- Ian and Sylvia
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 inVictoria, British Columbia , in 1933. In his teens he decided upon a career as arodeo rider. Recovering from injuries sustained from a fall during the mid 1950s, he started learningguitar . In the late 1950s, he relocated toToronto , aspiring to a career as a commercial artist. He also started playing clubs and coffeehouses [http://tceplus.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0000752 Coffeehouses] ] in Toronto. By 1959 he was performing music as a full-time occupation.Sylvia Tyson (née Fricker) was born inChatham, 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 inNew York City , where they caught the attention ofAlbert Grossman , who later managedBob Dylan . He secured them acontract withVanguard Records , and they released their first album late in the year.inging career together
The first album 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. 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.They married in June of 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 theCalifornia groupWe Five and Britishfolk-rock singerCrispian St. Peters . A recording of "Four Strong Winds" byBobby Bare made thecountry 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 as well a cover version of "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 theLovin' Spoonful . The title tune used horns for amariachi 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 kinetic presentations. At this time they were doing a weekly TV program for theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation . This phase too seemed to be short-lived.Their next incarnation found them in
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 earlycountry-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-livedAmpex label. Produced byTodd 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
divorce d. Ian retreated to western Canada, returning toranch ing, 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 withQuartette , 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 withTom 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 theJuno Awards ceremony.In 1994 they were both made Members of the
Order of Canada .In 2005 an extensive Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 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 Festival. This recent 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.External links
* [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0003937 The Canadian Encyclopedia]
References
* [http://www.music-city.org/Ian-AND-Sylvia/discography/ Ian and Sylvia discography]
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