The Band, Gordon Lightfoot Heritage Prize Albums In Focus On Polaris Podcast EP 11

Gordon Lightfoot’s ‘Lightfoot!’ and The Band’s ‘The Band’

For Polaris Podcast episode 11 we focus on two albums that recently received Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize hall of fame designation — Gordon Lightfoot’s Lightfoot! and The Band’s self-titled album.

Nick Jennings, a Polaris juror and author of the recently released book Lightfoot, used the podcast to tell a story about the time Lightfoot and Dylan played music together at a house party.

“Dylan views Lightfoot as being an equal,” says Jennings.

Rob Bowman, a Grammy-winning musical historian and Polaris juror, spoke about “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” the song written by The Band’s Robbie Robertson.

“It’s amazing that a Canadian could write a song that captures the feelings of a made up character that represents thousands of real people who lived in the South during the Confederacy, fought in the Civil War, and lost. And write it with sympathy and empathy,” says Bowman.

Ace band The Sadies have worked with seven of the 20 acts who’ve made Heritage Prize-designated albums since Polaris started this hall of fame award three years ago (The Tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo, Eric’s Trip, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Neil Young, The Band and Gordon Lightfoot). As an added bonus, we spoke to The Sadies’ Travis Good about his family’s close connection to Lightfoot.

The Polaris Podcast is available in iTunes, Google Play, Soundcloud, and on podcast distribution services such as Acast, Overcast and Stitcher.

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