Ian Tyson
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Ian Dawson Tyson (25 September 1933 – 29 December 2022) was a Canadian singer-songwriter who wrote several folk songs, including " Four Strong Winds" and " Someday Soon", and performed with partner Sylvia Tyson as the duo Ian & Sylvia.


Early life and education

Ian Dawson Tyson was born on 25 September 1933, in
Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...
to George and Margaret Tyson. His father George was an insurance salesman and
polo Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...
enthusiast who emigrated from England in 1906. Growing up in
Duncan, British Columbia Duncan is a city on southern Vancouver Island in the Cowichan Valley Regional District, British Columbia, Canada. It is the smallest city in Canada by area. It was incorporated as a city in 1912. Location The city is about 45 kilometres from b ...
, he learned to ride horses on his father's farm, and eventually became a
rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...
rider in his late teens and early twenties. He took up the guitar while in hospital recovering from a broken ankle sustained in a rodeo accident. Fellow Canadian country artist Wilf Carter was a musical influence. He graduated from the Vancouver School of Art in 1958.


Career

After graduation, Tyson moved to
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
where he began 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 three years later. In 1969, they formed and fronted the group The Great Speckled Bird. Residing in southern
Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
, the Tysons toured all over the world. During their years together, the pair released 13 albums of folk and country music. From 1970 to 1975, Tyson hosted a national television program, ''The Ian Tyson Show'', on CTV, known as ''Nashville North'' in its first season. Sylvia Tyson and the Great Speckled Bird appeared often in the series. In 1980, Tyson became associated with Calgary music manager and producer Neil MacGonigill. Tyson decided to concentrate on
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
and cowboy music, resulting in the well-received 1983 album ''Old Corrals and Sagebrush'', released on
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
. In 1989, Tyson was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. His next albums were cowboy music: ''I Outgrew the Wagon'' (1989), ''And Stood There Amazed'' (1991), and ''Eighteen Inches of Rain'' (1994). Tyson credited Adrian Chornowol with creating a unique sound for his platinum album "Cowboyography", a unique style that he maintained for the rest of his recording career. In 2005,
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 local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent o ...
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 Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...
, who recorded "Four Strong Winds" for '' Comes a Time'' (1978).
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
would also record the same song for '' American V: A Hundred Highways'' (2006).
Judy Collins Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and musician with a career spanning nearly seven decades. An Academy Awards, Academy Award-nominated documentary director and a Grammy Awards, Grammy Award-winning rec ...
recorded a version of his song " Someday Soon" in 1968.
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
and
the Band The Band was a Canadian-American rock music, rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1957. It consisted of the Canadians Rick Danko (bass, guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (organ, keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (piano, d ...
recorded his song "One Single River" in Woodstock, New York, in 1967. The recording can be found on the unreleased Genuine Basement Tapes, vol. I. 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 Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
. This resulted in a notable loss of the vocal 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 Award 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. Sylvia joined Ian to sing their signature song, "Four Strong Winds", at the 50th anniversary of the
Mariposa Folk Festival Mariposa Folk Festival is a Canadian music festival founded in 1961 in Orillia, Ontario. It was held in Orillia for three years before being banned because of disturbances by festival-goers. After being held in various places in Ontario for a fe ...
on 11 July 2010, in Orillia, Ontario. Tyson has also written a book of
young adult fiction Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as family dysfunction, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. It is characterized by simpler world build ...
about his song "La Primera", called ''La Primera: The Story of Wild Mustangs''.


