Ian Tyson, legendary Canadian songwriter who penned the standard Four Strong Winds died in December at age 89. Tyson’s career stretched back to the influential Toronto folk scene in the early sixties, when he was performing with his wife at the time Sylvia Tyson as Ian & Sylvia.
He was a throwback of sorts, continuing his pursuit of a career as a rancher while also working as a performer. Four Strong Winds included a refrain about the life of a wanderer that seemed to sum up Tyson’s outlook on life. Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings all covered the song. When Neil Young included it on a 1978 album the royalties paid the down payment on a cattle and horse ranch. Young also performed the song at the Bands final concert The Last Waltz.
After Ian and Sylvia divorced in the 1970s Tyson moved to Western Canada and returned to ranch life. Much of his songwriting from that point forward focused on ranch and cowboy life.
In 1987 Tyson released his third solo album. Cowboyography put in place the style he would employ for the remainder of his career. The album included two songs that were included by the Western Writers of America in the list of the top 100 Western songs of all time. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation named Four Strong Winds one of the most influential Canadian songs of all time.
Tyson released twelve more albums with the latest coming in 2015. In 2006 a virus left Tyson with a reduced vocal range. He described his new sound as gravelly, yet that did not diminish the album that followed the incident. His From Yellowfork to Yellowstone and Other Love Stories won a nomination as Canadian folk album of the year.
Tyson began experiencing medical issues in 2015 and this past December died at his ranch at 89.
