PROFILE
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'oSomepeople are bornto live with horses,"the renowned singer-songwritersays By Peter Feniak
an Tysonwrote his first songback in 1962at his manager's apartmentin NewYorkCity. Impressedbythe precocious songwritingofhis youngfriend BobDylan, Tysoncrafted "Four StrongWinds," a wistfi.rlsong about fading love, set in Canada'svast spaces. It becamea classic. A11these years later, as winter closesin on fie ranchlands ofsouthwesternAlbertat EasternSlopes, where the foothills trying to takecare ofmy lir'estockand keep them fed.Itt not rise to meetthe Rockies,itt nearing-20"C (-a'F). In his fa- a big job. I donl havea lot herein the winter-my horses 'And mous song,Tlson wrote, thosewinds sure can blow and a few longhorns.Most of my livestockstuff is in the cold way out there."As we connecton this frosty moming, summerseason. They comein in May and go out in Octo- ' he is living thosewords. "Yeah, brutal. Brutal heretoday, he ber. In this weather,they just try to get out of the wind, get 'Wind, says. too." behind a windbreak lt's amazinghow they handleit. But if 'em 'em It's early,but the voiceofa hundred songsand more has you cankeep fed,get out of the whd, and keep'em beenup for a while, doing rancher'swork "TodayI'm just watered,they cantake a 1otofit."
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'fyson I n 1959,Tyson passed thr ough this cor.rntry,heading east ln 1976,a frustrated ,rtrll Mar.lr:?Ol5 GOOD TIMES 15 PROFILE I I As a guitaristwidr a rich baritonevoice, he joined a rocka- billy band upon hisiretom to Vancouver,The Sensational Stripes.Solq he plqed t}recountry songshe loved,and then embracedhlk musicafter hearing The KingstonTrio's "Tom Dooley" on the radirr.The localfolk scenewas srnall then. A 'You're veteranmusician oflered some advice: a sood-look- ing kid andyou've got some talent-you've gottaget out ofVaacouver."In i959, Tysonshoul- deredhis guitar andhitchhiked easr In Toronto,Tyson found work as a commercial artisr Legendhas it that he designedthe logo for Resdan comers to the Shampoo.His impact on the music west were once well-advised to scenewould lastfur longer.With Sylvia meet winter with a bufhlo coat "The tLemoved to New York'sGreenwich Vil- Mounted Policeused to wear them," he l4ge,heart ofthe folkscene,in 1962.(Ther tells me "And my fatherapparently had maLrriedin i964-) Music historian tohn oneofthose coaGback in the earlyday's." Ei*rson praisestheir "heady mix of dis- His hthe6 GeorgeDawson Tporl an Eng- lishmanwith arradventumus spiri! arrivedin Caaadain1906 and found workhis sonwould later embrace-as an Alberta randr hand-ln 1910,hemovedtoVancowerlsland. He served with distinqtion in the First World War. re* tumed, setdedin Victoria married Margaret Campbe[ daughterof a prominent Oak Bay ftmily, andwent into business. George Tyson always kept horses and playedpolo. \ny'henIan (bom Septernber1933) was barely tinctive harmony, atypical repertoie, and physicalattrac- five, his dad took him to a rodeoand sathim in a cowboy's tiveness."Guitarist Rick Turner recalls, "Their harmony 'Some saddle. peopleare bom to live with horsesand othen singing was amazirrg.Their a cappellasongs were spine- arent " Ian writesin hk memotr,The Long ?ail (McClelland chilling." They signed with manager Albert Grossman, & Stewa4 2010)."It's in my geneticmakeup. Simple as that." whosestable of artists induded folk greatsPeter, PauI and h Indeed,he became an expertrider, a top rodeocompetitor. Mary and songwritingprodigy Bob Dylan- As a boy, the youngerTyson dreamedof "the cowboy Lookingbackin itNeverSold My Saddle,luseadier llr,em. life," treasuringthe storiesand drawingsof Will James,the ok written with CollinXscott (Greystone Boolis, 19%),!