Anne Murray carried many tunes throughout her singing career but she says the lyrical quality of a Gordon Lightfoot song rose above most others.

The retired East Coast performer recalled her memories of Lightfoot, who died of natural causes on Monday at age 84, as they both came up in Canada鈥檚 music scene.

Lightfoot was several years ahead of her on the road to fame, which meant that as a cast member on CBC鈥檚 music television show 鈥淪ingalong Jubilee鈥� in the 1960s, she sometimes performed covers of his songs.

鈥淲e used to do all of them 鈥� 鈥楩or Lovin鈥� Me,鈥� 鈥楽teel Rail Blues鈥� 鈥� the songs were just so good,鈥� she said by phone from Halifax.

鈥淭he lyrics were easy to wrap your voice around. They were so personal and yet they all had such a universal feel to them and appealed to a lot of people 鈥� anyone would want to sing them.鈥�

Murray was among the Canadian musicians who paid tribute to the folk singer鈥檚 legacy, with some saying his influence on the country鈥檚 collective identity is immeasurable.

Sharon Hampson, who came of age in Toronto鈥檚 Yorkville music scene, recalled how Lightfoot floated around the city鈥檚 venues before he became a household name in the 1960s.

鈥淗e really was a genius and so completely understated,鈥� said Hampson, who was part of the children鈥檚 group Sharon, Lois and Bram.

She recalled a passing conversation with a stranger at the 2019 Mariposa Folk Festival, a longtime music event in Lightfoot鈥檚 hometown of Orillia, Ont. that helped launch his career and became forever linked with his legacy.

鈥淭he man said, 鈥業鈥檓 from Orillia and people do not know what a kind and generous person Gordon Lightfoot was. He helped Orillia over and over and nobody needed to know about it,鈥濃�� Hampson remembered by phone.

鈥淚 loved that. He didn鈥檛 need to have his name on this or that, he just wanted to do good.鈥�

Former Barenaked Ladies member Steven Page credited Lightfoot as 鈥渢he archetype of the Canadian singer-songwriter鈥� helped by breakout success in the United States, where his album 鈥淪undown鈥� went to No. 1.

Page said in a phone interview that Lightfoot sculpted a model of success stateside that would be 鈥渂roken, smashed and resculpted鈥� by future generations of Canadians.

Despite finding fame outside the country, Lightfoot rarely uprooted himself from his homeland for long.

鈥淓ven though he did spend time in the United States and made records there,鈥� Page added, 鈥渉e was still deeply connected to the country, the landscape and the personality of Canada.鈥�

Rock musician Tom Cochrane said Lightfoot鈥檚 steadfast ties to Canada came up in a conversation once with the singer.

鈥淗e said to me, 鈥榊ou know, trees grow in certain soils, and this soil has been a very powerful soil for me to grow,鈥欌�� he recalled.

鈥淲hy would I leave this country? This is where I bear fruit.鈥�

Cochrane described Lightfoot as a personal friend and inspiration who proved himself as one of Canada鈥檚 鈥渟eminal cultural artists鈥� while being 鈥渁 heck of a nice guy鈥� all the while.

He twice honoured Lightfoot for his musical contributions 鈥� the first time was when he inducted Lightfoot into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003.

At that ceremony, he compared Lightfoot to one of the Group of Seven artists, a compliment Cochrane said resonated with the musician who 鈥渟aw himself genuinely as the cultural embodiment of who we are as a nation.鈥�

Some turned to social media to express their sadness in losing the 鈥淚f You Could Read My Mind鈥� and 鈥淪undown鈥� singer-songwriter.

Bryan Adams tweeted that he was 鈥済utted to know he was gone,鈥� adding that 鈥渢he world is a lesser place without him,鈥� while Jann Arden said Lightfoot鈥檚 songs are 鈥渨oven into the fabric of our everyday lives.鈥�

Guitarist Liona Boyd called Lightfoot a friend of nearly half a century and 鈥渙ne of the greatest songwriters of all time鈥� who influenced her own work.

鈥淕ordon was a unique and special person,鈥� she said in an emailed statement.

He was 鈥渞esponsible for giving me one of my biggest breaks early in my career when I opened for him on tour in the 鈥�70s.鈥�

Lightfoot鈥檚 artistic drive is at least part of what kept him motivated to continue touring well into his final years.

He became known for his loyalty to Toronto鈥檚 Massey Hall, a venue that practically raised him. He first played there when he was barely a teenager and made it a frequent stop on his tours, at one point appearing at least once a year.

As he got older, Lightfoot continued to pack his schedule with dozens of concert show dates across North America and Europe, playing up until health issues sidelined him last year.

Murray said Lightfoot鈥檚 road warrior spirit became a topic of conversation well over a decade ago when they both shared a table at a Canada鈥檚 Walk of Fame ceremony. Somebody asked both musicians how much longer they would continue performing live.

鈥淗e said, 鈥榃e鈥檝e got to keep going, don鈥檛 we Anne?鈥欌�� she remembered.

鈥淎nd I went, 鈥楴o, Gordon, I don鈥檛 think so.鈥� But what he wanted to do was perform until he couldn鈥檛. He wanted to go out like Willie Nelson. He wanted to go on forever. That was his life, that鈥檚 what he loved.鈥�

鈥擠avid Friend, The Canadian Press

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