Here’s the energetic, uptempo new single from the talented fiddle-player Bronwyn. New song Johnny Ray is arranged and performed with dramatic flair. Is there a finer collection of instruments than these? Alongside Bronwyn’s fiddle and vocals, Frank Evans supplies delicate banjo-picking, Tristan Scroggins contributes light mandolin, and Grant Dresnok drives the song forward with a rhythmic strum. Beneath these layers, Larry Cook’s warm stand-up bass holds it all together. In the chorus, Evans’ voice joins Bronwyn’s in harmonious song. Bronwyn’s violin is strummed and bowed, creating different moods as the song moves. After Bronwyn’s elongated notes, Scroggins’ fingers fly quickly up and down the neck of his mandolin for a solo interlude. Johnny Ray is a vibrant, well-crafted song, with moments of tension and release and a feel for the dramatic; it’s music to make you move and sway.
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes is a GRAMMY-winner, two-time IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year and a former member of Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway. She is now performing as Bronwyn, focusing on her own songwriting and on fronting her own band.
This is the second single from Bronwyn’s new album, Rattlin’ Bones, due out on 14th August, 2026. Her first album, Fiddler’s Pastime, was all about Bronwyn’s ability on the fiddle, as the title suggests. The GRAMMY-nominated follow-up, I Built A World, introduced her vocal talents. This new collection is intended to showcase her gifts as a songwriter. Bronwyn explains the process: “My intention was to create a collection of songs that I would want to play live every night with my band. What turns me on? What would I want to listen to? And I wanted to make a record that you’d want to turn up so loud, it’d rattle your bones.” Inspired by exploring and travelling, as well as returning home to Nashville. Along the way, she addresses various themes, including personal adventures, individuality and identity, and the complexities of love. Look out for this collection from the gifted Bronwyn; this is timeless songwriting that generates an emotional and physical response.
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