the Lightfoot Band

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Rick Haynes is a bass player, born in Toronto and currently living in Mississauga, Ontario.

Music has always been a big part of Rick's life. Some of his earliest recollections are of being seated beside his mom, an accomplished classical pianist, on a piano bench, listening while she played. 

Rick started his career playing in iconic Toronto R&B bands like The Imperials and The Majestics. In 1968, he changed musical paths and began recording and touring with Gordon Lightfoot. Rick has played on most of Gordon's albums, starting with "Sunday Concert" and including "Sundown" and "Summertime Dream" and is the bass player on many of Lightfoot's hits including "If You Could Read My Mind", "Carefree Highway", "Beautiful" and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". Rick was also the co-producer of Gordon's “Harmony” album.

Rick has performed at Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, The Ryman Auditorium, Hollywood Bowl, Massey Hall, and at The Montreux Jazz Festival, The Newport and Mariposa Folk Festivals, while continuously touring with Gordon all over North America, Europe, and Australia.

He has appeared on Saturday Night Live, The Midnight Special, The Jimmy Fallon Show, The Merv Griffin Show, The Johnny Cash Show, The Katie Couric Show, and The David Frost Show to name a few.

In 2012, Rick accompanied Gordon Lightfoot at his induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame produced by Phil Ramone. 

Rick recorded and toured with Gordon Lightfoot for over 55 years.

Mike was born in Kitchener Ontario and raised in Montreal and the Toronto area. He currently lives in the Toronto area. 

Musical Background:  Mike played guitar in bands until age 18 but was always intrigued by the piano and the Hammond organ. His father was a professional piano player, so Mike picked up a lot of technique and theory just by watching and listening.  As a keyboard player he went on to perform and record with a number of Canadian artists.

History with Gordon Lightfoot: Mike was called in for a session in early November 1980 to record the theme song for a movie Gord had just acted in: "Harry Tracy Desperado."  The session evolved into an audition and Mike was officially hired on December 23, 1980. His first show with the band was at the Mill Run Theatre in Chicago in January '81 and the first album he appeared on was Shadows. Mike played in Gord’s band for forty-one years.

Highlights With Gord:  Royal Albert Hall in London, Carnegie Hall in New York, Massey Hall in Toronto.

Check out Mike’s website and blog: miketheheff.com

Andy is from Worthington, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus. He started playing guitar when he was about 14 – Andy attributes his interest in learning to play the guitar to when he first heard the songs of Gordon Lightfoot. He learned by playing and singing along with his records and music became a passion in his life that has carried on to this day. 

After high school Andy worked a variety of jobs, including scuba instructor and bartender. His career later turned in a more formal direction when he became a Project Engineer for a large fire truck manufacturer, designing, coordinating and constructing the custom-ordered trucks. Andy left that job to start his own business, designing and manufacturing unique, high-end mini buses used in the entertainment industry. His customers included Alan Jackson, Quincy Jones, George Foreman, Disney, and other high-profile clients. Andy enjoyed more success creating designs used in the luxury auto industry. 

Andy retired to the US Virgin Islands and later to Punta Gorda Florida. In recent years, after playing music for fun for decades, he began playing bar gigs - always showcasing Lightfoot tunes.

Andy met Gord and the band in 1976, and in the following years got to know them well. “My idols became my friends, and now I am beyond honored to join them in keeping Gord’s songs alive on stage”.