[2] By the age of 14 he had performed onstage backing his hero, T-Bone Walker, and played in Houston nightclubs.

[1] In 1955, Gaines played as a backing musician on recordings by Bobby Bland, Junior Parker and Big Mama Thornton.

[5] He was also a backing musician in sessions with the Everly Brothers, the Supremes, Bobby Darin, Stevie Wonder, and Gladys Knight.

It was followed by Tuxedo Blues, featuring a big band billed as Roy Gaines & His Orchestra, released in 2009.

The album includes the song "Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)," which Gaines had performed in The Color Purple.