Canadian Musician Profile: Gordon Lightfoot

With a career spanning more than five decades, 71-year-old Gordon Lightfoot has influenced the likes of Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson and Sarah McLachlan.

A national treasure

Considered a national treasure by artists like Robbie Robertson of The Band, Gordon Lightfoot has been awarded the Companion of the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest civilian honour. He has been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. Honoured repeatedly at the Juno Awards, Lightfoot is also a member of the Order of Ontario. His face has been immortalized on a Canadian postage stamp and he has a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame.

Gordon Lightfoot’s musical career has spanned more than five decades. He has more than 200 recordings. His songwriting has influenced countless artists and has defined the modern folk-pop sound that many young artists aspire to today. Canadian rockers, The Guess Who, recorded a song “Lightfoot” in 1968 as tribute to his work and he is a favourite songwriter of both Bob Dylan’s and Robbie Robertson.

Read more at Suite101: Canadian Musician Profile: Gordon Lightfoot

Photo credit: Gordon Lightfoot at Massey Hall, Toronto, Ont. Photo by Kasra Ganjavi