Gordon Lightfoot

Gordon Lightfoot

Gordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr., C.C., O.Ont., (born 17 November 1938) is a Canadian singer and songwriter who achieved international success in folk, country, and popular music. As a singer-songwriter, he came to prominence in his native Canada in the 1960s, and broke through on the international music charts in the 1970s with songs such as "If You Could Read My Mind" (1970), "Sundown" (1974) and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" (1976). His songs have been recorded by some of the world's most successful recording artists, including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Bob Dylan. Noted Canadian music critic Ernest Boyd said in a recent interview: "Lightfoot is the greatest treasure we have".

Early life

Lightfoot was born in Orillia, Ontario, Canada, 100 km north of Toronto. His parents, Jessica and Gordon, recognized and encouraged his interest in music. As a youth, he sang in the choir of St. Paul's United Church under the direction of choirmaster Ray Williams. Lightfoot would later credit Williams for teaching him how to sing with emotion and how to have confidence in his voice. As a boy soprano, Lightfoot made several appearances on local radio and performed in local operettas and oratorios, as well as Kiwanis music festivals. He made his first appearance at Massey Hall in Toronto at the age of 12, winning a competition for boys with unchanged voices.

As a teenager, Lightfoot went on to study piano and taught himself drums and percussion instruments. As a high school student in Orillia, Lightfoot performed in plays and operettas, sang in barbershop quartets, and performed in a dance band. He eventually taught himself how to play folk guitar. In addition to his musical activities, he excelled in athletics, establishing school records for the shot put and pole vault.

In 1958, Lightfoot moved to California, where he studied jazz composition and orchestration for two years at Hollywood's Westlake College of Music. To support himself, he sang on demonstration records and wrote, arranged, and produced commercial jingles. It was during this time that he discovered folk music, through the recordings of Pete Seeger, Bob Gibson, Ian and Sylvia Tyson, and the Weavers. He returned to Canada and from 1958 to 1961 he performed with The Swinging Eight, a group featured on CBC TV's Country Hoedown, and with the Gino Silvi Singers. He also began performing in the coffee houses of the Toronto folk music scene, playing guitar and singing folk songs.

In 1962, Lightfoot released two singles that were substantial local hits in Toronto, and received some airplay in other regions of Canada as well. "Remember Me (I'm the One)" reached #3 on Toronto radio station CHUM in July 1962, and was also a top 20 hit on Montreal's CKGM. Both sides of Lightfoot's follow-up single "Negotiations"/"It's Too Late, He Wins" reached #27 on CHUM in December. He also sang with Terry Whelan in a duo called the Two-Tones. They recorded a live album that was released in 1962 called Two-Tones at the Village Corner (1962, Chateau CLP-1012). Despite his modest Canadian success, Lightfoot would not record again until 1965.

In 1963, Lightfoot traveled to Europe and became for one year the host of BBC TV's Country and Western Show.

By 1964, Lightfoot was back in Canada, where he appeared at the Mariposa Folk Festival. It was during this time that he began to develop a reputation as a songwriter. Ian and Sylvia Tyson recorded "Early Mornin' Rain" and "For Lovin' Me," which was also covered a year later by Peter, Paul and Mary. It became a hit in 1965. The song was also recorded by Chad and Jeremy and the Johnny Mann Singers. Other recording artists achieved hits with Gordon Lightfoot songs, including Marty Robbins ("Ribbon of Darkness"), Leroy Van Dyke ("I'm Not Saying"), Judy Collins ("Early Morning Rain"), Richie Havens ("I Can't Make It Anymore"), The Kingston Trio ("Early Morning Rain"), and Harry Belafonte.

The United Artist years

In 1965, Lightfoot signed a management contract with Albert Grossman, who also represented Bob Dylan. That same year, he signed a recording contract with United Artists and released his own version of "I'm Not Saying" as a single. Appearances at the Newport Folk Festival, the Tonight Show, and New York's Town Hall increased his following and his reputation. In 1966, he released his debut album Lightfoot!, which brought him increased recognition as both a singer and a songwriter. It featured many now-famous songs, including "For Lovin' Me," "Early Mornin' Rain," "Steel Rail Blues," and "Ribbon of Darkness." On the strength of the Lightfoot! album, which mixed Canadian and universal themes, Lightfoot became one of the first Canadian singers to achieve real stardom in his own country without having to move to the United States.

