CHRONOLOGY

Red And Les Trio


By Wayne Francis

Lightfoot met Red Shea in 1960 while they both worked on the CBC country series, Country Hoedown, Lightfoot as a member of the Singin' Swingin' Eight and Shea as a member of the Red & Les Trio. The trio was made up of Red, his brother Les and bassist Bill Gibbs.

It's been speculated that Red Shea may in fact have been "Les Pouliot" who wrote "My Love For You" which Lightfoot recorded in 1980 for the Harry Tracy soundtrack. It seems much more likely to me that Les Pouliot was in fact Red's brother, the "Les" from the Red & Les Trio.

Lightfoot recorded other Les Pouliot songs including "Sweet Polly" (the B-side of the Two Tones' first and only single) "We Come Here To Sing" and "Summer Love" while also with the Two Tones and "Negotiations" after he went solo, the subsequent recording eventually turning up on the 1971 Chateau release, Early Lightfoot. The timing of Lightfoot coming across these early Pouliot tunes and using them, coincides perfectly with their working together on "Hoedown" in the early 60's. Pouliot's name continued to be connected with the series that evolved from Country Hoedown, The Tommy Hunter Show which ran until the early 1990's. After Red left GL's band he too eventually wound up in Tommy Hunter's TV band until the series ended.

Lightfoot himself appeared on Hunter's show in the fall of 1981 performing "Shadows" and "Old Dan's Records", the latter being dedicated to Red Shea who was recovering from an illness at the time.