= great chronider of the Old West. (james,a.ka. Montana sonwrote, "For a corupleofyears, I forgotall aboutthe \{est |:| 9im, was,in fact, ErnestDufaui! a native Quebecerwho We rveregoing good. We had all the collegeconcerts we . utterly shedhis identity.) When TenRitter and the Sonsof could handle.On thoseplanes everyweek We weremaking the Pioneerscame to Victoria, young Ian was thrilled by a lot ofmoney-..the numbertwo groupafter Peter,PauI and thei.rfiaditional Westernsound. Mary.... We did (amongothers) two dl.namitealbums, Tyson'supbringing was genteel (he graduatedftom Victo- NorthernJournq and.Early Morning Rain." riai; eliteGleniyon Norfolk School),but he grewup toughand Their successwzu real with tiumphs from Ontario's fearles.He wasalso rebellious, leaving home at 17.He enrolled Mariposa Folk Festivalto New York's CarnegieHall, but at the VaacouverSchool ofArl wod 16 cooD TIMESMarch 201b mainedat their rancheart of Oshawaor steppedor,rt with Livingthe cowboy life, riding the open co,:ntry, gave him Rornie Hawl A SafeStep Walk-ln Tub offersindependence to thoseseeking a safeand easyway to batheright in .,.r,rf,l'. the convenienceand comfort of their own home. ./ lYadein North America,with morestandard features than ,"\,)\'' wl anyother tub I \.rJ}o ,i (,1,( / Carefullyengineered hydro-massage jets strategicalLy placed to targetsore muscles and joints 1. 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We've been wrcrking on a "SomedaySoon." He kept riding That'sour prontise to you. i recordingfor severalmonths. One rod,:ohim:;ell winningcut t ing . SPEEDY,EASY, AND moreintense session shou,ld probably horsecompetitions. He married SAFE-iER'YICE . finish it if all goeswell. I th ink this is a Bibkrwrtheir daughrer, Adelita, was '90s 24 hourss 6.iay,7 daysa week. pretty interestingalbum, actualiy. It's borrr.Throul;h the r:ndinto the Visitour o,rline subscription got somestylistic changes-which I newcentury , Tysoncontinued to donl reallywant servicesa,t www.goodtimes.cal to talk abo'ut,but. . .." rancJr.recor,l, and lerform.He customerto subscribeor renew The 1980ssaw Tyson's reputation as beganto gathe,rthe awadsthat typ- yoursubsbription, make a paymeni a fine singer-songwriterreborn. He icallycome ro admire(talent. Ano informus of a changeof address,d beganto play week-longgrg,p at Cal- badluck camea lpng vith the good. checkyour account. 1-800-465-8443 gary'sRanchman's inn. At ho,mere'd "llwylla and i' hacneglectedour playtheold cowboysongs tohis' .rung marriageforyears, " tr wroteoftheir SUBSCRIPTION girlfriend, Twylla Biblow Sheurged divorce,The breakupwas bitter and EXPIRATIONDATE him to recordthem. He wentone ber- cosllyfincludinB the lossof hallof Youwill find the subscription ter, recording|ris new self-penned his publishingroyalties). He wases- expirationdate included on your Westernsongs, as well . 1983'sOld Cor- tranSJedfrom his daughter.Then, he mailinglabel. To make sure you ralsand Sagebrushwas his fust album writes,"l lost my voice." don'tmiss a singleissue, please in years.Mid-decade brought a sur- Performingoutdoors in Havelodq allowfor a periodof 6 to 8 weeks priseboorn in fascinationwith the ON, he badly strainedand damaged foryour subscription renewal or cowboymusic and lifestyle,symbol- his v:cal cordstrying to compensate addresschange to takeeffect. ized by the annualNational Cowboy for a poorly balancedPA system.He PoetryGathering in Elko,Nevada. BILLINGAND RENEWAL caugJrtcold, the voiceworsened, and NOTICES Tysonfound himself an honoured the famoussmooth Tyson tones were presence Weprocess bills and subscription in itsmidst as thousands cele- gone-he thought for good.He brated"the renewalsone week before mailing traditionalerpressive cul- foughthard to keepsinging, re- them.Taking delivery schedules into account,your cheque (or renewal l orde0and our subscription notice "Four mightcross paths in the mail. lf this StrongWinds" has been I happens,kindly disregard our recordedby countlessartists, from renewalnotice. Bymajl: JohnnyCasrh to JoanBaez, SubscriptionServices GoodTimes PO.Box 1'1002, Anjou Station ('Cow- AnjouQC H1K 4H2 ture of the AmericanWest." makinghis style.In 2008,he recorded boy.urg,"!reon remindsme, "doesnl Yellnwheadto Yellowsfoneon hislong- OUR PRIVACYPOLICY recognizethe 49thparallel; the ranc}t- time label, Edmontont Stony Plain Fromtime to timewe share our ing culture is a vertical culture- Records,with his new "gravelvoice," listof subscriberswith reputable peoplein the eastdonl getthat.") to