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Ian and Sylvia Tyson, CM, were a Canadian folk music duo who performed and recorded from the early 1960s through the early 1970s.

Early lives

Ian Tyson was born in Victoria, British Columbia, in 1933. In his teens, he decided upon a career as a rodeo rider. Recovering from injuries sustained from a fall during the mid 1950s, he started learning guitar. In the late 1950s, he relocated to Toronto, aspiring to a career as a commercial artist. He also started playing clubs and coffeehouses^[1] in Toronto. By 1959 he was performing music as a full-time occupation.

Sylvia Tyson (née Fricker) was born in Chatham, Ontario, in 1940. While still in her teens, she started frequenting the folk clubs of Toronto. She met Ian in 1960, and they started performing together shortly thereafter. By 1962 they were living in New York City, where they caught the attention of Albert Grossman, who later managed Bob Dylan. He secured them a contract with Vanguard Records, and they released their first album late in the year.

Singing career together

Their first and self-titled^[2] album on Vanguard Records consisted mainly of traditional songs. There were British and Canadian folk songs, spiritual music, and a few blues thrown into the mix. The album was moderately successful; they made the list of performers for the 1963 Newport Folk Festival. Four Strong Winds, their second album, was similar to the first, with the exception of the inclusion of an early Dylan composition, "Tomorrow is a Long Time", and the title song "Four Strong Winds", which was written by Ian. "Four Strong Winds" was a major hit in Canada and ensured their stardom.^[3][4]

They married in June 1964, and released their third album, Northern Journey during that year. This included a blues song written by Sylvia, "You Were On My Mind", which was subsequently recorded (in a somewhat altered form) by both the California group We Five (a 1965 #1 on the Cashbox chart, #3 on the Billboard Hot 100) and British folk-rock singer Crispian St. Peters (#36 in 1967)^[5]. A recording of "Four Strong Winds" by Bobby Bare made it to #3 on the country music charts around that time.

Also on the Northern Journey album was "Someday Soon", a composition by Ian that would rival "Four Strong Winds" in its popularity. Both songs would eventually be covered by dozens of artists.

Their fourth album, Early Morning Rain, consisted in large part of contemporary compositions. They introduced the work of fellow Canadian songwriter and performer Gordon Lightfoot through the title song and "For Loving Me". They also covered "Darcy Farrow" by Steve Gillette and Tom Campbell, being the first artists to cover these three songs. Additionally, they recorded a number of their own compositions.

Play One More their offering of 1965, showed a move toward the electrified folk-like music that was becoming popular with groups like the Byrds and the Lovin' Spoonful. The title tune used horns for a mariachi effect.

In 1967, they released two albums, one recorded for Vanguard, the other for MGM. These two efforts, So Much For Dreaming and Lovin' Sound, were far less dynamic presentations. At this time they were doing a weekly TV program for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

They relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, where they recorded two albums; one to fulfill the terms of their Vanguard contract, the other to supply MGM with a second (and last) album for that label. The albums can be defined as early country-rock music. Three of Bob Dylan's "Basement Tapes" compositions are covered on these albums, most of the rest were written by Ian or Sylvia.

1970 found Ian and Sylvia as part of a country rock group called Great Speckled Bird. The group started as studio musicians for their weekly CBC program. In addition to participating in the cross-Canada rock-and-roll rail tour Festival Express, they recorded a self-titled album for the short-lived Ampex label. Produced by Todd Rundgren, the record failed when Ampex failed to establish widespread distribution. Thousands of copies never left the warehouse, and it has become a much sought-after collector's item. Early copies do not give Ian and Sylvia credit on the cover. Some later copies had a sticker attached with their names.

Ian and Sylvia's last two albums were recorded on Columbia Records. The first, titled Ian and Sylvia (not to be confused with the earlier Vanguard release) consists largely of mainstream country flavored compositions. The second, You Were On My Mind, features a new incarnation of the Great Speckled Bird band. The songs range from hard country-rock to middle-of-the-road country material. Neither album sold especially well; Columbia eventually put both albums together and called the combined collection The Best of Ian and Sylvia. That album cover was a variant of the first Columbia cover, with the inside liner notes in the "book" printed over pictures of their backs.

Later lives

By 1974 they had stopped performing together and soon afterwards were divorced. Ian retreated to western Canada, returning to ranching, while Sylvia wrote, performed, and involved herself in various projects. Eventually Ian started producing records again, and has had a solo career that continues to the present (2008). Sylvia in recent years has been occasionally recording new material, working with Quartette, an aggregate she has performed with since 1993, and performing a one-woman show entitled "River Road and Other Stories". She has also written a book about songwriting with Tom Russell.

The duo's son, Clay Tyson, is also a musician.

Honors

In 1992 they were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame during the Juno Awards ceremony.

In 1994 they were both made Members of the Order of Canada.

In 2005 an extensive Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) poll determined their song "Four Strong Winds" to be the "most essential" piece of Canadian music.

In 2006 they were both inducted into the Mariposa Hall of Fame. It was in 1961 that Ian and Sylvia headlined at Canada's legendary Mariposa Folk Festival. The induction featured a rare live performance by the duo (accompanied by David Celia on guitar) in Toronto to an enthusiastic audience including Gordon Lightfoot, The Good Brothers, Greg Keelor, David Wilcox and more.

Discography

Albums

• Ian & Sylvia (Sep 1962) (Vanguard VSD-2113)^[6]
• Four Strong Winds (Apr 1964) (Vanguard VSD-2149)
• Northern Journey (Sep 1964) (Vanguard VSD-75914)
• Early Morning Rain (Jul 1965) (Vanguard VSD-79175)
• Play One More (May 1966) (Vanguard VSD-79215)
• So Much for Dreaming (Apr 1967) (Vanguard VSD-79241)
• Lovin' Sound (Jun 1967) (MGM SE-4388)
• Nashville (Aug 1967) (Vanguard VSD-79284)
• Full Circle (Sep 1968) (MGM SE-4550)
• Ian & Sylvia (Oct 1971) (Columbia KC30736)
• You Were on My Mind (Aug 1972) (Columbia KC31337)

See also

• Music of Canada
• Canadian Music Hall of Fame

References

External links

• The Canadian Encyclopedia
• Musician Guide bio