The Gordon Lightfoot who first performed in Toronto's Yorkville, what's now one of Canada's ritziest neighbourhoods, is not the Gordon Lightfoot we know today.
Yorkville transformed musicians, from Lightfoot to Neil Young to Joni Mitchell, almost as thoroughly as it was transformed in the second half of the 20th century. The neighbourhood now known for its multimillion-dollar condos, high-end restaurants and luxury boutiques was just 60 years ago a haven for hippies and a “hothouse” for future folk legends.
In 1962, they recorded an album live in one of those coffee shops and named it “Two Tones at the Village Corner.” “The newspaper reviews of Gordon's first appearance at the Riverboat in the spring of 1965, and then the reviews in the fall of 1965, the development that these critics talk about is just incredible,” he said.Sylvia Tyson, who was herself a Yorkville folkie as one half of the duo Ian & Sylvia, recalled rubbing shoulders with Lightfoot at the time.
Real estate in the area was undervalued at the time, he said, so it was cheap and easy to rent a space and bring musicians in to attract customers. “It was a scene in the sense that Haight Ashbury in San Francisco was a scene. Yorkville had its own distinctive vibe. There were lots of shops offering drug paraphernalia, people smoking pot all over the place - back before that was legal, obviously,” he said.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Folk haven Yorkville changed Gordon Lightfoot before its own ritzy transformationLightfoot, who first performed in Toronto’s Yorkville, is not the Gordon Lightfoot we know today.
Read more »
Folk haven Yorkville changed Gordon Lightfoot before its own ritzy transformationThe Gordon Lightfoot who first performed in Toronto's Yorkville, what's now one of Canada's ritziest neighbourhoods, is not the Gordon Lightfoot we know today.
Read more »
A community, a nation bids heart-felt farewell to Gordon Lightfoot'I wouldn't be exaggerating to say that Gordon Lightfoot put Orillia on the map,' longtime band member says as hundreds line up to say goodbye to iconic singer, songwriter
Read more »
A community, a nation bids heart-felt farewell to Gordon Lightfoot'I wouldn't be exaggerating to say that Gordon Lightfoot put Orillia on the map,' longtime band member says as hundreds line up to say goodbye to iconic singer, songwriter
Read more »
Fans to pay respects at Gordon Lightfoot public visitation today in Orillia, Ont.ORILLIA, ONT. - Fans of late folk singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot will have an opportunity to pay their respects in his Orillia, Ont., hometown tod...
Read more »