Valley Advocate article

[Auburn Annie]

Dodging Potholes
Famed folkie Gordon Lightfoot re-enters the fray.

by Rob Weir - October 13, 2005

On "Carefree Highway," a hit single from the 1974 album Sundown , Gordon Lightfoot sang, "Carefree highway, you seen better days/ The mornin' after blues from my head down to my shoes/ Carefree highway, let me slip away/ Slip away on you." On September 7, 2002, Lightfoot almost sprinted off the planet rather than slipping away. As he prepared to take the stage in his hometown of Orilla, Ontario, Lightfoot suffered a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, a condition that is generally fatal. Lightfoot came so close to death that his demise was reported in some media outlets. Instead, he lay in a coma for six weeks, and endured a tracheotomy, four surgeries, three months in a hospital bed, and extensive rehabilitation. In all, it was more than two years before Lightfoot took the stage again.
These days Lightfoot approaches his past ailments as if they were mere potholes on the Carefree Highway rather than a drive on the edge of the abyss. "I'm fully recovered," he insists. "I went back into guitar practice as soon as I got out of the hospital, just to keep an edge, then we started rehearsing. I did a 10-day tour this past April. I have to stay on an exercise regimen, but I'm fine and I'm really looking forward to coming back to New England, where I have quite a few fans." Lightfoot asserts there was no voice damage from the tracheotomy and that he has learned to use different abdominal muscles while singing. He returns to Northampton armed with a new lease on life and a relatively recent album, Harmony , which is itself a testament to his recovery. The vocals and guitar parts were done before he got ill, and he began doing the post-production work while still in the hospital. It debuted in late 2004.

For those of us for whom Gordon Lightfoot has been an iconic figure, it's almost impossible to believe that on November 17 he'll celebrate his 67th birthday. I'm one of many who bought his first guitar in response to listening to Gordon Lightfoot; in my case, I decided about 15 seconds into a live performance of "Early Morning Rain," which is still an all-time favorite. Even the briefest dip into Lightfoot's musical output is akin to a stroll through the history of five decades of pop chart history. His hit singles include: "I'm Not Saying" (1965), "The Way I Feel" (1967), "If You Could Read My Mind" (1970), "Sundown" (1974), "Carefree Highway" (1975), "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" (1976), "Dream Street Rose" (1980), "Spin Spin" (1985), and "A Painter Passing Through" (1998). Including compilations, Lightfoot has released a staggering 71 albums.

So what inspires someone to write such memorable songs? "There are four or five ways a song comes to me," says Lightfoot. "Sometimes I just get a title I adore and decide to write something to go with it, or maybe it's a melody, a chord progression, or a time signature that sticks in my head. Other times it can be just a random thing. 'Carefree Highway' was a name I got from an actual road sign between Flagstaff and Phoenix. But I can get ideas anywhere. I had one watching television and realizing how glad I am not to be in Biloxi or Mobile. Maybe I'll write a song about the hurricane victims. I like to write songs about people and I tend not to get involved with politics in my music." Lightfoot pauses, then laughs, "Of course, in the early days Bob Dylan was a big songwriting mentor, though he didn't necessarily realize that!"

Lightfoot is on record as saying that "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" is his personal favorite effort, largely because audiences respond to it so positively. He also expresses preference for "The Canadian Railroad Trilogy," "Early Morning Rain," "If You Could Read My Mind" and "Beautiful." When I asked him to select a song he feels is among his best but is largely unappreciated, he notes "East of Midnight" from the eponymous 1986 album. It's one of those lonely, wistful songs musicians compose when they've been on the road too long. "I think it's one of my very best," says Lightfoot. "I like the message, the memories of past experiences it evokes, and the musical changes. It's a real test of the guitar as well. But the ones I like don't always succeed."

He's had quite a bit of success, though. His work has been covered by everyone from Elvis to Barbara Streisand; he's collected three gold and four platinum albums in the U.S. and eight golds and six platinums in Canada. The pride of Ontario practically owns the Juno Awards, Canada's answer to the Grammys, and he's already a member of the Juno Hall of Fame. He's even been awarded a Governor General's medal, one of Canada's most prestigious honors. Lightfoot has been so prolific that a lot of music purveyors don't know where to file him; look for Lightfoot recordings in bins labeled country, pop, folk, adult alternative, contemporary, even--horror of horrors--easy listening.

