History Music / GordonLightfoot

* CanadaEh: He threw many Canadian references into his songs, and did several songs about Canadian history, most famously "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" (which was commissioned by the {{Creator/CBC}} for a TV special celebrating Canada's centennial in 1967). He also sometimes pronounced words with a Canadian accent; one example is in "The Wreck of the ''Edmund Fitzgerald''" where he pronounces Michigan's largest city as "De-troy-et" instead of the typical American pronunciation "Deh-troyt".

* BoxedSet: ''Songbook'', a 4-CD, 88-song collection released by Creator/RhinoRecords in 1999 and covering his entire career up to that point, including a couple of early Chateau single sides, highlights from his UA, Reprise and WB albums, and a number of previously-unreleased songs.

* BoxedSet: ''Songbook'', a 4-CD, 88-song collection released by Creator/RhinoRecords in 1999 covering his entire career up to that point, including a couple of early Chateau single sides, highlights from his UA, Reprise and WB albums, and a number of previously-unreleased songs.

* BoxedSet: ''Songbook'', a 4-CD, 88-song collection released by Creator/RhinoRecords in 1999 covering his entire career up to that point, including a couple of early Chateau single sides, highlights from his UA and WB albums, and a number of previously-unreleased songs.

* BoxedSet: ''Songbook'', a 4-CD, 88-song collection released by Creator/RhinoRecords in 1999 covering his entire career up to that point, including a couple of early Chateau single sides, highlights from his UA, Reprise, and WB albums, and a number of previously-unreleased songs.

* BoxedSet: ''Songbook'', a 4-CD, 88-song collection released by Creator/RhinoRecords in 1999 covering his entire career up to that point, including a couple of early Chateau single sides, highlights from his UA and Reprise albums, and a number of previously-unreleased songs.

* BoxedSet: ''Songbook'', a 4-CD, 88-song collection released by Creator/RhinoRecords in 1999 covering his entire career up to that point, including a number of previously-unreleased songs.

* BoxedSet: ''Songbook'', a 4-CD, 88-song collection released in 1999 that covers the highlights of his entire career up to that point and includes a number of previously-unreleased songs.

An Orillia, Ontario native, Lightfoot first emerged in the early [[TheSixties '60s]] as a composer of hit songs for other artists such as Music/PeterPaulAndMary ("Early Mornin' Rain", "For Lovin' Me") and Music/MartyRobbins ("Ribbon of Darkness"). He released his own debut single in 1962 and his debut album in 1966, and was pretty much immediately a star in his native Canada, but internationally most of his best-known hits came during the [[TheSeventies '70s]], including "If You Could Read My Mind" (1970), "Beautiful" (1972), "Sundown" (1974), "Carefree Highway" (1974), "Rainy Day People" (1975), and "The Wreck of the ''Edmund Fitzgerald''" (1976).

* DueToTheDead: "The Wreck of the ''Edmund Fitzgerald''" mentions how the Mariners' Church in UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}} (called the "maritime sailors' cathedral" in the song) tolled its bell 29 times to memorialize the shipwrecked sailors. On the day after Lightfoot's death, the church tolled the bell 30 times, 29 for the ''Edmund Fitzgerald'' crew and one for Lightfoot himself.

An Orillia, Ontario native, Lightfoot first emerged in the early [[TheSixties '60s]] as a composer of hit songs for other artists such as Music/PeterPaulAndMary ("Early Mornin' Rain", "For Lovin' Me") and Music/MartyRobbins ("Ribbon of Darkness"). He released his own debut single in 1962 and his debut album in 1966, but most of his best-known hits came during the [[TheSeventies '70s]], including "If You Could Read My Mind" (1970), "Beautiful" (1972), "Sundown" (1974), "Carefree Highway" (1974), "Rainy Day People" (1975), and "The Wreck of the ''Edmund Fitzgerald''" (1976).

* GenderBlenderName: His middle name was Meredith. However, that [[JustifiedTrope wasn't really considered a feminine name in 1938.]]

* EpicRocking: "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" and "The Wreck of the ''Edmund Fitzgerald''" both extend past the six-minute mark (the ''Gord's Gold'' version of "Trilogy" runs over ''seven'' minutes).

* GenderBlenderName: His middle name was Meredith. [[JustifiedTrope However, Meredith wasn't really considered a feminine name in 1938.]]

* GenderBlenderName: His middle name is Meredith. [[JustifiedTrope However, Meredith wasn't really considered a feminine name in 1938.]]

* CanadaEh: Threw many Canadian references into his songs, and did several songs about Canadian history, most famously "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" (which was commissioned by the {{Creator/CBC}} for a TV special celebrating Canada's centennial in 1967). He also sometimes pronounced words with a Canadian accent; one example is in "The Wreck of the ''Edmund Fitzgerald''" where he pronounces Michigan's largest city as "De-troy-et" instead of the typical American pronunciation "Deh-troyt".

An Orillia, Ontario native, Lightfoot first emerged in the early [[TheSixties '60s]] as a composer of hit songs for other artists such as Music/PeterPaulAndMary ("Early Mornin' Rain", "For Lovin' Me") and Music/MartyRobbins ("Ribbon of Darkness"). He released his own debut single in 1962 and his debut album in 1966, but most of his best-known hits came during the [[TheSeventies '70s]], including "If You Could Read My Mind" (1970), "Sundown" (1974), "Carefree Highway" (1974), "Rainy Day People" (1975), and "The Wreck of the ''Edmund Fitzgerald''" (1976).

* DueToTheDead: "The Wreck of the ''Edmund Fitzgerald''" mentions how the Mariners' Church in UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}} (called the "Maritime Sailors' Cathedral" in the song) tolled its bell 29 times to memorialize the shipwrecked sailors. On the day after Lightfoot's death, the church tolled the bell 30 times, 29 for the ''Edmund Fitzgerald'' crew and one for Lightfoot himself.

* EpicRocking: "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" and "The Wreck of the ''Edmund Fitzgerald''" both extend past the six-minute mark.