Between 1966 and 1969, Lightfoot recorded four additional albums for United Artists: The Way I Feel (1967), Did She Mention My Name? (1968), Back Here On Earth (1968), and the live recording Sunday Concert (1969). During those years, he consistently placed singles in the Canadian top 40, including "Go-Go Round," "Spin, Spin," and "The Way I Feel." His biggest hit of the era was a cover of Bob Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues", which peaked at #3 on the Canadian charts. Internationally, Lightfoot's albums from this time were well-received, but did not produce any hit singles. Outside of Canada, he remained better known as a songwriter than as a performer.

Lightfoot's success as a live performer continued to grow throughout the late 1960s. He embarked on his first Canadian national tour in 1967, which included performances in New York City. Between 1967 and 1974 Lightfoot toured Europe and was well-received on two tours of Australia.

UA would later consistently release "Best of" album compilations in the 1970s, after Gordon Lightfoot became a success on his next label Warner/Reprise.

The Reprise years

Lightfoot was signed to Warner Bros./Reprise in 1970 and had a major hit in the United States with his recording of "If You Could Read My Mind." The song was originally featured on his 1970 album Sit Down Young Stranger, which did not sell well. After the success of the song, the album was re-released under the new title If You Could Read My Mind. It reached #5 nationally and the success of the song represented a major turning point in Gordon Lightfoot's career. It also had only the second recorded version of "Me and Bobby McGee" as well as "The Pony Man","Your Love's Return" and "The Minstrel of The Dawn".

Over the next seven years, he recorded a series of successful albums that established him as one of the world's premier singer-songwriters:

• Summer Side of Life (1971),with songs,"Ten Degrees and Getting Colder","Cabaret","Nous Vivons Ensemble" and the title track.
• Don Quixote (1972),with,"Beautiful","Looking At The Rain","Christian Island (Georgian Bay)" and the title track which is a concert favorite.
• Old Dan's Records (1972),with the title track and also the two sided single "That Same Old Obsession/You Are What I Am" and songs " It's Worth Believin' " and "Can't Depend On Love".
• Sundown (1974), besides the hits includes,"Seven Island Suite","The Watchman's Gone","Circle Of Steel" and " Too late For Prayin' " .
• Cold on the Shoulder (1975). Along with title track are song,"Bend In The Water","The Soul Is The Rock","Rainbow Trout","All The Lovely Ladies" and the hit "Rainy Day People".
• A double compilation LP Gord's Gold (in 1975) containing nine rerecorded versions of his most popular songs.
• Summertime Dream (1976),Along with "Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" are songs,"Race Among The Ruins","Spanish Moss","Never Too Close" and the title track.
• Endless Wire (1978) with,"Daylight Katy","If Children Had Wings","Sweet Guenevire" and the title track.

In 1972, Lightfoot curtailed his touring schedule after contracting Bell's palsy, a condition that left his face partially paralyzed for a time.

During the 1970s, Lightfoot's songs covered an impressive range of subjects, including "Don Quixote" about Cervantes' famous literary character, "Ode To Big Blue" about the widespread killing of whales, "Beautiful" about the simple joys of love, "Carefree Highway" about the freedom of the open road, "Protocol" about the futility of war, and "Alberta Bound" which was inspired by a lonely teenaged girl named Grace he met on a bus while travelling to Calgary in 1971.

Throughout the 1970s, Lightfoot continued to make his mark on the music industry, producing several major hits. In 1974, his classic single "Sundown" from the album Sundown, went to No.1 on the American and Canadian charts. He even performed it twice on NBC's "Midnight Special" series. "Carefree Highway," (about the actual highway in Phoenix, Arizona) was the follow-up single from the same album. It charted in the Top 10 in both countries. Gordon wrote it after traveling from Flagstaff, Arizona on interstate 17 to Phoenix. He noticed a roadside sign that read "Carefree Highway".

