LEGENDARY Canadian singer-songwriter and musician Gordon Lightfoot has announced he will tour to Newcastle City Hall on Saturday, May 21, 2016 – the first time he has been back to the UK dates since 1985. Tickets go on sale at 10am tomorrow (Friday, May 15)

After 50 years of performing and international album sales well into the multi-millions, the 76-year-old's list of all-time greats includes Early Morning Rain, If You Could Read My Mind, Carefree Highway, Sundown, (That's What You Get) For Lovin Me, The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald, Cold On The Shoulder, Canadian Railroad Trilogy, Ribbon Of Darkness, Beautiful, Song For A Winter's Night, Shadows, Rainy Day People, Did She Mention My Name and Summertime Dream.

Lightfoot's visit to Tyneside will feature his full band and performances of his best-known hits as well as some deep album cuts for the die-hard fanatics, all of which will be woven together with some of his behind-the-scenes stories and personal anecdotes about a career which has made him Canada's greatest singer-songwriter.

His music landmarks are 20 albums and five Grammy nominations, in the US he's released five No 1s, five Top Ten and 13 Top 40 hits, beaten in Canada by 16 No 1s, 18 Top Ten and 21 Top 40 hits.

In June of 2012, the man who defined folk-pop music in the 1960s and 1970s was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. There are fewer than 400 other inductees including Barry Mann, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Hal David and Burt Bacharach, John Fogerty, Bob Dylan, Isaac Hayes, Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Sir Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, James Brown, Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Webb, Van Morrison, Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Diane Warren, Garth Brooks and Leonard Cohen.

Lightfoot has been decorated with Canada's highest honours including the Governor's General Award and the Companion to the Order of Canada honour of merit. He has also won 17 Juno Awards – Canada's equivalent to the Grammy Awards.

* Newcastle City Hall Box Office: 0191-277-8030/24 hour hotline 0844-338-0000 and BookingsDirect.com (agency & c/c bookings subject to booking fee)

Viv Hardwick