If you’re a bluegrass fan, you need to have Bronwyn on your radar.
Many of you may recognize her from Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, one of the most popular groups in the genre that amicably disbanded while atop the growing scene. For those of you who are not familiar with Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, she is one of the premier fiddle players in all of country music, and with a recent rebrand to just Bronwyn, she continuously proves that she can do much more than saw the fiddle, too.
Though she had delved into the solo space with her debut album Fiddler’s Pastime in 2020, as well as the more recent record I Built A World in 2024 while with Golden Highway, Bronwyn decided to really pursue her solo career once the band broke up in 2025. Now rolling out the release of her third project Rattlin’ Bones under her new shortened moniker, Bronwyn is not only showcasing her fiddle chops and impressive vocal prowess, but she is also focusing more than ever on her songwriting craft. And it shows.
The album’s lead single, released a month ago, “Sticks and Stones” is a hard-driving, fiddle-heavy bluegrass tune inspired by many hours spent on a tour bus traversing the windy roads between mountain towns out West. To wrap this one up, Bronwyn teamed up with Pat McLaughlin, a veteran Nashville songwriter who has had his songs cut by the likes of Alan Jackson, John Prine, and Trisha Yearwood, to name a few.
Now, Bronwyn is set to release the album’s second single “Johnny Ray” tomorrow, but in case you just couldn’t wait, we’re excited at Whiskey Riff to give you an exclusive early listen right now. Another co-write with McLaughlin, “Johnny Ray” is a somewhat ominous tune with a catchy chorus that dives into heavy subject matter.
Check out Bronwyn’s exclusive commentary on the new track here:
“‘Johnny Ray’ has an urgency to it that’s felt from the opening blues-driven instrumental riff. It’s a story with a feeling of fatality, told with love and compassion. This song is about addiction, substance abuse and the helpless feeling of watching someone you love drown and being unable to stop it from happening. The opening lines recall happier moments with an undertone of grief:
‘On the kitchen floor by the window having a smoke / Laughing at the afternoon telling a joke / remembering times so damn fine like yesterday / but I’d be lying if I said I don’t lie awake all night long.’
That sense of foreboding continues in the next verse with:
‘All those moments underneath the clear blue sky / even though you kept it going on the sly / by the time we found our way across the track / Johnny Ray’d already been to hell and back.’
By the time the chorus hits, the pressure has reached a peak:
‘Hey! Hey Johnny Ray / what were you thinking / your boat wanted to float but it was sinking.’
The song turns melancholy by the last verse and wishes hopelessly for the best:
‘I’d like to think that where you are you’re doing well / admittedly from here it’s sorta hard to tell.'”
Check it out:
Co-produced by Bronwyn and Brent Truitt of The SteelDrivers’, the 13-track Rattlin’ Bones is due out in its entirety on August 14, and the album credits feature an A-list of Nashville bluegrass musicians who lendt their talents to bring this project to life.
Checkout the tracklist below along with he lead single “Sticks and Stones.”
Rattlin’ Bones Tracklist:
“Sticks and Stones”
“The Ride”
“Johnny Ray”
“Chasing Storms”
“Gallatin Road” ft. Timbo
“Blink of an Eye”
“Hold Me Down”
“End of the Road”
“Rainbow Trout”
“The Wishing Well”
“Virginia Gal”
“Flower Child”
“Golden Hour Dream”
Bronwyn is hitting the road hard over the next few months in support of her new record, so there are plenty of opportunities to hear these songs live in the near future. If she’s coming to a city near you, it’s not a show you are going to want to miss. Trust me.
Bronwyn Tour Dates:
July 22 -Yee-Haw Brewing – Knoxville, TN
July 23 – FloydFest – Floyd, VA
July 25 – Columbia Gorge Bluegrass Festival – Stevenson, WA
July 30 – Space – Evanston, IL
July 31 – Sugar Maple Music Festival – Madison, WI
Aug. 1 – Turf Club – St. Paul, MN
Aug. 7 – Roberts Family Farm – Sandwich, IL
Aug. 8 – Alluvial Brewing Company – Ames, IA
Aug. 13 – Turntable – Indianapolis, IN
Aug. 14 – Riverside Amphitheater – Hamilton, OH
Aug. 15 – Woodlands Tavern – Columbus, OH
Aug. 19 – Grand Ole Opry – Nashville, TN
Sept. 2 – The Southern – Charlottesville, VA
Sept. 3 – 118 North – Wayne, PA
Sept. 4 – The Iron Horse – Northampton, MA
Sept. 5 – Crooked River Gathering – Hiram, ME
Sept. 6 – Zenbarn – Waterbury, VT
Sept. 9 – Empire State Plaza – Albany, NY
Sept. 10 – The Stephen Talkhouse – Amagansett, NY
Sept. 12 – Watermelon Pickers Fest – Berryville, VA
Sept. 16 – AmericanaFest – Nashville, TN
Sept. 17 – Appalachian Theatre of the High Country – Boone, NC
Sept. 18 – Eddie’s Attic – Decatur, GA
Sept. 20 – Pickin’ In The Pines Bluegrass & ACoustic Music Festival – Flagstaff, AZ
Oct. 11 – Hillberry Music Festival – Eureka Springs, AR
April 22-24 – BajaGrass – Baja California, MX