In 1976, Lightfoot had an unexpected hit with a song about the unlikeliest subject. In late November 1975, Lightfoot read a Newsweek magazine article about the tragic loss of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinking during a severe storm on November 10, in which all 29 crew members died (7 days before his 37th birthday). His song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," most of the lyrics of which were suggested from the facts contained in the article, reached #2 on the United States Billboard charts, and was a #1 hit in Canada. "Sundown" and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" continue to receive heavy airplay on many classic rock stations. In 1978, Lightfoot had one more top 40 hit on the United States Hot 100, "The Circle Is Small (I Can See It In Your Eyes)," which reached #33.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Lightfoot recorded six more original albums and a compilation for Warner Bros./Reprise: Dream Street Rose (1980), Shadows (1982), Salute (1983), East of Midnight (1986), another compilation Gord's Gold, Vol. 2 (1988), Waiting for You (1993), and A Painter Passing Through (1998).

The album Dream Street Rose represents the culmination of the folk-pop sound that Lightfoot perfected during the previous decade. In addition to the title song, it produced such Lightfoot classics as "Ghosts Of Cape Horn" and "On The High Seas". He also included the Leroy Van Dyke 1950s classic "The Auctioneer". A fun bluegrass like number which Lightfoot had made a concert staple in the 70s & 80s, where he'd sound off at high speed like an auctioneer. Much to the delight of the crowd.

The album Shadows represents a departure from the acoustic sound of the 1970s and introduces an adult-contemporary, yet strong, sound. Songs like "Shadows" and "Thank You for the Promises" contain an underlying sadness and resignation. The 1982 American released single "Baby Step Back" marked his last time in the top 50 in that country. The 1983 album Salute produced no hit singles, but yielded several wonderful songs like "Gotta Get Away" and "Tattoo" (Salute). The 1986 East Of Midnight album had great Adult Contemporary songs like "A Passing Ship","Morning Glory" and "I'll Tag Along" (East of Midnight). Oddly, the first single from East of Midnight, "Anything For Love" actually made the Billboard Country & Western chart.

Lightfoot rounded out the decade in late 1988,with his follow-up compilation Gord's Gold, Vol. 2, which again contained re-recorded versions of his most popular songs, including an amazing re-make of the 1970 song, "The Pony Man". The original was brisk in pace, acoustic and only about 3 minutes long. This new version was slower, more dramatic and had a child-like dreamy mood to it and clocked in at around 4 minutes plus.

In April 1987, the normally reserved Lightfoot filed a lawsuit against composer Michael Masser, claiming that Masser's melody for the song "The Greatest Love of All" — recorded by George Benson (1977) and Whitney Houston (1985) — stole 24 bars from Lightfoot's 1971 hit song "If You Could Read My Mind." The transitional section that begins "I decided long ago never to walk in anyone's shadow" of the Masser song has the exact same melody as "I don't know where we went wrong but the feeling's gone, and I just can't get it back" of Lightfoot's song. Lightfoot later stated that he didn't want people thinking that he had stolen his melody from Masser.

During the 90s Lightfoot returned to his acoustic roots and recorded two albums, Waiting for You (1993) which includes the haunting and poignant songs "Restless", "Wild Strawberries" and Bob Dylan's "Ring Them Bells"/ 1998's A Painter Passing Through, which sports a sound more reminiscent of his early recordings,had great songs like "Much To My Surprise", "Red Velvet", "Drifters" and "I Used To be a Country Singer".

Throughout the decade, Lightfoot played about 50 concerts a year.

In 1999 Rhino Records released Songbook, a four CD boxed set of Lightfoot recordings with rare and unreleased tracks from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s plus a small hardback booklet for his fans that talked about how he created his songs and about his career as well.

In April 2000, Lightfoot taped a live concert in Reno, Nevada — a one hour show that was broadcast by CBC in October, and broadcast as a PBS special across the United States. PBS stations offered a videotape of the concert as a pledge gift, and a tape and DVD were released in 2001 in Europe and North America. This was the first Lightfoot concert video ever released.

In April 2001, Lightfoot performed at the Tin Pan South Legends concert at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, closing the show. In May, he performed "Ring Them Bells" at Massey Hall in honour of Bob Dylan's sixtieth birthday.

