
Latest Releases:
Index of Artists
- Long John Baldry
- The Best Of The Stony Plain Years
- Eric Bibb
- Yana Bibb
- Eric Bibb & Habib Koité
- Eric Bibb & JJ Milteau
- Eric Bibb & Leon Bibb
- Eric Bibb & North Country Far with Danny Thompson
- Rory Block
- Kevin Breit
- Kevin Breit & Harry Manx
- Jim Byrnes
- Bob Carpenter
- Rita Chiarelli
- Christmas Blues
- Cindy Church
- David Clayton-Thomas
- Crowbar
- Crowcuss
- Rodney Crowell
- Amos Garrett
- Amos Garrett, Doug Sahm, Gene Taylor
- Jay Geils
- Rosco Gordon
- Grievous Angels
- Guitar Heroes: James Burton, Albert Lee, Amos Garrett, David Wilcox
- Charlie Major
- Harry Manx and Kevin Breit
- Ellen Mcilwaine
- Big Dave McLean
- Jay Mcshann
- MonkeyJunk
- Maria Muldaur
Ian Tyson's Website: http://www.iantyson.com/ 
Video photography courtesy of Box J Bar Ranch.
Music: Ian Tyson - Old Cheyenne
Biography:
IAN TYSON: CANADA’S LEGENDARY SONGWRITER FACES LOVE, LOSS AND A CHANGING, DISAPPERING WEST
Carnero Vaquero is Tyson’s 13th album for Stony Plain — a stunning collection of new songs
Ian Tyson is 81 now. And he’s still going strong. Still touring. Still running the Tyson ranch south of Calgary. Still watching the West as he’s seen it change — and not always for the better. Still writing about love, horses, and the country and sky he loves. And he’s still facing the future with a mixture of optimism and resignation.
You can hear all of that in Carnero Vaquero, his 13th album for Edmonton-based roots music label Stony Plain. These are ten songs that ring as true as the western sky and the foothills of the Rockies.
The title? “Carnero” is the Spanish word for ram, and “Vaquero” is Spanish for cowboy, and, indeed, the cowboy tradition, particularly in the south-western United States.
Recorded in the Stone House, just down the gravel road from his ranch house, there’s an intimacy and warmth that draws you into his life… It’s the place where Tyson writes his songs, practices guitar, and reads his library of western histories and the early books of Will James.
I
remember back on Dead Man’s Creek sixty years ago
I hired up breaking broncs
which I’d never done before
Just a city kid and I asked myself
Now what
would Will James do?
You know it was the damndest thing
‘Cause it kind of
got me through
Your eighties, Tyson tells people, is not a time for sissies. Age is one thing, but the changing West is another, and since Tyson moved to Alberta forty years ago he’s seen way more changes than he’s comfortable with. But the sky and the mountains keep him there, and his alternating regrets and optimism spark his songwriting.
The
old songs are forgotten
Gone with the ravens on the wing
And love no
longer matters and the wind no long sings
The old man sold his horses
The
children sold the ranch.
The
rain will come again some day
The stars keep on shining
The poets will
return one day
Magic melodies and rhyme
And God is up there somewhere
looking down on everything
And love will always matter and the wolves will
always sing.
Carnero Vaquero is a special Ian Tyson record. There are half a dozen new songs — as good and better as dozens crafted in the Stone House. There are also two co-writes with a younger, alternative songwriter out of Calgary, Kris Demeanor, and another collaboration with Tom Russell (they co-wrote “Navajo Rug,” one of Tyson’s biggest hits). The opening song, “Doney Gal,” is a traditional song that probably goes back to the earliest days of discovering the West, and he reprises “Darcy Farrow” from one of his earliest Ian & Sylvia records.
Tyson’s smooth relaxed voice has been part of the musical landscape since the early 60s, when — with his then-wife Sylvia Tyson — he conquered the folk boom of the day. Hits kept coming — “Four Strong Winds,” “Someday Soon,” “Summer Wages” and more. A move to Alberta, a hiatus from the music business, and a reluctant return that earned his first platinum record for Cowboyography led to a storied career as North America’s preeminent western singer.
Tyson doesn’t like looking backwards at five decades of a career that’s earned him countless awards, the Order of Canada, and a devoted following. He rarely talks about what he calls “the Ian and Sylvia days,” pointing to a four-decade “solo” career.
Now recovered from a torn and damaged voice that drastically changed his vocal sound in 2008, he’s singing with the strength and range of his earlier years.
He has concerts booked well into next year, and he continues to supervise his working ranch; this is a man for whom “the cowboy life” is an ever-present reality.
And Ian Tyson stares at the future with clear eyes and a weather-worn face. Bring it on, he seems to say.
Tonight
I hear the call of Cottonwood Canyon
Listen, you can hear it on the
wind
There ain’t no cell phone towers in Cottonwood Canyon
Maybe some old
coyote will give you a call
Can I find my way back to Cottonwood
Canyon?
Have the drillers come? Have I waited too
long?
Cottonwood
trees they cry to me
Her songs of long ago
And I slept in the sand far
below
Down where the clear waters flow
The Lost Tapes

