Ian Tyson

I have been listening, of late, to some old Ian Tyson songs. Many of you may remember the popular folk duo of Ian and Sylvia (nee Fricker, later Tyson) in the 60's, you know ... "Someday Soon", "Four Strong Winds", etc. During the British Invasion in the mid 60's, they became the Canadian equal of the Byrds or The Flying Burrito Brothers in the new Country-Rock genre. An extremely popular country performer in Canada and the U.S., he hosted a hit TV show up until about the mid 70's. And then he got divorced, got fed up with the music scene and decided to go to his ranch south of Calgary and cowboy for a living. He did some rodeo, got married again and enjoyed the ranching life. His second wife, Twylla, encouraged him to record "Old Corrals and Sagebrush", a collection of old and new cowboy songs made basically just for friends. Once people heard the album, he was on his way again. He is, by far, the best cowboy song writer ever... to my mind, way better than even Chris Ledeaux. I love Chris, but his stuff ... like Garth's ... is so damn commercial. Ian writes about REAL modern day cowboys and real feelings. Songs like "Navaho Rug", "18 Inches of Rain", "Casey Tibbs", "Summer Wages", and "Alcohol in the Bloodstream" just dazzle you with the imagery of his lyrics and his true love for the cowboy life and the Rocky Mountain west. I sometimes think that he is one of the most over-looked artists extant. Even though he tours constantly and has an extremely devoted fan base, he has never been / and is not now given his true due by the musical establishment or powers that be. I only wish that anyone who loves lyrics and music and the American west could listen to everything he's recorded in the last 25 years. But then again, I enjoy keeping him to myself as sort of a secret, hidden treasure.
Love from the desert