The legacy of Gordon Lightfoot will be celebrated at the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre this spring, and fans will be able to hear an expert rendition of the legendary songwriter’s works through the Regina-based and award-winning talent Jack Semple.
This coming Saturday, April 6, Semple will be stopping at the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre during his Canada-wide tour where he will be performing a live commemorative concert to honour the memory and legacy of Lightfoot who died on May 1, 2023.
The performance will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and is scheduled to run until 10 p.m.
“That’s what it’s going to be – it’s going to be all Gordon Lightfoot tunes, mostly acoustic guitar with some electric guitar…,” Semple confirmed. The style will be predominantly acoustic blues.
The performance will feature a number of Lightfoot’s more popular songs including “If You Could Read My Mind,” “Canadian Railroad Trilogy,” “Sundown,” and “Carefree Highway.”
He said many of these songs are masterpieces comparable to “Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell or “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen. “You know, the ones that stand above all the other popular music that has ever been written.
“‘If You Could Read My Mind’ is, from a songwriter’s point of view, a masterpiece.”
Growing up on a farm north of Regina, Sask., Semple began his career playing with a number of Regina-based bands. During the 80s, he moved to Toronto where he became the lead guitarist of The Lincolns, a popular funk, rhythm, and blues band.
Semple left the band after two years and returned to Regina where he was able to spend more time with his family. It was here that he started to pursue a solo career in music.
Since his career began, Semple released 10 albums, appeared in the title role of the 1994 television movie “Guitarman”, and in 1992 he came to national prominence after winning the “Guitar Wars” contest hosted by MuchMusic.
Semple has been twice nominated for a Gemini Award for his work on the soundtrack of the television series “Incredible Story Studio.” He won a Juno award in 1991 for best roots recording and two Western Canadian Music Awards for “Qu’Appelle” and “In the Blue Light.”
Today, Semple continues to perform across Canada with the five-member Jack Semple Band.
So far this year, the band has performed in Regina, Prince Albert, Estevan, and Semple said he plans to tour in Edmonton, Calgary, and Winnipeg in the upcoming months.
“The very first concert I ever went to, I was 11 years old, (and it) was a Gordon Lightfoot concert. That was before I was playing guitar,” Semple recalled.
“I think it had a big impression on me, because I had never seen live music before. Gordon Lightfoot is as good a song writer as Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, or Lennon McCartney so it left a big impression on me.
“It was probably the main reason I became a professional musician,” he said.
Semple was drawn to Lightfoot’s songs primarily because of the high level of creativity and his mastery of classical songwriting.
“I also got to meet him a few times, and he was a very humble and helpful person,” Semple noted.
“I made a tribute to him back in 2006… and I gave it to him. He was very gracious to phone me back after a couple of weeks and go through the CD with me. He gave me his thumbs up and (told me) how much he liked it.”
As a testament to the character of Gordon Lightfoot, Semple said he was well received on each occasion he got to meet the legend in person.
“I got a thumbs up from the master,” he said. “He didn’t have to do that, because he didn’t know me from a hole in the ground (at the time).”
To purchase tickets for the upcoming concert, visit MooseJawCulture.ca or call the box office of the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre at 306-693-4700.
For more information on Jack Semple and his musical career, visit JackSemple.com.