Lightfoot laughs at the latter category, but insists "any airplay I get is just fine by me." When pressed to label his own music he muses, "I'm a singer/songwriter and I learned from Pete Seeger, Bob Gibson and early Dylan. I play acoustic instruments, so I'd call it folk. But I'd like to be seen as a sincere and energetic performer; anything else is up to others to determine."

The biggest danger for any musician with a string of hits is to be identified too closely with his own chestnuts. I asked Lightfoot about his relationship to his singles and how he keeps things fresh when there's so much audience demand to perform what's familiar. "I'm lucky that all the songs that made it are easy as heck to play on stage," jokes Lightfoot. Turning more serious he notes, "I really like all the songs that became hits and I always try to do them better as time goes by. Performers like to reinvent their acts from time to time. Look at Dylan; he's done that three or four times. I'd never be anything false, but changes take place in the music. I don't really get bored. I have between 40 and 50 songs ready to go at any one time and we normally do about 28 at any given concert."

Lightfoot also insists that it's live performance that really animates him. "I enjoy being on tour best of all," says he. "Recording is more like going to the dentist--something you have to do." But if hits are potentially the biggest pothole, having toured for so long that people have seen you before might well be the next biggest obstacle. What can Lightfoot promise someone who took in a show 10 years ago? "It will be much, much better," he insists. "I'm very glad to have recovered my health and now I'm working diligently to get my show as good as it can possibly be. I want to be better than I was before I went down and I think I am. But if I'm wrong, the audience can let me know!" Here's wishing Gordon Lightfoot many more miles on a truly carefree highway.

Gordon Lightfoot will perform at the Calvin Theater on October 20.

http://valleyadvocate.com/gbase/Musi...oid=oid:129588

[Auburn Annie]

Dodging Potholes
Famed folkie Gordon Lightfoot re-enters the fray.

by Rob Weir - October 13, 2005

On "Carefree Highway," a hit single from the 1974 album Sundown , Gordon Lightfoot sang, "Carefree highway, you seen better days/ The mornin' after blues from my head down to my shoes/ Carefree highway, let me slip away/ Slip away on you." On September 7, 2002, Lightfoot almost sprinted off the planet rather than slipping away. As he prepared to take the stage in his hometown of Orilla, Ontario, Lightfoot suffered a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, a condition that is generally fatal. Lightfoot came so close to death that his demise was reported in some media outlets. Instead, he lay in a coma for six weeks, and endured a tracheotomy, four surgeries, three months in a hospital bed, and extensive rehabilitation. In all, it was more than two years before Lightfoot took the stage again.
These days Lightfoot approaches his past ailments as if they were mere potholes on the Carefree Highway rather than a drive on the edge of the abyss. "I'm fully recovered," he insists. "I went back into guitar practice as soon as I got out of the hospital, just to keep an edge, then we started rehearsing. I did a 10-day tour this past April. I have to stay on an exercise regimen, but I'm fine and I'm really looking forward to coming back to New England, where I have quite a few fans." Lightfoot asserts there was no voice damage from the tracheotomy and that he has learned to use different abdominal muscles while singing. He returns to Northampton armed with a new lease on life and a relatively recent album, Harmony , which is itself a testament to his recovery. The vocals and guitar parts were done before he got ill, and he began doing the post-production work while still in the hospital. It debuted in late 2004.

For those of us for whom Gordon Lightfoot has been an iconic figure, it's almost impossible to believe that on November 17 he'll celebrate his 67th birthday. I'm one of many who bought his first guitar in response to listening to Gordon Lightfoot; in my case, I decided about 15 seconds into a live performance of "Early Morning Rain," which is still an all-time favorite. Even the briefest dip into Lightfoot's musical output is akin to a stroll through the history of five decades of pop chart history. His hit singles include: "I'm Not Saying" (1965), "The Way I Feel" (1967), "If You Could Read My Mind" (1970), "Sundown" (1974), "Carefree Highway" (1975), "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" (1976), "Dream Street Rose" (1980), "Spin Spin" (1985), and "A Painter Passing Through" (1998). Including compilations, Lightfoot has released a staggering 71 albums.

