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Gordon Lightfoot's love of the open road, expressed in some of the songs he wrote like "Carefree Highway" and "Alberta Bound," is genuine.
At 72, Lightfoot figures to make between 60 and 70 appearances in North America this year.
"I enjoy the work a great deal. I feel lucky to be able to continue," said the Canadian minstrel, who performs Sept. 20 at the Peoria Civic Center Theater.
Known for a string of 1970s hits such as "If You Could Read My Mind," "Sundown," "Rainy Day People" and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," Lightfoot is one senior citizen who isn't fazed by touring.
"We sidestep the airport hassles by hiring an aircraft for the band. It's a good way to do things," he said.
After six decades of on-again, off-again bandstanding, Lightfoot feels he has it down. "You have to work ahead. Tours have to be planned. We have an 18-wheeler and bus that takes the stage crew," he said.
Lightfoot isn't traveling with strangers when he goes on the road. Rick Haynes, his bass player, has been with him for 43 years. Both keyboardist Mike Heffernan and drummer Barry Keane will be with Lightfoot in Peoria - both members of his band for 30 years.
"We lost our lead guitar player several years ago," he said, referring to Red Shea, who died in 2008 of pancreatic cancer. Curtis Lancaster from Hamilton, Ontario, now plays lead guitar.
The term "gentle soul" comes to mind when talking with the north country legend by telephone from his home in Toronto. But behind that understated demeanor is a body of work that ranks right behind songwriting heavyweights like Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and fellow Canadian Neil Young.
In talking about his songwriting that now spans 20 albums, Lightfoot said he's always drawn from his own experience. He recalled the very first song he wrote as a kid was about the hula hoop fad of the 1950s.
He's quick to tick off some of his influences.
"I enjoy people like Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton and Ramblin' Jack Elliott," he said. But then he adds Kitty Wells and Loretta Lynn to the list. "There are just too many people to name," said Lightfoot, uncomfortable at the thought of leaving someone out.
While Lightfoot enjoyed chart success in Canada in the 1960s, he became an international star with "If You Could Read My Mind" in 1970. The song was originally released on the album "Sit Down, Young Stranger" but failed to make any waves.
"Eight months after the album came out, somebody thought 'Read My Mind' would make a good single. We sold over a million copies and the album was re-released with the title of the hit track," he said.
That album also contained a version of "Me and Bobby McGee," the Janis Joplin hit written by Kris Kristofferson, a good friend of Lightfoot's.
Recalling a previous performance in Peoria, Lightfoot said he was on the bill with Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings in 1974.
"I headlined the show because I had a hit ("Sundown") at the time," he said. "They got quite a kick out of that."
As one of the 1970s steadiest hitmakers, Lightfoot cranked out one Top 40 after another during that decade. But the hits didn't come in the '80s.
"We made some great albums in the 1980s but we couldn't find that hit single," he said.
Today, Lightfoot is at home with his role as elder statesman of the folkie set.
"I don't worry much about sales. I'm still stocked in record stores," he said.
As for analyzing his own performance these days, Lightfoot believes that the six decades of performing have honed his act.
"It's a lot more refined. We've had time to learn. It's better sound, better intonation," he said.
With age, comes maturity.
"We love getting away for the music - not to party and carry on," said Lightfoot, who admits to a drinking problem in his younger days. "I quit drinking in 1982."
Lightfoot has bounced back from serious illness that kept him from touring for several years - and looks forward to future tours.
"I'm going to keep playing. We have a really nice demographic. As long as we've got people in the audience, we're going to keep performing," he said.
Gordon Lightfoot a gentle soul with a heavyweight resumé
