He wrote songs for Peter, Paul And Mary and Marty Robbins, and his 1968 album, “Did She Mention My Name?” earned him his first Grammy nomination, for Best Folk Performance.
There would be four other Grammy nominations as well as induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012.
He recorded five core albums for United Artists before continuing his career with Warner/Reprise from the 1970s through the 1990s. The 2012 release of “All Live” represented his only live album since those original United Artists releases.
His easy going but melancholy “Sundown” would be Lightfoot’s only U.S. No. 1 hit, peaking in late June of 1974 and spending 18 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
In 2012 he appeared as the headliner at the Grammy Museum’s “An Evening With” series in Los Angeles to talk about his epic narrative hit, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” from 1976.
“It’s a whole story unto itself, from start to finish,” he said, “and it still goes on this day.”
Some big names recorded or performed his songs. They included include Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Sarah McLachlan, Barbra Streisand, Harry Belafonte, Jane’s Addiction, Glen Campbell, and Toby Keith.
His official biography even notes that house music icon Ultra Naté was joined by noted dance music performers Amber and Jocelyn Enriquez in recording a club version of his song, “If You Could Read My Mind,” in 1998.
The singer-songwriter was recognized early by his parents as having musical talent, and at age 12 he won a contest that allowed him to perform at Massey Hall in Toronto, which became a frequent tour stop for Lightfoot.
He started out as a performer in barbershop quartets, then as a member of musical duos, but his time didn’t come until he shed the other musicians around him and wrote prodigiously.
The singer-songwriter tried to make his way in Los Angeles in the late 1950s, but he found success only after returning to Toronto and embracing its folk music scene the next decade.
Lightfoot’s rolling, guitar-based music, influenced by Bob Dylan and the era’s folk artists, was equally at home on radio alongside his fellow Canadian Anne Murray as it was next to the Eagles.
At least seven of his albums have been certified “gold” in the United States, a designation that means 500,000 or more of a title have sold.
In 2002, he suffered a near-death bout with illness but survived, according to his official biography, and continued to record and perform.
The next year the Office of the Governor General of Canada said Lightfoot, born in Orillia, Ontario in 1938, was one of the country’s most beloved musicians.
“Gordon Lightfoot has been telling our stories in song for over five decades,” it said as part of an award under his earlier Order of Canada recognition. “He possesses a unique ability to blend contemporary urban music with our traditional roots. Genuine and reserved, he has a down-to-earth style that defies categorization.”
On Monday night, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Lightfoot one of the country’s greatest singer-songwriters.
“Gordon Lightfoot captured our country’s spirit in his music — and in doing so, he helped shape Canada’s soundscape,” Trudeau said. “May his music continue to inspire future generations.”
Gemma DiCasimirro contributed.