Any male Canadians admitted to the US for immigration were subject to the draft. Ian Tyson appeared to be unaware that he could have avoided it by merely going home.

Ian Tyson was born in Victoria, Vancouver Island, and grew up in Duncan B.C.. He suffered a rodeo accident in 1956 and learned to play guitar while in hospital. He played his first solo coffeehouse gig in 1957 while studying at the Vancouver School of Art. He then moved to Toronto where he met Sylvia in July 1959. To get more concert bookings they had to move to New York, where in 1961 Ian wrote Four Strong Winds in the office of their manager Albert Grossman.