Ian Tamblyn

Born in Thunder Bay, this longtime folk musician performed in the Ottawa-Hull region for many years in the late '60s and early '70s. Not one to stay with just one medium, Ian Tamblyn is also a playwright, having penned several plays throughout the years. Musically though, it wasn't until Sylvia Tyson performed one of his songs on the popular Canadian television show Ian & Sylvia that Tamblyn got his big break. In 1976, he released his debut self-titled album, which garnered him a Juno Award. In 1978, this was followed by Closer to Home on Posterity Records. A series of albums and a best-of collection followed, but Tamblyn was never content with life on the road like fellow Canadian folksingers such as Joni Mitchell and Bruce Cockburn, instead opting to live in Chelsea, Quebec. The writer of some 1,500 songs, Tamblyn started an Acoustic Waves concert series in Ottawa that remains quite popular. He has also scored several films and has recently been part of various travel expeditions to Greenland and Iceland, where both journeys led to albums. In 2001, Tamblyn released his 14th album, Voice in the Wilderness. He continues performing in and around Ontario on the folk festival circuit. He has also produced albums for Alex Haughton and Furnaceface. ~ Jason MacNeil