Illness and recovery

By January 2002, Lightfoot had 30 new songs written for his next studio album. He recorded guitar and vocal demos of some of these new songs. In September, before the second concert of a two-night stand in Orillia, Lightfoot suffered severe stomach pain and was airlifted to McMaster Medical Centre in Hamilton, Ontario. He underwent surgery for a bleeding problem in his abdomen and remained in serious condition in the intensive care unit. The resulting coma lasted for almost two months. Get well wishes poured in from all around the world. All of his remaining 2002 concerts dates were cancelled. More than three months after being admitted to McMaster Medical Centre, Gordon Lightfoot was released in December to continue his recovery at home.

In 2003, Lightfoot underwent follow up surgery to continue the treatment of his abdominal condition. In November, he signed a new recording contract with Linus Entertainment and began rehearsing with his band for the first time since his illness.

In January 2004, Lightfoot completed work on his album Harmony, which he mostly recorded prior to his illness. The album was released on his new home label of Linus Records on May 11th of that year. It was his 20th original album which included an actual single and new video for "Inspiration Lady". Other great songs were,"Clouds Of Loneliness","Sometimes I Wish","Flyin' Blind" and "No Mistake About It" It also contained the upbeat yet reflective Marshall Tucker(Band)/Allman Brothers Band-sounding track called,"End Of All Time",which was unlike what most people perceive as a Gordon Lightfoot song.

In July, he made a surprise comeback performance since falling ill at Mariposa in Orillia, performing "I'll Tag Along" solo.In August,he performed a five-song solo set in Peterborough,Ontario at the flood relief benefit. In November,he made his long awaited return to the concert stage with two sold out benefit shows in Hamilton,Ontario.

Lightfoot returned to the music business with his new album selling well and an appearance on Canadian Idol. In 2005, he made a low-key tour called the Better Late Than Never Tour.

As a tour for 2008 was being planned, with a few dates already set, Lightfoot's manager, Barry Harvey, suddenly passed away at 56 on December 4, 2007.

Legacy

Gordon Lightfoot's music career has spanned more than 40 years, producing more than 200 recordings. He helped define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s, influencing major recording artists, such as Bob Dylan, Gene Clark, Dan Fogelberg, Jimmy Buffett, and Jim Croce. Bob Dylan in fact called Lightfoot one of his favourite songwriters. In an often-quoted tribute to his Canadian colleague, Dylan once observed that when he heard a Gordon Lightfoot song he wished "it would last forever."

Today, Gordon Lightfoot's influence has transcended the musical world and permeates our popular culture. His songs appear in numerous films and TV series, such as We Are Marshall, Wonderland, The Brown Bunny, Mission Hill, 54, Miracle on 34th Street (1994), Homestar Runner, and Trigger Happy TV as the street painter in sketches from Series 2. His songs and lyrics are referenced in TV shows, such as Seinfeld,"Becker","Third Rock From The Sun" and Mission Hill. He is referenced in numerous publications as a "Canadian icon" by politicians, writers, artists, historians, and most importantly the Canadian people.

The Lightfoot sound

The signature Lightfoot sound, both in the studio and on tour, centres around Lightfoot's distinct baritone voice and folk-based acoustic guitar. Over the years, a handful of key musicians contributed significantly to that sound. From 1965-1970, lead guitarist Red Shea was the most important supporting player, with bassists Paul Wideman and John Stockfish filling out the arrangements.

In 1969, bassist Rick Haynes joined the band, and lead guitarist Terry Clements joined the following year. Red Shea left the touring band in 1970, but continued to record with Lightfoot until 1975. He hosted his own Canadian variety show, played with Ian Tyson, and became band leader for Tommy Hunter's TV show in the 1980s on CBC. Shea played on most of Lightfoot's early hits, and his musical influence on later band configurations is undeniable. Haynes and Clements remained with Lightfoot for the rest of his career and comprise the core of Gordon Lightfoot's band.

