Funeral held for Newfoundland and Labrador singer songwriter Ron Hynes

Ron Hynes (Photo from The Canadian Encyclopedia/Lois Siegel)

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – The poetic music of Ron Hynes will forever bind the acclaimed singer and songwriter to his loved ones, long-time friend Greg Malone said Monday at his funeral service.

Malone, a member of the Wonderful Grand Band founded by Hynes, said he will live on through his songs, many of which were inspired by the people in his home province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

“He loved the people of Newfoundland and their stories endlessly,” said Malone during his tribute to Hynes at the Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John’s.

“He channelled them. He distilled them for us. What a dimension it has given our lives to have Ron there, singing back to us the echo of our own loves and longings, all packaged in poetry.

Our pain and joy in lyrical verse.”

Malone described Hynes as a pillar in the history of music and the voice of a generation.

“Newfoundland and Labrador has a great tradition of music and Ron had a very special connection with it. He loved all those old familiar songs,” said Malone.

“On top of those elegant ruins, Ron built a mansion of music, every room filled with songs for singers to sing and bands to play for generations. A glittering, living monument.”

The service included several renditions of his songs, including two sung by his four daughters.

Artists including Cory Tetford, Paul Kinsman, Amelia Curran and Alan Doyle also took to the microphone for musical tributes to Hynes.

Rick Mercer, a fellow Newfoundlander and friend of Hynes, also read a Maya Angelou poem at the service.

Hynes, known to many as the “man of a thousand songs,” died Thursday in St. John’s at the age of 64 after a brief battle with cancer.

Hynes was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2012, but he kept the disease at bay until this fall when he confirmed it had returned, this time to his hip and lung. He was rushed to hospital early last week.