Ian Tyson

Bronco busting was his passion during his late teens and early twenties, until a rodeo accident in 1957 crushed his ankle. He then pursued musical interests, forming influential folk duo, Ian and Sylvia, and writing "Four Strong Winds"

Ian and Sylvia
c 1961

	Ian Tyson was born September 25, 1933, and lived with his parents and older sister, Jean, at 2785 Dufferin Street.
	"The first house Jean and I lived in was a bungalow on Dufferin Avenue, just west of Cattle Point. Our house was surrounded by big open fields, little oak trees and scotch broom — beautiful country, almost like range. The green meadows stretched right down to the ocean. It felt like we were out in the country, yet the Uplands just north of our place was furnished with paved roads connecting the houses, lit by ornate cast iron lampposts just like you'd find in a city. It was a lovely arrangement, and I don't think I've seen anything like it since. The entire area is now completely developed, but back then the suburbanization of Victoria, a civil-service town of old brick and wooden buildings, was only just beginning. . . ." 1
	His visits to Smugglers' Cove, on Ten Mile Point, with his father stirred his imagination. These childhood fantasies would one day become the inspiration for his song, "Smugglers' Cove."
	""When Jean and I were really young, Dad used to take us up to Smugglers' Cove, on Ten Mile Point, a peninsula that sticks out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We'd all stand on the rocks and watch the killer whales going north in their spring migration as seabirds wheeled overhead. The old man would bring along some glittery jewellery he had bought at Woolworth's, which he'd bury in the sand. Then he'd tell Jean and me that if we dug deep enough we might find treasure. That memory has stayed with me: I wrote a song about it more that six decades later. . . ." 2
	Smugglers' Cove Click on player to hear first two verses of Smugglers' Cove A nice tribute to his father — and to Oak Bay Last night, I dreamed of Smugglers' Cove, The seabirds all were a-wheelin' Out on the riptide past Discovery Isle, Where killer whales come stealin', The killer whales come stealin'. Father took me by the hand Down through the rocks and the driftwood, And pirate gold from the five and dime He caused me to discover, All in a morning's wonder. Note reference to Discovery Island This song is included on the Lost Herd album. Click here to visit amazon.com where you can download "Smugglers' Cove" (mp3) for 99 cents
	His parents provided two very different influences on his life. His father was out-going and fun-loving, but his mother was a strict, no-nonsense Presbyterian who wouldn't tolerate frivolous things, like comic books, in the house.
	Ian's childhood imagination was kindled by the cowboy stories in the Will James' books that his father gave him. Will James became his cowboy hero, and his stories and drawings of the West would become formative influences in Tyson's life.
	His father kept two horses, Ginger and Steel, on a small farm in Cadboro Bay, where Ian and his father enjoyed galloping along the beach when not wandering through the Uplands. Thus began Ian's life-long love of horses.
	"I got hooked on the cowboy way of life thanks to my dad's horses and the Will James books he gave me as presents." 3
	The Tyson family moved to 1550 Wilmot Place in the early 1940s, and up the street to 1649 Wilmot Place in the mid 1940s.
	We lived next door to a Gothic mansion with a big wooded area that abutted our back door, and I would drop into those trees to meet my friend Bugs Bigelow at night. . . . and we'd knock off a few candy bars from the local confectionary. . . ." 4
	In 1946, when Ian was 13, he was enrolled at Glenlyon, a private school for boys. He was active in rugby, boxing, shooting and drama. Ian graduated from Glenlyon in 1951.
	After graduation he took a job with the Provincial Forest Service and worked on Vancouver Island. It's here that he first became interested in rodeo riding
	"At nineteen I rode in my first rodeo in Duncan, on Vancouver Island. It was a small-time rodeo, but for us rubes on the Island it was a big deal. . . . I was hooked after that. . . . After that first rodeo, my logger friends and I would go to other rodeos in the B.C. interior when we had the spare time . . ." 5
	courtesy Ian Tyson . Tyson Bronc-riding at the Cloverdale Rodeo .
	While working for the forest service, Tyson decided to apply to the Vancouver School of Art. 6
	As a kid I could always draw, right from the beginning. Inspired by Will James, I'd draw horses, horses and more horses. 7
	In 1954 he was accepted into the four-year program at the Vancouver School of Art. During the summers he worked at Banff, Alberta, where he wasn't far from rodeos.
	In 1956, during his third year at art school, he discovered he could sing.
	"After Elvis broke out in 1956, I realized I could sing. I loved Elvis's style. No white kid had ever sung like that before, and I found out that I could imitate him pretty accurately. 8
	During that school year he made his singing debut at the Heidelberg Café in Vancouver, and played with a rockabilly band, "The Sensational Stripes."
	After his third year at art school he was back working in Banff in the summer of 1957. On one fateful day, he took time off work to compete in the Dogpound Rodeo, just north of Calgary.
	It's at this rodeo, at the age of 24, that his dream of becoming a rodeo cowboy came to an abrupt end when he shattered his ankle while competing in a riding event.
	While convalescing in a Calgary hospital he taught himself guitar by learning to play Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line," which was everpresent on the radio at that time.
