Bill Laird, the man behind the huge orange treble clef at the end of Alexander Street in Salmon Arm, was met with a question first thing on the morning of May 2.
鈥淟inda got up Tuesday morning and said, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e going to do something, right?鈥欌�� explained Laird, referring to his spouse.
She was talking about iconic Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, 84, who died on Monday, May 1, in a Toronto hospital.
They talked about a banner and argued whether it should say 鈥榤usical laureate鈥� or just 鈥榣aureate.鈥�
Then things got rolling.
鈥淢y wife gets the credit for the idea and everybody else gets the credit for pitching in,鈥� said Laird, emphasizing his part was minuscule.
He reached Lew Dies and Jamie Walters at Spectrum Signworks, who immediately went to work creating a banner. He also contacted Joe Chartier at Shuswap Rentals, who provided a hoist. The banner was hung on the treble clef by 3 p.m. that day.
鈥淚 want to stress how much they helped,鈥� he reiterated.
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Laird explained that Linda grew up in Ontario, where she and her brother Roger taught themselves to play guitar by listening to Gordon Lightfoot.
鈥淟inda was playing Lightfoot before I met her,鈥� he said, but Lightfoot songs soon became a common soundscape in their home.
The couple also went to see him perform a couple of times and to his hometown, Orillia, Ont.
Linda has been singing Lightfoot tunes steadily since his death, Laird said.
鈥淗e鈥檚 been a big part of our musical life. It is a big thing for Canada. He was absolutely a wonderful writer. Some of his ballads are amazing.鈥�
This weekend, the 鈥淥ur Musical Laureate - Gordon Lightfoot鈥� banner will be coming down, but his musical creations won鈥檛 be soon forgotten, not at the Lairds鈥� home, nor, undoubtedly, in many others across the country.
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martha.wickett@saobserver.net
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