Celebrating 50 years, Gordon Lightfoot takes the ‘Carefree Highway’ to Wilkes-Barre on Aug. 2
From a press release:
It was announced today that renowned singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot will visit the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts in Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, Aug. 2 at 8 p.m.
Tickets, which are $39.50, $49.50, $59.50 and $71.50, plus applicable fees, go on sale this Friday, April 10 at 10 a.m. and will be available through the Kirby Center box office, online at kirbycenter.org, and charge by phone at 570-826-1100. A special Kirby Member pre-sale begins Thursday, April 9 at 10 a.m.
After 50 active years of hit song-making and international album sales well into the multi-millions, it’s safe to say that esteemed singer/songwriter and musician Gordon Lightfoot resides with some very exclusive company atop the list of all-time greats. His song catalog is incredibly vast and includes such immortals as “Early Morning Rain,” “If You Could Read My Mind,” “Carefree Highway,” “Sundown,” “(That’s What You Get) For Lovin Me,” “The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald,” “Cold On The Shoulder,” “Canadian Railroad Trilogy,” “Ribbon Of Darkness,” “Beautiful,” “Song For A Winter’s Night,” “Shadows,” “Rainy Day People,” “Did She Mention My Name,” and “Summertime Dream,” to name just a few.
But this year is special for the legendary artist, who has announced plans for a cross-country U.S. tour entitled “Gordon Lightfoot – 50 Years on the Carefree Highway.” The tour will feature his well-known hits as well as some deep album cuts for the die-hard fans, all of which are woven together with some of Lightfoot’s own behind-the-scenes stories and personal anecdotes about his historic 50-year musical career. The event is sure to be a big thrill for live audiences and anyone who enjoys hearing great music and seeing a living legend in person.
Lightfoot has recorded 20 albums and has five Grammy nominations. His songs have been aired regularly for five decades, earning him radio single chart positions in North America achieved by few others. Lightfoot’s radio hits in the U.S. have earned five No. 1s, five Top 10s, and 13 Top 40 hits. In Canada, he has earned 16 No. 1s, 18 Top 10s, and 21 Top 40 hits.
Aside from his success in writing, singing, and performing his own music, Lightfoot’s songs have been recorded and performed by some of the greatest artists of all time, including Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Jr., Marty Robbins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Judy Collins, Eric Clapton, Johnny Mathis, Anne Murray, Olivia Newton-John, Sarah McLachlan, Barbra Streisand, Peter Paul & Mary, Harry Belafonte, Jane’s Addiction, Richie Havens, Glen Campbell, Toby Keith, Alison Krauss, and George Hamilton IV.
In June of 2012, Lightfoot’s legacy was further enhanced when he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Lightfoot was honored for his role in defining the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and ’70s. There are fewer than 400 inductees who make up the impressive roster enshrined in the Songwriters Hall of Fame including: Burt Bacharach, John Fogerty, Bob Dylan, Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Elton John, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, James Brown, Bruce Springsteen, Jim Croce, Phil Collins, Loretta Lynn, Van Morrison, Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Diane Warren, Garth Brooks, and Leonard Cohen.
In his native Canada, Lightfoot has been decorated with the highest honors bestowed to a civilian, including the Governor’s General Award and the Companion to the Order of Canada honor of merit. He has also won 17 Juno Awards, Canada’s equivalent to the Grammy Awards. Gordon is a member of Canada’s Walk of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2007, Canada Post honored him by issuing an official Gordon Lightfoot postage stamp. Lightfoot is also in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. He is an indelible part of the Canadian national spirit and regarded as perhaps the most prolific and greatest Canadian singer/songwriter of all time.
