Ian Tyson, C.M. (born September 25 1933) is a cowboy folk singer from Alberta, Canada, who was born in Victoria, British Columbia.
While part of the groups Ian and Sylvia and Great Speckled Bird, Tyson accentuated the cowboy way and the western life through song. Residing in southern Alberta, Tyson tours all over the west.
Ian Tyson was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989.
In 2005, CBC Radio One listeners chose his song "Four Strong Winds" as the greatest Canadian song of all time on the series 50 Tracks: The Canadian Version. There was strong momentum for him to be nominated the Greatest Canadian, but he fell short. He has been a strong influence on many Canadian artists, including Neil Young, who recorded "Four Strong Winds" for Comes a Time (1978). Johnny Cash would also record that same song for American V: A Hundred Highways (2006), and Judy Collins recorded a popular version of "Someday Soon".
A tribute CD to Ian Tyson, 'The Gift' was released in 2007 on Stony Plain Records featuring 'Someday Soon' done by Doug Andrew with Buddy Cage on pedal steel guitar (Buddy played in Great Speckled Bird), 'Four Strong Winds' recorded by Blue Rodeo, plus another 13 of Tyson's best known songs done by major folk and country artists.
