My Memories Of Singer-Songwriter Gordon Lightfoot

The passing of Gordon Lightfoot triggered memories of my earlier years in Toronto, Canada. Lightfoot was a staple of the Canadian music scene and an international star. He epitomized the folk singer of the 1960s and 70s.

I saw him in person in the 60s in an area of Toronto known as Yorkville. Like New York's Greenwich Village, it was home to several music clubs.

The club where he played was down some steps in a basement—typical of the Beatnik era. I was 10 feet away from him; that's how intimate the setting was.

Yorkville was also a hangout for many draft dodgers who had fled the U.S. to Toronto to avoid Vietnam. At the time, I was driving a taxi to help pay my way through college.

I only heard little about Lightfoot in recent years, but the memories of his songs linger. In particular, what stands out for me is the classic, If You Could Read My Mind.