Music legend Ian Tyson’s rodeo days may be long gone, but his music continues to live on despite his 85 years.
And Canada is paying attention.
The award-winning singer/songwriter will be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Sept. 5 at Calgary’s National Music Centre for his vast catalogue of songs written over the past five decades.
Tyson’s agent of 31 years Paul Mascioli said the induction is an honour for the veteran singer/songwriter, who currently isn’t taking media interviews.
“This is very close to his heart,” said Mascioli. “A big part of his career has been songwriting. To be honoured and recognized by the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame is special for him.”
Tyson has come a long way from the young rodeo cowboy who first picked up a guitar while in Calgary’s Foothills Hospital following a saddle bronc mishap at the age of 21. The guitar belonged to the patient in the bed next to his.
“That’s what started it,” he told the Western Wheel in an earlier interview. “It took a long time. I’m a slow learner, but I get it strong when I get it.”
And he got it.
In the late 1950s, Tyson hitchhiked to Toronto where he met Sylvia Fricker. The two merged in music and love and became Canadian stars of the early ’60s folk boom as Ian & Sylvia, recording almost a dozen albums.
Their song Four Strong Winds, released in 1964, was a hit and has since been covered by such famous artists as Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Johnny Cash and John Denver.
After the couple divorced, Tyson moved to Alberta to embrace the western lifestyle and music.
In 1988, Tyson approached Mascioli during the 1988 Winter Olympics to do some work for him. By the end of the year, Mascioli was representing Tyson exclusively.
Nowadays, Tyson is focusing his efforts on his music, Mascioli said.
“He’s working hard to maintain what he’s got,” he said. “At 87 years old he gets tired very easily. His whole life is practicing his guitar every day and singing.”
Mascioli said Tyson remains dedicated to his fans.
“He continues to appreciate all of his fan base and he especially likes to get out and play when he can for them,” he said. “They always react very favourably. It’s great to see that.”
Over the years, Tyson received countless awards including the Order of Canada and was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989, Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1992 and Mariposa Hall of Fame.
In 2005, Four Strong Winds was named the greatest Canadian song of all time by CBC–Radio.
While Tyson celebrated musical success, it didn’t come without its challenges.
His vocal cords were damaged in 2008 when he attempted to “out-muscle” a bad sound system at an Ontario performance. Shortly after, he flew to Oregon for another show and caught a virus on the flight that did further damage.
“I knew I was in trouble,” Tyson had told the Western Wheel. “I kept working my way through shows, but that didn’t work either.”
To fix the damage, Tyson discovered Dr. Steven Zeitels, a Harvard Medical School professor and director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Centre for Laryngeal Surgery and Voice Rehabilitation who revolutionized voice therapy and worked on famous singers such as Steven Tyler.
Tyson said Zeitels has doctors around the world who follow his innovations and he got in touch with one at the Foothills Hospital in Calgary to do the surgery.
“The voice that came out of this whole thing was unexpected,” Tyson had said. “I could hit notes I couldn’t hit back when I had my voice. It’s been a huge miracle.”
Tyson continues to tour, write, record and run the Tyson ranch near Longview.
In 2017, he released the single You Should Have Known, which celebrates the hard living, hard drinking, hard loving cowboy life.
September’s induction of both Tyson and Sylvia will coincide with the release of Ian & Sylvia’s The Lost Tapes, a collection of newly discovered concert recordings form the early ’70s, alternate studio takes of their popular hits, and previously unreleased songs. The album will be released on Sept. 6.
Fans of Tyson can watch him perform at Bragg Creek Days July 20 at 1 p.m. beside the Bragg Creek Community Centre.
