Ronnie Browne (born Ronald Grant Browne, 20 August 1937 in Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

, Lothian, Scotland), is a Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 folk music

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

ian and founding member of The Corries

The Corries

The Corries were a Scottish folk group that emerged from the Scottish folk revival of the early 1960s. Although the group was a trio in the early days, it was as the partnership of Roy Williamson and Ronnie Browne that it is best known.-Early years:...

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Browne's musical career began when he met Roy Williamson

Roy Williamson

Roy Murdoch Buchanan Williamson was a Scottish songwriter and folk musician, most notably with The Corries.-Early life:...

 and multi-instrumentalist Bill Smith at Edinburgh College of Art

Edinburgh College of Art

Edinburgh College of Art is an art school in Edinburgh, Scotland, providing tertiary education in art and design disciplines for over two thousand students....

 in 1955 and formed the Corrie Folk Trio in 1962. The group was expanded the following year with the addition of female singer Paddie Bell

Paddie Bell

Paddie Bell was an Irish folk singer and musician.She was born in Belfast, but was a resident of Edinburgh, Scotland most of her life. She sang with The Corries Folk Trio from 1962 and was a founder member. The band later became The Corries after she left when she got pregnant in 1965...

. Shortly after releasing three albums in 1965, Bell left to begin a solo career. With the departure of Smith, the following year, Browne and Williamson continued to perform as a duo now known as The Corries.

In 1970, Williamson conceived and built the band's signature instrument: the combolins, a pair of instruments that were rarely played separately. Williamson's instrument featured a basic guitar fingerboard

Fingerboard

The fingerboard is a part of most stringed instruments. It is a thin, long strip of material, usually wood, that is laminated to the front of the neck of an instrument and above which the strings run...

 with a bandurria

Bandurria

The bandurria is a plectrum chordophone from Spain, similar to the cittern and the mandolin, primarily used in Spanish folk music.Prior to the 18th century, the bandurria had with a round back, similar or related to the mandore. It had become a flat-backed instrument by the 18th century, with five...

 attached and sympathetic resonating strings. Browne's model was a basic guitar with a mandolin

Mandolin

A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...

 attached and four bass strings.

Browne and Williamson were regular performers on Scottish television shows and movies and in 1983 received an International Film and Television Festival gold award for their Scottish Television

Scottish Television

Scottish Television is Scotland's largest ITV franchisee, and has held the ITV franchise for Central Scotland since 31 August 1957. It is the second oldest ITV franchisee still active...

 series, "The Corries & Other Folk". The 1996 film The Bruce

The Bruce (film)

The Bruce is a 1996 film set in Scotland and England in the early 14th century. The film focuses primarily on the rise to power of Robert I of Scotland, culminating in the Battle of Bannockburn in AD 1314....

features Browne's rendition of the Williamson-penned Flower of Scotland

Flower of Scotland

Flower of Scotland is a Scottish song, used frequently at special occasions and sporting events. Although there is no official national anthem of Scotland, Flower of Scotland is one of a number of songs which unofficially fulfil this role, along with the older Scots Wha Hae, Scotland the Brave...

at the end. Browne appeared in the film playing the role of Maxwell The Minstrel.

Since Williamson's death in 1990, Browne has continued to perform and record in the spirit of the Corries. He regularly leads the singing of Flower of Scotland, de facto national anthem of Scotland

National Anthem of Scotland

There is no official national anthem of Scotland. However, a number of songs are used as de facto Scottish anthems, most notably Flower of Scotland and Scotland the Brave...

, for the Scottish national football team

Scotland national football team

The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...

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Browne is an accomplished portrait artist.