Almost two years after his death, Gordon Lightfootsa国际传媒 legacy continues to live on, and dedicated musicians and fans like John Paul Byrne are ensuring it remains strong for years to come.
The legendary Canadian singer-songwriter died on May 1, 2023, at the age of 84. Lightfoot is considered one of the greatest songwriters in Canadian history, and Byrne, like many others, believes the man who wrote Early Morning Rain, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, and If You Could Read My Mind is one of the greatest lyricists to ever live.
Fans of Lightfoot throughout the Okanagan Valley will be happy to know that Byrne and several of his musical friends, with the Gordon Lightfoot Tribute, are keeping Lightfootsa国际传媒 musical legacy alive. They will be performing two upcoming concerts.
The first concert is scheduled for Sunday, April 6, at the Venables Theatre in Oliver. The second is set for April 12 at the Country Music Hall of Fame building in Merritt. Additional shows have been confirmed at the Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre on May 3; sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 Mary Irwin Theatre on June 13; and Pentictonsa国际传媒 Cleland Theatre on June 15, which coincides with Fathersa国际传媒 Day.
Byrne, the longtime owner and publisher of Okanagan Life Magazine, is thrilled to be enjoying his retirement years playing music and paying homage to Lightfoot.
鈥淲e put a band together last year, and it kind of took off,鈥 said Byrne, who has called sa国际传媒 home for many years. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been having a lot of fun and some really great experiences with it.鈥
Like millions of Canadians, Byrne grew up listening to AM and FM radio, enjoying the many hit songs Lightfoot wrote and produced throughout his prolific career.
鈥淚 grew up with Gordon Lightfoot on the radio and heard all of his hits,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 really became a huge fan when I was about 21-years old, when a good friend introduced me to more of his music. This guy was a musician himself, and I鈥檝e been a huge fan ever since.鈥
Not only is Lightfoot considered one of the greatest Canadian songwriters in history, but he is also regarded as one of the best songwriters to ever put pen to paper, according to Byrne.
鈥淚 think hesa国际传媒 written some of the greatest songs ever,鈥 said Byrne. 鈥淥n a global scale, hesa国际传媒 one of the greatest songwriters to ever live. Music is subjective, but the power of his lyrics is simply incredible.鈥
The fact that Bob Dylan -- an American icon often hailed as the greatest lyricist in history, or at least of the rock and roll era -- has expressed admiration for Lightfoot as both a person and a lyricist is a huge compliment, said Byrne.
鈥淒ylan is a huge fan, absolutely,鈥 Byrne said.
Byrne had the privilege of seeing Lightfoot and his band perform live many times during his 50-year career. The impact Lightfoot had as a live performer was undeniable, especially when his loyal fans sang every word along with him.
鈥淚 got to meet Gord at the sa国际传媒 Community Theatre on Oct. 29, 2014,鈥 Byrne recalled. 鈥淚 kept the ticket, and he signed an album for me. I told him, 鈥業f You Could Read My Mind鈥 is, to me, the greatest song ever written. It speaks so deeply to human emotion. I still get emotional every time I sing it.鈥
One of the members of the Lightfoot Tribute Band is Ray Roper, who has five solo albums to his name and was part of a band called Stone Bolt, which achieved success in the late 1970s.
The first gig Byrne played as strictly a tribute to Lightfoot was with Roper in sa国际传媒 in November of 2023. After that, Byrne began talking to other musicians from sa国际传媒 and the surrounding area to see if they would like to join the tribute band.
鈥淲e鈥檝e added some great players recently who are doing an amazing job,鈥 said Byrne. 鈥淚t just kind of took off. We started adding more shows, and they were selling out. We just kept it going and added new players to the band.鈥
Other members of the band include bassist Dave Barga, drummer Ray Lee, and Ian Stewart on pedal steel.
鈥淲hatsa国际传媒 interesting about this band is that they鈥檙e all excellent musicians and in high demand, often busy with other gigs,鈥 said Byrne. 鈥淪o, I have a second backup band with talented musicians who can step in when needed.鈥
Some gigs are with the full five-piece band, while others feature duos or trios, depending on the availability of musicians.
The concert at the Venables Theatre in Oliver on April 6 has been planned for some time, and Byrne expects a large crowd as the show has been heavily promoted.
鈥淭he response to the Lightfoot tribute has been overwhelming for over a year now,鈥 he said.
The concert at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Merritt will be a smaller venue, holding only a couple of hundred people.
After publishing Okanagan Life Magazine for 30 years before ceasing operations in 2019, Byrne admits that he never had more fun than hesa国际传媒 having now with the Lightfoot tribute.
Byrne also wrote a musical called Ink: The Musical, which featured 30 performers in 2006 in Vancouver. The musical paid tribute to his long career as a journalist and publisher and had nine performances at Performance Works Theatre on Granville Island.
Before the Lightfoot tribute, Byrne performed as a solo musician for over a decade but found it challenging to make a living playing cover tunes.
鈥淚tsa国际传媒 so difficult to make a living doing that, but I really admire the few who can,鈥 he said.
Things have changed with the Lightfoot tribute, which highlights just how beloved Lightfootsa国际传媒 music remains.
Lightfoot wrote dozens of songs Byrne loves to sing, but the ones that get the strongest audience reactions include If You Could Read My Mind, Sundown, and The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
鈥淭hose three are by far the biggest crowd-pleasers,鈥 Byrne said.
Being able to step into retirement from Okanagan Life Magazine and spend so much time playing Lightfootsa国际传媒 music is something Byrne cherishes.
Byrne and his band are planning several other shows across the Okanagan Valley this spring, summer, and fall.
Byrne can be reached by text at 250-862-1639.
You can also view him and the band performing live on his Facebook page at John Paul Byrne Music.
Tickets for the Oliver show can be obtained at the Frank Venables Theatre box office at: , or by calling 250-498-1626.
Tickets for the Merritt show are available at:ccmhalloffame.com, or by calling 250-315-5508.
