Ron Hynes

2007 ECMA for Male Solo Recording of the Year

“Ron, hands-down is the best songwriter in Canada.”
Larry LeBlanc, Billboard Magazine

With a songwriting career that spans more than 30 years, Ron Hynes is a six-time East Coast Music Award winner, a Genie Award winner and a past Juno, CCMA and Canadian Folk Music Awards nominee. He’s been recipient of both Artist of The Year and the prestigious Arts Achievement Award from the Newfoundland & Labrador Arts Council, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award from the St. John’s Folk Arts Council. Ron Hynes also holds an Honorary PhD from Memorial University for his songwriting and contribution to the cultural life of his beloved home province of Newfoundland (Canada).

Frequently referred to as the “man of a thousand songs”, Ron Hynes’ songs have been covered by dozens of artists worldwide, including Emmylou Harris, Christy Moore, Mary Black, Denny Doherty, Murray McLauchlan, Valdy, John McDermott, Terry Kelly, Prairie Oyster, The Good Brothers, Shaye, The Cottars, Craig Sharpe, Hayley Westenra, and many more.

Ron Hynes began his career as a singer-songwriter on the coffee house circuit in the early seventies. While on a Canadian theatre tour with The Mummers Troupe in ’76, he composed a song called “Sonny’s Dream” that’s become a folk classic, performed and recorded by artists all over the world. He was a founding member of the Wonderful Grand Band, a musical comedy show featuring a six-piece traditional/folk/rock band together with various members of Codco. The group produced two albums of original work, forty-one half-hour television shows (plus specials) for CBC-TV, and toured the country non-stop during its six-year history.

Ron Hynes recorded two original albums for EMI: “Cryer’s Paradise” (’93) and “Face To The Gale” (’97). The independently produced “11:11 Nfld. Women Sing” is a collection of songs co-written by Ron and Connie Hynes, sung by Newfoundland’s best female singers. Ron’s 1998 independent release “Standing In Line In The Rain” was awarded Best New Album from MusicNL.

Ron’s moonlight career as an actor resulted in two principal theatre roles, as Newfoundland songwriter Johnny Burke in “The Bard Of Prescott Street”, and as country legend Hank Williams in “Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave”. Ron also had a lead role in the Newfoundland Independent film release, “A Secret Nation”, for which his original song, “The Final Breath” won a Genie Award for best song. Ron spent most of his time in 1998 and 1999 involved in film and television projects, playing the irrepressible Johnny Shea in the CBC/Rinkrat TV series, “Dooley Gardens”, and closed out the decade as the subject of a concert/documentary film entitled “Ron Hynes: The Irish Tour” which continues to air on television networks throughout North America and abroad.

In 2003 Ron Hynes released “Get Back Change” on the Borealis label, garnering MusicNL Awards for Male Artist, Country Album and SOCAN Song of the Year (Get Back Change), and winning the 2004 East Coast Music Awards for Country Recording and Album of the Year. Produced by Paul Mills at The Millstream Studios in Toronto, “Get Back Change” features 14 Ron Hynes’ songs, with guest performances by Sylvia Tyson, Cindy Church and Jenny Whitely.

December 2005 saw the launch of Ron’s first songbook, “Songs of Ron Hynes – Volume One”. Published by Vinland Music and distributed by Landwash Distribution, the book features 26 original Ron Hynes songs, arranged for vocal and guitar. Other recent projects include composing and performing the theme song for CBC-TV comedy series “Hatching Matching and Dispatching”, the musical soundtrack for the animated film “The Sparky Book”, and composing all songs for the Mary Walsh/Rick Boland stage play “High Steel”. He also contributed two original works to the feature film “Young Triffie’s Been Made Away With”.

2006 marked the release of the “Ron Hynes” CD, a stirring collection of 14 soul-baring, personal songs, being touted by many as his most brilliant work to date. Ron teamed up again with producer Paul Mills and Borealis Records for this latest disc, which was the #1 most played album on Galaxie Network’s Folk-Roots channel for 2006. The “Ron Hynes” CD generated multiple regional and national award nominations, resulting in Ron Hynes winning the 2006 MusicNL Awards for Songwriter of the Year, Folk-Roots Artist of the Year, Entertainer of The Year and the 2007 ECMA for Male Solo Recording of the Year.

Reviews

“Hynes is one of the best folk songwriters living today, in the same league as Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.”
Jim Scarff, Berkeley, California

“He’s not just the Man Of A 1000 Songs; he’s the man of a treasure chest full of gems – timeless, brilliant, classic works of art that celebrate simple everyday events in the lives of common men.”
Frank Davies, Founder, Canadian Songwriter Hall of Fame

“Ron Hynes is a superior tunesmith. He never seems at a loss for just the right lyrical or melodic hook.”
Doug Gallant, The Guardian, Prince Edward Island

“Ron, hands-down is the best songwriter in Canada.”
Larry LeBlanc, Billboard Magazine

Awards

2007 ECMA for Male Solo Recording of the Year

2006 MusicNL Awards for Songwriter of the Year, Folk-Roots Artist of the Year, Entertainer of The Year

ECMA 2004 Album Of The Year (Get Back Change) & Country Recording Of The Year

2003 MIANL awards for Country Album Of The Year (Get Back Change), Song of the Year (Get Back Change) and Male Artist of The Year.

Standing In Line In The Rain was awarded best new album at the 1998 MIA Awards

11:11 Nfld.Women Sing (songs by Ron and Connie Hynes) received the 1997 MIA SOCAN Songwriter of the Year award

Co-founded The Wonderful Grand Band with Members of Codco and Newfoundland musicians

Five-time Peoples Choice winner, three-time East Coast Music award winner, a Juno and CCMA nominee

Awarded the 1992 Newfoundland/Labrador Arts Council artist of the year award