Ian Tyson
Encyclopedia
Ian Tyson CM
, AOE
(born 25 September 1933) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, best known for his song "Four Strong Winds
". He was also one half of the duo Ian & Sylvia.
, British Columbia
in 1956 and played with a rock and roll
band, "The Sensational Stripes." After graduation from the Vancouver School of Art in 1958, Tyson moved to Toronto
, Ontario
where he commenced a job as a commercial artist. There he performed in local clubs and in 1959 began to sing on occasion with Sylvia Fricker
. By early 1959 Tyson and Fricker were performing part-time at the Village Corner as "Ian & Sylvia." The pair became a full-time musical act in 1961 and married four years later. In 1969, they formed and fronted the group The Great Speckled Bird
. Residing in southern Alberta
, Tyson toured all over the world.
In 1989 he was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame
.
From 1971 to 1975, he hosted a national television program, The Ian Tyson Show, on CTV
, based on the 1970-71 season music show Nashville North, later titled Nashville Now.
In 2005, CBC Radio One
listeners chose his song "Four Strong Winds
" as the greatest Canadian song of all time on the series 50 Tracks: The Canadian Version
. There was strong momentum for him to be nominated the Greatest Canadian, but he fell short. He has been a strong influence on many Canadian artists, including Neil Young
, who recorded "Four Strong Winds" for Comes a Time
(1978). Johnny Cash
would also record the same song for American V: A Hundred Highways
(2006). Judy Collins
recorded a version of his popular song, "Someday Soon
", in 1968.
In 2006, Tyson sustained irreversible scarring to his vocal cords as a result of a concert at the Havelock Country Jamboree
followed a year later by a virus contracted during a flight to Denver. This resulted in a notable loss of the remarkable quality and range he was known for; he has self-described his new sound as "gravelly". Notwithstanding, he released the album "From Yellowhead to Yellowstone and Other Love Stories" in 2008 to high critical praise. He was nominated for a 2009 Canadian Folk Music Awards for Solo Artist of the Year. The album includes a song about Canadian hockey broadcasting icon Don Cherry and the passing of his wife Rose, a rare Tyson cover written by Toronto songwriter Jay Aymar.
In 2010, Tyson put out his memoir The Long Trail: My Life in the West. Co-written with Calgary journalist Jeremy Klaszus, the book "alternates between autobiography and a broader study of [Tyson's] relationship to the 'West' — both as a fading reality and a cultural ideal." CBC's Michael Enright said the book is like Tyson himself — "straightforward, unglazed and honest."
Tyson has also written a book of young-adult fiction about his song "La Primera", called La Primera: The Story of Wild Mustangs.
Ian Tyson married Twylla Dvorkin in 1986, and their daughter Adelita was born . Tyson's second marriage ended in divorce which was made official in early 2008, several years after separating from Dvorkin.
in October 1994, and was inducted into the Alberta Order of Excellence
in 2006.
featuring "Someday Soon" done by Doug Andrew with Buddy Cage
on pedal steel guitar (Buddy played in Great Speckled Bird), "Four Strong Winds" recorded by Blue Rodeo, plus another 13 of Tyson's best known songs done by major folk and country artists. The album is titled after a song of Tyson's, which itself is a tribute to Charles M. Russell.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, AOE
Alberta Order of Excellence
The Alberta Order of Excellence is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Alberta. Instituted in 1979 when Lieutenant Governor Frank C...
(born 25 September 1933) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, best known for his song "Four Strong Winds
Four Strong Winds
"Four Strong Winds" is a song written by Ian Tyson in the early 1960s. It was first recorded by The Brothers Four in a version that "Bubbled Under" the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1963...
". He was also one half of the duo Ian & Sylvia.
Career
Tyson was born to British immigrants in Victoria in 1933, and grew up in Duncan B.C. A rodeo rider in his late teens and early twenties, he took up the guitar while recovering from an injury he sustained in a fall. He made his singing debut at the Heidelberg Café in VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
in 1956 and played with a rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
band, "The Sensational Stripes." After graduation from the Vancouver School of Art in 1958, Tyson moved to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
where he commenced a job as a commercial artist. There he performed in local clubs and in 1959 began to sing on occasion with Sylvia Fricker
Sylvia Tyson
Sylvia Tyson, CM , is a musician, performer, singer-songwriter and broadcaster. From 1959 to 1974, she was half of the popular folk duo Ian & Sylvia with Ian Tyson....
