London, ON, November 2, 2009 -- Fellow Canadian, Robbie Robertson calls him a national treasure, while millions of fans the world over continue to be touched by Gordon Lightfoot’s remarkable contributions to music history. These time-defying songs document the events that shape our lives and have gone on to earn this legendary singer/songwriter an international reputation as one of the most anticipated live performers. With his trademark soulful vocals, Gordon Lightfoot’s concerts continually fill to capacity with legions of fans eager to once again experience the unmistakable Lightfoot sound. This Spring, Gordon Lightfoot will perform live in this, his 5th decade of touring, on a 12-city Spring 2010 Tour of Eastern Canada, Quebec, and Ontario.
The first stop on Lightfoot’s Spring 2010 Tour kicks off on March 28th and 29th with concerts at the Holy Heart Theatre in St. John’s, and continues through the Maritimes with concerts slated for Corner Brook, Halifax, Moncton, St. Johns (NB), and then on to Quebec City and Montreal. The Ontario dates include 2 nights at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, followed by stops in Kingston, Peterborough, Hamilton and finally on April 15th at the RBC Theatre at the John Labatt Centre in London.
Born November 17, 1938 in Orillia, Ontario Gordon Lightfoot studied at Los Angeles’ Westlake College of Music. He returned to Canada in the early 1960s and began performing at the “Riverboat” during Toronto's fabled folk scene. In 1966, his debut album Lightfoot! was released. Tracks such as For Lovin' Me, Early Mornin' Rain, Steel Rail Blues and Ribbon of Darkness brought him international recognition as a songwriter. Cover versions of his songs were recorded by artists such as Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley, until 1971 when his own version of If You Could Read My Mind became a Top Ten hit. In 1974, his classic single, Sundown, went to No.1 on the American charts, followed two years later by The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, inspired by a Newsweek magazine article; it reached No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard charts. By the 1990s he was mostly touring, giving just fifty concerts a year by 1998, mainly in North America, while he released two albums in the period. In 2004, he released his 20th album Harmony, andappeared as a featured guest on Canadian Idol.
Mr. Lightfoot has won 15 Juno Awards and been nominated for 5 Grammy Awards. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Canadian Country Music Hall Of Fame in 2001. In May 2003 was made a Companion of the Order of Canada and is also a member of the Order of Ontario, and in 2004 was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
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