his first record. His sister Bev accompanies him on piano and they get it on the first take. The school principal plays the record over the school's PA on parent's day.
*1950*
- Lightfoot begins piano lessons and voice study under Ray Williams in Orillia.
- The ten year old Lightfoot wins second place in an amateur show at the Orillia Opera House, sponsored by a local radio station. He sang Bless This House.
*1951*
- Lightfoot makes a 78 rpm record of "The Lord's Prayer."
- Wins first place in his under 13 vocal class at the Toronto Kiwanis Festival, singing Alpine Song and Under The Greenwood Tree. He finished third in the unchanged voices class.
*1952*
- Wins first place again at the Toronto Kiwanis Festival in the soprano unchanged voices class. He made his first appearance on the Massey Hall stage that year where he sang his winning performance, a 19th century song called "Who is Sylvia".
*1954*
- He makes his network radio debut, singing with a group called the Teen Timers.
*1955*
- Lightfoot writes his first song. It's a topical song titled, The Hula Hoop Song. He presents it to a publisher in Toronto and while it wasn't accepted, he received encouragement and the rest, as they say, is history!
*1956*
- His barbershop quartet finishes second in an Ontario competition.
*1958*
- Attends the now defunct Westlake College of Music in Los Angeles. He would return to Toronto the next year without completing the course, but the knowledge he gained would prove very valuable to him in his songwriting endeavors for the remainder of his career.
*1960*
- He begins work as a choral performer and dancer on CBC's Country Hoedown, and would continue working there for more than two years.
- Became interested in folk music through listening to Bob Gibson and in particular, the Weavers At Carnegie Hall album.
- Around this time he switched from the 4-string tenor guitar to the conventional 6 and 12-string guitars. Within a year he was proficient enough to perform professionally.
*1961*
- Plays drums for a revue called Up Tempo '61. He plays under the pseudonym Charles Sullivan.
- The first Mariposa Folk Festival is held. The Two Tones are not invited because they are deemed to be too commercial!
- Lightfoot makes his US debut at La Cave in Cleveland, sharing the bill with Jose Feliciano.
*1962*
- In January he records a live album at Toronto's Village Corner as a member of the folk duo, the Two Tones, with partner Terry Whelan.
- Remember Me (I'm The One) reaches the top 10 on the Canadian charts.
*1963*
- Appeared in Orillia in January at a teen dance at the Pavalon Club with a Toronto singing group called the Dovermen.
- In April Lightfoot marries Brita in Sweden.
- Hosted 8 one-hour summer replacement shows in England for the BBC called "Country And Western."
*1964*
- Lightfoot becomes influenced by Dylan. Although he'd written 75 songs prior to that time, they didn't contain an "identity." His writing now begins to flourish.
- He writes Early Morning Rain on a hot summer afternoon.
- Ian & Sylvia come to Steele's Tavern in Toronto to hear Lightfoot and come away very impressed. They eventually record some Lightfoot songs which leads to Lightfoot being signed by the influential Albert Grossman management agency from New York.
- Peter, Paul and Mary's recording of For Lovin' Me reaches the US top 20.
- Lightfoot plays the Toronto Teacher's College. The significance of this show was that it marked the first time he had done an entire show of his own material.
- In December, he records the tracks for his debut album for United Artists in a New York studio.
*1965*
- Appears at the prestigious Newport Folk Festival and is there when Dylan goes "electric".
- Lightfoot makes the 18 hour train trip to Moosenee in northern Ontario on the shore of James Bay and the journey inspires Steel Rail Blues.
- When Lightfoot was signed to WB's in 1965 a party was held for him at Steele's Tavern - sandwiches courtesy of WB's, beer courtesy of Steele's.
- He lived for a time in Detroit near Wayne State University at Joni and Chuck Mitchell's apartment and performed at area clubs like Chess Mate.
- Makes an appearance on the Tonight Show.
- Marty Robbins' recording of Ribbon Of Darkness spends 7 months on the C&W charts, reaching #1, and wins the ASCAP writer-publisher award.
- Red Shea and John Stockfish are recruited as Lightfoot's touring and recording band.
- In November he makes his New York debut at the Town Hall.
- On November 13, the Yarmouth Castle catches fire and sinks off of Miami.
*1966*
- In January, Lightfoot! is released by United Artists.
- In February he draws 3,500 to Varsity Stadium in Toronto.
- In February he completes a nine city tour of the British Isles with Ian & Sylvia, beginning at the De Montfort Hall in Leicester and finishing up at the Fairfield Hall in London.
- In May he completes a successful run at Toronto's Riverboat coffeehouse.
- Lightfoot is commissioned by the CBC to write a song about the building of the Canadian railway for Canada's centennial. The result is of course, Canadian Railroad Trilogy.
- On New Year's eve, Lightfoot debuts the Trilogy across the country on CBC.
*1967*
- In February, he completes a month-long engagement at the Riverboat.
- In March, Lightfoot plays two sold-out concerts at Massey Hall.
- In the spring, The Way I Feel is released.
*1968*
- A Lightfoot special is aired on CBC on March 18.
- In March, two more sold-out performances at Massey Hall.
- Did She Mention My Name is released.
- Lightfoot makes a "writng" trip to England where he composes poetry and the songs that will comprise his next album.
- In May, he makes his first San Francisco appearance at the SF State College Folk Festival.
- Lightfoot does a spring tour of Ontario.
- Lightfoot plays a week engagement at the Cellar Door in Washington DC.
- Lightfoot does 9 concerts with Peter, Paul and Mary at venues such as the Hollywood Bowl.
- Lightfoot records Back Here On Earth in Nashville in September.
- Appears at the Troubadour in LA and the Fillmore in San Francisco.
- Back Here On Earth is released.
- Lightfoot appears at a sold-out concert at the University Of Toronto.
- Appears for a second time at New York's Town Hall, this time as the headlining act.
*1969*
- Early Morning Productions are formed to manage Lightfoot's affairs, with Al Mair hired as general manager.
- Four Massey Hall concerts are recorded in March and are released later in the year as Sunday Concert.
- Lightfoot records in Nashville in April but no tracks are ever released from these sessions. These became known as the "33rd Of August" sessions, after the Mickey Newbury song that was recorded during them.
- Appears as a solo act for the first time on a British stage with an appearance at London's Royal Festival Hall.
- In November, Lightfoot signs with Warner Brothers Records to record on their Reprise label, signalling the end of the 60's and his United Artists years.
*1970*
- The musical, Love And Maple Syrup, based on his song, is opened in New York in January.
- He plays a benefit at the Virginia country home of Edward Kennedy.
- Turns down invitation to play at Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan.
- In May his first Warner/Reprise album, Sit Down Young Stranger is released.
- In June, Lightfoot is presented with the Order Of Canada in a ceremony in Ottawa.
- In the summer he embarks on a promotional tour of radio stations in Detroit, Windsor and Chicago to promote the new album.
- Me And Bobby McGee is released as the first single with piano added to the album cut, which displeased Lightfoot.
- Facial Hair Tracker. Lightfoot added a moustache for short period early in 1970, returning to cleanly shaven for most of the year.
*1971*
- In February, Lightfoot enters the US charts for the first time when If You Could Read My Mind reaches #5 on the singles chart. The album, now renamed after the single, reaches US #12 and turns gold.