So what inspires someone to write such memorable songs? "There are four or five ways a song comes to me," says Lightfoot. "Sometimes I just get a title I adore and decide to write something to go with it, or maybe it's a melody, a chord progression, or a time signature that sticks in my head. Other times it can be just a random thing. 'Carefree Highway' was a name I got from an actual road sign between Flagstaff and Phoenix. But I can get ideas anywhere. I had one watching television and realizing how glad I am not to be in Biloxi or Mobile. Maybe I'll write a song about the hurricane victims. I like to write songs about people and I tend not to get involved with politics in my music." Lightfoot pauses, then laughs, "Of course, in the early days Bob Dylan was a big songwriting mentor, though he didn't necessarily realize that!"

Lightfoot is on record as saying that "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" is his personal favorite effort, largely because audiences respond to it so positively. He also expresses preference for "The Canadian Railroad Trilogy," "Early Morning Rain," "If You Could Read My Mind" and "Beautiful." When I asked him to select a song he feels is among his best but is largely unappreciated, he notes "East of Midnight" from the eponymous 1986 album. It's one of those lonely, wistful songs musicians compose when they've been on the road too long. "I think it's one of my very best," says Lightfoot. "I like the message, the memories of past experiences it evokes, and the musical changes. It's a real test of the guitar as well. But the ones I like don't always succeed."

He's had quite a bit of success, though. His work has been covered by everyone from Elvis to Barbara Streisand; he's collected three gold and four platinum albums in the U.S. and eight golds and six platinums in Canada. The pride of Ontario practically owns the Juno Awards, Canada's answer to the Grammys, and he's already a member of the Juno Hall of Fame. He's even been awarded a Governor General's medal, one of Canada's most prestigious honors. Lightfoot has been so prolific that a lot of music purveyors don't know where to file him; look for Lightfoot recordings in bins labeled country, pop, folk, adult alternative, contemporary, even--horror of horrors--easy listening.

Lightfoot laughs at the latter category, but insists "any airplay I get is just fine by me." When pressed to label his own music he muses, "I'm a singer/songwriter and I learned from Pete Seeger, Bob Gibson and early Dylan. I play acoustic instruments, so I'd call it folk. But I'd like to be seen as a sincere and energetic performer; anything else is up to others to determine."

The biggest danger for any musician with a string of hits is to be identified too closely with his own chestnuts. I asked Lightfoot about his relationship to his singles and how he keeps things fresh when there's so much audience demand to perform what's familiar. "I'm lucky that all the songs that made it are easy as heck to play on stage," jokes Lightfoot. Turning more serious he notes, "I really like all the songs that became hits and I always try to do them better as time goes by. Performers like to reinvent their acts from time to time. Look at Dylan; he's done that three or four times. I'd never be anything false, but changes take place in the music. I don't really get bored. I have between 40 and 50 songs ready to go at any one time and we normally do about 28 at any given concert."

Lightfoot also insists that it's live performance that really animates him. "I enjoy being on tour best of all," says he. "Recording is more like going to the dentist--something you have to do." But if hits are potentially the biggest pothole, having toured for so long that people have seen you before might well be the next biggest obstacle. What can Lightfoot promise someone who took in a show 10 years ago? "It will be much, much better," he insists. "I'm very glad to have recovered my health and now I'm working diligently to get my show as good as it can possibly be. I want to be better than I was before I went down and I think I am. But if I'm wrong, the audience can let me know!" Here's wishing Gordon Lightfoot many more miles on a truly carefree highway.

Gordon Lightfoot will perform at the Calvin Theater on October 20.

http://valleyadvocate.com/gbase/Musi...oid=oid:129588

[DJ in MJ]

Great article, thank you.

