| Roy Gaines | |
| Birth Name: | Roy James Gaines |
| Birth Date: | 12 August 1937 |
| Birth Place: | Waskom, Texas, U.S. |
| Instrument: | Guitar, vocals |
| Genre: | Texas blues, electric blues |
| Occupation: | Musician, songwriter |
Roy James Gaines (August 12, 1937 – August 11, 2021) was an American Texas blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter.[1] [2] [3] He wrote and recorded the song "A Hell of a Night", which was first issued on his 1982 album Gainelining. He was the younger brother of the blues musician Grady Gaines.[1]
Gaines was born in Waskom, Texas on August 12, 1937,[4] and relocated with his family to Houston when he was six years old.[5] Originally a piano devotee, Gaines moved to playing the guitar in his adolescence.[1] In his teens he was acquainted with another budding guitarist, Johnny Copeland.[2] By the age of 14 he had performed onstage backing his hero, T-Bone Walker, and played in Houston nightclubs. He later moved to Los Angeles, California.[1] In 1955, Gaines played as a backing musician on recordings by Bobby Bland, Junior Parker and Big Mama Thornton.[2] [5] He later backed Roy Milton and then Chuck Willis, and he worked again with Walker.[2]
He released two low-key albums in 1956 and a couple more in the 1960s for small record companies.[2] In 1966, Gaines became part of Ray Charles's backing band.[5] He was also a backing musician in sessions with the Everly Brothers, the Supremes, Bobby Darin, Stevie Wonder, and Gladys Knight.[6]
He worked primarily as a sideman, but he released a solo album, Gainelining, in 1982.[1] He also had a small part in the 1985 film The Color Purple.[6] Another album, New Frontier Lover, was released in 2000. It was followed by Tuxedo Blues, featuring a big band billed as Roy Gaines & His Orchestra, released in 2009. The album includes the song "Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)," which Gaines had performed in The Color Purple. Also included is a cover version of Michael Jackson's "Rock with You." Gaines co-wrote the song "No Use Crying", which was recorded by George Jones and Ray Charles.
Gaines died on August 11, 2021, a day before his 84th birthday.[7]
| 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 | |
| 2000 | Guitar Clashers From Gainesville, Tokyo (w/Mitsuyoshi Azuma) | P-Vine | |
| 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 |
With Les McCann