Ian & Sylvia

Formed in Toronto, Canada in1959, Ian & Sylvia was a folk and country music duo comprised of Ian Tyson (born Victoria, British Columbia on September 25, 1933) and Sylvia Fricker (born in Chatham on September 19, 1940). Ian Tyson began playing the guitar after an injury brought an end to his rodeo career. He moved to Toronto, and began performing in local clubs, where he met singer and guitarist Sylvia Fricker. The two of them became romantically involved and began performing together as a duo. Moving to New York in 1962, Ian & Sylvia were discovered by manager Albert Grossman (Peter, Paul & Mary / Bob Dylan) and signed to Vanguard Records. They released their debut album, Ian & Sylvia, in 1962, and although it didn’t sell as well as expected, the duo was at the forefront of the burgeoning folk music movement. Their second album, Four Strong Winds, reached Number 115 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and the duo had a hit with the album’s title track. In 1964, the couple married and released the album Northern Journey, which charted at Number 70. The following year, the duo had a Number 1 hit in Canada with the title track from their fourth album Early Morning Rain. With the folk movement changing, Ian & Sylvia pursued a folk-rock direction with 1966’s Play One More and So Much For Dreaming, although neither album charted as well as their more traditional folk albums. The duo recorded the country-influenced Nashville before moving over to MGM Records for the album Lovin’ Sound, both of which were released in 1967. After the release of 1968’s Full Circle, Ian & Sylvia embraced a country rock direction with a new group and album, both titled Great Speckled Bird (1970). Signing with Columbia Records, the duo released two more albums – Ian and Sylvia (1971) and You Were On My Mind (1972) – before divorcing and splitting up in 1975. They both pursued new musical endeavors and were later inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1992. Two years later, Ian and Sylvia were decorated with the Order of Canada. In 2019, Ian and Sylvia were inducted separately into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. Ian Tyson – who wrote classic songs such as “You Were On My Mind” and “Someday Soon” - died on December 29, 2022, at the age of 89.

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