Legend Of Edmund Fitzgerald Lives On 50 Years Later Thanks To Gordon Lightfoot

Unrelated to local news whatsoever . . . We take a moment to share American cultural context and celebrate the power of storytelling and music through the ages. 

Apropos for this nostalgic Autumn season . . . This song was before our time but, Gen-Xers might remember that pop music was vastly different than today's online streaming options that are totally dictated by algorithmic programming. Old school radio listeners might remember that listening was SOMETIMES influenced by DJs who were offered some level of independence from the corporate playlists of the day . . . Translation: People were allowed/encouraged to share songs that struck a chord and music discovery was far more organic.

And so .  . . 

Today's important historical marker endures despite the ongoing evolution and greater segmentation throughout Western society . . . Far from river city, we note a tragedy that occurred on this date 50 years ago . . . 

"The Edmund Fitzgerald was a Great Lakes freighter ship, which sunk in a November storm on Lake Superior in 1975. None of her 29 crew members survived, and none of their remains were ever recovered. A song by Canadian folk musician Gordon Lightfoot made the tragedy one of the most famous maritime disasters in history."

And here's our favorite detail that might give even the most stoic readers a moment of pause . . .  

"Traditionally, the bell at the Mariners' Church of Detroit is tolled 29 times each year for the 29 crew members who perished when the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank, a tribute memorialized in Lightfoot's famous song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". In a gesture of respect and gratitude on May 2, 2023, the day after Gordon Lightfoot's death, the bell at the church bell was rung a 30th time in his honor." 

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Fifty years after Edmund Fitzgerald claimed 29 lives, Gordon Lightfoot's musical memorial endures

Gordon Lightfoot transformed a Lake Superior shipwreck into his most famous song. The Edmund Fitzgerald ballad became a timeless tribute to 29 lost sailors.

The Edmund Fitzgerald Sank 50 Years Ago, But The Legend Lives On

This is why we still remember the 1975 wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald 50 years later.

Edmund Fitzgerald 50th anniversary memorials: Lighthouses, churches, how to watch livestreams

It's been 50 years since the tragic sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald with 29 men aboard.