. By early 1959 Tyson and Fricker were performing part-time at the Village Corner as "Ian & Sylvia." The pair became a full-time musical act in 1961 and married four years later. In 1969, they formed and fronted the group The Great Speckled Bird
Great Speckled Bird (band)
Great Speckled Bird was a country rock group formed in 1969 by the Canadian musical duo Ian & Sylvia. Ian Tyson sang, played guitar and composed. Sylvia Tyson sang, composed and occasionally played piano...
. Residing in southern Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Tyson toured all over the world.
In 1989 he was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame
Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame
The Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, located in Merritt, British Columbia, was established in 1984 to honour Canadian country music artists, builders or broadcasters, living or deceased...
.
From 1971 to 1975, he hosted a national television program, The Ian Tyson Show, on CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
, based on the 1970-71 season music show Nashville North, later titled Nashville Now.
In 2005, CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One is the English language news and information radio network of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial free and offers both local and national programming...
listeners chose his song "Four Strong Winds
Four Strong Winds
"Four Strong Winds" is a song written by Ian Tyson in the early 1960s. It was first recorded by The Brothers Four in a version that "Bubbled Under" the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1963...
" as the greatest Canadian song of all time on the series 50 Tracks: The Canadian Version
50 Tracks: The Canadian Version
50 Tracks: The Canadian Version was a Canadian radio series, which aired across Canada on CBC Radio One in 2005. The show, hosted by Jian Ghomeshi, was a competition to determine the 50 most essential songs in English language Canadian pop music history...
. There was strong momentum for him to be nominated the Greatest Canadian, but he fell short. He has been a strong influence on many Canadian artists, including Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
, who recorded "Four Strong Winds" for Comes a Time
Comes a Time
Comes a Time is the ninth album by Neil Young, and a return to the country/folk rock sound of Harvest . Many of the tracks include harmony vocals from Nicolette Larson. Originally, it had started out as a solo record, but when Young played it for Reprise executives they asked him if he wouldn't...
(1978). Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
would also record the same song for American V: A Hundred Highways
American V: A Hundred Highways
-Track listing:#"Help Me" – 2:51#:Previously recorded by Kris Kristofferson for Jesus Was a Capricorn #"God's Gonna Cut You Down" – 2:38...
(2006). Judy Collins
Judy Collins
Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...
recorded a version of his popular song, "Someday Soon
Someday Soon (Ian Tyson song)
"Someday Soon" is the title of a song composed by Canadian singer Ian Tyson. He recorded the song with his wife, Sylvia Tyson, as the duo Ian & Sylvia in 1964. Although this version was not released as a single, the song has been covered by Judy Collins, Moe Bandy and Suzy Bogguss, all of whom had...
", in 1968.
In 2006, Tyson sustained irreversible scarring to his vocal cords as a result of a concert at the Havelock Country Jamboree
Havelock Country Jamboree
The Havelock Country Jamboree is a four-day country music camping festival held in the village of Havelock, Ontario . The festival runs Thursday through Sunday on the third weekend in August every year.-History:...
followed a year later by a virus contracted during a flight to Denver. This resulted in a notable loss of the remarkable quality and range he was known for; he has self-described his new sound as "gravelly". Notwithstanding, he released the album "From Yellowhead to Yellowstone and Other Love Stories" in 2008 to high critical praise. He was nominated for a 2009 Canadian Folk Music Awards for Solo Artist of the Year. The album includes a song about Canadian hockey broadcasting icon Don Cherry and the passing of his wife Rose, a rare Tyson cover written by Toronto songwriter Jay Aymar.
In 2010, Tyson put out his memoir The Long Trail: My Life in the West. Co-written with Calgary journalist Jeremy Klaszus, the book "alternates between autobiography and a broader study of [Tyson's] relationship to the 'West' — both as a fading reality and a cultural ideal." CBC's Michael Enright said the book is like Tyson himself — "straightforward, unglazed and honest."
Tyson has also written a book of young-adult fiction about his song "La Primera", called La Primera: The Story of Wild Mustangs.
Personal
Tyson's first marriage to Sylvia Fricker Tyson ended in divorce in 1975. Their son Clay (Clayton Dawson Tyson, born 1966) was also a musical performer, and then moved to a career modifying racing bikes.Ian Tyson married Twylla Dvorkin in 1986, and their daughter Adelita was born . Tyson's second marriage ended in divorce which was made official in early 2008, several years after separating from Dvorkin.