- In April, Lightfoot is inducted into the Orillia Hall Of Fame.
- In June, Summer Side Of Life is released.
- In July, Talking In Your Sleep peaks at US #64, while Summer Side Of Life reaches #38 on the US album charts.
- The United Artists compilation, Classic Lightfoot, makes US #178 on the album chart.
- In September, Summer Side Of Life peaks at US #98 on the singles chart.
- Lightfoot caps another successful year with an appearance at Carnegie Hall.
- Facial Hair Tracker. Lightfoot grew a beard late in 1971 which helped define his look through most of the 70's.
*1972*
- In February, he plays to two sold out concerts at New York's Philharmonic Hall.
- Terry Clements replaces Red Shea on lead guitar.
- Lightfoot is asked to perform If You Could Read My Mind at the Grammies, but backs out when the producers tell him to cut the song to two minutes.
- On stage at Massey Hall in March, Lightfoot feels a numbness on one side of his face. It is diagnosed backstage as Bell's Palsy. He completes his Massey committment, but he is then forced to cancel some shows and take several months off to recover.
- Don Quixote is released to excellent reviews.
- In May, Don Quixote peaks at #42 on the album charts.
- In July, Beautiful reaches #58 on the single charts.
- In August, Lightfoot records Old Dan's Records in Toronto.
- Lightfoot attends Mariposa Folk Festival in Toronto and gives an impromptu performance under a tree that attracts many passerbys. Dylan is also in attendance and returns to Lightfoot's to pay a social visit.
- In October, Old Dan's Records is released, the first time Lightfoot has released two albums of new material in one year since 1968.
- In December, Old Dan's Records peaks at #95 on the album charts.
*1973*
- The Pony Man is released as a children's book.
- In March, Lightfoot sets a record when he sells out Massey Hall for five consecutive nights.
- Lightfoot and his wife, Brita, are divorced.
- He spends 5 weeks in northern Quebec on 500 mile canoe trip during the summer.
- In October, Lightfoot records the Sundown album at Eastern Sound in Toronto.
*1974*
- In January, Sundown is released.
- In March, he writes the song that will be the title cut for his next album almost a year from then, Cold On The Shoulder.
- In March, Lightfoot records all of the Massey Hall shows for a live album. Because of a broken fingernail that could be heard on the tapes, the project is scrapped.
- Lightfoot's guitars and sound equipment are stolen in Saginaw, MI forcing him to cancel a concert in Ann Arbor.
- In June, Sundown holds down the #1 album position for three weeks.
- In June, Sundown reaches #1 on the single charts.
- In August, the UA compilation The Very Best Of Gordon Lightfoot peaks at #155 on the album charts.
- In November, Carefree Highway reaches #10 on the single charts.
- Facial Hair Tracker. Lightfoot shaved his beard for a short time in 1974, but regrew it before the year was out.
*1975*
- In February, Cold On The Shoulder is released.
- Red Shea rejoins the touring band for the year and Pee Wee Charles is added on pedal steel.
- In April, Cold On The Shoulder reaches #10 on the album charts.
- In April, a special section is devoted to Lightfoot in Billboard magazine.
- In May, Rainy Day People peaks at #26 on the single charts.
- In July, Lightfoot records tracks for Gord's Gold.
- In October, Gord's Gold is released.
- In October, he makes a brief tour of Europe with stops in Amsterdam, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt and finally at a sold out Royal Albert Hall in London.
- In November Lightfoot writes the material that will comprise next year's Summertime Dream album.
- On November 10, the Edmund Fitzgerald sinks in Lake Superior.
- Later in November, Lightfoot writes and records The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald over an intense three day period.
- In December, Lightfoot appears for two shows with Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue in Toronto.
*1976*
- In January, drummer Barry Keane joins the band.
- In January, Gord's Gold makes #34 on the album charts.
- In February, Lightfoot makes an appearance on Midnight Special.
- In March he appears in The Sahara in Lake Tahoe for the first time.
- In May, Summertime Dream is released.
- In June, Lightfoot hosts a benefit at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto to aid the Canadian Olympic team.
- In June he appears at the prestigious Montreux festival in Switzerland.
- In November, The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald hits #2 on the single charts, where it remains for two weeks (behind Rod Stewart's Tonight's The Night).
- In December, Summertime Dream reaches #12 on the album charts and is certified platinum.
*1977*
- In February, Lightfoot attends the Grammies in Hollywood, where he is nominated for best male vocal and song of the year for The wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald.
- In March, Race Among The Ruins reaches #65 on the single charts.
- In June he is presnted with an honorary law degree at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario.
- In October, Lightfoot along with James Taylor, Harry Chapin and John Denver play a benefit in Detroit to raise money for World Hunger Year.
- In November, Lightfoot marks his 20th year in the music business. CHUM-FM in Toronto declare a "Gordon Lightfoot Day" and RPM magazine runs a special issue devoted to him.
- In December, Lightfoot makes a triumphant year end appearance at the cerebral palsy benefit at Carnegie Hall in New York.
- Facial Hair Tracker. Lightfoot shaved his beard in 1977 but kept the moustache.
*1978*
- In January, Endless Wire is released.
- In March, Endless Wire climbs to #20 on the album charts.
- In March, Lightfoot sells out Massey Hall for record nine nights.
- Lightfoot is offered the chance to sing on an animated film of Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings, but declines.
- In April, The Circle Is Small peaks at #33 on the single charts.
- Lightfoot embarks on a 600-mile Arctic canoeing expedition in the Northwest Territories.
- In August, Lightfoot sells out five concerts at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.
- In October, Daylight Katy, not released as a single in the US, peaks at #41 in the UK.
- In November, Lightfoot climaxes a busy year of touring with shows in Anchorage, Alaska and Honolulu, Hawaii.
*1979*
- In April, Lightfoot does a benefit at Nassau County Coliseum in Long Island, NY, with Dave Mason and Harry Chapin for local ballets and symphonies.
- In September, Lightfoot makes a rare TV appearance on PBS Soundstage.
- The unreleased song, Forgive Me Lord, is debuted in conert this year. This song will take on cult status as it is recorded for at least two albums, but never released, yet Lightfoot continues to perform it well into the late 80's ... and beyond?
- Lightfoot provides the title song for the documentary, Ghosts Of Cape Horn.
*1980*
- In January, Lightfoot is declared Canada's male singer of the decade (70's).
- In March, Dream Street Rose is released.
- In May, Dream Street Rose peaks at #60 on the album charts.
- In September, he hosts another benefit for Canadian Olympic athletes, this time at the CNE Grandstand in Toronto.
- Lightfoot goes to Alberta and British Columbia to play US Marshall Morrie Nathan for the upcoming film, Harry Tracy Desperado.
- The documentary film, Ghosts Of Cape Horn is released.
- Facial Hair Tracker. Lightfoot again donned the beard in 1980 and into parts of 1981 in part for his role in the Harry Tracy movie.
*1981*
- Mike Heffernan joins the band on keyboards.
- In March, the Toronto Star sends their opera critic to cover Lightfoot at Massey Hall in an attempt to put a fresh perspective on their review after covering him there for so many years with regular pop music critics. The verdict? The opera critic came away impressed and wrote a positive piece.
- In May, Lightfoot makes a triumphant, albeit embattled tour of Britain.
