Gordon had several very nice folk or folk rock hits but my favorite was the Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald. 

I love the music of Lightfoot. His voice is beautiful. I am from Michigan and have been to the place The Edmond Fitzgerald was trying to get to, Whitefish Point Light House in The Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is now a beautiful museum, one where I am a lifetime member, even though I haven't been there in years. 

The ship is actually in Canadian waters and the museum and the state of Michigan had to get permission to dive the wreck, which they were allowed to do. They actually have the ship's bell in the museum.

Of course at the time, it wasn't a museum, it was just a lighthouse for shipping.

The song itself is very biographical and well as accurate. The song mentions the Mariner Church, which is in downtown Detroit and they did (or maybe still do) ring their bell 29 times annually on November 10th, the anniversary of the wreck. It is to honor the 29 lives (everyone on the boat) that were lost that day.

Home - Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (shipwreckmuseum.com)

Sorry about the lengthy history lesson but I have studied The Great Lakes for years and fine it fascinating.

RIP Gordon, you will be missed.

Posted by: @lee

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I love the music of Lightfoot. His voice is beautiful. I am from Michigan and have been to the place The Edmond Fitzgerald was trying to get to, Whitefish Point Light House in The Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is now a beautiful museum, one where I am a lifetime member, even though I haven't been there in years. 

The ship is actually in Canadian waters and the museum and the state of Michigan had to get permission to dive the wreck, which they were allowed to do. They actually have the ship's bell in the museum.

Of course at the time, it wasn't a museum, it was just a lighthouse for shipping.

The song itself is very biographical and well as accurate. The song mentions the Mariner Church, which is in downtown Detroit and they did (or maybe still do) ring their bell 29 times annually on November 10th, the anniversary of the wreck. It is to honor the 29 lives (everyone on the boat) that were lost that day.

Home - Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (shipwreckmuseum.com)

Sorry about the lengthy history lesson but I have studied The Great Lakes for years and fine it fascinating.

RIP Gordon, you will be missed.

 

Lee ,I think we have talked about this before with you living in Michigan and we vacation up there every summer from Indiana. Been to the UP plenty of times and to Whitefish Point. You are probably aware of this ,but every year that at he museum they have the memorial service on the anniversary date of the sinking. We usually stream it on our TV. Its a very nice ceremony they have for that occasion and to remember the ones that lost their lives. Its pretty touching. I would like to go to it one day.

Rick Mixter is shipwreck researcher, diver and Documentary Filmmaker and Historian. He has a lot of knowledge and insight into the Fitz and others of the Great Lakes. Here is a link to his web page below, and plenty of YouTube you can pull up on him. I HIGHLY recommend checking his stuff out. You may know already though, just wanted to throw it out there anyways.

http://www.lakefury.com/ric-bio

I also truly loved Gordon Lightfoot's work. I was fortunate enough to see him 3 times and meet him once and got him to sign an old record for me. He was a great songwriter, I always admired that about him. I was going through my vinyl last night and discovered that I have 18 different titles by him on vinyl. I guess I clearly liked him.

RUSH's GEDDY LEE Pays Tribute To GORDON LIGHTFOOT: 'The Greatest Canadian'

RUSH's Geddy Lee has paid tribute to Gordon Lightfoot, the Canadian singer-songwriter, who died on Monday (May 1). He was 84.

Earlier today, Geddy took to his Instagram to write: "The first time we met was outside a local award show at a club in Toronto - a legendary poet, a songwriting inspiration - a gem of a man - I loved him. He used to bring his daughter who was a fan, to our shows, and he'd sit with her in the audience getting blasted with volume for three hours.

"A few months back he phoned me out of the blue, for no other reason than to say he'd just watched one of our concert films and really loved it. Every time I ran into him the first thing he would ask was how many gigs we'd done that year – he'd then proudly counter with the fact that he had played even more!

"RIP Gord - you are the man - the greatest Canadian. #gordonlightfoot".

Lightfoot died of natural causes at 7:30 p.m. at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, his spokesperson Victoria Lord said.

His death comes less than a month after he canceled his 2023 US and Canada concert schedule. That cancelation was due to "health related issues", according to a Facebook post.

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau described the folk icon as "one of our greatest singer-songwriters" in a tweet Monday night expressing his condolences.

"Gordon Lightfoot captured our country's spirit in his music – and in doing so, he helped shape Canada's soundscape. May his music continue to inspire future generations, and may his legacy live on forever," Trudeau wrote.

Lightfoot has recorded more than 20 albums and has five Grammy nominations. His songs have been aired regularly for more than 50 years, earning him radio singles chart positions in North America achieved by few others.

Aside from his success in writing, singing and performing his own songs, Lightfoot has found fortune in having his songs recorded and performed by other great artists, including Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Jr., Marty Robbins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Judy Collins, Johnny Mathis, Anne Murray, Olivia Newton-John, Sarah McLachlan, Barbra Streisand, Peter Paul & Mary, Harry Belafonte, JANE'S ADDICTION, Richie Havens, Glen Campbell, Toby Keith and George Hamilton IV.

After more than 50 active years of hit song making and international album sales well into the multi-millions, it's safe to say that Lightfoot resides with some very exclusive company atop the list of all-time greats. His song catalog is incredibly vast and includes such immortals as "Early Morning Rain", "If You Could Read My Mind", "Carefree Highway", "Sundown", "(That's What You Get) For Lovin Me", "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald", "Canadian Railroad Trilogy", "Ribbon Of Darkness", "Beautiful", "Song For A Winter's Night" and "Rainy Day People", to name a few.

Gordon Lightfoot was a huge influence for Tony Rice, one of the finest flat pickers in bluegrass. Thank you Gordon for your music and influence!