'Four Strong Winds'

'Four Strong Winds'

'Four Strong Winds'. Song by Ian Tyson. Inspired by the seasonal movement of workers around the country, from one harvest to the next, and the effect of such transiency on a love affair, it was written ca 1961, recorded by Ian and Sylvia as the title song of their second LP, and later included in their collection Greatest Hits, Volume I. The song quickly became a part of the standard folk and country repertoire; some 50 versions were recorded in the first five years. The song was popular in 1964 and 1979 as recorded by the US country singer Bobby Bare (RCA 8443) and by Neil Young (Rep RPS-1396), respectively. Other versions have been included on LPs by Bonnie Dobson, Stu Phillips, Hank Snow, and the Travellers, as well as by the Carter Family, Judy Collins, Flatt & Scruggs, Tony Rice, etc (USA), the Seekers (Australia), and Chad & Jeremy (Britain). A new recording of 'Four Strong Winds' by Tyson himself was included in 1989 on his album I Outgrew the Wagon. The song was published in 1963 by Witmark Music and appears in several songbooks - eg, Ian & Sylvia (Witmark 1965?), Song to a Seagull (Toronto 1970), and Canadian Vibrations (Toronto 1972).