Island musicians Sing a Song for Ron in October
Sara Fraser | CBC News | Posted: October 1, 2016 11:00 AM | Last Updated: October 3, 2016
'We didn't realize how much of a part of the Trailside family he was'
Ron Hynes may have left this mortal coil a year ago, but the storied Newfoundland-based musician is definitely not being forgotten.
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The Trailside in Mount Stewart, P.E.I., is launching a month-long celebration of Hynes throughout October. Each act that plays over 20 nights this month will choose a Ron Hynes song and play it, in a tribute called Sing a Song for Ron.
They're the kinds of songs that, when I'm sitting down to write, I always want to try to write one of those. — Dennis Ellsworth
"We wanted to do something for Ron as a tribute and as a goodbye," said Pat Deighan, who owns the Trailside with his wife, Meghann.
Hynes played a couple of times each year at the venue, and over time he and Deighan became "good buds."
"This year we really do miss him," he shared. "We didn't realize how much of a part of the Trailside family he was."
Deighan hit on the the idea of the month-long tribute, and the artists booked enthusiastically signed on.
Some of the artists knew Hynes for years — he is, after all the author of the Maritime anthem Sonny's Dream — and others never met him or have barely heard of him.
"The coolest thing I'm getting back is people are discovering Ron, some of them for the first time," Deighan shared.
And since the artists playing the Trailside range from folk to country to blues and beyond, the interpretations of Hynes's work should be varied and interesting. And they have plenty to choose from: Hynes was known as "the man of a thousand songs."
The event, said Deighan, is not just a nice thing to do, but should lead to "some closure for us, with Ron."
'Thrilled I get to be a part of it'
Dennis Ellsworth kicks off Sing a Song for Ron Saturday, and is "thrilled" he's part of it.
Ellsworth hung out with Hynes when they were both part of a televised tribute to another Canadian folk legend, Gene MacLellan, a few years ago in Charlottetown.
I know he could be challenging to deal with otherwise, however he was always sweet to me. — Ashley Condon
"He was very kind," recalled Ellsworth. The two talked for hours about music and songwriting and had "a lot of laughs," over drinks, Ellsworth shares.
Not long after that meeting Hynes became sick, eventually dying of cancer at age 64 last November.
It'll be Ellsworth's first time learning and playing a Ron Hynes tune and he's chosen No Change in Me.
"It's a great song," said Ellsworth. "It's got a very classic folk-type melody. They're the kinds of songs that, when I'm sitting down to write, I always want to try to write one of those. And you think they're easy to write, but they're actually really difficult … He was great at that."
Ellsworth has been playing all summer with his band The Mercy Dolls, but his Trailside gig will be solo. He's promoting his latest album, As Romantic As It Gets, a mix of folk, roots rock and Americana, and is working on a new solo album.
He thinks Sing a Song For Ron should become an annual event.
'He was always sweet to me'
"My first encounter with Ron was in an elevator at the ECMAs," Ashley Condon, who is also performing at the Trailside this month, told CBC via email. She introduced herself, and he smiled, replying, "'I have heard about you.' I was gobsmacked. It felt like a defining career moment. Ron Hynes knows who I am. Woah."
Trailside also has a special connection to Condon's memories of Hynes, since it's where she first saw him perform.
"It was a really special evening," she recalled. "In the middle of the show, Ron stopped and said, 'Ladies and gentlemen I'd like to point out that we have Ashley Condon in the room this evening.'" She blushed, she said, as the room erupted in applause.
"He had a way of making people feel really special, particularly young songwriters. I know he could be challenging to deal with otherwise, however he was always sweet to me."
Condon hasn't decided which of Hynes's songs she'll sing yet during her Oct. 15 show, but she's excited to go through his catalogue and listen to some old tunes and hopes to get to know him better posthumously.
"I'm always trying to improve on the craft of writing so I think Ron's songs are the best place to do that. They are flawless and heart wrenching at best," she said.
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