In 1975, Pee Wee Charles added the important pedal steel guitar element to the band's sound, applying this traditional country instrument in a unique and creative way to Lightfoot's songs. Drummer Barry Keane joined the following year and in 1981, keyboardist Mike Heffernan completed the ensemble. This five-piece backup band remained intact until 1987, when Pee Wee Charles left the band to operate a radio station in Southern Ontario. Haynes, Clements, Keane, and Heffernan continue to tour and record with Lightfoot to this day.

Honours and awards

Gordon Lightfoot has received fifteen Juno Awards — for top folk singer in 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1977, for top male vocalist in 1967, 1970, 1971, 1972, and 1974, and for composer of the year in 1972 and 1976. He has received ASCAP awards for songwriting in 1971, 1974, 1976, and 1977, and has been nominated for five Grammy Awards. In 1974, Lightfoot's song "Sundown" was named pop record of the year by the Music Operators of America. In 1980, he was named Canadian male recording artist of the decade, for his work in the 1970s.

Lightfoot was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Canadian Country Music Hall Of Fame in 2001. He was inducted into Canada's Walk of Famein 1998.

In May 2003 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honour. Lightfoot is also a member of the Order of Ontario, the highest honour in the Province of Ontario. In 1977, he received the Vanier Award by Canadian Jaycees

Tributes and covers

• Tori Amos performed "If You Could Read My Mind" in live concerts.
• Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot was released in 2003 and featured cover versions of Lightfoot songs by various artists, including The Tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo, Cowboy Junkies, Ron Sexsmith, Jesse Winchester, and Aengus Finnan.
• Harry Belefonte recorded "You'll Still Be Needing Me," "Oh Linda," "Last Time I Saw Her," "Early Morning Rain," "Softly," and "The Hands I Love."
• Glen Campbell recorded versions of "If You Could Read My Mind" and "The Last Time I Saw Her," as well as "Wherefore and Why," which was released only as a single.
• Johnny Cash recorded "If You Could Read My Mind" in 2006 for American V: A Hundred Highways.
• Vassar Clements recorded "Redwood Hill."
• Judy Collins recorded "Early Morning Rain."
• Stompin' Tom Connors recorded & dedicated "Spin, Spin" to Gordon Lightfoot during his "Live at the Horshoe Tavern" album.
• Jim Croce recorded "Steel Rail Blues."
• Bob Dylan recorded "Early Morning Rain" in 1970 for his album Self Portrait. He also performs "I'm Not Supposed to Care" in live performances.
• Elwood recorded a rap version of "Sundown" in 2000 for the album The Parlance of our Time.
• Flatt & Scruggs recorded "For Loving Me."
• Nanci Griffith recorded "10 Degrees and Getting Colder" in 1993 on her Grammy Award winning album Other Voices, Other Rooms.
• The Guess Who wrote a song titled "Lightfoot" in 1968, which includes references to Lightfoot's songs.
• Richie Havens recorded "I Can't Make It Anymore."
• Ronnie Hawkins recorded "Home From The Forest," "Bitter Green," "Early Morning Rain," and "Rich Man's Spiritual."
• The Irish Rovers recorded "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" and "Did She Mention My Name."
• Waylon Jennings recorded "For Loving Me," "Long Way Back Home," and "Same Old Loverman."
• Jerry Lee Lewis recorded "Early Morning Rain."
• Tommy Makem & the Clancy Brothers recorded "Early Morning Rain."
• Sarah McLachlan recorded "Song for a Winter's Night" on her 1996 release Rarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff, and again in 2006 for her Christmas album Wintersong.
• Don McLean recorded "Ribbon Of Darkness" and "If You Could Read My Mind."
• Anne Murray recorded "Cotton Jenny", which reached #11 on the country charts and #71 on the pop charts.
• Mary O'Hara, the Irish singer and harpist, recorded five Lightfoot songs: "Song for a Winter's Night" on the album Mary O'Hara at the Royal Festival Hall (1977), "Rainy Day People" and "Pussywillows, Cat-Tails" on the album In Harmony (1978), "Your Love's Return" on the album Celebration of Love (1989), and "Minstrel of the Dawn" on the album World of Music (1989).
• Olivia Newton-John recorded "If You Could Read My Mind."
• Nico recorded "I'm Not Sayin'" in 1965. Pre-Led Zeppelin Jimmy Page played 12-string acoustic guitar on the recording.
• Peter, Paul and Mary recorded "Early Morning Rain" and "For Loving Me."
• Elvis Presley recorded "Early Morning Rain" in 1972 on the album Elvis Now. His version also appears on his 1973 album Aloha from Hawaii and on his last live album Elvis in Concert from 1977. Interestingly, Presley changed the lyrics in the fourth verse from "as cold and drunk as I can be" to "as cold and drunk as I might be." Lightfoot later noted in concert that he was amused by the change, and he now sings the song this way. Prior to Presley's version, Bob Dylan made the same change in his 1970 recording, which is probably where Presley picked up the variation.
• Jerry Reed recorded "Early Morning Rain."
• Tony Rice, the bluegrass guitarist, recorded numerous Lightfoot compositions and released the album Tony Rice Sings Gordon Lightfoot.
• Marty Robbins recorded "Ribbon Of Darkness."
• Hank Snow recorded "Ribbon Of Darkness."
• Barbra Streisand recorded "If You Could Read My Mind" for her 1971 album Stoney End.
• Conway Twitty recorded "Ribbon Of Darkness."
• Hank Williams Jr. recorded "Looking At The Rain."
• Roger Williams recorded "Your Love's Return."
• Stars on 54 recorded "If You Could Read My Mind" for the soundtrack for the 1998 movie "54".
• The Country Gentlemen recorded "Don Quixote" on their album Remembrances & Forecasts (Vanguard, 1974) and "Redwood Hill" on their album "The Award Winning Country Gentlemen"