goodreviews. Then. as the cycle of businesseswhose products or 1987\ Cowboyogmphy-)adudng goodand bad luck continued,he an- servicesmay be of interestto yo_. a reworkingof Tlson'sfine "Summer noun,:edvia his websitein early2014: However,if youprefer we Waged'and a newdassic, wtitten with "Througha seriesof almost not share 'Navajo mir- yourname or address(postal or Tom Russe[ Rug"-ryns n aculouscircumstances, I fould a new e-mail),please let our subscription triurnph. A new audiencehad found voicesurgeon and a verygood siaging servicesknow in writing.Kindly Tlson and songsthat were gemsof coachand together, my newteam has includeone of yourmagazine simpliciryhard-won tales oflove ald got me right ba& in the saddle.So I mailinglabels. Our full privacy Jife,with a strongromantic streak and guessyou are stuck with me for 'towboy a policymay be vjewedat an endlesslove ofthe way" while longer,my friends." www.goodtimes.ca. 18 cooD TrMEsMarch 2oTo GoodTimes PROFILE TO SERVE YOU BETTER As a Goodli7res subscriber,you can expectunequalled customer It wasn'tacquired fur that reason,but Tlsont ranch expanded, service,And that's exacfly what 'the thanks over the yean it became music to country you'llget eachand everytime you star SuzyBoggusst hit house.' Wete gotten a lot of stuff recording needhelp with your of his rodeo love song subscripiion. donethere. We've been working on a "Someday That'sour promiselo you. Soon."He kept ridini recording for severalmonths. One rooeo nlmsett,wrnning cutting SPEEDY EASY,AND moreintense session shouJd probably horse competitions. He married SAFESERVICE finish it if all goeswell I think&is is a Biblow; their daughter,Adelita, was pretty 24 hoursa day,7 daysa week. interestingahum, acnrally.lt's bom. Thmugh rhe'90sand into the got Visitour onlinesubscription somesflisric changes-which I new century Tysoncontinued to servicesat www.goodtimes.cal donl reallywant to talkabou t, bur . -.', ranch, record, and perform. He customerto subscribeor renew The 1980ssaw Tlnon's reputation as begal to gatherthe awardsthat typ- yoursubscription, make a payment, a fine singer-songwriterreborn. He ically come to admired talenr-And informus of a changeof address,or beganto play week-longgigs at Cal- badluck camealong with the good checkyour account. 1-800-465-8443 gary'sRanchmanb inn- At homehe'd "TwylJaarrd I had neglectedour Say*re oldcowboysongs to hispung marriagefor years,"he wrote oftheir suBscRlpTtoN girlfiierrd, TaryllaBiblow. She ursed divorce.The EXPIRATIONDATE breakupwas bitter and him to recordthern He werrtone iet- costly (indudilg the lossof half Youwill find the of subscriotion teq recording his new self-penned his publishingroyalties). He expiration wases- dateincluded on your Westemsongs, as well l98J'sOldCor- trangedftom his daughter. mailing Then,he label.To make sure you rak and &gebnt* washisfrst album writes,"I lost myvoice." dont missa singleissue, please in years.Mid-decade brought a sur- Performingoutdoors in Havelock, allowfor a periodof 6 to 8 weeks prise boom in fascinationwith the ON, he badly strainedand damaeed for yoursubscription renewalor cor.r6oymusic and lifestfe, sfmbol- his vocalcords tryils to comDe;te addresschange to take effect. ized by the anrnut NationalCowbov for a poorly balancedPA system.He Poetry Gathering BILI-INGAND RENEWAL in Elko, Nevada cauglrtcold the voiceworsened, and NOTICES Tyson found himself an honoured the famoussrnooth Tyson tones w€re presencein Weprocess bills and subscription ic midstastbousands de- gone-he thought for good. He brated'the renewalsone week before mailing traditionalenpressive cul- fought hard to keep singing, re- them.Taking delivery schedules inro account,your cheque (or renewal order)and our subscriptionnotice .1,. mightcross paths in the mail. lf this happens,kindly disregard our renewalnotice. By mail: Subscription -IimesServices Good P.O-Box 11002,Anjou Station AnjouQC H1K 4H2 ture of the AmericanWot" ("CornF makinghisstfe. In 2008,he recorded boyin$i' Tlsm rcmindsme "doemt Yellowhendta Yellowsnneonhis lons- OUR PRIVACYPOLICY recognizethe a9thparanei; the randr- time labet,ndmonton! Stonv phL