Gordon Lightfoot

Singer, songwriter, and winner of sixteen Juno awards, Gordon

Lightfoot is still writing and performing after more than fifty years in

the business.

Looking at Gordon Lightfoot’s music career, you might assume his life has been a
breeze. After all, his singing talent was recognized when he was still a little boy in
Orillia, Ontario, and he was already appearing on stage, radio, and television when he
was a teenager.
Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Lightfoot had a string of hit songs (recorded by himself
and other top stars who loved his song writing), and he broke records with his sold-out
concerts at Toronto’s Massey Hall.
However, behind the scenes, Lightfoot struggled. In 1972, at the height of his popularity,
he suffered a serious illness - Bell’s palsy - that paralyzed part of his face. For a singer
and performer, this was a serious threat to his career. He fought his way through the
illness and regained his health, even while keeping up a heavy recording and touring
schedule.
For the next thirty years, Gordon Lightfoot continued to record albums, perform concerts,
and appear on television. By 2002, he was no longer a superstar with number one hits,
but he still had legions of fans and his performances attracted huge crowds.
Then, tragedy struck again during a tour in his hometown, when a major artery in
Lightfoot’s stomach suddenly burst. He was airlifted to a hospital by helicopter for
emergency treatment to save his life. It took five operations and a three-month hospital
stay to get him out of danger.