- The film, Harry Tracy Desperado is released, with Lightfoot co-starring with Bruce Dern. Lightfoot joked about his performance, "I'm so awful, I'm good!"
- Lightfoot plans to have Shadows recorded and released by fall, but with 17 songs recorded for the project, it is pushed back until the new year.
- Lightfoot re-signs with Warner Brothers on a long term recording deal.
*1982*
- In February, Shadows is released.
- In March, Shadows peaks at #87 on the album charts.
- In May, Baby Step Back makes it to #50 on the single charts, his last entry on the US Hot 100 to date.
- On Labor Day, Lightfoot gives up drinking.
- In September, Lightfoot is the first performer to play Toronto's new concert hall, Roy Thomson Hall. It's a one time deal, as he continues to do his annual Toronto stands at Massey Hall.
- Facial Hair Tracker. Lightfoot again returns to just the moustache.
*1983*
- As Lightfoot hits the road in February for a busy year of touring, audiences are immediately struck by two differences. Lightfoot is now looking trim and fit after dropping 25 pounds and he now is playing electric guitar (as well as the 6 and 12-string acoustics).
- In July, Salute is released.
- In July, Lightfoot jumps on stage at Kingswood, near Toronto, to help out John Denver with Early Morning Rain.
*1984*
- In March, a giant billboard appears in downtown Toronto at the corner of Bloor and Yonge heralding Lightfoot's upcoming Massey Hall stand.
- In November, the rumour that David Foster will be involved on the next album begins to circulate.
- Lightfoot demos 25 songs for East Of Midnight over the next year.
*1985*
- In April, Lightfoot sings the opening lines on the recording of Tears Are Not Enough in aid of the USA For Africa trust along with fellow Canadians Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Bryan Adams and others.
- In July, Salute peaks at #175 on the album charts.
- In November, Lightfoot breaks with his own tradition by holding his annual Massey Hall stand in that month. The schedule change didn't hurt - the shows were sell-outs!
- While in LA recording Anything For Love with David Foster, Lightfoot plays in a celebrity softball game.
*1986*
- In an unusual move, Lightfoot puts all of his energies into completing the new album and does not undertake any touring the entire year.
- In July, East Of Midnight is released.
- In September, East Of Midnight reaches #165 on the album charts.
- In September, Anything For Love makes #71 on the C&W charts.
- In November, Lightfoot is inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame by Bob Dylan.
*1987*
- After not playing live the previous year, Lightfoot launches into a busy year on the road beginning in Sudbury, ON in February and crosses back and forth across the continent several times before winding up the year at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City in November.
- Lightfoot has stopped using the electric guitar on stage.
- In early shows on the tour, Lightfoot is singing Anything For Love with taped background music from the album. He abandons this by the fall shows.
- In mid-tour Pee Wee Charles leaves the band to pursue other business interests.
- In September, Lightfoot goes out to Los Angeles to tape an episode of the TV series Hotel, playing a country singer on the comeback trail.
- Lightfoot plays an all acoustic set in New York as part of a WNEW benefit. Highlights include an acoustic Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald!
*1988*
- By the winter of 1988, Lightfoot albums were beginning to be reissued on CD. The first to get the digital treatment are If You Could Read My Mind, Sundown, Gord's Gold, Summertime Dream and East Of Midnight.
- In January, the Hotel episode airs on ABC with Lightfoot as guest.
- In February, Lightfoot sings Alberta Bound at the Calgary Winter Olympic opening ceremonies.
- In April, Lightfoot re-records 13 songs plus If It Should Please You for the upcoming Gord's Gold II.
- In July, Lightfoot plays the Stein River Festival in BC to support the move to protect the watershed from logging. He will continue to play the festival for several years until the movement is finally successful.
- In September, Gord's Gold II is released.
- Lightfoot travels to Brazil with Sting as part of an environmental effort to protect the rainforests from logging and dam builders.
- In November he plays two concerts to support the World Wildlife Fund.
*1989*
- In April, he plays the Temagami Wilderness benefit in Toronto. This would be Lightfoot's most active year on the environmental front.
- In June, Lightfoot plays a concert to protest the Oldman River dam in Alberta along with longtime friend, Ian Tyson.
- In August he plays his third consecutive Stein Valley Festival in BC.
*1990*
- In April, Lightfoot tours Atlantic Canada for the first time in 7 years, playing several cities he hadn't played in over 20 years.
- Bob Dylan's Ring Them Bells is being performed for the first time in concerts in 1990.
- Lightfoot donates $2,500 to help build a hockey arena in Superior, Wisconsin.
- Lightfoot is awarded the William Harold Moon award for his contribution to the Canadian music industry.
- Facial Hair Tracker. For the first extended period since 1971, Lightfoot goes completely clean shaven.
*1991*
- More new songs are being played live this year. Fading Away, Only Love Would Know and Wild Strawberries are some of the first.
- Folk revival icon and Lightfoot influence, Bob Gibson attends Lightfoot's Chicago show in July and is acknowledged from the stage by Lightfoot.
- In August Lightfoot performs Oh Canada at the Toronto Argonauts home game at Skydome as a favour to team co-owner John Candy.
- Lightfoot plays Drink Yer Glasses Empty on CBC radio's Morningside during an interview. The lyrics here are quite different than on the final recorded version.
*1992*
- Lightfoot is named honorary captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the new season and drops the ceremonial opening puck at their first home game.
- Lightfoot's UA albums are finally released on CD, a 3 CD package titled The Original Lightfoot.
*1993*
- In April, Waiting For You is released.
- In May, Lightfoot plays in Charleston, SC as part the Mountain Stage Live radio series.
- In November, Lightfoot plays the Skydome in Toronto on a bill with Simon and Garfunkel.
- Lightfoot wins 12 SOCAN career airplay awards (Anything For Love, Carefree Highway, Cotton Jenny, Daylight Katy, The Circle Is Small, Early Morning Rain, If You Could Read My Mind, Rainy Day People, That Same Old Obsession, Sundown, The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald), signifying that they have been played over 100,000 times each on Canadian radio.
*1994*
- Late in the year Lightfoot records demos for 6 new songs for a new album which is still over two years away.
- In June, Massey Hall turned 100 years old and Lightfoot is among the performers there to celebrate the occasion.
- In July, CBC draws fire for the unauthorized use of a sound clip from The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald during a news magazine piece about the ship.
*1995*
- At the Mariposa folk festival in Toronto, a special tribute night is given in Lightfoot's honor and Lightfoot surprises everyone by showing up and doing Knotty Pine and I'll Tag Along.
- In the fall, Lightfoot takes a tour of Daniel Lanois' Grant Avenue studio in Hamilton, and considers it as the location to record his new album.
- In November, on the 20th anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald's sinking, Lightfoot is in Whitefish Point, MI to ring the ship's bell at a ceremony attended by many family members of the Fitzgerald crew.
*1996*
- In February, Lightfoot begins recording sessions for a new album at the Grant Avenue studio in Hamilton near Toronto.
- Lightfoot flies to Los Angeles to tape a couple of songs for the TV special, Global Dreams, which airs in March.
- In March, Lightfoot performs If You Could Read My Mind at the 25th annual Juno Awards.
- Lightfoot undertakes a spring tour beginning in Chicago in March and winding up in Orillia in May.
