Explore the lives, the music, and the careers of three great Canadian superstars: Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, and Gordon Lightfoot.
Week 1 -Leonard Norman Cohen was born into an Orthodox Jewish family in the wealthy Montreal enclave of Westmount, Quebec. In 1951 he enrolled in McGill University ,where his mentor was Irving Layton. Cohen was drawn to poetry and, fiction writing throughout the 60s, often living a quasi-reclusive life where he could create.
Week 2 - Although he had taught himself guitar and had played and sung in University, it wasn’t until Judy Collins, forced him to perform with her at a benefit concert, that his musical career began. So at 33 in 1966 Leonard Cohen, the poet and author became the musical pop star.
Week 3 - After dropping out of school Joni began playing and singing at clubs, eventually heading to the US, where she became immersed in the folk scene.
Week 4 - Joni was never at the top of the Billboard charts, but both fans and critics alike revere her as a true artist and her influence on Pop music has been immense as a songwriter and a performer.
Week 5 - Gordon learned guitar at an early age and began to gather a following on the Toronto folk circuit, but it was his songwriting that brought him recognition on the international stage, as artists like Judy Collins, Marty Robbins and Bob Dylan recorded his songs.
Week 6 - Over his career he released 20 studio albums, three live albums, 16 greatest hits albums and 46 singles. He became a successful concert performer on the back of his songwriting and sold out concerts worldwide until his death in 2023.