Billy's first influence in music was his great-grandfather, guitarist for Heavenly Gate Church of God in Christ in Bakersfield, California. But at the age of ten, Billy went to a James Brown concert, and from that point on he was hooked. His first live performance with a band was at the age of fourteen at the local fair in Bakersfield with a group called "The Diamonds." Soon after, Billy joined a local group called "The Mark Seven" singing lead vocals, and, in 1965 when the band's bass player was drafted into the military, Billy was asked to learn to play bass guitar. From that, Billy formed his own group in 1967, "The Original Souls," and gained considerable success. The group entered a local battle-of-the-bands contest in 1969 and went on to take top honors statewide, performing at the Hollywood Bowl. The win included a recording contract with Sun Records and an engagement that same year as the opening act for Gary Puckett and the Union Gap at the Hollywood Bowl. Building on their success, The Original Souls went on to tour extensively throughout California until 1976.
In 1977, looking for greater opportunities, Billy decided to move to Los Angeles. There, he took odd jobs during the week to stay alive and performed with local bands on weekends. By chance, a fellow musician let Billy know that Tina Turner was holding auditions and looking for bass players. Billy called in, got an audition, and Tina loved his playing. So, in May 1977, Billy became Tina Turner's first bass player in her career as a solo artist. From 1977 to 1981, Billy toured the world with Tina. Tina always encouraged her musicians, so Billy and several members of Tina's rhythm section also recorded for other artists in various parts of the world. In 1979, while on tour with Tina in Paris, Billy was even asked to sing on several tracks that were set to be presented to CBS London for a recording contract. He was joined on the tracks by Tina's horn section, and together they were billed as "Billy Haynes and the L.A. Horns." The group went on to release two cover songs which gained some success: "Keep on Running" and"Land of a 1000 Dances." These experiences with Tina Turner and her musicians underscore Tina's profound influence not only on Billy, but on the lives and careers of all those musicians she worked with. Her legacy continues.
In 1981, Billy felt he needed to spend more time in the States at home with his children. So he accepted an offer from Lou Rawls to join the U.S. tour of Rawls' band, just after the release of his new hit record, "You'll Never Find." Then, in 1983, Billy met Sonny Charles of the Checkmates Unlimited, a highly successful Las Vegas lounge act. After two-and-a-half years touring with Lou Rawls, Billy longed for more musical control, so he joined forces with Charles and put together a Las Vegas lounge act consisting of two female vocalists and several other former members of the Tina Turner Band. Billy, however, soon became dissatisfied with the "Vegas Scene," broke ties with Sonny Charles and formed his own group, "Pressure Point." Leslie Uggams,and her husband Graham Pratt agreed to manage the band with assistance from Dionne Warrick. Their first project was to arrange an audition for the band to appear on "Star Search," a very popular 1980s version of "American Idol." Billy and the band swept the competition, but lost in the finals. Shortly thereafter, Billy left the group.
Back in Los Angeles, Billy reconnected with long time local R&B great, Ray "Lil Ray" Jimenez. Billy's connection with that show brought him renewed respect for "old-school" rhythm and blues, and learning from an experienced society band leader like Lil Ray was a valuable opportunity. As Billy stepped into this new role, he was learning how to shape the musical experience for audiences, curate playlists, lead a talented group of musicians and, most of all, create memorable moments for people. In 1987, Billy set out to form a new band dedicated to old-school R&B, "The Billy Haynes Band." The Billy Haynes Band became a very popular society band, playing at prestigious venues throughout southern California for some of Hollywood's most influential power brokers. From 1987 to 1994, "The Billy Haynes Band" was privileged to feature great musicians on its roster: pianist, Clarence McDonald; five-time Grammy winner Keb' Mo; saxophonist and smooth-jazz recording artist Jeff Kashiwa; saxophonist Jerry Martini, one of the original members of Sly and the Family Stone; Tower of Power guitarist Bruce Conte, guitarist Bud Nuanez of "Seawind" fame and the great saxophonist John Phillips. In 1994, Billy and his band received an invitation to perform in Bahrain in the Middle East; and from 1994 to 1999, the Billy Haynes Band enjoyed success throughout the Middle East, Asia and Eastern Europe.
In 1999, Billy settled back in Los Angeles to become the bassist for 73-year-old J.J. "Bad Boy" Jones, a Los Angeles blues legend. Although this was Billy's first venture into blues music, he was able to meet and perform with many of L.A.'s leading blues artists. He joined Roy "Guitar" Gaines' band and performed throughout the U.S. and Europe, sharing the bill with legendary blues and R&B entertainers B.B. King, Etta James, Tyrone Davis, and Dr. John and the Neville Brothers. From September 2002 until 2010, Billy Haynes lived in the Netherlands, performing with some of the Netherlands' top musicians and orchestras, spreading old-school R&B all over Europe.
In 2010, Billy returned to Los Angeles to perform with such artists as Bobby Rush, Lucky Petersen, Jimmy Johnson, Finis Tasby and James Gadson. Billy went on to perform for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington, DC in 2011, making music with Motown stars Kim Weston and Eddie "Chank" Willis of the Motown Funk Brothers and with other Motown alumni. From 2011 until 2020,Billy performed in the house band at the CMA Award-winning venue, the Buck Owens Crystal Palace in Bakersfield CA, with members of the Buckaroos of Buck Owens and the Buckaroos fame. At the same time, Billy performed for twelve years with the Paulie Cerra Band and recorded the album "Hell and High Water."
In 2020, covid changed everything, and live performances came to a screeching halt! The isolation brought daily self-reflection; but even before covid, Billy was working on a solo album, co-producing with Jim Shaw from the Buckaroos. So, now in 2024, A rejuvenated and excited Billy has put together a reiteration of the "Billy Haynes Band"; and with his new album, "Love Is the Cure," hitting the charts, Billy is hitting the road once again, spreading the love of old-school R&B all over the world, one more time at 75!!... And why not?!?
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