The influence of "folk" music on the Great American Songbook has been in what we consider two waves. The showtime is unquestionably the influence of Stephen Foster and like "folk" music in the very foundation of American popular song, beginning with Irving Berlin.

The second wave of folk music was markedly unlike; information technology was folk music equally a specific segment of pop. It began with groups like the Weavers, continued with Terry Gilkeyson, The Kingston Trio, and Harry Belafonte.

Some historians fence that a third wave hit with the likes of The Eagles, Jackson Browne, Crosby-Stills-Nash, and Linda Ronstadt. The consensus at PopularSong.org, however, is that these later artists were only standing the second wave. This is based on the idea that acts similar The Rooftop Singers, Barry McGuire, Judy Collins, Roger McGuinn and Joan Baez bridged the gap from the 1950s to the 1970s. In this mode of thinking, the 2nd wave of folk influence began with The Weavers and connected through the belatedly 1970s, when Bernie Leadon left the Eagles and took the folk influence with him into obscurity. Although artists like Collins and John Denver carried on, their importance dwindled right well-nigh the fourth dimension the Eagles plugged into Hotel California.

Each of the artists above is connected in some fashion; the globe of folk music is a friendly club, and folkies gravitate to ane another. Thus a common thread tin be traced from The Weavers through the Eagles, and this 2nd wave of folk music was rife with inbreeding.

One artist came on the scene during the second wave of folk music who somehow tied information technology all together, marrying folk to pop, created new standards, and traced information technology all back to Stephen Foster. He's a Canadian who redefined folk music in American Popular Song, and his proper name is Gordon Lightfoot.

Like many singer/songwriters, nosotros could hem and haw about whether he should exist considered a singer or a songwriter. If anything, Lightfoot has been much more than prolific as a songwriter. How to choose? In Lightfoot's example his recordings and performances are still extremely powerful, while his songs recorded past other singers are mostly obscure. So with that in heed, we present folksinger Gordon Lightfoot, and reverberate on his contribution to the Great American Songbook.

Dorsum up a couple paragraphs, and you lot'll meet that we describe Lightfoot as someone who tied it all together. Like Irving Berlin, Lightfoot lists Stephen Foster among his most significant influences. He moved to California at historic period 20 and began to study jazz and classical, but had to generate commercial-sounding music to put food on the table. Then in retrospect, if Berlin hadn't invented pop song, Lightfoot probably would have. It simply would've sounded a lot more similar folk.

Afterward a few years writing jingles and studying in California, Lightfoot returned to Canada and his musical roots. By the mid 1960s he was circulating in and amid the folkie oversupply on both sides of the border. His songs were recorded past acts like Ian and Sylvia, Judy Collins, The Kingston Trio, and Peter, Paul & Mary. Lightfoot made a few records of his own, having reasonable success locally in Toronto.

Buoyed by his success, Lightfoot signed with United Artists and generated a string of hits in Canada. He appeared at U.S. festivals and on television, merely an American striking eluded him. Two of his 1960s compositions became well-known songs for other artists; "Ribbon of Darkness" for Marty Robbins, and "Early Morning Rain" for Judy Collins and then Elvis Presley.

Declining to chart stateside, Lightfoot was released by United Artists, just picked upwardly by the more progressive Warner/Reprise label in 1970. Warners was run by visionary Mo Ostin at the fourth dimension. Ostin was known for signing has-beens and obscure acts alike, as long every bit they showed a creative spark. He inked The Embankment Boys at the absolute ebb of their career, and Frank Zappa when he was deemed besides baroque past other major labels. Working with the likes of Lenny Waronker, Ted Templeman, and Van Dyke Parks, Ostin had an ear for quality.

Lightfoot rewarded the label immediately with a hit. "If You Could Read My Mind" was almost raw, a minimal production that soared to #5 in the United states of america on the basis of Lightfoot'southward performance. He had penned the song well-nigh his awaiting divorce, and the emotion is inescapable.

Despite the success of "If Y'all Could Read My Heed," Lightfoot was not inclined to create pop. His breakthrough album in the U.Due south. was Don Quixote, which yielded a number of highly regarded simply commercially obscure songs. Some of his early 1970s songs limped into the Hot 100, but didn't hit the meridian half. Warners wasn't really expecting many hit singles from a Canadian folk vocalizer. The label was satisfied with the albums, which sold reasonably well.