Fromtime to timewe shareour ing culture is a vertical culture- Records,with his new "gravelloice," listof subscriberswith repuiable pmplein the eastdont getthaf) to goodreviews. Then, as the cycleof businesseswhose products or 1987sAwbpgnpfu-irch:dtng goodand bad luck continued,he an- servicesmay be of interestto you. a reworkingofTlnonb fine "Summer nouncedvia his websiteinudy 2014: 'Through However,if you preferwe Waget''andanewdassic,w:ittenwith a not share 'Nav4io seriesof almost mir- yourname or address(posial or Tom Russell, Rug"-was . acr ouscirormstancec I found a new e-mail),please let our subscripiion triumph. A new audiencehad foud voiceswgeon and a ruygoodsinging servicesknow in wrliing.Kindly Tfson and songsthat vere gernsof coachand together,nrynewteam has includeone of yourmagazine simplicity,hard-won tales oflove and got me right backin the saddle So I mailinglabels. Our full privacy life, with a strongromantic strreak anC guessyou are stuck with me for a policymay be viewedat anendlesslove ofthe'towbcyvrayl' vihilelonge4 my fiiends." www.goodtimes.ca. 18 GooDTtMEs March 2o1b lamentfor threeyoung RCMP officersambushed and mur- 'towboy deredat the top ofAlberta's trail" nearthe town of Mayerthorpe.Tyson recalls, "It wasvery very emotional.I sangit reallywell that day.And it resonatedstrongly, I guess." We wind down our conversiation,noting a recentpiqture in the CalgaryHerald (below)showing Tyson with his two children as he receivestie local Bob EdwardsAward as a "unique voice." 'lI "Yeah,I lovethat picture,"lrson says. havetwo wonder- ful kids. They dont live anywlherenear eachother; it's rare whenwe gettogether. The girl livesin Texasand the sonlives in Toronto.So it wasreal special. They're a handsomepair." Cowboysstill ride the eastr:mslopes, but fewer live the old-srylecowboy life. Resourcedevelopment continu€s to aiterAlberta's landscape, including ranchcountry. "Oh, yeah,"Tlson sa1s,"it's all changingPmplei livesare differentnow." He doesnt car: much for the chansesin his pan ofAJberta.But the beautifirl landscapes ofopen country cal still bring to mindthe first verseofhis classicsong: ...Think I'Il go out to Albert&,weather's good there in thefall. . .. Fromthe Tyson Ranch, the great singer-songwriter con- 'At curs: the end of September,when we get a good stretch of weather,we can havea beautifi.rlIndian summer.We did in 2014.Nicewarm days. and t hecol- oursa-re 8reat. We're rormding up the 'em yearlingsto move for the winter. If I dorit get buckedoff, breakin' my collarboneor somelhingstu- t:t: P ;l..;iril,tl.l ,.] r lr;,,t1 pid, thatt a real good day." These 3 days,Tpon admits he feelsthe years. In T)rcLong ?ail, he writes,"My After somebad spiJls, he is more cautiousin life air't all beerand skinles,as my t his riding. He hasanhritis in his hands,which old manLused to say,but I m hanging $ he fights by playing the guitar an hour each in there."He's booked for showsthis day.Of his songwriting,he says,"I think the quality is still yearand a new album is imminent. Springtimewill cometo 3 there;itjust takesalot longer." the Rockiesand to the ranchlandofthe lastern Slopes. Amonghis many fine songs, he's reminded most often of "Nice talkin' to you," saysIan Tyson. "Take care. € the first one he wrote-which CBC Radio listenersonce Adios." : voted"Best Canadian Song ofihe 20th Century." "Oh, yes,I arn proud ofit," Tysonsays. "I geta little tired ofthe hoopla around it, but jFour StrongWindd hasbeen good to me. It wasall part ofthat GreenwichVillage thing. CrypticCrossword #369c. RegularCrossword #369R. Dylan inspireda lot ofus aswriters." The songhas been recordedby coundessartists, fiom ! |ohnny Cashto |oan Baez.With its romaltic yeaming its p senseofthe distancesbetween people, "Four StrongWinds" continuesto touch peopledeeply. it was playedat the fu- neral offormer Alberta premier Ralph Klein. It's sungeach b year to closethe Edmonton Folk Festival.In 2010,Ian & Sylviareunited to silg the songat the fiftieth anniversary 3 of Ontario'sMariposa Folk Festival.And at a massivememor- ial seenon nationwidetelevision in 2005,Tyson sang it asa March iZ0l5GOOD TIMES 19