- After the spring tour, recording sessions resume in Hamilton and they continue off and on until touring resumes in November.
- At Ontario concerts in November, Lightfoot has incorporated 6 new songs into his setlists. Titles include A Painter Passing Through, On Yonge Street, Boathouse and Uncle Toad Said.
- In December, more recording is continued in Hamilton.
*1997*
- Lightfoot continues recording work on A Painter Passing Through during the early months of '97.
- Touring begins in May and continues through June in the western US and moves east in July.
- Another new song, Ring Neck Loon is being played during the spring/summer tour.
- Recording work on the new album is continued during breaks in the tour.
- Santa Fe concert on June 26 is cancelled due to heavy rains which flooded the amphitheatre.
- Lightfoot undertakes a two week midwest tour in September.
- The concert hall at the Orillia Opera House is named the Gordon Lightfoot Auditorium at a ceremony prior to a benefit concert Lightfoot gives there in October.
- Pee Wee Charles sits in on pedal steel at the Orillia concert to substitute for Mike Heffernan who was unable to perform due to illness.
- In November, Lightfoot is presented with the Governor General's Arts Award at a presentation in Ottawa. Ian Tyson is on hand to perform a few Lightfoot songs at the reception following the ceremonies.
- On New Year's Eve, Lightfoot appears on Pamela Wallin Live to discuss his resolutions for the upcoming year.
*1998*
- Lightfoot launches his 1998 tour with two shows in Windsor, ON in late April.
- Lightfoot makes a one hour TV appearance in conversation with Peter Gzowski on May 1 on CBC.
- Lightfoot's new album, "A Painter Passing Through" is released on May 5 in Canada and May 12 in the US.
- Lightfoot signs autographs for an hour at Sam the Record Man in downtown Toronto on May 5, the day the new album is released.
- Lightfoot is among the inaugural members inducted into the new Canadian Walk Of Fame in Toronto. Out on tour, he is unable to attend the ceremony. In June, Lightfoot performs on the Mountain Stage Live radio show from Charleston, WV as part of his summer concert tour.
- In July, Lightfoot tapes another radio show, this time in Boulder, CO, featuring an interview segment mixed with performances.
- In the late summer and fall, Lightfoot is working with Rhino records on track selection for a 4 CD box set due in 1999, including previously unreleased material.
- In November, Lightfoot, along with Christopher Plummer, is present for a ceremony officially laying his star on the Canadian Walk Of Fame.
- Also in November, Lightfoot attends the SOCAN awards in Toronto.
- In December, Lightfoot puts his Rosedale mansion, his home since 1975, for sale.
- Facial Hair Tracker. Late in 1998 Lightfoot appears again with his moustache.
*1999*
- Lightfoot is the first voice heard on Canadian TV in 1999 as he sings Auld Lang Syne on CBC at the stroke of midnight.
- In the first week of March, Lightfoot begins his 1999 touring season in Florida. The tour will run until the end of November, with the summer months off, totaling around 40 concerts for the year.
- Lightfoot sings the Canadian and US anthems at the Yankees' spring training game against the Blue Jays. He turns down Steinbrenner's suggestion he wear a Yankees jacket while singing because he has to live in Toronto!
- On June 15, Lightfoot releases his long awaited box set, Songbook. Containing 88 songs on 4 CDs, the highlights include 18 previously rare or unreleased tracks spanning his entire career.
- On an off day (June 23) in Los Angeles, Lightfoot and the band visit the Rhino offices on Santa Monica Blvd. Lightfoot plays 3 songs solo for about 125 Rhino staff assembled. The songs were If You Could Read My Mind; Diamond Joe (taught to Lightfoot by Ramblin' Jack Elliot) and I'll Tag Along.
- On July 7, Lightfoot and his band appear on Much More Music's Intimate And Interactive TV show, playing 16 songs, interspersed with a Q&A with the audience and callers. The show was done live at Much More Music studios in downtown Toronto.
- Lightfoot presents Stompin' Tom Connors the National Acheivement Award at the SOCAN annual awards show in Toronto, then is surprised to receive an award himself for Studio 54's success with If You Could Read My Mind.
- Lightfoot travels to Ottawa in early November to perform Don Quixote at the Governor General awards gala.
- Another successful Massey Hall engagement concludes in mid November as touring is nearing a close for the year.
*2000*
- Lightfoot's first performance of the new year, decade, century and millenium on January 16 is a benefit at the Air Canada Center in Toronto to assist farm families in crisis.
- Lightfoot begins a busy touring year on March 1 in York, PA.
- In April, Lightfoot tapes a TV concert special at the Pioneer Theatre in Reno, NV to be aired on PBS later in the year.
- June finds Lightfoot between legs of his tour attending a Guess Who reunion concert at Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto.
- In July, Lightfoot makes a triumphant return to his hometown of Orillia, ON as headliner of the Mariposa Folk Festival.
- In July, the Martin Guitar Co. announce the production of the D-18GL, a Gordon Lightfoot Limited Edition Signature guitar for release in 2001.
- August finds Lightfoot hitting the road for the summer portion of the 2000 tour, taking them into early September.
- In September Lightfoot plays in a celebrity fund raising golf tournament at Glen Eagles golf club near Toronto.
- Lightfoot close out the touring year with 7 midwest concerts in November.
-The Live In Reno special airs on PBS in December with the release of the accompanying video.
*2001*
- In February, Lightfoot is presented with the Masterworks Award in Ottawa for Canadian Railroad Trilogy by the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada.
- Lightfoot, with David Suzicki, induct Bruce Cockburn into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame at the Juno award ceremony in Hamilton, ON on March 4.
- Lightfoot begins his annual tour in mid-March with a swing through Florida, kicking off a year which will see him play around 50 concerts.
- Lightfoot sings the national anthems at a Blue Jay spring training game in Florida.
- In April, Lightfoot performs at the Tin Pan South Legends concert at the Ryman in Nashville. Lightfoot closed the show that also featured Andrew Gold; Merle Kilgore; Ray Parker Jr; Donna Summer and Sharon Vaughn.
- May finds Lightfoot saluting Dylan's 60th birthday at opening night at Massey Hall by performing Ring Them Bells.
- In June, Lightfoot performs at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto during Walk Of Fame inductions.
- September finds Lightfoot in Calgary accepting induction into the Canadian Country Music Hall Of Fame.
- At the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, Lightfoot pays tribute to Joni Mitchell in October.
- In October, with the year's tour schedule wound down, Lightfoot goes to Ottawa to accept induction into the Canadian Broadcast Hall Of Fame.
- November finds Lightfoot doing a surprise nine song set at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto to benefit Renascent, an alcohol rehab charity.
- Also in November, Lightfoot presents Murray McLauchlan with the National Acheivement Award at the annual SOCAN ceremony in Toronto.
- In what is fast becoming Lightfoot's "autumn of awards", November sees him this time at Toronto's Four Seasons Hotel, receiving the Arts Toronto's Lifetime Acheivement Award.
*2002*
- By the end of January, Lightfoot has 30 new songs written for his next studio album slated for 2003 at the earliest.
Discography
http://www.lightfoot.ca/
]
Breaking Clay Makes My Day!
http://www.lightfoot.ca/
*1938*
- Born November 17 in Orillia, Ontario, Canada to Gordon Sr. and Jessica Lightfoot.