	Back in Vancouver (on crutches) in fall of 1957 for his fourth and final art school semester, Tyson graduated from the four-year program in spring of 1958.
	After the door closed on his rodeo dreams, he realized two new doors had opened for him: art and music.
	He experimented with jazz, blues and rockabilly before pursuing folk music. The songs of the Kingston Trio intrigued him, and the music of Odetta inspired him.
	1958 found Tyson in Toronto — working as a commercial artist by day and performing in coffee houses at night as a folksinger.
	It's here he met singer, Sylvia Fricker, and began performing on stage together, though not yet as a duo.
	John Anderson photo . Ian and Sylvia on stage .
	In 1961, they worked together as Ian and Sylvia and moved to New York City to perform in Greenwich Village. It's here they hung out with Bob Dylan and met his manager, Albert Grossman, who also managed Peter, Paul and Mary.
	Dylan played Tyson his new song, "Blowin' in the Wind," which inspired Tyson to write his first song, "Four Strong Winds." 9
	Grossman was impressed and secured a record contract for the Canadian duo with Vanguard Records. Their first album, Ian and Sylvia, was released in 1962.
	"Four Strong Winds" was not included on their first album, although they sang it regularly at their live performances. Other acts, like The Brothers Four and Glenn Yarbrough heard the song and released their versions in 1963.
	Ian and Sylvia released their version of "Four Strong Winds" in 1964, the same year they married.
	Since then, over a hundred artists have recorded "Four Strong Winds," in a variety of genres.
	A Tribute to Oak Bay's Most Successful Songwriter Four Strong Winds "The greatest Canadian song of all time" — CBC Radio One listeners' poll, 2005 1963 The Brothers Four Released as a single in October 1963, and included on their Sing of Our Times album, in April 1964 1963 Glenn Yarbrough Released on Time to Move On — his first solo album after leaving the Limeliters, 1964 Ian and Sylvia Included on their second album, Ian and Sylvia: Four Strong Winds, released January 1964 1964 Bobby Bare Released as a single, October 1964, to earn two Grammy nominations for Best C&W Vocal Performance and for Best C&W Single 1964 Harry Belafonte Released on his Ballads, Blues and Boasters album 1965 The Searchers Released on the Take Me For What I'm Worth album of this British group, ironically making "Four Strong Winds" part of the British Invasion that killed the folk music movement in America 1978 Neil Young Released on Young's Comes A Time album to reach #61 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. Royalties helped Tyson purchase a farm in Alberta 2005 Blue Rodeo Released on their The Gift: A Tribute to Ian Tyson album Over a hundred artists have recorded "Four Strong Winds," in a variety of genres
	The mass popularity of folk music in America came to an abrupt end with the British Invasion in the mid 1960s.10 Ian and Sylvia responded by forming their group, Great Speckled Bird — an early progenitor of country-rock.
	In 1965, Ian bought a farm outside of Toronto but continued with his music, which included his own television show, The Ian Tyson Show, on CBC.
	By 1975, Tyson called it quits. He divorced Sylvia, left his weekly television show and moved back to Alberta to work with horses.
	Ian Dawson Tyson died December 29, 2022.
	* * *
	Ian Tyson is the recipient of The Order of Canada and has been inducted into 5 industry Halls of Fame. He has garnered 3 Honorary Doctorates and received numerous citations and awards from every corner of the entertainment industry.
	1 Tyson, Ian. Ian Tyson — The Long Trail: My Life in the West. (Random House: 2010) 14
	2 Ibid. 15.
	3 Ibid. 20.
	4 Ibid. 25.The Gothic mansion was the former Pemberton home, Wilmot House, the driveway to which became Wilmot Place.
	5 Ibid. 33.
	6 Tyson's natural drawing ability was tutored by renowned artist, Edward Goodall, who had moved into the former Tyson residence at 1550 Wilmot Place
	7 Ibid. 35–36.
	8 Ibid. 43.
	9 Folk singers traditionally searched ethnic sources for new material. Bob Dylan changed everything by writing his own original folk songs.
	10 February 9, 1964, to be exact —the day the Beatles made their first performance on the Ed Sullivan television show

PHOTOGRAPHS

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ARTIFACTS / Books & Recordings

BOOKS
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IAN TYSON The Long Trail: My Life in the West Random House 2010	IAN & SYLVIA Four Strong Winds McClelland & Stewart 2011

RECORDINGS
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IAN & SYLVIA Greatest Hits Vanguard 2002	IAN & SYLVIA The Complete Vanguard Studio Recordings Vanguard Records 2001
IAN TYSON Cowboyography Vanguard Records 1994	IAN TYSON Lost Herd Vanguard Records 1999

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RECOLLECTIONS

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"We moved into 1550 Wilmot Place in the winter of 1945. I was three years old at the time but my memory of the street from 1945 through 1964 is very clear. . . .

One celebrity spent his early years on Wilmot Place — Ian Tyson, Canadian performer of authentic music from our western heritage. Ian lived with his parents and sister at the very end of the street.

Decades after they had moved, myself and another boy discovered a secret room under the front steps of his old home. There we found a candle sitting on top of an old butter box with a stack of very old comic books from the '30s and '40s. The room was named 'Ian’s Hiding Place No. 1' (We wondered where #2 was.)"

— Richard Goodall, OBHS class of 1960

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