![]() ![]() ![]() When he started playing the Mariposa Folk Festival in his hometown of Orillia, Ontario that same year, Lightfoot forged a relationship that made him the festival’s most loyal returning performer. Lightfoot made his popular radio debut with the single ”(Remember Me) I’m the One” in 1962, which led to a number of hit songs and partnerships with other local musicians. The singer was living with a few friends in a condemned building in Yorkville, then a bohemian area where future stars including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell would learn their trade at smoke-filled clubs. It was there he met fellow musician Ronnie Hawkins. His first gig was at Fran’s Restaurant, a downtown family-owned diner that warmed to his folk sensibilities. He pledged to move to Toronto to pursue his musical ambitions, taking any job available, including a position at a bank before landing a gig as a square dancer on CBC’s “Country Hoedown.” Kamau Bell to react to Roy Wood Jr.’s set at the White House Correspondents’ dinner (2:36) and discuss his new HBO documentary, 1000 Me: Growing Up. Life in Hollywood wasn’t a good fit, however, and it wasn’t long before Lightfoot returned to Canada. At age 13, the soprano won a talent contest at the Kiwanis Music Festival, held at Toronto’s Massey Hall. He began singing in his church choir and dreamed of becoming a jazz musician. While Lightfoot’s parents recognized his musical talents early, he didn’t set out to become a renowned balladeer. “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” for instance, is a haunting tribute to the 29 men who died in the 1975 sinking of the ship in Lake Superior during a storm. “It’s not country, not folk, not rock,” he said in a 2000 interview. Lightfoot’s music had a style all its own. When you grow up what do you want to be When you grow up what do you want to be When I grow up, when I grow up, when I grow up, I want to be a baker. “I take situations and write poems about them.” Song Lyrics When you grow up what do you want to be When you grow up what do you want to be When I grow up, when I grow up, when I grow up, I want to be a firefighter. “I simply write the songs about where I am and where I’m from,” he once said. Songs We Grew Up With Theatre, Performing arts space Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, City Hall Until EsplanadePhotograph: Songs We Grew Up With - PennyLane, Esplanade. “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” depicted the construction of the railway. Most of his songs are deeply autobiographical with lyrics that probe his own experiences in a frank manner and explore issues surrounding the Canadian national identity. King Charles III takes day off after busy coronation weekend
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