Photo by courtesy of The Government of Alberta/ courtoisie du gouvernement d'Alberta

SOCAN mourns the loss of Ian Tyson

Story by Howard Druckman | Tuesday January 10th, 2023

SOCAN is mourning the loss of iconic Canadian singer-songwriter Ian Tyson, who passed away on Dec. 29, 2022, at the age of 89 (while SOCAN was on hiatus).

Tyson was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989, and into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, as half of the duo Ian & Sylvia, in 1992. Tyson became a Member of the Order of Canada in 1994, and in 2003 he received a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award. He was inducted into the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2006, and in 2019, into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. Tyson won a JUNO Award as Best Male Country Artist in 1987.

In 2005, CBC Radio One listeners chose Tyson’s signature tune, “Four Strong Winds,” as the greatest Canadian song of all time. Tyson has been a strong influence on many artists, including Neil Young, who recorded “Four Strong Winds” for his Comes a Time album in 1978. Johnny Cash also recorded the song for American V: A Hundred Highways in 2006. Tyson himself sang “Four Strong Winds” at the opening of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.

Many in the Canadian music ecosystem remembered Tyson on social media. Fellow cowboy singer-songwriter Corb Lund said, on Facebook: “With a heavy heart, I learned of my old friend, Ian Tyson’s passing… Canada and the world has lost a legendary songwriter, performer, and lifelong advocate for the romance and reality of the West…”

Steve Kane, the former President of Warner Music Canada, said in a Facebook post: “Neither legend nor icon comes close to describing Ian Tyson. He is woven into the fabric of Canada. He brought our stories to the global stage. He helped keep the tradition of cowboy poetry alive…”

Charlie Angus, Member of Parliament and leader of the folk/roots combo Grievous Angels, posted on Facebook: “Ian Tyson defined Canadian folk music. He was a true original. He wrote so many incredible songs. ‘Four Strong Winds’ remains the defining Canadian song…”

Born a British Columbian in Victoria, and raised in Duncan, Tyson was a rodeo rider in Western Canada in his late teens and early twenties. He began to play guitar while recovering from an injury sustained in a bad fall in the rodeo. He hitchhiked to Toronto, and there met young singer Sylvia Fricker, with whom he formed a musical duo. As Ian & Sylvia, they were – along with Gordon Lightfoot, to whom Tyson was a mentor in Lightfoot’s early days – Canadian stars of the early-1960s folk boom that gave the world Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, and Joan Baez.

Married in 1964, the duo made almost a dozen albums, and wrote some of Canada’s best-loved songs, including Ian’s “Four Strong Winds”, “Someday Soon,” and “Summer Wages,” as well as Sylvia’s “You Were on My Mind” — songs covered countless times, including in versions by Dylan, the aforementioned Neil Young, Judy Collins, and more. As the ‘60s gave way to the ‘70s, Ian & Sylvia evolved into country-rock pioneers. Their band, The Great Speckled Bird, rivalled the Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers in creating a more current form of country music, while still respecting tradition.

After hosting a national Canadian television music show from 1970 to 1975, Tyson’s marriage to Sylvia ended, and he returned home to his first love – training horses in the ranch country of southern Alberta. After three years in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Tyson recorded the album Old Corrals & Sagebrush, consisting of cowboy songs, both traditional and new. Since the 1980s, Tyson released 15 albums on Stony Plain Records celebrating the cowboy life.

The cowboy renaissance blossomed at the inaugural Elko Cowboy Poetry Gathering in 1983, where a small coterie of cowboys and cowboy-adjacent craftsmen assembled in a small town in Northern Nevada. Tyson was invited to perform his “new Western music,” and missed only one or two gatherings in the almost 40 years since.

Tyson, a member of ASCAP for most of his life, is survived by a son, Clayton, from his first marriage, and a daughter, Adelita, from his second. Donations in his memory can be made to The Ian Tyson Legacy Fund here. SOCAN extends its sincere condolences to Tyson’s family, friends, fans, and any who’ve ever enjoyed his music, worldwide.

Photo by courtesy/courtoisie

SOCAN grieves the passing of Shirley Eikhard

Story by Howard Druckman | Thursday January 12th, 2023

SOCAN member, singer, and professional songwriter Shirley Eikhard died on Dec. 15, 2023 (while SOCAN was on hiatus), at the age of 67 , in Orangeville, ON, after a battle with cancer.

At age 15, Eikhard wrote “It Takes Time,” which became a No. 1 hit on Canadian Adult Contemporary radio charts for Anne Murray in 1971. That resulted in television appearances on The Anne Murray Special and The Tommy Hunter Show on CBC. Eikhard won two JUNO Awards, both for Female Country Artist of the Year, in 1973 and 1974, and was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020. Her songs have been recorded by, or written for, the likes of Cher, Amy Grant, Rita Coolidge, and Emmylou Harris. Eikhard released 18 full-length albums between 1972 and 2021, and taught herself to play guitar, piano, bass, drums, percussion, chromatic harmonica, saxophone, banjo, and mandolin.