Lightfoot finally cracked the pop charts once more in 1974, this time in a large way. "Sundown," a single from the album of the same name peaked at #1 on the U.s. charts, both the pop and the easy listening charts. The subject of the vocal was infidelity in a drug and alcohol infused human relationship. Lightfoot readily admits that it was written about Cathy Evelyn Smith, a Canadian-built-in redundancy vocaliser/groupie who cut quite a swath through the pop and folk world of the early on 1970s.

Oddly enough, this was only the second known hit vocal with inspiration contributed by Ms. Smith. The first was allegedly "The Weight," written by Robbie Robertson of The Band. "The Weight" wasn't exclusively nearly Smith, who was dating diverse members of The Band. (The song was released by the group in 1968, just didn't make much chart noise. Aretha Franklin picked it upward, and took the song to #18.) Later leaving The Band, Smith began her tumultuous affair with Lightfoot, which ended every bit "Sundown" was climbing the charts in 1974. She then took up with quasi-folkie Hoyt Axton, singing and even co-writing a song chosen "Wink of Fire." Somehow Smith was pulled back into the orbit of The Band while that group was actualization on Saturday Night Alive in the tardily 1970s, and ultimately gained national notoriety for serving upwardly the elixir of cocaine and heroin that killed John Belushi.

You'll accept to pardon that slight detour; the Smith saga is included here considering of her role in "Sundown," a song that remains popular. Three decades subsequently, Lightfoot's recording doesn't sound dated at all, which is rather unusual for music from the 1970s.

Another archetype from that anthology is "Carefree Highway," which peaked at #10 pop and #one on the easy listening charts. The LP itself also rode to #ane on both the pop and piece of cake listening album charts. It was too a solid seller on the state charts, and the songs were covered past country artists.

By all definitions, "Sundown" is a popular standard. "Carefree Highway" doesn't quite have the same status, but remains popular to some extent. He followed these a year after with "Rainy Day People," which is a song that absolutely begs to be re-recorded by a contemporary artist. Perhaps the idea of duplicating Lightfoot's incredible performance on the original is merely too daunting; it supports our premise that his importance every bit a vocalist easily rivals his importance every bit a songwriter.

By 1976 Lightfoot'due south records were among the most compelling offerings on mainstream radio. On a radio dial crowded with songs like "Disco Duck," "Convoy," and "Give thanks God I'm a Land Boy," Gordon's songs required more but vacuous enjoyment. His records didn't appeal to everyone, but everyone noticed them. He provided important music at a time when America was mostly tuned in to disco.

His signature song is arguably "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," a surprise hit released during the summer of 1976. It'southward probably ane of the most unusual entries in the Great American Songbook, a long narrative with no chorus. The melody is carried by Gordon's song. It should be pointed out that he never had a tremendous range, and he couldn't hold a note for any significant length of time. Yet his vocal style — particularly on Edmund Fitzgerald — is what makes the song piece of work. In the 30 years since, folk guitarists in coffee shops and nightclubs across the country take dreaded the inevitable audience request: "do you know the Edmund Fitzgerald song?"

Pop music's overproduced sound and obsession with poofy pilus left little room for Gordon Lightfoot in the 1980s. His output slowed, and he faded from the charts. He had some health issues in contempo years — at one indicate came shut to dying — but a return to the live phase and a critically-acclaimed 2004 anthology Harmony led to a "re-discovery" of his music. Every bit Lightfoot continues to tour in the new millenium, respect for his songs and his influence is college than ever.

If you lot don't have whatsoever Gordon Lightfoot music in your collection, there is an affluence of greatest hits collections to cull from. Must-haves are of grade, "Edmund Fitzgerald," "Sundown," "Daylight Katy," "Cotton wool Jenny," "Rainy Day People," "If You Could Read My Mind," "Carefree Highway," "The Circle Is Modest," "Beautiful," "The Summer Side of Life," "The Watchman'south Gone," and of course "Early Mornin' Rain."

At present if you want a little more than but a collection of great songs, the album to look at is Sundown. This is one of the all-time albums released in the 1970s, and like most important artists, Lightfoot'due south individual CDs present a much more thorough expression of his music than a greatest hits CD. The link goes to Amazon, and so you have a option of CD or download — or even vinyl — whichever you adopt. Best thing about ownership from Amazon.com, besides the fact that you don't have to drive anywhere, is that yous can return them if you don't similar them.