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Is there any name more synonymous with 'Canada' than Gordon Lightfoot? And, talk about a great ambassador: Over the past four decades, Gordon's recorded over 200 songs, and written some of the greatest lyrics of all time.
Anger, jealousy, love, death, Gordon's covered it all. Then, there's that unmistakable voice: For a man who's been covered by everyone from Bob Dylan to Elvis Presley, nobody can sign a Gordon Lightfoot song quite like Gordon Lightfoot.
So, how did Gordon become a legend? Well, Gordon was born in Orillia, Ontario and grew up signing in youth choirs, developing his voice. As a young man in the 1960s, Gordon was part of a vibrant Toronto folk scene, alongside the likes of Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Ian Tyson. In 1966, he released his debut album, 'Lightfoot!', and radio play soon followed.
In the 1970s, things really took off: Gordon recorded some of his biggest hits, including If You Could Read My Mind, and The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. These days, Gordon's list of achievements is staggering: 20 studio albums, 15 Junos, a star on Canada's Walk of Fame and he was one of the first inductees into Canada's Singer/Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Despite a serious health scare in 2002, which left him in a coma, and a false rumour about his death that circulated last year, Gordon is still going strong - in fact, he's planning a full North American tour later this year.
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