*1943*
- At age five, he makes his performing debut, singing I'm A Little Teapot at St. Paul's United Church Sunday School in Orillia.
*1948*
- Lightfoot cuts his first record. His sister Bev accompanies him on piano and they get it on the first take. The school principal plays the record over the school's PA on parent's day.
*1950*
- Lightfoot begins piano lessons and voice study under Ray Williams in Orillia.
- The ten year old Lightfoot wins second place in an amateur show at the Orillia Opera House, sponsored by a local radio station. He sang Bless This House.
*1951*
- Lightfoot makes a 78 rpm record of "The Lord's Prayer."
- Wins first place in his under 13 vocal class at the Toronto Kiwanis Festival, singing Alpine Song and Under The Greenwood Tree. He finished third in the unchanged voices class.
*1952*
- Wins first place again at the Toronto Kiwanis Festival in the soprano unchanged voices class. He made his first appearance on the Massey Hall stage that year where he sang his winning performance, a 19th century song called "Who is Sylvia".
*1954*
- He makes his network radio debut, singing with a group called the Teen Timers.
*1955*
- Lightfoot writes his first song. It's a topical song titled, The Hula Hoop Song. He presents it to a publisher in Toronto and while it wasn't accepted, he received encouragement and the rest, as they say, is history!
*1956*
- His barbershop quartet finishes second in an Ontario competition.
*1958*
- Attends the now defunct Westlake College of Music in Los Angeles. He would return to Toronto the next year without completing the course, but the knowledge he gained would prove very valuable to him in his songwriting endeavors for the remainder of his career.
*1960*
- He begins work as a choral performer and dancer on CBC's Country Hoedown, and would continue working there for more than two years.
- Became interested in folk music through listening to Bob Gibson and in particular, the Weavers At Carnegie Hall album.
- Around this time he switched from the 4-string tenor guitar to the conventional 6 and 12-string guitars. Within a year he was proficient enough to perform professionally.
*1961*
- Plays drums for a revue called Up Tempo '61. He plays under the pseudonym Charles Sullivan.
- The first Mariposa Folk Festival is held. The Two Tones are not invited because they are deemed to be too commercial!
- Lightfoot makes his US debut at La Cave in Cleveland, sharing the bill with Jose Feliciano.
*1962*
- In January he records a live album at Toronto's Village Corner as a member of the folk duo, the Two Tones, with partner Terry Whelan.
- Remember Me (I'm The One) reaches the top 10 on the Canadian charts.
*1963*
- Appeared in Orillia in January at a teen dance at the Pavalon Club with a Toronto singing group called the Dovermen.
- In April Lightfoot marries Brita in Sweden.
- Hosted 8 one-hour summer replacement shows in England for the BBC called "Country And Western."
*1964*
- Lightfoot becomes influenced by Dylan. Although he'd written 75 songs prior to that time, they didn't contain an "identity." His writing now begins to flourish.
- He writes Early Morning Rain on a hot summer afternoon.
- Ian & Sylvia come to Steele's Tavern in Toronto to hear Lightfoot and come away very impressed. They eventually record some Lightfoot songs which leads to Lightfoot being signed by the influential Albert Grossman management agency from New York.
- Peter, Paul and Mary's recording of For Lovin' Me reaches the US top 20.
- Lightfoot plays the Toronto Teacher's College. The significance of this show was that it marked the first time he had done an entire show of his own material.
- In December, he records the tracks for his debut album for United Artists in a New York studio.
*1965*
- Appears at the prestigious Newport Folk Festival and is there when Dylan goes "electric".
- Lightfoot makes the 18 hour train trip to Moosenee in northern Ontario on the shore of James Bay and the journey inspires Steel Rail Blues.
- When Lightfoot was signed to WB's in 1965 a party was held for him at Steele's Tavern - sandwiches courtesy of WB's, beer courtesy of Steele's.
- He lived for a time in Detroit near Wayne State University at Joni and Chuck Mitchell's apartment and performed at area clubs like Chess Mate.
- Makes an appearance on the Tonight Show.
- Marty Robbins' recording of Ribbon Of Darkness spends 7 months on the C&W charts, reaching #1, and wins the ASCAP writer-publisher award.
- Red Shea and John Stockfish are recruited as Lightfoot's touring and recording band.
- In November he makes his New York debut at the Town Hall.
- On November 13, the Yarmouth Castle catches fire and sinks off of Miami.
*1966*
- In January, Lightfoot! is released by United Artists.
- In February he draws 3,500 to Varsity Stadium in Toronto.
- In February he completes a nine city tour of the British Isles with Ian & Sylvia, beginning at the De Montfort Hall in Leicester and finishing up at the Fairfield Hall in London.
- In May he completes a successful run at Toronto's Riverboat coffeehouse.
- Lightfoot is commissioned by the CBC to write a song about the building of the Canadian railway for Canada's centennial. The result is of course, Canadian Railroad Trilogy.
- On New Year's eve, Lightfoot debuts the Trilogy across the country on CBC.
*1967*
- In February, he completes a month-long engagement at the Riverboat.
- In March, Lightfoot plays two sold-out concerts at Massey Hall.
- In the spring, The Way I Feel is released.
*1968*
- A Lightfoot special is aired on CBC on March 18.
- In March, two more sold-out performances at Massey Hall.
- Did She Mention My Name is released.
- Lightfoot makes a "writng" trip to England where he composes poetry and the songs that will comprise his next album.
- In May, he makes his first San Francisco appearance at the SF State College Folk Festival.
- Lightfoot does a spring tour of Ontario.
- Lightfoot plays a week engagement at the Cellar Door in Washington DC.
- Lightfoot does 9 concerts with Peter, Paul and Mary at venues such as the Hollywood Bowl.
- Lightfoot records Back Here On Earth in Nashville in September.
- Appears at the Troubadour in LA and the Fillmore in San Francisco.
- Back Here On Earth is released.
- Lightfoot appears at a sold-out concert at the University Of Toronto.
- Appears for a second time at New York's Town Hall, this time as the headlining act.
*1969*
- Early Morning Productions are formed to manage Lightfoot's affairs, with Al Mair hired as general manager.
- Four Massey Hall concerts are recorded in March and are released later in the year as Sunday Concert.
- Lightfoot records in Nashville in April but no tracks are ever released from these sessions. These became known as the "33rd Of August" sessions, after the Mickey Newbury song that was recorded during them.
- Appears as a solo act for the first time on a British stage with an appearance at London's Royal Festival Hall.
- In November, Lightfoot signs with Warner Brothers Records to record on their Reprise label, signalling the end of the 60's and his United Artists years.
*1970*
- The musical, Love And Maple Syrup, based on his song, is opened in New York in January.
- He plays a benefit at the Virginia country home of Edward Kennedy.
- Turns down invitation to play at Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan.
- In May his first Warner/Reprise album, Sit Down Young Stranger is released.
- In June, Lightfoot is presented with the Order Of Canada in a ceremony in Ottawa.
- In the summer he embarks on a promotional tour of radio stations in Detroit, Windsor and Chicago to promote the new album.
- Me And Bobby McGee is released as the first single with piano added to the album cut, which displeased Lightfoot.
- Facial Hair Tracker. Lightfoot added a moustache for short period early in 1970, returning to cleanly shaven for most of the year.