Personal life

Tyson's first marriage, to his musical partner Sylvia Fricker, ended in an amicable divorce in 1975. Their son Clay (Clayton Dawson Tyson,"They're partners in life as well as in music, which must have its difficult moments like the prospect of having to sing with someone you were maybe not speaking to. But they certainly have made that work, what with that thing rolling around on the rug, young Clayton Dawson, herein and hereafter referred to as 'Mr. Spoons.'" From the jacket notes (by John Court) to
Ian and Sylvia Ian & Sylvia were a Canadian folk and country music duo which consisted of Ian and Sylvia Tyson. They began performing together in 1959 (full-time in 1961), married in 1964, and divorced and stopped performing together in 1975. History Early ...
's LP "Lovin' Sound", MGM 4388, 1967. Quoted i
Mudcat Forum
by Dale Rose, 16 April 1999; accessed 8 May 2011.
born 1966) was also a musical performer and has since moved to a career modifying racing bikes. After the divorce, Tyson returned to southern Alberta to farm and train horses but also continued his musical career on a limited basis. In 1978, Neil Young recorded "Four Strong Winds", and Tyson used the royalties for a down payment on a cattle and horse ranch. He started playing regularly at Calgary's Ranchman's Club around this time. Tyson's autobiography, ''The Long Trail: My Life in the West'', was published in 2010. Co-written with Calgary journalist Jeremy Klaszus, the book "alternates between autobiography and a broader study of yson'srelationship 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." Ian Tyson married Twylla Dvorkin in 1986. Their daughter Adelita Rose was born . Tyson's second marriage ended in divorce in early 2008, several years after he and Dvorkin had separated. A book by John Einarson, ''Four Strong Winds: Ian & Sylvia'', was published in 2012. A few years later, Ian said that Evinia Pulos (Bruce) was his "soulmate"; since she lived in
Kelowna Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan, Okanagan Valley in the British Columbia Interior, southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna ...
, a city in south central British Columbia, he said that he was unable to see her often. "We’ve been lovers for 55 years. ... How many people can say that?" Tyson said. In 2018, Tyson made concert appearances in British Columbia and Alberta. His website indicated that in 2019, he was to make two concert appearances, one in Calgary and the other in Bragg Creek, Alberta.


Death

Tyson died at his ranch near Longview,
Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
, on 29 December 2022, at the age of 89. According to his manager Paul Mascioli, this followed several health issues, including a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
and open heart surgery in 2015.


Awards and recognition

Tyson became a Member of the
Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...
in October 1994 and was inducted into the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2006. In 2003, Tyson received a
Governor General's Performing Arts Award The Governor General's Performing Arts Awards are an annual Canadian award, presented to honour distinguished achievements in Canadian performing arts and culture. Administered by the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation in associ ...
. Tyson's 1987 album ''Cowboyography'' contained two songs that were later chosen by the Western Writers of America as among the Top 100 Western Songs of all time: "Navajo Rug" and "Summer Wages". He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, with Sylvia, in 1992. Ian Tyson was inducted into the Mariposa Hall of Fame, with Sylvia, in 2006 He was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989. (Sylvia Tyson was inducted in 2003.) The song "Four Strong Winds", written by Ian Tyson, was named as the greatest Canadian song of all time by the CBC-Radio program ''50 Tracks: The Canadian Version'' in 2005. An announcement in July 2019 stated that Ian Tyson and Sylvia Tyson would be inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work represent and maintain the heri ...
, individually, not as a duo. The
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...
article stated that "the duo's 1964's hit, 'Four Strong Winds', has been deemed one of the most influential songs in Canadian history". The report also referenced the song "You Were on My Mind", written by Sylvia Tyson, as well as her four albums (1975–1980).


Tribute recordings

A tribute CD to Ian Tyson, ''The Gift'', was released in 2007 on Stony Plain Records 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 Marion Russell Charles Marion Russell (March 19, 1864 – October 24, 1926), also known as C. M. Russell, Charlie Russell, and "Kid" Russell, was an American artist of the American Old West. He created more than 2,000 paintings of cowboys, Native Americans, ...
.


Discography


Albums


Singles


Videography


References


Further reading

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External links

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Article at the canadianencyclopedia.ca
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyson, Ian 1933 births 2022 deaths Canadian folk singer-songwriters Canadian male singer-songwriters Members of the Alberta Order of Excellence Members of the Order of Canada Singers from Toronto Musicians from Victoria, British Columbia Singers from British Columbia Canadian country singer-songwriters Canadian people of English descent Juno Award winners Canadian Country Music Association Male Artist of the Year winners Great Speckled Bird (band) members Stony Plain Records artists A&M Records artists Singers from Alberta Governor General's Award winners