Why Not Give It a Try: Gordon Lightfoot Goes ‘Solo’

When Gordon Light-foot soared to the top of the U.S. singles charts with 1970’s “If You Could Read My Mind,” most listeners considered him a new artist. But the Ontario-born singer-songwriter was a seasoned veteran of the music scene. Already in his 30s, Light-foot had been releasing albums since early 1966. Sit Down Young Stranger (retitled If You Could Read My Mind to capitalize upon the single’s runaway success) was his fifth studio long-player.

Though he was already successful at home in Canada, Lightfoot’s breakthrough LP would signal the beginning of his career as an internationally-recognized artist. He would score 11 singles on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart in the 1970s, and three more in the following decade. Two of his albums — Sit Down Young Stranger / If You Could Read My Mind and 1978’s Endless Wire — went gold; Sundown (1974) and 1976’s Summertime Dream went platinum. His 1975 best-of collection may have been titled Gord’s Gold, but sales-wise it was double platinum. The folk-rocker was indeed a rock star.

And Gordon Lightfoot remains a persistent fixture on the touring circuit. When other artists of his age — he celebrated his 81 birthday last November — have ceased touring or at least scaled back their appearances, Lightfoot has maintained a vigorous touring schedule. Though it was stopped in its tracks by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, his extended “80 Years Strong” tour showcased