*1971*
- In February, Lightfoot enters the US charts for the first time when If You Could Read My Mind reaches #5 on the singles chart. The album, now renamed after the single, reaches US #12 and turns gold.
- In April, Lightfoot is inducted into the Orillia Hall Of Fame.
- In June, Summer Side Of Life is released.
- In July, Talking In Your Sleep peaks at US #64, while Summer Side Of Life reaches #38 on the US album charts.
- The United Artists compilation, Classic Lightfoot, makes US #178 on the album chart.
- In September, Summer Side Of Life peaks at US #98 on the singles chart.
- Lightfoot caps another successful year with an appearance at Carnegie Hall.
- Facial Hair Tracker. Lightfoot grew a beard late in 1971 which helped define his look through most of the 70's.
*1972*
- In February, he plays to two sold out concerts at New York's Philharmonic Hall.
- Terry Clements replaces Red Shea on lead guitar.
- Lightfoot is asked to perform If You Could Read My Mind at the Grammies, but backs out when the producers tell him to cut the song to two minutes.
- On stage at Massey Hall in March, Lightfoot feels a numbness on one side of his face. It is diagnosed backstage as Bell's Palsy. He completes his Massey committment, but he is then forced to cancel some shows and take several months off to recover.
- Don Quixote is released to excellent reviews.
- In May, Don Quixote peaks at #42 on the album charts.
- In July, Beautiful reaches #58 on the single charts.
- In August, Lightfoot records Old Dan's Records in Toronto.
- Lightfoot attends Mariposa Folk Festival in Toronto and gives an impromptu performance under a tree that attracts many passerbys. Dylan is also in attendance and returns to Lightfoot's to pay a social visit.
- In October, Old Dan's Records is released, the first time Lightfoot has released two albums of new material in one year since 1968.
- In December, Old Dan's Records peaks at #95 on the album charts.
*1973*
- The Pony Man is released as a children's book.
- In March, Lightfoot sets a record when he sells out Massey Hall for five consecutive nights.
- Lightfoot and his wife, Brita, are divorced.
- He spends 5 weeks in northern Quebec on 500 mile canoe trip during the summer.
- In October, Lightfoot records the Sundown album at Eastern Sound in Toronto.
*1974*
- In January, Sundown is released.
- In March, he writes the song that will be the title cut for his next album almost a year from then, Cold On The Shoulder.
- In March, Lightfoot records all of the Massey Hall shows for a live album. Because of a broken fingernail that could be heard on the tapes, the project is scrapped.
- Lightfoot's guitars and sound equipment are stolen in Saginaw, MI forcing him to cancel a concert in Ann Arbor.
- In June, Sundown holds down the #1 album position for three weeks.
- In June, Sundown reaches #1 on the single charts.
- In August, the UA compilation The Very Best Of Gordon Lightfoot peaks at #155 on the album charts.
- In November, Carefree Highway reaches #10 on the single charts.
- Facial Hair Tracker. Lightfoot shaved his beard for a short time in 1974, but regrew it before the year was out.
*1975*
- In February, Cold On The Shoulder is released.
- Red Shea rejoins the touring band for the year and Pee Wee Charles is added on pedal steel.
- In April, Cold On The Shoulder reaches #10 on the album charts.
- In April, a special section is devoted to Lightfoot in Billboard magazine.
- In May, Rainy Day People peaks at #26 on the single charts.
- In July, Lightfoot records tracks for Gord's Gold.
- In October, Gord's Gold is released.
- In October, he makes a brief tour of Europe with stops in Amsterdam, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt and finally at a sold out Royal Albert Hall in London.
- In November Lightfoot writes the material that will comprise next year's Summertime Dream album.
- On November 10, the Edmund Fitzgerald sinks in Lake Superior.
- Later in November, Lightfoot writes and records The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald over an intense three day period.
- In December, Lightfoot appears for two shows with Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue in Toronto.
*1976*
- In January, drummer Barry Keane joins the band.
- In January, Gord's Gold makes #34 on the album charts.
- In February, Lightfoot makes an appearance on Midnight Special.
- In March he appears in The Sahara in Lake Tahoe for the first time.
- In May, Summertime Dream is released.
- In June, Lightfoot hosts a benefit at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto to aid the Canadian Olympic team.
- In June he appears at the prestigious Montreux festival in Switzerland.
- In November, The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald hits #2 on the single charts, where it remains for two weeks (behind Rod Stewart's Tonight's The Night).
- In December, Summertime Dream reaches #12 on the album charts and is certified platinum.
*1977*
- In February, Lightfoot attends the Grammies in Hollywood, where he is nominated for best male vocal and song of the year for The wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald.
- In March, Race Among The Ruins reaches #65 on the single charts.
- In June he is presnted with an honorary law degree at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario.
- In October, Lightfoot along with James Taylor, Harry Chapin and John Denver play a benefit in Detroit to raise money for World Hunger Year.
- In November, Lightfoot marks his 20th year in the music business. CHUM-FM in Toronto declare a "Gordon Lightfoot Day" and RPM magazine runs a special issue devoted to him.
- In December, Lightfoot makes a triumphant year end appearance at the cerebral palsy benefit at Carnegie Hall in New York.
- Facial Hair Tracker. Lightfoot shaved his beard in 1977 but kept the moustache.
*1978*
- In January, Endless Wire is released.
- In March, Endless Wire climbs to #20 on the album charts.
- In March, Lightfoot sells out Massey Hall for record nine nights.
- Lightfoot is offered the chance to sing on an animated film of Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings, but declines.
- In April, The Circle Is Small peaks at #33 on the single charts.
- Lightfoot embarks on a 600-mile Arctic canoeing expedition in the Northwest Territories.
- In August, Lightfoot sells out five concerts at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.
- In October, Daylight Katy, not released as a single in the US, peaks at #41 in the UK.
- In November, Lightfoot climaxes a busy year of touring with shows in Anchorage, Alaska and Honolulu, Hawaii.
*1979*
- In April, Lightfoot does a benefit at Nassau County Coliseum in Long Island, NY, with Dave Mason and Harry Chapin for local ballets and symphonies.
- In September, Lightfoot makes a rare TV appearance on PBS Soundstage.
- The unreleased song, Forgive Me Lord, is debuted in conert this year. This song will take on cult status as it is recorded for at least two albums, but never released, yet Lightfoot continues to perform it well into the late 80's ... and beyond?
- Lightfoot provides the title song for the documentary, Ghosts Of Cape Horn.
*1980*
- In January, Lightfoot is declared Canada's male singer of the decade (70's).
- In March, Dream Street Rose is released.
- In May, Dream Street Rose peaks at #60 on the album charts.
- In September, he hosts another benefit for Canadian Olympic athletes, this time at the CNE Grandstand in Toronto.
- Lightfoot goes to Alberta and British Columbia to play US Marshall Morrie Nathan for the upcoming film, Harry Tracy Desperado.
- The documentary film, Ghosts Of Cape Horn is released.
- Facial Hair Tracker. Lightfoot again donned the beard in 1980 and into parts of 1981 in part for his role in the Harry Tracy movie.
*1981*
- Mike Heffernan joins the band on keyboards.
- In March, the Toronto Star sends their opera critic to cover Lightfoot at Massey Hall in an attempt to put a fresh perspective on their review after covering him there for so many years with regular pop music critics. The verdict? The opera critic came away impressed and wrote a positive piece.