And I must check out Spin, Spin. If I've heard it before, it hasn't stuck. Maybe next time.

[thermodynamic me]

Wonderful article! We have a group of 6 going. I checked the other day and much to my surprise there are still seats available. Hopefully it will sell out.

This will be about the 10th concert I have attended, starting with his magnificent concerts at Tanglewood in the mid 70's. I still get goose bumps thinking about the Tanglewood concerts. They were always sold out, and we were lucky enough to obtain seats in the shed. My future wife knew how important the music was to me then, as it is today. Maybe she thought I was nuts, I don't know. She has spent countless hours patiently listening to Lightfoot, especially while we are on the road. The man is a treasure, and it is truly a priviledge to see him in concert 30 years later.

[BuddyP]

Wonderful article! We have a group of 6 going. I checked the other day and much to my surprise there are still seats available. Hopefully it will sell out.

This will be about the 10th concert I have attended, starting with his magnificent concerts at Tanglewood in the mid 70's. I still get goose bumps thinking about the Tanglewood concerts. They were always sold out, and we were lucky enough to obtain seats in the shed. My future wife knew how important the music was to me then, as it is today. Maybe she thought I was nuts, I don't know. She has spent countless hours patiently listening to Lightfoot, especially while we are on the road. The man is a treasure, and it is truly a priviledge to see him in concert 30 years later.

[Cathy]

That's a nice article Annie. Thanks for posting it.

Hey everyone, I'm back! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Cathy
http://www.cathycowette.com

[Iron]

Great article Annie. Thank's
I've heard the bit about being difficult to place Gordon in a specific genre many times.It is quite simple, it is under the exclusive genre titled "LIGHTFOOT".
Cathy? Could this be the Cathy with the extra joints in Her picken fingers?Good to see You Back.Where have You been,gotta be some storie's here somewhere...lets have it..

[Cathy]

Originally posted by Iron:
Great article Annie. Thank's
I've heard the bit about being difficult to place Gordon in a specific genre many times.It is quite simple, it is under the exclusive genre titled "LIGHTFOOT".
Cathy? Could this be the Cathy with the extra joints in Her picken fingers?Good to see You Back.Where have You been,gotta be some storie's here somewhere...lets have it..

Okay, you asked for it. I was in the hospital, in critical condition for a month and in rehab for 3 weeks. I had an aneurysm right above my left temple. When I awoke a month after the aneurysm, my right arm and leg were paralyzed and my memory was gone, but after a lot of therapy and a long stay in the hospital, I am nearly okay. I still have short term memory loss a little, but it's getting better. The right side of my body is not parylized anymore, but it's still a little weak. I'm currently going to therapy, and if not for two doctors in Boston, I probably wouldn't be here. Yes, I can still play the guitar. I forgot how for awhile, but it came back to me.
So what have you been up to?

Cathy

[ October 13, 2005, 18:19: Message edited by: Cathy ]

[Auburn Annie]

Good thing these aneurysms aren't "catchy" LOL - first Gord, now you (though in different places.) Glad to have you back in the land of the living, Cathy.

[Auburn Annie]

Good thing these aneurysms aren't "catchy" LOL - first Gord, now you (though in different places.) Glad to have you back in the land of the living, Cathy.

[Borderstone]

I'll say he's difficult to categorize! Some stors put his music in Folk (a very small section),some put him in Country (how dare they! ),smarter stores put him in pop/rock,which is a lot closer to the truth but some don't even carry his CD's/LPs. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

71 albums? While we only have about..what,30 of those here in the states?

[BILLW]

WELCOME BACK CATHY !!!

Bill

[Sheryl]

Thanks for the article!! And... welcome back Cathy!!

[Sydney Steve]

Auburn Annie.
You come up with excellent stuff all the time.

& Cathy, I have "known" of you only through these cyberwaves and some MP3's of your work which I have listened to. I am newish to this forum and very new to John Fowles' chatsite. I can tell you, your name came up when we were chatting and it became clear you obviously have many friends - more than you know of I suspect- there were lots of fingers crossed on your behalf.

