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Ian Dawson Tyson (September 25, 1933 – December 29, 2022) was a Canadian singer-songwriter who wrote several folk songs, including " Four Strong Winds" and " Someday Soon", and performed with partner
Sylvia Tyson Sylvia may refer to: People * Sylvia (given name) *Sylvia (singer), American country music and country pop singer and songwriter *Sylvia Robinson, American singer, record producer, and record label executive *Sylvia Vrethammar, Swedish singer cred ...
as the duo
Ian & Sylvia Ian & Sylvia were a Canadian folk and country music duo which consisted of Ian and Sylvia Tyson, née Fricker. They began performing together in 1959 (full-time in 1961), married in 1964, and divorced and stopped performing together in 1975. Hi ...
.


Early life and education

Ian Dawson Tyson was born on September 25, 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 ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small ha ...
enthusiast who emigrated from England in 1906. Growing up in
Duncan, British Columbia Duncan (pop. 5,047 in 2021) is a city on southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It is the smallest city by area (2.07 square kilometres, 0.8 square miles) in Canada. It was incorporated in 1912. Location The city is about 45 ki ...
, 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 vaq ...
rider in his late teens and early twenties. He took up the guitar while in hospital recovering from a broken ankle sustained in a fall. Fellow Canadian country artist Wilf Carter was a musical influence. He graduated from the
Vancouver School of Art Emily Carr University of Art + Design (abbreviated as ECU) is a public art university located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The university's campus is located within the Great Northern Way Campus in Strathcona. The university is a co ...
in 1958.


Career

After graduation, Tyson moved to
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
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 Ian & Sylvia were a Canadian folk and country music duo which consisted of Ian and Sylvia Tyson, née Fricker. They began performing together in 1959 (full-time in 1961), married in 1964, and divorced and stopped performing together in 1975. Hi ...
. 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 one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest 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 CTV may refer to: Television * Connected TV, or Smart TV, a TV set with integrated internet North America and South America * CTV Television Network, a Canadian television network owned by Bell Media ** CTV 2, a secondary Canadian televisio ...
, known as ''Nashville North'' in its first season. Sylvia Tyson and the Great Speckled Bird appeared often on 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. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...
and cowboy music, resulting in the well-received 1983 album ''Old Corrals and Sagebrush'', released on
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...
. 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 Chernowol with creating a unique sound for his platinum album "Cowboyography", a unique style that he maintained for his 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 of C ...
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-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fu ...
, 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 country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his c ...
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 seven decades. An Academy Award-nominated documentary director and a Grammy Award-winning recording artist, she is known for her ec ...
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. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
and the Band 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 The Havelock Country Jamboree is a four-day country music camping festival held in the village of Havelock, Ontario (located northeast of Toronto). Called Canada's Largest Country Music and Camping Festival, the festival has a Thursday through S ...
followed a year later by a virus contracted during a flight to
Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
. 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. Sylvia joined Ian to sing their signature song, "Four Strong Winds", at the 50th anniversary of the Mariposa Folk Festival on July 11, 2010, in Orillia, Ontario. Tyson has also written a book of
young adult fiction Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is primarily targeted at adolescents, approximately half of YA readers are adults. The subject matter and genres of YA correlate ...
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, née Fricker. They began performing together in 1959 (full-time in 1961), married in 1964, and divorced and stopped performing together in 1975. H ...
's LP "Lovin' Sound", MGM 4388, 1967. Quoted i
Mudcat Forum
by Dale Rose, April 16, 1999; accessed May 8, 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 Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word ' ...
, 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 one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...
, on December 29, 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 blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...
and open heart surgery in 2015.


Awards and recognition

Tyson became a Member of the
Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...
in October 1994 and was inducted into the
Alberta Order of Excellence The Alberta Order of Excellence (french: Ordre d'excellence de l'Alberta) is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Alberta. Instituted in 1979 when Lieutenant Governor Frank C. Lynch-Staunton granted royal assent to the Alberta O ...
in 2006. In 2003, Tyson received a
Governor General's Performing Arts Award A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
. Tyson's 1987 album ''Cowboyography'' contained two songs that were later chosen by the
Western Writers of America Western Writers of America (WWA), founded 1953, promotes literature, both fictional and nonfictional, pertaining to the American West. Although its founders wrote traditional Western fiction, the more than 600 current members also include historian ...
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 her ...
, individually, not as a duo. The
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the governmen ...
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 Stony Plain Records is a Canadian independent record label, which specializes in roots music genres such as country, folk, and blues. The label has released more than 300 albums. History Stony Plain was founded by Holger Petersen and Alvin Ja ...
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, an ...
.


Discography


Albums


Singles


Videography


References


Further reading

*


External links

* * * *
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 Musicians from Toronto Musicians from Victoria, British Columbia Canadian country singer-songwriters Canadian people of English descent Juno Award winners Governor General's Performing Arts 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 Musicians from Alberta