Douglas even Introduced the Roy to Joe Jones, who quickly became his primary drum Influence. To this day, Haynes still references Joneses drumming on the Count Basis record “The World is Mad” as a career defining listening experience. Haynes performed in all of the school bands while at James P. Timidly Junior High School. Outside of school, Haynes briefly studied the drumming rudiments with Herbs Wright, James Reese Rupee’s former drummer.
Haynes was also mentored by Bobby Donaldson, a neighbor and prominent local drummer who had played with Andy Kirk, Benny Goodman and Curtis Fuller. As Haynes began his high school years, at the age of sixteen as a self-taught musician, he had already established a reputation as an up- and-coming drummer with an distinctive musical instinct and natural feel. Among his early gigs around the Boston area were stints with singer Mabel Robinson, trumpeter Frankie Newton, and loyalist Pete Brown.
There he started his professional career In 944 playing with Scabby Lewis, and other lesser-known local groups. The following year he moved to N_Y_, working at Harem’s famous Savoy Ballroom with Luis Russell Orchestra, of which he was a member until 1947. Roy says that his big inspiration on the drums was the great Papa Joe Jones. He has also led his own groups, some performing under the name Hip Ensemble, his most recent recordings as a leader are Fountain of Youth and Whereas both of them have been nominated for a Grammar Award. He has three kids, one of them also a drummer.
A measure of Haynes’ free- predestines Is that In 1952 he turned down the drum chair In Duke Elongation’s band, which was the most Influential Jazz orchestra In history. Roy has also had an influence on the rock world. Haynes appeared in the game Grand Theft Auto IV, as the host of the jazz radio station. On October 9, 2010, Roy Haynes was awarded the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation’s Mellon Jazz Living Legacy Award at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. On December 22, 2010, Haynes was named a recipient of a Grammar Lifetime Achievement Award by the National
Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Haynes received the award at the Special Merit Awards Ceremony ; Nominees Reception of the 53rd Annual Grammar Awards on February 12, 2011. He also appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman on June 8, 2011. Roy also established a distinctively crisp and rapid-fire sound on the snare; this was the inspiration for his nickname, ‘Snap Crackle. ‘ Roy removed the rhythmic qualities from melodies and created unique new drum and cymbal patterns, now a recognizable style.