Four Strong Winds

“To my principal mentors Ian & Sylvia—I offer my profound respect and admiration.”
—Gordon Lightfoot

“[Four Strong Winds] will remind you of two legendary artists, their music and their important place in popular culture.”
—Winnipeg Free Press

“A tender (but not hagiographic) account of Ian & Sylvia’s rise to fame Sylvia’s cool eye and Ian’s unfiltered irascibility are part of what makes Four Strong Winds such a good read.”
—Globe and Mail

“Einarson’s tone is clear and cool, and he never loses the beat. His book is an honest assessment of two remarkable musicians and how much they had to offer.”
—Ottawa Citizen

“As frontline veterans of both the folk revival and its subsequent journey through folk and country rock, [Ian and Sylvia] have plenty of stories to tell in this fine biography.”
—Mojo

“What a time, what a tale! Ian and Sylvia hit the stratosphere in the Sixties with Canadian-tinged folk songs that made them the darlings of the college dorms. Through hits and misses, marriage and divorce, and all the fun in-between, they didn’t miss a thing. A beautifully detailed book that is respectful to the legend and heart-warming in its honesty. A great story well told.”
—Jim Cuddy, Blue Rodeo and Jim Cuddy Band

“John Einarson is one of this country’s premiere cultural writers. He gets right inside the true and remarkable story of Ian & Sylvia’s rise to the elite ranks of folk, country-rock, and cowboy music, extracting the best quotes from the duo with all their humor, insight, sarcasm, and cheekiness intact. You’ll know why these two belong among Canada’s finest music-makers.”
—Bob Mersereau, broadcaster and author, 100 Top Canadian Albums

“Emerging from Bohemian Toronto and New York’s Greenwich Village in the mid-’60s, Ian & Sylvia became major folk stars in the U.S. With historical perspective and his usual love of subject, John Einarson spins an entertaining tale of two enigmatic Canadians who individually continue to create and perform today and whose story is finely woven into the multi-hued tapestry that is contemporary music.”
—Martin Melhuish, author of Oh What a Feeling and Heart of Gold