Rebel Records, 1971 (SLP-1506)

• Jag Panzer recorded "The Wreck Of Edmund Fitzgerald" and released "The Wreck Of Edmund Fitzgerald" single

Discography

Singles

Year	Title	Canada	CAN Country	US Hot 100	US AC	US Country	Album
1962	"(Remember Me) I'm The One"	3†	-	-	-	-	Non-LP
1962	"It's Too Late, He Wins" / "Negotiations" (Double A-Side)	27†	-	-	-	-	Non-LP
1962	"Adios, Adios"	-	-	-	-	-	Non-LP
1963	"Day Before Yesterday"	-	-	-	-	-	Non-LP
1965	"I'm Not Sayin'"	12	2	-	-	-	Lightfoot
1965	"Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues"	3	-	-	-	-	Non-LP
1966	"Spin Spin"	7	-	-	-	-	Non-LP
1966	"Go Go Round"	27	-	-	-	-	The Way I Feel
1967	"The Way I Feel"	36	-	-	-	-	The Way I Feel
1967	"Canadian Railroad Trilogy"	-	-	-	-	-	The Way I Feel
1968	"Black Day in July"	-	-	-	-	-	Did She Mention My Name
1968	"Bitter Green"	-	-	-	-	-	Back Here On Earth
1970	"Me and Bobby McGee"	13	1	-	-	-	If You Could Read My Mind
1970	"If You Could Read My Mind"	1	-	5	1	-	If You Could Read My Mind
1971	"If I Could"	-	-	111	-	-	Back Here On Earth
1971	"Talking in Your Sleep"	19	-	64	-	-	Summer Side Of Life
1971	"Summer Side of Life"	21	-	98	-	-	Summer Side Of Life
1972	"Beautiful"	13	-	58	-	-	Don Quixote
1972	"Alberta Bound"	-	-	-	-	-	Don Quixote
1972	"You Are What I Am" (A-Side)	3	1	102	-	-	Old Dan's Records
1972	"The Same Old Obsession" (B-Side)	3	1	101	-	-	Old Dan's Records
1973	"Can't Depend on Love" (A-Side)	27	-	-	-	-	Old Dan's Records
1973	"It's Worth Believin'" (B-Side)	-	14	-	-	-	Old Dan's Records
1974	"Sundown"	1	4	1	-	13	Sundown
1974	"Carefree Highway"	11	1	10	1	81	Sundown
1975	"Rainy Day People"	10	-	26	1	47	Cold On The Shoulder
1976	"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"	1	1	2	-	50	Summertime Dream
1976	"Race Among The Ruins"	30	18	65	-	-	Summertime Dream
1977	"The Circle Is Small (I Can See It in Your Eyes)"	6	9	33	3	92	Endless Wire
1978	"Daylight Katy"	44	-	-	-	-	Endless Wire
1978	"Dreamland"	-	-	-	100	-	Endless Wire
1980	"Dream Street Rose"	-	27	-	80	-	Dream Street Rose
1980	"If You Need Me"	-	-	-	-	70	Dream Street Rose
1981	"Baby Step Back"	-	-	50	17	-	Shadows
1982	"Blackberry Wine"	-	-	-	-	-	Shadows
1982	"In My Fashion"	-	-	-	-	-	Shadows
1983	"Salute (A Lot More Livin' to Do)"	-	-	-	-	-	Salute
1983	"Without You"	-	-	-	-	-	Salute
1986	"Anything for Love"	39	-	-	13	71	East Of Midnight
1986	"Stay Loose"	86	-	-	-	-	East Of Midnight
1987	"East of Midnight"	-	-	-	-	-	East Of Midnight
1987	"Ecstasy Made Easy"	-	-	-	-	-	East Of Midnight
1993	"I'll Prove My Love"	-	-	-	-	-	Waiting For You
1993	"Waiting For You"	-	-	-	-	-	Waiting For You
1998	"A Painter Passing Through"	-	-	-	-	-	A Painter Passing Through
2004	"Inspiration Lady"	-	-	-	-	-	Harmony