[Iron]

Cathy,
Sorry to here about the problems You've had.I would not have been so light hearted with my prior comments, had I known.Sounds like You have kicked the Reaper's ass,as Gordon did.Pretty good company.Glad to here You regained Your musical attributes along with everything else.Probably helps out a lot with passing the time while mending along.
I,ve kinda been outa touch with thing's for a while.Just too much work,no time to play kinda stuff.Nothing like You've been through though.
Do You have any thoughts on my "something old,Something new post? Anyway,WELCOME BACK...

[Chris Castleberry]

Welcome back, Cathy. I just joined this forum, so I'm afraid I don't know you are, but welcome back just the same.

[vlmagee]

Chris, if you want to know more about Cathy, visit her web site. I notice she included the link in one of her posts, but not the other. She is an extraordinary musician - something she wouldn't say about herself, but all of us will freely do. Download an mp3 or two of hers, and you'll see what I mean. Her web site link is here in my signature too (I do her web site).

[Chris Castleberry]

[Cathy]

Originally posted by BILLW:
WELCOME BACK CATHY !!!

Bill

It's great to be back, Bill!

Cathy

[Cathy]

Originally posted by Sydney Steve:
Auburn Annie.
You come up with excellent stuff all the time.

& Cathy, I have "known" of you only through these cyberwaves and some MP3's of your work which I have listened to. I am newish to this forum and very new to John Fowles' chatsite. I can tell you, your name came up when we were chatting and it became clear you obviously have many friends - more than you know of I suspect- there were lots of fingers crossed on your behalf.

What? That's all they told you about me? They didn't tell you the OTHER STUFF? Hmmmm... they're learning.

Cathy

[Cathy]

Originally posted by vlmagee:
Chris, if you want to know more about Cathy, visit her web site. I notice she included the link in one of her posts, but not the other. She is an extraordinary musician - something she wouldn't say about herself, but all of us will freely do. Download an mp3 or two of hers, and you'll see what I mean. Her web site link is here in my signature too (I do her web site).

You wanna bet? Chris, I am an extraordinary musician. Well, not at the moment. I sound a little rough, because even though I remember all the chords, I sometimes lose the fingerpicking pattern, but I'll get it back with practice.

Cathy
http:www.cathycowette.com <---- my web site created by Val.

[Cathy]

Originally posted by Chris Castleberry:
Welcome back, Cathy. I just joined this forum, so I'm afraid I don't know you are, but welcome back just the same.

I'm Cathy Cowette from northern Maine. I'm one of the members of the Lightfoot Tribute Band. I play guitar and fiddle, and I do a little singing. Val Magee does my web site at http://www.cathycowette.com. Welcome aboard, Chris.

Cathy

[Cathy]

Originally posted by Sheryl:
Thanks for the article!! And... welcome back Cathy!!

Hey Sheryl. It's been a long time since we talked. It sure is great to be back!

Cathy

[LSH]

Hi Cathy, it's so very good to have you back among us!

[Cathy]

Originally posted by Iron:
Cathy,
Sorry to here about the problems You've had.I would not have been so light hearted with my prior comments, had I known.Sounds like You have kicked the Reaper's ass,as Gordon did.Pretty good company.Glad to here You regained Your musical attributes along with everything else.Probably helps out a lot with passing the time while mending along.
I,ve kinda been outa touch with thing's for a while.Just too much work,no time to play kinda stuff.Nothing like You've been through though.
Do You have any thoughts on my "something old,Something new post? Anyway,WELCOME BACK...

Yes, I definitely kicked the reaper's ass. Actually, I was losing so much blood on the chopper ride to Bangor that they didn't expect me to live. But I fooled all of them, didn't I?

Oh, I haven't regained all of the musical attributes yet, but they are improving. I'm finding fingerpicking is a bit slower than usual, but each time I play, I'm starting to remember the little nuances. And you're right. I can't work for a few months, so playing the guitar and the fiddle and taking a nap or two helps to pass the time.

Yes, I have thoughts on the Something Old, Something New post. I know I read it, but I don't remember a word of it! Blame it on the short term memory loss! I'll go back and read it again!

Cathy