Darren Muljo was six years old when his teacher asked the students in his elementary school class to pick a song they wanted to learn to play.
Muljo, now 52, chose the 1976 song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by legendary Canadian folk musician Gordon Lightfoot.
"Gordon Lightfoot's imprint on the healing process for the families cannot be , especially when he made it a point to develop a personal connection with many of them," Muljo said in a phone interview from Melbourne, Fla. "Gordon is a part of our family. I really respected what he stood for and that he took the time and the effort to spend time with us."
Lightfoot would often read newspapers and watch newscasts, which provided fodder for his deeply autobiographical storytelling. Though some elements of the song deviated from the disaster, Lightfoot was adamant in writing lyrics as accurate as could be. Muljo's mother was initially upset when she first caught wind about the song. This changed after she listened to it and came to understand the respect and honour in which Lightfoot portrayed the men and that perilous night, said Muljo.
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