- In May, Lightfoot makes a triumphant, albeit embattled tour of Britain.
- The film, Harry Tracy Desperado is released, with Lightfoot co-starring with Bruce Dern. Lightfoot joked about his performance, "I'm so awful, I'm good!"
- Lightfoot plans to have Shadows recorded and released by fall, but with 17 songs recorded for the project, it is pushed back until the new year.
- Lightfoot re-signs with Warner Brothers on a long term recording deal.
*1982*
- In February, Shadows is released.
- In March, Shadows peaks at #87 on the album charts.
- In May, Baby Step Back makes it to #50 on the single charts, his last entry on the US Hot 100 to date.
- On Labor Day, Lightfoot gives up drinking.
- In September, Lightfoot is the first performer to play Toronto's new concert hall, Roy Thomson Hall. It's a one time deal, as he continues to do his annual Toronto stands at Massey Hall.
- Facial Hair Tracker. Lightfoot again returns to just the moustache.
*1983*
- As Lightfoot hits the road in February for a busy year of touring, audiences are immediately struck by two differences. Lightfoot is now looking trim and fit after dropping 25 pounds and he now is playing electric guitar (as well as the 6 and 12-string acoustics).
- In July, Salute is released.
- In July, Lightfoot jumps on stage at Kingswood, near Toronto, to help out John Denver with Early Morning Rain.
*1984*
- In March, a giant billboard appears in downtown Toronto at the corner of Bloor and Yonge heralding Lightfoot's upcoming Massey Hall stand.
- In November, the rumour that David Foster will be involved on the next album begins to circulate.
- Lightfoot demos 25 songs for East Of Midnight over the next year.
*1985*
- In April, Lightfoot sings the opening lines on the recording of Tears Are Not Enough in aid of the USA For Africa trust along with fellow Canadians Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Bryan Adams and others.
- In July, Salute peaks at #175 on the album charts.
- In November, Lightfoot breaks with his own tradition by holding his annual Massey Hall stand in that month. The schedule change didn't hurt - the shows were sell-outs!
- While in LA recording Anything For Love with David Foster, Lightfoot plays in a celebrity softball game.
*1986*
- In an unusual move, Lightfoot puts all of his energies into completing the new album and does not undertake any touring the entire year.
- In July, East Of Midnight is released.
- In September, East Of Midnight reaches #165 on the album charts.
- In September, Anything For Love makes #71 on the C&W charts.
- In November, Lightfoot is inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame by Bob Dylan.
*1987*
- After not playing live the previous year, Lightfoot launches into a busy year on the road beginning in Sudbury, ON in February and crosses back and forth across the continent several times before winding up the year at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City in November.
- Lightfoot has stopped using the electric guitar on stage.
- In early shows on the tour, Lightfoot is singing Anything For Love with taped background music from the album. He abandons this by the fall shows.
- In mid-tour Pee Wee Charles leaves the band to pursue other business interests.
- In September, Lightfoot goes out to Los Angeles to tape an episode of the TV series Hotel, playing a country singer on the comeback trail.
- Lightfoot plays an all acoustic set in New York as part of a WNEW benefit. Highlights include an acoustic Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald!
*1988*
- By the winter of 1988, Lightfoot albums were beginning to be reissued on CD. The first to get the digital treatment are If You Could Read My Mind, Sundown, Gord's Gold, Summertime Dream and East Of Midnight.
- In January, the Hotel episode airs on ABC with Lightfoot as guest.
- In February, Lightfoot sings Alberta Bound at the Calgary Winter Olympic opening ceremonies.
- In April, Lightfoot re-records 13 songs plus If It Should Please You for the upcoming Gord's Gold II.
- In July, Lightfoot plays the Stein River Festival in BC to support the move to protect the watershed from logging. He will continue to play the festival for several years until the movement is finally successful.
- In September, Gord's Gold II is released.
- Lightfoot travels to Brazil with Sting as part of an environmental effort to protect the rainforests from logging and dam builders.
- In November he plays two concerts to support the World Wildlife Fund.
*1989*
- In April, he plays the Temagami Wilderness benefit in Toronto. This would be Lightfoot's most active year on the environmental front.
- In June, Lightfoot plays a concert to protest the Oldman River dam in Alberta along with longtime friend, Ian Tyson.
- In August he plays his third consecutive Stein Valley Festival in BC.
*1990*
- In April, Lightfoot tours Atlantic Canada for the first time in 7 years, playing several cities he hadn't played in over 20 years.
- Bob Dylan's Ring Them Bells is being performed for the first time in concerts in 1990.
- Lightfoot donates $2,500 to help build a hockey arena in Superior, Wisconsin.
- Lightfoot is awarded the William Harold Moon award for his contribution to the Canadian music industry.
- Facial Hair Tracker. For the first extended period since 1971, Lightfoot goes completely clean shaven.
*1991*
- More new songs are being played live this year. Fading Away, Only Love Would Know and Wild Strawberries are some of the first.
- Folk revival icon and Lightfoot influence, Bob Gibson attends Lightfoot's Chicago show in July and is acknowledged from the stage by Lightfoot.
- In August Lightfoot performs Oh Canada at the Toronto Argonauts home game at Skydome as a favour to team co-owner John Candy.
- Lightfoot plays Drink Yer Glasses Empty on CBC radio's Morningside during an interview. The lyrics here are quite different than on the final recorded version.
*1992*
- Lightfoot is named honorary captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the new season and drops the ceremonial opening puck at their first home game.
- Lightfoot's UA albums are finally released on CD, a 3 CD package titled The Original Lightfoot.
*1993*
- In April, Waiting For You is released.
- In May, Lightfoot plays in Charleston, SC as part the Mountain Stage Live radio series.
- In November, Lightfoot plays the Skydome in Toronto on a bill with Simon and Garfunkel.
- Lightfoot wins 12 SOCAN career airplay awards (Anything For Love, Carefree Highway, Cotton Jenny, Daylight Katy, The Circle Is Small, Early Morning Rain, If You Could Read My Mind, Rainy Day People, That Same Old Obsession, Sundown, The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald), signifying that they have been played over 100,000 times each on Canadian radio.
*1994*
- Late in the year Lightfoot records demos for 6 new songs for a new album which is still over two years away.
- In June, Massey Hall turned 100 years old and Lightfoot is among the performers there to celebrate the occasion.
- In July, CBC draws fire for the unauthorized use of a sound clip from The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald during a news magazine piece about the ship.
*1995*
- At the Mariposa folk festival in Toronto, a special tribute night is given in Lightfoot's honor and Lightfoot surprises everyone by showing up and doing Knotty Pine and I'll Tag Along.
- In the fall, Lightfoot takes a tour of Daniel Lanois' Grant Avenue studio in Hamilton, and considers it as the location to record his new album.
- In November, on the 20th anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald's sinking, Lightfoot is in Whitefish Point, MI to ring the ship's bell at a ceremony attended by many family members of the Fitzgerald crew.
*1996*
- In February, Lightfoot begins recording sessions for a new album at the Grant Avenue studio in Hamilton near Toronto.
- Lightfoot flies to Los Angeles to tape a couple of songs for the TV special, Global Dreams, which airs in March.