You Should Have Known
You Should Have Known, a digital-only single from legendary Canadian western singer-songwriter Ian Tyson, unapologetically celebrates the hard living, hard drinking, hard loving cowboy life.
Written by Nashville's Pat McLaughlin and featuring veteran session-man Charlie McCoy, the song yodels, slides and two-steps through the country music foothills, peaking with the raw emotions of a lifestyle that's increasingly rare.
- You Should Have Known (03:27)
Carnero Vaquero

It’s another world, the West. It’s not the city, it’s not the Internet, it’s not your office, your house, or your new clothes.
It’s hard weather, horses, cattle, space and sky.
There’s time in the West — time for stories, legends, myths and songs.
And it’s Ian Tyson’s world.
And now, with Carnero Vaquero, Tyson’s 13th album in the Stony Plain catalogue, the legendary singer and songwriter brings his world to yours. Ten memorable songs with tunes you can remember, stories that resonate, and a resolute, strong voice.
- The album title: "Carnero" is the Spanish word for ram, and "Vaquero" is Spanish for cowboy, and, indeed, the cowboy tradition in the south-western United States.
- Now 81, Tyson is the preeminent western singer in North America. He continues to tour across Canada and the U.S. and still manages the Tyson Ranch south of Calgary.
- Key tracks: Colorado Horses, Darcy Farrow, The Flood, Cottonwood Canyon.
- Recorded (mostly live off the floor) at the Stone House on the Tyson Ranch.
- 10 songs ranging from the traditional ("Doney Girl") to co-writes with Calgary’s Kris Demeanor. Five new Tyson songs, a tuneful remake of "Darcy Farrow" (originally recorded in the early ‘60s Ian & Sylvia days). "Wolves No Longer Sing" is written with Tom Russell — the pair co-wrote "Navajo Rug," one of Tyson’s biggest hits.
- The distinctive Tyson voice has recovered from the accident that damaged it in 2007.
- Doney Gal (3:35)
- Colorado Horses (3:18)
- Will James (4:11)
- Jughound Ronnie (3:43)
- Darcy Farrow (3:02)
- The Flood (3:04)
- Shawnie (5:45)
- Chantell (3:32)
- Wolves No Longer Sing (3:36)
- Cottonwood Canyon (3:22)
Reviews:
By David Bowling
"Carnero Vaquero, is Spanish for ram and cowboy. It sets the tone for his stories of the Canadian west. Rotating between original compositions and covers, he presents a laid back album of authentic and soulful tunes."
All The Good 'Uns Vol. 2 (Greatest Hits)

- Land Of Shining Mountains (3:10)
- Brahmas And Mustangs (3:35)
- This Is My Sky (3:31)
- Smuggler's Cove (3:50)
- Lost Herd (4:17)
- Elko Blues - The Roan Mare (3:45)
- La Primera (5:21)
- Jerry Ambler (4:00)
- Bob Fudge (5:01)
- Little High Plains Town (4:05)
- Blaino's Song (4:18)
- Yellowhead To Yellowstone (6:01)
- Fiddler Must Be Paid (3:45)
- Ross Knox (2:45)
- Song In A Dream (3:05)
- Charles Goodnight's Grave (3:30)
- Road To Las Cruces (4:12)
- Love Without End (3:47)
- Somewhere Over The Rainbow (3:39)
Reviews:
Raven Singer

The legendary Canadian songwriter returns at the age of 78, with 10 remarkable songs. From the part-travelogue "Under African Skies" to "Blueberry Susan" that offers a tribute to many of the musicians that touched Tyson, this collection of songs is Tyson rediscovering himself and his "new voice."
The album's Dali-esque cover is by Calgary teacher Paul Rasporich; it depicts a raven's skull. The title of the CD followed a sweat lodge ceremony at the Nakoda First Nation, near Banff Alberta, when Tyson's name - Ka-ree-a-hiatha (Raven that Sings) - was chosen.
- Charles Goodnight's Grave (3:31)
- The Circle Is Through (3:38)
- Rio Colorado (3:08)
- Under African Skies (3:38)
- Song In A Dream (3:05)
- Blueberry Susan
(3:51)
* free full length download * - Back To Baja (2:32)
- Saddle Bronc Girl (3:02)
- Winterkill (4:31)
- The Yellow Dress (3:10)
Reviews:
By Mark S. Tucker
Yellowhead to Yellowstone and other Love Stories

