When you have a song catalog with the size and quality of Neil Young’s you have little reason to cover another writer’s songs……and yet at last year’s Farm Aid benefit concert Neil chose do exactly that.  The only possible rationale for this act is that Neil has a deep and abiding respect for the song’s writer who was none other than Gordon Lightfoot.  Let’s listen to Neil’s cover version of Early Morning Rain………

As it turns out, this was not a one time event….it was the start of a trend.  Neil has been  performing If You Could Read My Mind, another Gordon Lightfoot classic, during his acoustic tour this year and has included that song on a soon to be released album titled A Letter Home.  Deep and abiding respect indeed…….

Let’s listen to the original recording of the song by Gordon that was released on his first album in 1966….

Now for the really amazing fact…..this song has also been recorded by a few other musicians you might have heard of……..

• Bob Dylan
• Elvis Presley
• Judy Collins
• Ian and Sylvia
• Peter, Paul, and Mary