“FOUR STRONG WINDS”: Chest Fever Releases Latest Single From The 21st Century Last Waltz - Live at Massey Hall

Today, Chest Fever officially releases "Four Strong Winds" the latest single from their upcoming album The 21st Century LAST WALTZ – Live At Massey Hall. The single comes with a corresponding live music video available on Youtube. Recorded during the band's landmark performance at Toronto's legendary Massey Hall on November 18, 2023, the release continues the band's weekly rollout of singles and videos leading up to the full album's release on September 18, 2026. 

The live recording, which was originally recorded sixty years prior in 1963, features Chest Fever, Sylvia Tyson—the latter of whom made the very song itself popular while in the folk duo Ian & Sylvia—John Muirhead, Scarlet Rivera, Cindy Cashdollar, Albert Lee, Rebekah Hawker, and The Pairs; a lineup that reflects both the song's deep Canadian roots and the wide circle of artists who've carried the enduring spirit of folk music forward over the decades.

Originally written by Ian Tyson, "Four Strong Winds" has become one of Canada's most iconic folk songs. Sylvia Tyson’s presence on stage, in Massey Hall of all venues, was felt throughout the room. For guitarist and harmonica player John Muirhead (Toronto-based folk singer), sharing the stage with Sylvia Tyson was a career-defining honor: "It was an incredible experience, just growing up knowing that song, talking to my friends and my parents and my peers, letting them know I was going to be playing it with Sylvia Tyson at Massey Hall. I think it's every Canadian folk musician's dream, and it was definitely a pinching moment to sort of talk to her, to take on that role in the song. I’m very, very grateful that it turned out that way."

Rebekah Hawker (Ontario-based singer-songwriter), whose own songwriting has been shaped by the tradition Tyson helped establish, also spoke to the deeper impact of the moment: "My connection to the music is sort of like, oh, wow, cool shit can can come from here [Canada], and it made me feel a kind of empowerment in my own identity as a Canadian songwriter,” she says. “The music has been supremely influential, I think, for illuminating that pathway through success into creativity and collaboration."

When asked his favorite song of the night, Muirhead doesn’t hesitate: “I think “Four Strong Winds” has to be my favorite,” he says. “To come up and play that song, just… yeah, it just felt right. I felt like they did a really good job of choosing and pairing musicians with songs, because I think that's a song that's right up my alley.”

The inclusion of younger Canadian artists alongside legendary performers highlighted the enduring legacy of songs like "Four Strong Winds." Rebekah Hawker and The Pairs brought fresh vocal arrangements to the folk standard, and along with John Muirhead, the single reflects the careful thought behind pairing each guest with the songs that suited their strengths and connections. Cindy Cashdollar agrees with Muirhead, praising the show's thoughtful casting: "I thought that they did a great job in choosing the songs for each guest. I thought that was a great match." 

The song was further elevated by Grammy-winning steel guitarist Cashdollar, whose career has included collaborations with Paul Butterfield, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Rod Steward, and several members of The Band. Violinist Scarlet Rivera—best known for her unforgettable contributions to Bob Dylan's Desire and The Rolling Thunder Revue tour—added her characteristic musicianship to the performance, and Albert Lee, whom Eric Clapton once called “the greatest guitarist in the world”, also lent his guitar playing to the song. 

Cashdollar, reflecting on the experience of watching Tyson on stage, said, "It was great that they had Sylvia Tyson, because she's an icon—a native up there—and it was very sweet when she got a standing ovation." Sharing the stage with Rivera also carried its own history: "I was pleased to see Scarlett Rivera and Sylvia Tyson again [...] We had both done a tour many years ago, so it was fun to come full circle."

For Hawker, performing the iconic song before a sold-out Massey Hall audience highlighted its lasting emotional impact across generations. "Some of these people have been listening to these songs for over forty or fifty years, so you could feel that energy as people were singing along," she recalled. Cashdollar echoed that sentiment, reflecting on the timeless power of the music: "It makes you feel so much when you hear these songs, because of the way they were performed, really with such integrity and such musicality." Together, the performance served as a reminder that great songs continue to find new voices while preserving the spirit that made them classics.

"Four Strong Winds” is available for streaming on all major platforms with the corresponding music video available on Youtube. The full album, The 21st Century LAST WALTZ – Live At Massey Hall, will be available for streaming on September 18, 2026. 

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