Roy James Gaines (August 12, 1937 – August 11, 2021) was an American Texas blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. 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.
Gaines was born in Waskom, Texas and relocated with his family to Houston when he was six years old. Originally a piano devotee, Gaines moved to playing the guitar in his adolescence. In his teens he was acquainted with another budding guitarist, Johnny Copeland. By the age of 14 he had performed onstage backing his hero, T-Bone Walker, and played in Houston nightclubs. After a failed marriage at the age of 16, Gaines headed to California where he found himself thrust into the world of late night bars and touring with Roy “Pops” Milton. In 1955, Gaines played as a backing musician on recordings by Bobby Bland, Junior Parker and Big Mama Thornton. He later backed Roy Milton and then Chuck Willis, and he worked again with Walker.
In 1958 he played with Billie Holiday on Jazz Party, the singer’s last public appearance with pianist Mal Waldron and bassist Vinnie Burke. He released two low-key albums in 1956 and a couple more in the 1960s for small record companies. At the end of the 1950's, Roy went back to Los Angeles recording with his former boss and friend Roy Milton, the Jazz Crusaders and under his name before being drafted by Uncle Sam in 1962. Based in Monterey, Roy took more music lessons from several musicians including Woody Herman. When he was discharged from the Army, Roy became a most sought after session man.