- Yellowhead To Yellowstone (6:01)
- Fiddler Must Be Paid (3:45)
- Lioness (3:24)
- Ross Knox (2:44)
- Blaino's Song
(4:17)
* free full length download * - Estrangement (3:29)
- My Cherry Coloured Rose
(3:41)
* free full length download * - Bill Kane (3:55)
- Go This Far (3:48)
- Love Never Comes At All (4:54)
Reviews:
By Lee Zimmerman
The Gift - A Tribute To Ian Tyson (Various Artists)
- Four Strong Winds - Blue Rodeo
(3:44)
- M.C. Horses - Corb Lund
(3:16)
- Blue Mountains Of Mexico - Jennifer Warnes
(3:15)
- What Does She See - Chris Hillman (3:26)
- Red Velvet - Gordon Lightfoot (3:37)
- The Gift - David Rea (4:20)
- Range Delivery - Cindy Church (3:43)
- Smuggler’s Cove - The McDades
(5:07)
- Some Kind Of Fool - Amos Garrett (3:28)
- Old Cheyenne - Tom Russell (4:52)
- Someday Soon - The Circus In Flames with Buddy Cage
(5:31)
- Will James - Ramblin’ Jack Elliott (2:50)
- You're Not Alone Anymore - Stewart MacDougall (3:56)
- Summer Wages - The Good Brothers (3:07)
- Moondancer - Jeff Bradshaw (3:49)
- Bonus Track - Interview with Ramblin' Jack Elliott & Buddy Cage (2:09)
Please note: Ian Tyson does not perform on this album.
Reviews:
By Calvin Daniels
Songs From The Gravel Road
- This is My Sky
(3:32)
- Land of Shining Mountains
(3:10)
- The Ambler Saddle
(3:02)
- Love Without End (3:48)
- Silver Bell (3:35)
- Road To Las Cruces (4:12)
- Range Delivery (3:45)
- So No More (3:25)
- One Morning In May (3:34)
- Always Saying Goodbye (3:33)
- Moisture (3:44)
- Casey's Gone (2:19)
All The Good 'Uns (Greatest Hits)
- The Wonder Of It All
- Alberta's Child
- Irving Berlin (is 100 yrs Old Today)
- M.C. Horses
- Springtime In Alberta
- Jaquima To Freno (3:49)
- Navajo Rug (2:58)
- Claude Dallas (5:02)
- Magpie (3:41)
- The Steeldust Line (3:51)
- Rockies Turn To Rose (3:10)
- Alcohol In The bloodstream (3:36)
- The Old Double Diamond (5:06)
- Barrel Racing Angel (3:22)
- Casey Tibbs (3:32)
- Will James (3:25)
- Fifty Years Ago (3:55)
- 'Til The Circle Is Through (3:76)
- The Gift (4:15)
Old Corrals And Sagebrush & Other Cowboy Culture Classics
- Gallo de Cielo (Tom Russell) (5:55)
- Alberta's Child (Ian Tyson) (3:45)
- The Old Double Diamond (Gary McMahany) (5:08)
- Windy Bill (traditional) (3:03)
- Montana Waltz (Ian Tyson) (3:37)
- Whoopee Ti Yi Yo (traditional) (3:12)
- Leavin' Cheyenne (traditional) (3:52)
- Old Corrals And Sagebrush (Ian Tyson) (2:55)
- Old Alberta Moon (Ian Tyson) (3:08)
- Night Rider's Lament (Mike Burton) (4:03)
- Oklahoma Hills (Jack Guthrie) (2:56)
- Tom Blasingame (Ian Tyson) (3:25)
- Colorado Trail (traditional) (2:35)
- Hot Summer Tears (Ian Tyson) (6:07)
- What Does She See (Ian Tyson) (3:25)
- Rocks Begin To Roll (Ian Tyson) (4:00)
- Will James (Ian Tyson) (4:32)
- Murder Street (Ian Tyson) (3:25)
Ol' Eon

- Some Kind of Fool
- Bad Times Were So Easy
- BlueBerry Susan
- Sam Bonnifields Saloon
- If She Just Helps Me
- Lord, Lead Me Home
- Great Canadian Tour
- She's My Greatest Blessing
- Spanish Journey
- The Girl Who Turned Me Down
- The North Saskatchewan
- Love Can Bless The Soul of Anyone
Live At Longview
- Navajo Rug
- Ol' Corrals And Sagebrush
- Desert Motel
- I Outtgrew The Wagon
- Herry Ambler
- Sorta Together
- Fifty Years Ago
- Someday Soon
- Smugglers Cove
- Casey Tibbs
- Blue Moon
- Somewhere In The Rubies
- M.C. Horses
- Horsethief Moon
- Little High Plains Town
- Bob Fudge
- Magpie
Eighteen Inches Of Rain
- Horsethief Moon (3:15)
- Heartaches Are Stealin' (3:39)
- Eighteen Inches Of Rain (3:13)
- M.C. Horses (3:32)
- Big Horns (4:05)
- Rodeo Road (3:50)
- Chasin' The Moon (3:14)
- Nobody Thought It Would (3:43)
- Old House (3:27)
- Alcohol In The Bloodstream (3:36)
- Old Corrals And Sagebrush (2:51)
- 'Til The Circle Is Through (3:16)
Reviews:
By Chris Spector