Ian Tyson

I just caught the end of a television show called "Songwriters" I believe, and one of the guests was Canada's resident cowboy songwriter, none other that Ian Tyson, who some of you may remember as half of the 1960's folk music duo, Ian and Sylvia.

As a child of the sixties, I remember singing along with Ian and Sylvia and something called the "Great Speckled Bird" which I believe was his band. The songs I remember the most are "Four Strong Winds" "Navajo Rug" "Someday Soon" and "Summer Wages"

Ian is a folksy songwriter, and one of those greats who writes and sings songs that we all can relate to on some level, and to my delight, words we can remember and sing along with.

What Canadian can't sing at least some of the words to Four Strong Winds A song about the life of transient farm workers, forced to move where work can be found. But on a grander scale, the song reflects on the sometimes temporary nature of human relationships, in fact to tell the truth, I always thought of it as a love song, and I guess in many ways it is.

"If I get there before the winter, and if things are going good,
You could meet me if I sent you down the fare...."

Ian Tyson has now become a successful rancher in Alberta, Canada, on top of being a singer-songwriter, and has released several albums over the years, including one of my favorites, Cowboyography an album of cowboy songs. Yo-de-laid-de-hoo...which of course is my attempt at yodelling in a blog....hmmm...seems something was lost in the translation....

Here is Ian Tyson singing Four Strong Winds....


Ahh...that one brings back fond memories for me. But Tyson doesn't just sit on his laurels, or his old albums, he is still turning out some great cowboy music, like this one called "Eighteen Inches Of Rain"



Cowboyography

Ian Tyson, a great Canadian Cowboy singer songwriter....brought to you tonight by I Wanna Be A Cowboy