Ron Hynes
The bard of Newfoundland who captured the aching heart of Atlantic Canada in 'Sonny's Dream,' a song that became an unofficial anthem.
1950–2015 (age 65)·Canadian singer-songwriter·Birthday: December 7·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ron Hynes was a storyteller with a guitar, a voice that carried the salt and sorrow of the North Atlantic. Emerging from the vibrant folk scene of St. John's, he was a founding member of the Wonderful Grand Band, a collective that fused traditional sounds with contemporary wit. While his repertoire was deep, it was 'Sonny's Dream' that etched his name into the Canadian consciousness—a haunting ballad of longing and departure that resonates with anyone who has ever loved a place enough to leave it. Hynes battled personal demons throughout his life, a struggle that often seeped into the raw honesty of his later work. He became more than a musician; he was a cultural curator for Newfoundland, his songs serving as a complex, poetic map of its people's joys and hardships.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Ron was born in 1950, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ron Was Born
The biggest hits of 1950
#1 Movie
Cinderella
Best Picture
All About Eve
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Ron's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1950Born
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1955Started school
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1963Became a teenager
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Could drive
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1968Could vote
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Turned 21
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1980Turned 30
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 40
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 50
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 60
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2015Died at 65
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Wrote 'Sonny's Dream,' named the 41st greatest Canadian song of all time in a 2005 CBC Radio series.
- Was a founding member of the influential Newfoundland musical and comedy group The Wonderful Grand Band.
- Received the prestigious Order of Canada for his contributions to music and cultural heritage.
- His album 'Cryer's Paradise' won a Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year in 1996.
Did You Know?
He performed 'Sonny's Dream' on the BBC's 'Top of the Pops' with Irish folk group The Fureys.
Hynes wrote and performed the theme song, 'The Final Breath,' for the TV series 'Republic of Doyle.'
He was often referred to as 'The Man of a Thousand Songs.'
A documentary about his life and career is titled 'The Man of a Thousand Songs.'
“I'm a storyteller. That's what I do. I tell stories.”
