Juno Award Hall of Famer Ian Tyson grew up in British Columbia. Influenced in childhood by the horse stories of Will James, Tyson eventually drifted into cowboy life and the rodeo. A gifted songwriter and performer, Tyson teamed up with Sylvia Fricker in the 1960's to form the enduring and popular sound of Ian & Sylvia. After the 1960's folk revival, Tyson hosted a weekly country music television show for CTV that ran for five years, first as Nashville North and later as The Ian Tyson Show. In the late 70's Tyson divided his time between music and his ranch in Alberta. He met new success as a solo performer on the western circuit. Ever a strong lyricist, Tyson's later works celebrate "cowboy culture"--the folk culture of the west. Tyson's rich, soft baritone voice has been his signature from his early Yorkville coffeehouse days in Toronto to his latest "western" albums. "Tyson's voice works ... like a pull of good whisky; rich and carrying, it edges close to the nasal passage before retreating safely, riding that fine country line that so very few voices find"--Roy MacGregor, The Canadian.

Ol' Eon, from 1973, was Tyson's first solo album after the breakup of Ian & Sylvia. Tyson is in good voice on this work that features many fine songs, including "Some Kind of Fool," "Blueberry Susan," and "The North Saskatchewan." One Jump Ahead of The Devil, from 1978, was one of Tyson's solo albums on Boot Records, later reissued on CD by Stony Plain. The recording is muddy--Tyson's voice sounds distant and the sidemen and background vocalists are less than inspired. Despite some good lyrics this is one strictly for dedicated Tyson fans.

Old Corrals and Sagebrush, from 1984, has been reissued by both Stony Plain and Vanguard. The sequence of the songs is different on each and the Vanguard reissue includes an extra song, "Diamond Joe." The Vanguard recording has been used for this guide. This excellent album is the first of the soft-edged cowboy recordings that have become Tyson's trademark in recent years. Highlights include "Alberta's Child," "The Old Double Diamond," "Leavin' Cheyenne," "Gallo de Cielo," "Diamond Joe," "Night Riders Lament," and "Murder Steer." Cowboyography, from 1986, is an all-Tyson album that continues the cowboy music started on Old Corals. A bonus is a remake of the Tyson classic, "Summer Wages." The album also introduces background vocalist, Cindy Church, who became a regular on subsequent Tyson recordings. The 1989 I Outgrew The Wagon features songs like "Cowboys Don't Cry," "Casey Tibbs," "I Outgrew the Wagon," "Adelita Rose," "Since the Wind," and a remake of "Four Strong Winds." And Stood There Amazed, from 1991, showcases the prolific Tyson on another strong album. Highlights include "Black Nights," "Lights of Laramie," and "Springtime In Alberta." A reviewer in Dirty Linen calls Eighteen Inches Of Rain, from 1994, "an exceptional release from a man who has put the western back into country music." Tyson just keeps on writin' and singin' fine cowboy songs. Highlights include "Horsethief Moon," "Eighteen Inches of Rain," "Chasin' the Moon," and "Til the Circle Is Through."

Ol' Eon
1973 A&M (CD-69820)

Some Kind of Fool; Bad Times Were So Easy; Blueberry Susan; Sam Bonnifield's Saloon; If She Just Helps Me; Lord, Lead Me Home; Great Canadian Tour; She's My Greatest Blessing; Spanish Johnny; The Girl Who Turned Me Down; The North Saskatchewan; Love Can Bless the Soul of Anyone 33:39

One Jump Ahead of the Devil
1978, reissued 1978 Stony Plain (SPCD 1177)

What Does She See; One Jump Ahead of the Devil; Beverly; Turning Thirty; Newtonville Waltz; Lone Star and Coors; One Too Many; Texas, I Miss You; Goodness of Shirley; Freddie Hall; Half Mile of Hell 37:41

Old Corrals and Sagebrush & Other Cowboy Culture Classics *
1984, reissued 1994 Vanguard (151/52-2)

Alberta's Child; The Old Double Diamond; Windy Bill; Montana Waltz; Whoopee Ti Yi Yo; Leavin' Cheyenne; Gallo de Cielo; Old Corrals and Sagebrush; Old Alberta Moon; Diamond Joe; Night Rider's Lament; Tom Blasingame; Sierra Peaks; Colorado Trail; Hot Summer Tears; What Does She See; Rocks Begin to Roll; Will James; Murder Steer 74:26

Cowboyography *
1986 Stony Plain (SPCD 1102)

Springtime; Navajo Rug; Summer Wages; Fifty Years Ago; Rockies Turn Rose; Claude Dallas; Own Heart's Delight; The Gift; Cowboy Pride; Old Cheyenne; The Coyote and the Cowboy 43:28

I Outgrew the Wagon
1989 Stony Plain (SPCD 1131)

Cowboys Don't Cry; Casey Tibbs; I Outgrew the Wagon; Arms of Corey Jo; Adelita Rose; Irving Berlin (Is 100 Yrs Old Today); Since the Rain; The Wind in the Fire; Four Strong Winds; The Banks of the Musselshell; The Steeldust Line 40:57

And Stood There Amazed
1991 Stony Plain (SPCD 1168)

Black Nights; Lights of Laramie; Jaquima to Freno; Springtime in Alberta; Non-Pro Song; Milk River Ridge; Rocks Begin to Roll; Jack Link; You're Not Alone; Magpie; Home on the Range 41:05

Eighteen Inches of Rain
1994 Stony Plain (SPCD 1193) / Vanguard (79475)

Horsethief Moon; Heartaches Are Stealin'; Eighteen Inches of Rain; M.C. Horses; Big Horns; Rodeo Road; Chasin' the Moon; Nobody Thought It Would; Old House; Alcohol in the Bloodstream; Old Corrals and Sagebrush; Til the Circle Is Through 42:04