^† Lightfoot's first two singles were credited to "Gord Lightfoot". Canada did not have a national singles chart at the time of release -- these chart figures are from Toronto's CHUM Chart. All other Canadian chart figures from RPM magazine.

Original albums

• 1966 Lightfoot!
• 1967 The Way I Feel
• 1968 Did She Mention My Name
• 1968 Back Here on Earth
• 1969 Sunday Concert (live)
• 1970 Sit Down Young Stranger (re-released as If You Could Read My Mind, 1971)
• 1971 Summer Side of Life
• 1972 Don Quixote
• 1972 Old Dan's Records
• 1974 Sundown
• 1975 Cold on the Shoulder
• 1976 Summertime Dream
• 1978 Endless Wire
• 1980 Dream Street Rose
• 1982 Shadows
• 1983 Salute
• 1986 East of Midnight
• 1993 Waiting for You
• 1998 A Painter Passing Through
• 2004 Harmony

Compilations

• 1969 Early Lightfoot
• 1970 The Best
• 1971 Classic Lightfoot: The Best of Gordon...
• 1974 The Very Best of Gordon Lightfoot
• 1975 Gord's Gold
• 1976 Early Morning Rain
• 1985 Songbook
• 1988 Gord's Gold, Vol. 2
• 1989 The Best of Gordon Lightfoot
• 1992 Original Lightfoot
• 1993 The United Artists Collection
• 1994 Lightfoot!/The Way I Feel
• 1999 Songbook
• 2002 Complete Greatest Hits (Gordon Lightfoot album)|Complete Greatest Hits

Other

• 1967 Movin Soundtrack to the film that promoted the Freight Services of the Canadian National Railway. Lightfoot also narrated the film and provided three songs for it. The songs are Movin, Steel Rail Blues, and Talkin' Freight
• 1975 2 Originals of Gordon Lightfoot
• 1976 Gordon Lightfoot Hudba a Slova Czech release of Cold On The Shoulder[2]
• 1987 If You Could Read My Mind (re-issue)
• 1994 Sunday Concert Bear Family (live)
• 2002 Live in Reno (DVD)
• 2003 Sunday Concert [Capitol 2003] (live)

External links

• GordonLightfoot.com
• Lightfoot.ca
• Fan Website
• Gordon Lightfoot MySpace
• Order of Canada Citation
• Lightfoot page at Canadian Encyclopedia
• CBC Digital Archives: Gordon Lightfoot: Canada's Folk Laureate
• Gordon Lightfoot at IMDb
• Wild 1970 interview with underground press rock critics Rick McGrath and Mike Quigley