Roy Haynes, a prolific and influential jazz drummer whose career spans back to the 1940s, has passed away. He was 99.
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Per the New York Times, Leslie Haynes-Gilmore, the daughter of the renowned musician, announced her father’s passing Tuesday in Nassau County, New York, after a brief illness.
The drummer’s son, Craig Holiday Haynes, also confirmed his father’s passing in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
“Thanks for all your hipness dad R.I.P.,” he wrote.
Roy Haynes was born in Boston on March 13, 1925. He embarked on his musical career in 1942 as a mostly self-taught drummer.
Haynes May Be One of the Most Recorded Drummers in History
Haynes participated in hundreds of jazz recordings throughout his decades-long career, establishing himself as one of the industry’s finest. However, he remained largely unnoticed by the general public, possibly due to his role as a drummer in a field often dominated by front men.
Check out this epic drum solo from Haynes circa 1966…
Throughout his illustrious career, Haynes collaborated with legendary jazz icons such as Miles Davis, Sarah Vaughan, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Ray Charles, and Stan Getz.
A Young Roy Haynes Famously Turned Down a Spot in Duke Ellinton’s Band
In 1952, Duke Ellington offered Haynes a job. However, the drummer declined, concerned that he would be restricted by the band’s traditional style.
Haynes was a prolific bandleader in his own right, releasing his debut album, Busman’s Holiday, in 1954.
In 1958, the musician collaborated with bassist Paul Chambers and pianist Phineas Newborn Jr. to release We Three. Four years later, in 1962, he partnered with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Tommy Flanagan, and Henry Grimes to produce Out of the Afternoon.
Haynes earned his first Grammy Award nomination in 1988 for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance by a Group. Throughout his career, he received a total of eight nominations and proudly won two Grammys.
After dropping out of high school to pursue his passion for music, Haynes went on to receive honorary doctorates from both Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory.
Haynes and his late wife, Jesse Lee Nevels Haynes, who died in 1979, had three children: one daughter and two sons. He is survived by his children, eight grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.