A Virginian Tribute - Naomi Weisman

Naomi Weisman is a Canadian-Australian and mother of three, who loves to ramble with her dog, cook for family and friends, and laugh whenever possible.

Growing up in Canada in the 1960s and 1970s, we were practically spoon-fed Gordon Lightfoot with our Pablum. He is a part of the soundtrack to most of our lives. What I didn’t realize until relatively recently is that Gordon (yes, we are on a first-name basis) is a part of people’s musical soundtracks worldwide.

In March 2017, my partner Brian and I went on a road trip to Charleston, South Carolina. On our first night, we booked a hotel in a tiny town in Virginia. The hotel advertised itself as the “oldest Inn in America.” It had been a long day of driving from Toronto, and we were tired, hungry, and a bit grumpy. It was 7:00 pm, and the town was completely dark.

We walked into the lobby of this very charming inn, were greeted by a lovely older couple, and were shown to our rooms. Once settled, I went downstairs to ask if they had a restaurant, as the rest of the town seemed closed. The clerk grinned and then said, “Well, y’all can go to the left if you want a quiet meal at the bar, or you can go to the right where we are having our weekly open-mike night in the dining hall.”

Which way did we go, left or right? If you know me even a little bit, we went to the right. Right into the fray of banjos, washboards, fiddles, and harmonicas, all fired up and ready for the two tired Canadians to enjoy!

The only two seats left were at a long communal table in the front. We sat down, ordered our meal, and tapped our toes to the bluegrass playing on the stage. The people around us were all locals. They were all speaking in that lovely southern drawl, wearing plaid and suspenders, and laughing.

The woman to the left of me, whose husband was on stage playing the banjo, asked me where we were from. When I told her that we were from Toronto, her eyes got really wide, and she let the entire table of patrons know that we had come “all the way from Canada!” She ran up to her husband, whispered in his ear, and returned to the table, grinning.

Brian and I were in our element, listening to bluegrass. Interacting with all the bluegrass enthusiasts in the room was a wonderful experience, but what came next was out of this world. The banjo-playing husband of the lovely woman sitting next to me grabbed the microphone and said, “Y’all need to give a warm welcome to the Canadians in the front row. " He then dedicated the next song to us with much clapping and cheering from the crowd.

Then, the entire group of amateur musicians on the stage broke into Gordon Lightfoot's Alberta Bound. Everyone in the room was singing along and smiling at us. They also sang Sundown and Rainy Day People before the evening ended.

For some reason, the memory of this experience visits me often. Whenever a Gordon Lightfoot song is playing, I think about it. The feeling of love, acceptance, and community we felt in that little inn in the middle of nowhere was palpable. The fact that it was coupled with the music I grew up listening to, which reminds me so much of my parents, sometimes makes me emotional.

I’ve always known that Gordon Lightfoot was a Canadian national treasure, but I guess I never considered him important outside our borders. In 2019, Brian and I watched a documentary that some of you might enjoy. It is called Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind. I learned a lot about him, his life, and his impact on folk music worldwide.

Try to watch it if you can. The music is amazing.

How has the music of Gordon Lightfoot impacted your life? What are your favorite Gordon Lightfoot memories? What are your favorite songs?

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