- In March, Lightfoot performs If You Could Read My Mind at the 25th annual Juno Awards.
- Lightfoot undertakes a spring tour beginning in Chicago in March and winding up in Orillia in May.
- After the spring tour, recording sessions resume in Hamilton and they continue off and on until touring resumes in November.
- At Ontario concerts in November, Lightfoot has incorporated 6 new songs into his setlists. Titles include A Painter Passing Through, On Yonge Street, Boathouse and Uncle Toad Said.
- In December, more recording is continued in Hamilton.
*1997*
- Lightfoot continues recording work on A Painter Passing Through during the early months of '97.
- Touring begins in May and continues through June in the western US and moves east in July.
- Another new song, Ring Neck Loon is being played during the spring/summer tour.
- Recording work on the new album is continued during breaks in the tour.
- Santa Fe concert on June 26 is cancelled due to heavy rains which flooded the amphitheatre.
- Lightfoot undertakes a two week midwest tour in September.
- The concert hall at the Orillia Opera House is named the Gordon Lightfoot Auditorium at a ceremony prior to a benefit concert Lightfoot gives there in October.
- Pee Wee Charles sits in on pedal steel at the Orillia concert to substitute for Mike Heffernan who was unable to perform due to illness.
- In November, Lightfoot is presented with the Governor General's Arts Award at a presentation in Ottawa. Ian Tyson is on hand to perform a few Lightfoot songs at the reception following the ceremonies.
- On New Year's Eve, Lightfoot appears on Pamela Wallin Live to discuss his resolutions for the upcoming year.
*1998*
- Lightfoot launches his 1998 tour with two shows in Windsor, ON in late April.
- Lightfoot makes a one hour TV appearance in conversation with Peter Gzowski on May 1 on CBC.
- Lightfoot's new album, "A Painter Passing Through" is released on May 5 in Canada and May 12 in the US.
- Lightfoot signs autographs for an hour at Sam the Record Man in downtown Toronto on May 5, the day the new album is released.
- Lightfoot is among the inaugural members inducted into the new Canadian Walk Of Fame in Toronto. Out on tour, he is unable to attend the ceremony. In June, Lightfoot performs on the Mountain Stage Live radio show from Charleston, WV as part of his summer concert tour.
- In July, Lightfoot tapes another radio show, this time in Boulder, CO, featuring an interview segment mixed with performances.
- In the late summer and fall, Lightfoot is working with Rhino records on track selection for a 4 CD box set due in 1999, including previously unreleased material.
- In November, Lightfoot, along with Christopher Plummer, is present for a ceremony officially laying his star on the Canadian Walk Of Fame.
- Also in November, Lightfoot attends the SOCAN awards in Toronto.
- In December, Lightfoot puts his Rosedale mansion, his home since 1975, for sale.
- Facial Hair Tracker. Late in 1998 Lightfoot appears again with his moustache.
*1999*
- Lightfoot is the first voice heard on Canadian TV in 1999 as he sings Auld Lang Syne on CBC at the stroke of midnight.
- In the first week of March, Lightfoot begins his 1999 touring season in Florida. The tour will run until the end of November, with the summer months off, totaling around 40 concerts for the year.
- Lightfoot sings the Canadian and US anthems at the Yankees' spring training game against the Blue Jays. He turns down Steinbrenner's suggestion he wear a Yankees jacket while singing because he has to live in Toronto!
- On June 15, Lightfoot releases his long awaited box set, Songbook. Containing 88 songs on 4 CDs, the highlights include 18 previously rare or unreleased tracks spanning his entire career.
- On an off day (June 23) in Los Angeles, Lightfoot and the band visit the Rhino offices on Santa Monica Blvd. Lightfoot plays 3 songs solo for about 125 Rhino staff assembled. The songs were If You Could Read My Mind; Diamond Joe (taught to Lightfoot by Ramblin' Jack Elliot) and I'll Tag Along.
- On July 7, Lightfoot and his band appear on Much More Music's Intimate And Interactive TV show, playing 16 songs, interspersed with a Q&A with the audience and callers. The show was done live at Much More Music studios in downtown Toronto.
- Lightfoot presents Stompin' Tom Connors the National Acheivement Award at the SOCAN annual awards show in Toronto, then is surprised to receive an award himself for Studio 54's success with If You Could Read My Mind.
- Lightfoot travels to Ottawa in early November to perform Don Quixote at the Governor General awards gala.
- Another successful Massey Hall engagement concludes in mid November as touring is nearing a close for the year.
*2000*
- Lightfoot's first performance of the new year, decade, century and millenium on January 16 is a benefit at the Air Canada Center in Toronto to assist farm families in crisis.
- Lightfoot begins a busy touring year on March 1 in York, PA.
- In April, Lightfoot tapes a TV concert special at the Pioneer Theatre in Reno, NV to be aired on PBS later in the year.
- June finds Lightfoot between legs of his tour attending a Guess Who reunion concert at Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto.
- In July, Lightfoot makes a triumphant return to his hometown of Orillia, ON as headliner of the Mariposa Folk Festival.
- In July, the Martin Guitar Co. announce the production of the D-18GL, a Gordon Lightfoot Limited Edition Signature guitar for release in 2001.
- August finds Lightfoot hitting the road for the summer portion of the 2000 tour, taking them into early September.
- In September Lightfoot plays in a celebrity fund raising golf tournament at Glen Eagles golf club near Toronto.
- Lightfoot close out the touring year with 7 midwest concerts in November.
-The Live In Reno special airs on PBS in December with the release of the accompanying video.
*2001*
- In February, Lightfoot is presented with the Masterworks Award in Ottawa for Canadian Railroad Trilogy by the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada.
- Lightfoot, with David Suzicki, induct Bruce Cockburn into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame at the Juno award ceremony in Hamilton, ON on March 4.
- Lightfoot begins his annual tour in mid-March with a swing through Florida, kicking off a year which will see him play around 50 concerts.
- Lightfoot sings the national anthems at a Blue Jay spring training game in Florida.
- In April, Lightfoot performs at the Tin Pan South Legends concert at the Ryman in Nashville. Lightfoot closed the show that also featured Andrew Gold; Merle Kilgore; Ray Parker Jr; Donna Summer and Sharon Vaughn.
- May finds Lightfoot saluting Dylan's 60th birthday at opening night at Massey Hall by performing Ring Them Bells.
- In June, Lightfoot performs at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto during Walk Of Fame inductions.
- September finds Lightfoot in Calgary accepting induction into the Canadian Country Music Hall Of Fame.
- At the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, Lightfoot pays tribute to Joni Mitchell in October.
- In October, with the year's tour schedule wound down, Lightfoot goes to Ottawa to accept induction into the Canadian Broadcast Hall Of Fame.
- November finds Lightfoot doing a surprise nine song set at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto to benefit Renascent, an alcohol rehab charity.
- Also in November, Lightfoot presents Murray McLauchlan with the National Acheivement Award at the annual SOCAN ceremony in Toronto.
- In what is fast becoming Lightfoot's "autumn of awards", November sees him this time at Toronto's Four Seasons Hotel, receiving the Arts Toronto's Lifetime Acheivement Award.
*2002*
- By the end of January, Lightfoot has 30 new songs written for his next studio album slated for 2003 at the earliest.
Discography
http://www.lightfoot.ca/
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