Roy Gaines
| Roy Gaines | |
|---|---|
 Roy Gaines in 1977 | |
| Background information | |
| Born |
August 12, 1934 Waskom, Texas, United States |
| Genres | Texas blues, electric blues, East Coast blues[1] |
| Occupations | Guitarist, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Labels | Various |
| Associated acts | T-Bone Walker, Roy Milton, Chuck Willis, Grady Gaines, Ray Charles |
Roy Gaines (born August 12, 1934)[1][2] is an American Texas blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter.[3] Gaines's recorded work includes his self-penned track, "A Hell of a Night", which first appeared on his 1982 album, Gainelining. He is the brother of another blues musician, Grady Gaines.[1]
Biography
Gaines was born in Waskom, Texas, United States, and relocated with his family to Houston at the age of six.[4] Originally a piano devotee, Gaines moved to playing the guitar in his adolescence.[1] In his teens he was acquainted with his fellow budding guitarist, Johnny Copeland.[2] By the age of 14 he had performed onstage backing his hero, T-Bone Walker, and played in the Houston nightclubs before his move to Los Angeles, California.[1] In 1955, Gaines backing work appeared on recordings by Bobby Bland, Junior Parker and Big Mama Thornton.[2][4] He later backed Roy Milton and then Chuck Willis, and worked again with Walker.[2]
He released two low-key albums in 1956, and a couple more in the 1960s on small record labels.[2] In 1966, Gaines became part of Ray Charles' backing band.[4] Other backing work for Gaines included sessions with The Everly Brothers, The Supremes, Bobby Darin, Stevie Wonder, and Gladys Knight.[5]
His primary function was as a sideman, but he released his solo album, Gainelining in 1982. Further works followed such as New Frontier Lover (2000).[1] Also, Gaines had a small part in the 1985 film, The Color Purple.[5] In 2009, Gaines (billed as Roy Gaines & his Orchestra) released Tuxedo Blues, featuring a full big band. Selections included "Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)," which Gaines originally performed in The Color Purple. Also included was a cover of Michael Jackson's "Rock With You."
Gaines' co-composed song, "No Use Crying", has been recorded by George Jones and Ray Charles.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Gainelining | Red Lightnin' |
| 1996 | Lucille Work for Me | Black Gold |
| 1998 | Bluesman for Life | JSP |
| 1999 | I Got the T-Bone Walker Blues | Groove Note |
| 2000 | New Frontier Lover | Severn |
| 2002 | Superman | Black & Blue |
| 2002 | In the House: Live at Lucerne, Vol. 4 | CrossCut (Germany) |
| 2004 | The First TB Album | Delta Groove |
| 2005 | Rock-A-Billy Boogie Woogie Blues Man | Black Gold |
| 2005 | Going Home to See Mama | Black Gold |
| 2009 | Tuxedo Blues | Black Gold |
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Ankeny, Jason. "Roy Gaines". Allmusic. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Roy Gaines - Biography". Oldies.com. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
- ↑ Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music (1st ed.). Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 180. ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Govenar, Alan B. (2008). Texas blues: the rise of a contemporary sound (1st ed.). Texas: Texas A&M University Press. p. 297. ISBN 978-1-58544-605-6.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Herzhaft et al, Gérard (1997). Encyclopedia of the blues (1st ed.). Fayetteville, Arkansas: The University of Arkansas Press. p. 90. ISBN 1-55728-452-0.
- ↑ "Roy Gaines | Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-28.