Craig Holiday Haynes, son of Roy Haynes and named for Billie Holiday, has performed and been acclaimed in over thirty countries. His travels have enabled him to learn the music of different cultures and transmit it to still more audiences, all the time, in his words, “making the world a groovier place.” He joined the Sun Ra Arkestra, a group which pioneered the use of the synthesizer and of electronics in jazz – an influence on artists like Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis – turning down an offer from James Brown to leave Sun Ra for the Godfather’ s band.
He has performed or recorded not only with Sun Ra and his Arkestra, but also with Barry Harris, Clifford Jordan, Freddie Hubbard, Gloria Lynne, Lionel Hampton, Tony Bennett, The Boys Choir of Harlem, Stanley Jordan, The Allman Brothers Band, Leslie West, Geri Allen, Marcus Miller, Rachel Z, Gladys Knight, John Hicks, Onaje Allen Gumbs, Jimmy Norman, Ruth Brown, actor Danny Glover, Latin and blues legends and many others in North America, Europe, Asia, The Middle East, North and West Africa, and Brazil.