Ron Hynes

Ron Hynes
Background information
Born	December 7, 1950 (1950-12-07) (age 61)
Origin	St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
Genres	Folk, Country
Occupations	singer/songwriter
Years active	1972–present
Labels	World Records (1972) Grand East Records (1978) Lost Island (1990) EMI (1993) Borealis Records (2003)
Website	www.hynesite.org

Ron Hynes (born December 7, 1950) is a popular folk singer-songwriter from Newfoundland. He is especially known for his composition "Sonny's Dream," which has been recorded worldwide by many artists and was named the 41st greatest Canadian song of all time on the 2005 CBC Radio One series 50 Tracks: The Canadian Version.

Biography

Hynes was born in St. John's in December 1950, and raised in Ferryland. He was a founding member of The Wonderful Grand Band, one of Newfoundland's most popular performing groups, and has released seven solo albums. His debut album, Discovery, released in 1972, was the first album composed of totally original content by a Newfoundland artist. Hynes is a seven-time East Coast Music Awards winner, and past Juno and Canadian Country Music Awards nominee. He was named Artist of the Year ('92) and was presented with the prestigious Arts Achievement Award (2004) by the Newfoundland/Labrador Arts Council. In 2002, Hynes received an honorary Doctor of Letters from Memorial University in St. John's in recognition of his original songwriting and his contribution to the cultural heritage of Newfoundland. In 2006, Hynes was honored as the recipient of the St. John’s Folk Arts Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Currently recording on Canadian folk label Borealis Records, Ron Hynes continues to tour regularly each year while playing numerous concerts in his hometown of St. John's, Newfoundland. Widely regarded as one of Canada's premiere singer-songwriters with a career spanning over 30 years, Hynes' songs have become part of the fabric of Newfoundland culture. His latest, self-titled album was released in early 2006 to critical acclaim. His work is also known outside the province; Hynes' songs have been covered worldwide by over 100 artists, including Emmylou Harris, Valdy and Christy Moore

Most recently, Hynes was the winner of Male Solo Recording of the Year at the 2007 East Coast Music Awards, and picked up three awards at the 2006 MusicNL awards show in November 2006. The awards included Entertainer of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Folk/Roots Artist of the Year.

Stage and screen career

Hynes has starred on screen and stage as an actor/writer in numerous roles dating back to the 1970s, including The Bard of Prescott Street, The Best of CODCO, Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave, The Island Opry Show, The Lost Island Opry, Secret Nation, Anchor Zone and Dooley Gardens.

Discography

Albums

An independent tribute album, entitled 11:11 – Newfoundland Women Sing Songs by Ron and Connie Hynes, was also released in 1997, with Newfoundland's finest female artists performing songs written by Ron Hynes and his ex-wife Connie.

A documentary on Hynes, entitled Man of a Thousand Songs and directed by William MacGillivray (filmmaker), debuted at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.^[1]

Singles

Videography

• Cryer's Paradise, 1993;
• Godspeed, 1997;
• Ron Hynes – The Irish Tour, 2000 (full-length documentary);
• A Good Dog Is Lost, 2002;
• Record Man, 2003.
• THE MAN OF A THOUSAND SONGS, 2010, (feature documentary)

Awards and nominations

• 2007 ECMA
  • won Male Artist of the Year
  • nominated Album of the Year for the album Ron Hynes
  • nominated Entertainer of the Year
  • nominated Songwriter of the Year for the song Dry
• 2004 ECMA
  • won Album of the Year for the album Get Back Change
  • won Country Recording of the Year for the album Get Back Change
• 1999 ECMA
  • nominated Male Artist of the Year
• 1998 ECMA
  • nominated Country Recording of the Year
  • nominated Male Artist of the Year
  • nominated Songwriter of the Year for the song Godspeed
  • nominated Video of the Year for Godspeed
• 1994 ECMA
  • nominated Album of the Year for album Cryer's Paradise
  • won Country Recording of the Year
  • won Male Artist of the Year
  • won Song of the Year for the song Man of a Thousand Songs
  • nominated Video of the Year for Cryer's Paradise
• 1992 ECMA
  • nominated Song of the Year for the song Never Met a Liar
• 1991 ECMA
  • nominated Male Artist of the Year

References

External links

• Ron's website with current tour dates, photos, biography and more