Ian Tamblyn
Encyclopedia
Ian Tamblyn in is a Canadian
folk music
singer-songwriter
and record producer
, adventurer, and playwright
.
, Tamblyn studied at Trent University
, graduating in 1971 and subsequently settling in Chelsea, Quebec
. He released a demo cassette, Moose Tracks, the same year. In 1976 he released his full-length debut album, Ian Tamblyn, which won a Juno Award
for Best Folk Music Recording that year. Since that time he has completed over 25 recording projects. He plays guitar, piano, hammered dulcimer
, and synthesizer, as well as singing.
Tamblyn has recorded a number of instrumental
music albums inspired by his adventure travels to remote places such as the north shore of Lake Superior, the Nahanni River, and the Chukchi Sea, and his participation in scientific research expeditions to locations such as Greenland
and Antarctica. Magnetic North and Antarctica incorporate on-location field recordings into the music. Magnetic North was nominated for a Juno Award for Best Instrumental Album of 1990. Over My Head was recorded in-studio after a live concert commissioned by the Canadian Museum of Nature
, in which music was blended with tape looped field recordings of birds.
In 2008 Tamblyn, along with Bruce Cockburn
and other Canadian folk artists released Dancing Alone
, a two CD tribute album of the songs of influential Canadian songwriter and poet William Hawkins
. Tamblyn also produced the majority of the tracks on the album.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, adventurer, and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
.
Music career
Born and raised in Fort William, OntarioFort William, Ontario
Fort William was a city in Northern Ontario, located on the Kaministiquia River, at its entrance to Lake Superior. It amalgamated with Port Arthur and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay in January 1970. Ever since then it has been the largest city in Northwestern...
, Tamblyn studied at Trent University
Trent University
Trent University is a liberal arts and science-oriented institution located along the Otonabee River in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.The enabling legislation is the Trent University Act, 1962-63. The University was founded through the efforts of a citizens' committee interested in creating a...
, graduating in 1971 and subsequently settling in Chelsea, Quebec
Chelsea, Quebec
Chelsea is a municipality located immediately north of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada and about 7 miles north of Ottawa. Chelsea is located within Canada's National Capital Region. In 2006 the population was 6,703....
. He released a demo cassette, Moose Tracks, the same year. In 1976 he released his full-length debut album, Ian Tamblyn, which won a Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
for Best Folk Music Recording that year. Since that time he has completed over 25 recording projects. He plays guitar, piano, hammered dulcimer
Hammered dulcimer
The hammered dulcimer is a stringed musical instrument with the strings stretched over a trapezoidal sounding board. Typically, the hammered dulcimer is set on a stand, at an angle, before the musician, who holds small mallet hammers in each hand to strike the strings...
, and synthesizer, as well as singing.
Tamblyn has recorded a number of instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
music albums inspired by his adventure travels to remote places such as the north shore of Lake Superior, the Nahanni River, and the Chukchi Sea, and his participation in scientific research expeditions to locations such as Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
and Antarctica. Magnetic North and Antarctica incorporate on-location field recordings into the music. Magnetic North was nominated for a Juno Award for Best Instrumental Album of 1990. Over My Head was recorded in-studio after a live concert commissioned by the Canadian Museum of Nature
Canadian Museum of Nature
The Canadian Museum of Nature is a natural history museum in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Its collections, which were started by the Geological Survey of Canada in 1856, include all aspects of the intersection of human society and nature, from gardening to gene-splicing...
, in which music was blended with tape looped field recordings of birds.
In 2008 Tamblyn, along with Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Douglas Cockburn OC is a Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer-songwriter. His most recent album was released in March 2011. He has written songs in styles ranging from folk to jazz-influenced rock to rock and roll.-Biography:...
and other Canadian folk artists released Dancing Alone
Dancing Alone: Songs of William Hawkins
Dancing Alone: Songs of William Hawkins is a 2008 tribute album, released by True North Records. On the record, a number of Canadian artists pay tribute to the songs of William Hawkins, an influential Canadian songwriter and poet.- Critical Reaction :...
, a two CD tribute album of the songs of influential Canadian songwriter and poet William Hawkins
William Hawkins (songwriter and poet)
William Alfred Hawkins is a songwriter, poet, musician and journalist, most notable for his contributions in the 1960s to Canadian folk rock music and to Canadian poetry...
. Tamblyn also produced the majority of the tracks on the album.
Partial discography
- Moose Tracks (1971)
- Ian Tamblyn (1976) - Juno Award, Best Folk Music Recording
- Closer to Home (1978)
- When Will I See You Again (1980)
- Dance Me Outside (1983)
- Over My Head (1986)
- Ghost Parade (1988)
- Magnetic North (1990)
- Through the Years ('76-'92) (1992, compilation)
- Days of Sun and Wind
- Antarctica (1994)
- The Middle Distance (1995)
- Lost Visions, Forgotten Dreams (1996)
- The Body Needs to Travel (1997)
- Voice in the Wilderness (2001)
- Like the Way You're Tinkin (2002)
- Angel's Share (2004)
- Machine Works (2005)
- Superior: Spirit and Light - The Four Coast Project: Vol.1 (2007)
- Raincoast - The Four Coast Project: Vol.2 (2008)
Selected Plays
- Dream Children (1976)
- Northern Affairs (1984)
- Somebody Get Me a Job (1987)
- Legends of the Northern Swamp (1990)
- Land of Trash (1991)
- Day in the Night of Zephyr Fallutyn (1995)