But her most widely recognized commercial success came from a song Eikhard wrote in the mid-‘80s while working in Nashville. Written in ab out 20  minutes, and pitched to artists for about seven years, “Something to Talk About” was recorded by Bonnie Raitt for her 1991 Luck of the Draw album, which enabled the American singer-songwriter and guitarist to further a commercial comeback begun two years earlier. “Something to Talk About” reached No. 5 on the Billboard U.S. singles chart, and was nominated for Record of the Year at the 1992 Grammy Awards. Raitt actually earned a Best Pop Vocal Performance Grammy for her recording of the song. “Something to Talk About” even inspired a 1995 Julia Roberts comedy-drama movie of the same name, in which she plays a woman who learns her husband is having an affair.

Eikhard was born in Sackville, NB, to parents who both played musical instruments, and music quickly became her lifelong passion. She was living in Oshawa, ON, by the time of her debut 1969 appearance at the Mariposa Folk Festival, as a young teen. By 1972, she’d shifted from folk to country pop, as she released her self-titled debut album. It included a version of Sylvia Tyson’s “Smiling Wine,” which garnered significant Canadian radio airplay, as did Eikhard’s cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Say You Love Me,” from 1976’s Let Me Down Easy.

There was a 10-year gap in her recorded output, from 1977 until 1987’s Taking Charge, as Eikhard dealt with voice issues. Still, during that time, she co-wrote a song, “Kick Start My Heart,” that was included on Alannah Myles’s self-titled 1989 hit album. Eikhard’s own first album after Bonnie Raitt’s cover greatly heightened her public profile — 1995’s If I Had My Way — saw her return to familiar musical territory. Then, three years later, she was recording for the legendary Blue Note jazz label. For Eikhard, it only natural, as she’d included Billie Holiday songs in her live performances for years.

As the years rolled on in the 2000s, Eikhard painted, released modest  but quality albums created largely on her own, and dedicated time to social causes, including animal rights and the environment. Her most recent full-length was 2021’s On My Way to You.

SOCAN extends its warmest condolences to Eikhard’s family, friends, fellow musicians, other colleagues in the music ecosystem, fans, and anyone who’s ever enjoyed her music.

Photo by courtesy/courtoisie. Collage by/par Tiana Feng. Left to right/De gauche à droite : Jim Corcoran, Bob Ezrin, Lorraine Segato, Michel Cusson

Ten SOCAN members named to Order of Canada

Story by Howard Druckman | Wednesday January 4th, 2023

Ten SOCAN members were among the investments and appointments to the Order of Canada in  December of 2022.

Folk music icon  Ian Tamblyn was invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada.  For more than five decades, this gifted singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and playwright has celebrated the beauty of Canada’s landscape and the spirit of its people. An expedition guide and mentor with Adventure Canada and Students on Ice, he travels extensively to the world’s northernmost places and inspires many to find their voice through song.

Jazz musician Michel Cusson was invested as a Member of the Order. Whether on stage or screen, Cusson has left his mark on Canada’s music scene. He first distinguished himself as the founder and guitarist for the internationally renowned fusion group UZEB, which helped to shape the evolution of jazz in Canada. While never fully putting aside his guitar, he then brought his talents as a composer to the screen industries and to performing arts, garnering awards for his innovative soundtracks. Skillfully juxtaposing sounds and images, he imbued countless films, TV series, and performances with emotion.

Appointed as officers of the Order were:

Lise Aubut, for her contributions to the Canadian music industry as an artist and tireless advocate of the rights of creators.

Jim Corcoran, for his long-standing contributions to Francophone music in Canada, as a songwriter, composer, performer, and CBC Radio host.

Eleanor Daley, for her contributions to Canadian music and choral culture as a renowned composer and accompanist.

Bob Ezrin, for his ongoing contributions to music and entertainment production, and for his sustained advocacy of musical education, journalism and environmental justice.

Appointed as members of the Order were:

Steve Bell, for his contributions to Canadian music as a Christian folksinger, songwriter, and producer, and for his advocacy of social and community causes.

Wayne Chaulk, for his contributions to Canadian music and comedy, notably as an ambassador of Newfoundland and Labrador’s culture and heritage.

Lorraine Segato, for her contributions to the Canadian music scene and culture as a pioneer in 2SLGBTQI+ Canadian history.

Mark Sirett, for his steadfast commitment to the field of choral music as a renowned composer, conductor, and community leader.

SOCAN congratulates all of these honourees on this great achievement!