Awards and recognition
Tyson became a Member of the Order of CanadaOrder of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
in October 1994, and was inducted into the Alberta Order of Excellence
Alberta Order of Excellence
The Alberta Order of Excellence is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Alberta. Instituted in 1979 when Lieutenant Governor Frank C...
in 2006.
Tribute recordings
A tribute CD to Ian Tyson, The Gift, was released in 2007 on Stony Plain RecordsStony Plain Records
Stony Plain Records is a major Canadian independent record label, which specializes in roots music genres such as country, folk and blues. The label was the recipient of a 2003 Western Canadian Music Award for "Independent Record Label/Distributor of the Year"....
featuring "Someday Soon" done by Doug Andrew with Buddy Cage
Buddy Cage
Buddy Cage is an American pedal steel guitarist, best known as a longtime member of the New Riders of the Purple Sage....
on pedal steel guitar (Buddy played in Great Speckled Bird), "Four Strong Winds" recorded by Blue Rodeo, plus another 13 of Tyson's best known songs done by major folk and country artists. The album is titled after a song of Tyson's, which itself is a tribute to Charles M. Russell.
Albums
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | CRIA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Country | CAN | |||
| 1973 | Ol' Eon | 81 | ||
| 1978 | One Jump Ahead of the Devil | |||
| 1983 | Old Corrals and Sagebrush | |||
| 1984 | Ian Tyson | |||
| 1987 | Cowboyography | Platinum | ||
| 1989 | I Outgrew the Wagon | 12 | 74 | Gold |
| 1991 | And Stood There Amazed | |||
| 1994 | Eighteen Inches of Rain | 9 | ||
| 1996 | All the Good 'uns | 21 | ||
| 1999 | Lost Herd | |||
| 2002 | Live at Longview | |||
| 2005 | Songs from the Gravel Road | 9 | 86 | |
| 2008 | Yellowhead to Yellowstone and Other Love Stories | 15 | ||
| 2011 | Songs from the Stone House |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Country | CAN AC | CAN | |||
| 1973 | "Love Can Bless the Soul of Anyone" | 46 | 61 | Ol' Eon | |
| 1974 | "Great Canadian Tour" | 13 | |||
| 1979 | "Half a Mile of Hell" | 26 | One Jump Ahead of the Devil | ||
| 1980 | "The Moondancer" | 19 | single only | ||
| 1984 | "Oklahoma Hills" | 40 | Old Corrals and Sagebrush | ||
| 1987 | "Cowboy Pride" | 9 | Cowboyography | ||
| "The Gift" | 17 | ||||
| 1988 | "Fifty Years Ago" | 8 | |||
| 1989 | "Irving Berlin (Is 100 Yrs Old Today)" | 24 | I Outgrew the Wagon | ||
| "Cowboys Don't Cry" | 25 | ||||
| "Adelita Rose" | 23 | ||||
| 1990 | "Casey Tibbs" | 29 | |||
| "Since the Rain" | 17 | ||||
| "I Outgrew the Wagon" | 33 | ||||
| 1991 | "Springtime in Alberta" | 9 | And Stood There Amazed | ||
| "Black Nights" | 35 | ||||
| 1992 | "Lights of Laramie" | 9 | |||
| "Magpie" | 43 | ||||
| "You're Not Alone Anymore" | 47 | ||||
| 1993 | "Jaquima to Freno" | 30 | |||
| 1994 | "Alcohol In the Bloodstream" | 11 | Eighteen Inches of Rain | ||
| "Eighteen Inches of Rain" | 27 | ||||
| "Heartaches Are Stealin'" | 39 | ||||
| 1995 | "Horsethief Moon" | 68 | |||
| 1996 | "Barrel Racing Angel" | 35 | All the Good 'uns | ||
| 1997 | "The Wonder of It All" | ||||
| 1999 | "Brahmas and Mustangs" | Lost Herd | |||
| 2005 | "Land of Shining Mountains" | Songs from the Gravel Road | |||
| "This Is My Sky" | |||||
| 2006 | "Always Saying Goodbye" |
Videography
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1971–1974 | Ian Tyson Show | CTV network |
| 2010 | Songs From the Gravel Road | Bravo! Network documentary |
| 2010 | Mano A Mano | DVD w/Tom Russell Tom Russell Thomas George "Tom" Russell is an American singer-songwriter. Although most strongly identified with the Texas Country music tradition, his music also incorporates elements of folk, Tex-Mex, and the cowboy music of the American West. Many of his songs have been recorded by other artists, including... |
| 2010 | This is My Sky | DVD set |