I may have overlooked something, but as far as I know, I've never read anything about Gords parents over the years in the songbook or on this site. Does anyone know anything about this?

well the CBC has some TV & radio archives on him through the years. http://archives.cbc.ca/300c.asp?id=1-68-743 1 has a film made in 1967 taking about where he grew up and has his parents speaking. i've been wondering about his parents now too. chances are they've passed on but who knows. i have an aunt & uncle roughly about his age and my uncle mom's still alive i belive.

Both of Gord's parents are buried in the cemetery in Orillia. Jessie 1909-1998 Gord SR. (yes our boy was a JR.)1910-1974.

[ April 16, 2005, 00:51: Message edited by: brink ]

Do you think he ever wrote any songs about the death of his parents, and chose not to tell us what they were about?

His song Mama Said came out in 1974 and it made a mention " Dad went away to his place in the sky, mama said he was a real good guy" and I see that Gord Sr died in 1974 so I imagine that was the one and only reference to his father in a song.

You know I was at Massey Hall in 1998 when after a few songs, Gord became unusually quiet and had announced to all of us that his mother had passed away prior to the Massey Hall run and he mentioned that his mother's favourite song was " The House You Live In" and proceeded to play it.

I suspect whenever he plays it live now, that is a testament to his parents in general.

now that's very interesting.

In 1997 I saw Gordon in Pittsburgh. He mentioned that his mother liked the song The House You Live In.

I am replying about GF's parent's. His childhood home in Corona California was bought by a freind of mine , I may be able to ask her & find out for you.

I think you will find that Gordon Lightfoot's childhood home was in Orillia, Ontario, Canada.