Craig Haynes, drums


Craig Holiday Haynes, (named after Billie Holiday) is quite blessed to be able to do what he loves most and that is "make good music", travel, and meet great people. His travels have enabled him to learn different cultures and be appreciated by people all over the world, while as he says making it a "groovier place". He started out his professional career playing tenor saxophone, at the age of 14 in and around NYC, when he played with the Fabulous Uniques (recording an R&B hit with Sophia Carlisle) and backing up people like Brooke Benton (A Rainy night in Georgia) and The Toys (Lovers Concerto). Craig later studied African percussion with Chief Bey and went on to study additional percussion at Five Towns College. On his 20th birthday he switched up, and started playing the drum set seriously and toured with R&B/ Disco artist "Gary Toms Empire". He later performed and/or recorded with Sun Ra (turning down a job offer to join the James Brown Band) and The Sun Ra Arkestra, Barry Harris, Clifford Jordan, Freddie Hubbard, Gloria Lynne, Lionel Hampton, Tony Bennett, Stanley Jordan The Boys Choir of Harlem, The Allman Brothers Band, Geri Allen, Marcus Miller, Gladys Knight, actor Danny Glover and many, many others! Craig has toured North America, Brazil, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, North and West Africa and is the son of legendary drummer and three-time Grammy Award winner Roy Haynes!

Lionel Hampton once said "Craig Haynes' drumming reminds me of the great drummers of the past...and like you've never heard before"

Craig endorses Zildjian cymbals and Sonor drums