How can you really top "The Canadian Railroad Trilogy" and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"? You can't. B, for some reason (?) put on an old Gordon Lightfoot CD and I once again realized why I loved the guy -- Lightfoot, that is.
So Canadian. I remember watching Lightfoot a hundred years ago on Oscar Brandt's 'Let's Sing Out' in the '60s. Anyone with me here? I thought Oscar Brandt was long-dead, but low and behold, the guy is still hosting a radio program out of New York at 92!
"Brandt has
been hosting the radio show Oscar Brandt's Folksong Festival every
Saturday at 10 p.m. on WNYC-AM
820 in New York City, now going into its 66th year. The show has run more or
less continuously since its debut on December 10, 1945,
making it the longest-running radio show with the same host, according to the
Guinness Book of World Records. The show celebrated its 60th anniversary on
December 10, 2005. Over its run it has introduced such talents to the world as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Woody
Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie, Huddie
Ledbetter, Joni Mitchell, Peter, Paul & Mary, Judy
Collins, Kingston Trio, Pete Seeger
and The
Weavers. In order to make sure that his radio program could not be censored
he has refused to be paid by WNYC for the past 65 years."
That's what Wikipedia says. But back to Lightfoot. He is so talented. We have seen him live several times and I am glad I saw him when we did; he is getting on and it shows.
Who else is "Canadian"? Blue Rodeo, Bruce Cockburn and Ian and Sylvia. We used to visit Texan friends every year for a week in The Gatineau's and I bought our hostess Bruce, Gordon and Ian & Sylvia CDs. Apparently, she hated them all.
Just too "Canadian".
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Don't hear much Can-Con down here, though Americand seem to have a fascination with 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald', played regularly on the Sirius Oldies channel I listen to.
ReplyDeleteI watched The Grey Cup this year, perhaps the first time since Russ Jackson and Lansdowne Park. As I'm sure you know, Gordon Lightfoot was part of the half-time entertainment.
I was stunned to discover that just like the rest of us, he has aged. But indeed, his songs are timeless.
"The Wreck" is probably popular in the US because of the large American component, many drowned...."the boat was the pride of the American side coming back fully loaded from Cleveland"...part of the lyrics.
DeleteSaw Russ Jackson interviewed on CBC during Grey Cup and he is still a class guy. Remember when the players all had day jobs? Jackson was a high school math teacher.