Gordon Lightfoot Forums - Toledo Blade Article On Gord

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Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot has been mesmerizing listeners for more than 30 years with his distinctive, mellow voice and heartfelt lyrics.

He has written and recorded hundreds of songs, many of them hits, many of them recorded by other artists as diverse as Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and Barbra Streisand. His work has earned him five Grammy nominations, 17 Canadian Juno Awards, and induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.

But it's one song in particular that resonates with people in this area. If they know nothing else about Gordon Lightfoot, they know his 1976 folk ballad "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down

of the big lake they called "Gitche Gumee."

The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead

when the skies of November turn gloomy.

The song hits a local nerve for good reason. All 29 crew members were lost when the Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior in a vicious storm on Nov. 10, 1975. Thirteen of the dead were from Ohio, including ship captain Ernest McSorley of Ottawa Hills.

According to an account on the fan Web site www.gordonlightfoot.com, a Newsweek article about the sinking inspired Lightfoot to write the song as a tribute to "the ship, the sea, and the men who lost their lives."

"When asked recently what he thought his most significant contribution to music was, he said it was this song, which he often refers to as 'The Wreck,'" the Web site continued. "In spite of its unlikely subject matter, the song climbed to #2 on the Billboard pop charts and 'Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald' remains one of the most stirring topical ballads ever written and a highlight of every Lightfoot concert."

It's probably a safe bet that the song will be among those that Lightfoot performs Tuesday in concert at the Stranahan Theater, along with other favorites. His hits over the years include "If You Could Read My Mind," "Sundown," Early Morning Rain," and "Canadian Railroad Trilogy."

In 2002, a near-fatal abdominal aneurysm left Lightfoot in a coma for six weeks. When he recovered he began work on his 20th album, "Harmony," which was released in May, 2004.

Gordon Lightfoot performs at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Stranahan Theater, 4645 Heatherdowns Blvd. Tickets are $53 and $43, from the box office and all Ticketmaster locations. Charge by phone at 419-474-1333 or order online at www.ticketmaster.com. Information: 419-381-8851.