Bronwyn Keith-Hines, who goes by the stage name "Bronwyn," is a Grammy-winning Americana/bluegrass artist and two-time IBMA “Fiddle Player of the Year.” Her name is Welsh, and you can tell from her looks that she has a lot of Irish ancestry.
Though no one in her family played music, they were always very supportive. She was three years old when she first saw a female fiddle player busking on the street, and that inspired her to ask for violin lessons. "I've been playing as long as I can remember," She stated.
Being from Charlottesville, Virginia, she was surrounded by fiddle players more than orchestral violinists.
"The first time I heard bluegrass was when I was at some fiddle camps as a teenager. I heard some kids playing bluegrass, and I was inspired by the sound of it. I loved the bluesiness and how people were improvising, and I was like, 'Oh, I want to do that,'" Bronwyn recalled.
In 2020, Bronwyn released her debut album, Fiddler’s Pastime, which was an instrumental offering showcasing Bronwyn’s fiddle skillset and prowess. But it was her sophomore album, I Built A World, in 2024, that introduced the world to her singing style.
In college, Bronwyn met Molly Tuttle and many who would play in her band when she attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. Initially, she played fiddle only and did not sing, and eventually became part of the award-winning band, Golden Highway, led by Molly Tuttle. They started touring in 2022 and knew right away that they were part of something special.
When Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway dissolved amicably last year, the window of opportunity opened for Bronwyn to pursue her own artistic endeavors on stage and in the recording studio. She began writing her own songs.
With her newest album, Rattlin' Bones, Bronwyn has dug deep within to finally uncover her unique talents and sonic sensibilities.
Bronwyn had been writing lines and titles for years before she dove head-first into songwriting. And with Nashville being blessed with magnificent songwriters, it was an easy next step. One of her main mentors was Pat McLaughlin, who worked with John Prine for years.
She explained, "Rattlin’ Bones is my first foray into songwriting. I wrote or co-wrote every song on this album, and I intended to create a collection of songs that I would want to play live every night with my band. This album is semi-autobiographical at times, and at others it veers towards the mythical, exploring themes of individuality, adventure, and love. These songs are inspired by my travels over the last few years as well as my home of Nashville, Tennessee."
One thing that makes bluegrass different from regular folk or country music is that it is purposefully written to include magical moments of improv that can be stretched and changed during each live show.
Co-produced by Bronwyn and Brent Truitt (The SteelDrivers) at Truitt’s Nashville studio, and also at the Tractor Shed in nearby Goodlettsville, Rattlin’ Bones features some of Music City’s finest: dobroist Jerry Douglas, guitarist Bryan Sutton, mandolinist Harry Clark, bassists Dennis Crouch and Jeff Picker, banjoist Wes Corbett, drummer Miles Miller, and Bronwyn’s former Golden Highway bandmate, Dominick Leslie, all atop members of her touring group.
Lyrically and sonically, Rattlin' Bones covers everything from the autobiographical "Virginia Gal" to the murder ballad, "The Wishing Well." She even included a song about Nashville's creative space, "Gallatin Road," performed alongside her country-soul colleague, Timbo.
From the captivating story-song, "Johnny Ray," to one of her personal favorites, "Rainbow Trout," that tells of a life she aspires to create, Rattlin' Bones has something for everyone.
It even has a love song, "Hold Me Down," where the character is feeling unmoored from life— “When my whole world is spinning, spinning round/lord knows I’m lifting off the ground,” and they describe how this relationship helps to ground them— “I got your love to hold me down.”
A lot is going on in the record, Rattlin' Bones, and Bronwyn gives a detailed description of where each song came from in a track-by-track overview.
She stated of the album, "One important thing for me during the recording process was to create improvisational moments throughout the songs that could be stretched and changed each night during my live shows. This keeps the songs intact but ensures we can be in the moment and still take them wherever they need to go that night."
"Most importantly, I tried to make an album that the listener would want to turn up loud enough to rattle some bones," Bronwyn shared.
The thing I admire most about Bronwyn and her music is that she breathes a breath of fresh air into modern bluegrass while still staying close to its roots.
If you love bluegrass music as much as I do, you will want to see Bronwyn in concert. Check out her full U.S. tour schedule here.
If you live near Nashville, catch Bronwyn on August 28th at 3rd and Lindsley and at Americana Fest on September 15 at Nashville's Five Spot. She will also play at the 3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival in Chattanooga on October 3rd.
You can follow Bronwyn on her website, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and all streaming platforms.
– – –
Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and TikTok.
Rattlin' Bones Tracklist
- Sticks and Stones
- The Ride
- Johnny Ray
- Chasing Storms
- Gallatin Road
- Blink of an Eye
- Hold Me Down
- End of the Road
- Rainbow Trout
- The Wishing Well
- Virginia Gal
- Flower Child
- Golden Hour Dream