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Warren Haynes

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Warren Haynes (born 6 April 1960), virtuoso guitarist and musician, presently most well-known in the jam band world and by fans of the Allman Brothers Band, is often referred to as "the hardest working man in show business." Some of his fans express surprise at the repetition with which this moniker is used, but it persists. He was the lead guitarist for the Allman Brothers Band and is now the singer and leader guitarist for Gov't Mule. His style is sometimes compared to that of a combined Jimmy Page and Duane Allman and Eric Clapton. His influences range from Jimi Hendrix to Cream to The Beatles to Muddy Waters. Aside from playing with the Allman Brothers' Band and Gov't Mule, Haynes spent the summer of 2004 playing with the jam band The Dead, a group featuring the remaining members of The Grateful Dead. He was also a member of the longest running lineup of Phil Lesh's "Phil Lesh and Friend's" band, comprised of himself, Phil Lesh, Jimmy Herring, John Molo, and Rob Baracco

In 2004, he was named to the Rolling Stone magazine list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All-Time at #23. He was joined on the list by fellow Allman Brothers Band guitarists Duane Allman, Dickey Betts, and Derek Trucks.

Beloved Man of Mystery

In addition to playing both acoustic and electric guitar, Mr. Haynes, a major supporter of the Habitat for Humanity charity, also writes music. Small stuffed animals are often displayed atop his Marshall amplifier during his performances Mr. Haynes spent his formative years in Asheville, North Carolina, where he lived with his two older brothers and his father, Edward Haynes. He began to play the guitar at age 12. He is about 5'9 and has a stocky build, blue eyes, and reddish shoulder-length curly hair. He plays primarily Gibson Les Paul guitars. No mention of Haynes would be complete without also referencing his guitar technician, Brian Farmer. Mr. Haynes is married to Stefani Scamardo, a DJ for Sirius radio as well as the manager of Gov't Mule.

Every December, Warren Haynes hosts a Christmas Jam in his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina; the proceeds from the concert are donated to Habitat for Humanity. Many musicians donate their time to create an evening of music. The Jam was started in 1988. Some of the musicians who regularly play are Edwin McCain, Kevin Kinney, and Audley Freed. As a tribute to his financial support of Habitat for Humanity, a subidivsion in Asheville, North Carolina has a street named after Warren Haynes.

File:Miltonandwarren.jpg
Warren Haynes (right) and his idol, blues legend Little Milton (left) during their last performance together with the Allman Brothers on May 15, 2005 in Jackson, MS

Early Years/Allman Brothers Band

Haynes got his first break joining David Allen Coe's touring and recording band in the early 1980s. He was called down by Coe so that he could add a bluesy feel to his music and he was told that he would sit in the audience for two nights to get a feel of the songs he would be playing. When Warren flew down they had lost his guitar at some point, so the man Coe had sent to pick him up told him that they'd pick him up a new one before the show, which is how Warren found out he was going to be playing from the start. It was later during a Coe opening slot for the Allman Brothers Band at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, where the young Haynes first met Dickey Betts and Gregg Allman.

After the Coe gig ended, Haynes relocated to Nashville where he played with local musicians and did both guitar and vocal studio work. One notable achievement while in the studio is a song he wrote for the famed country-rock musician Garth Brooks entitled "Two of a Kind (Looking for a Full House)." In the studio one day in 1986, he was reunited with Dickey Betts again. When Betts formed the Dickey Betts Band in 1987 (featuring future Allman Brothers Band keyboardist Johhny Neel and Gov't Mule drummer Matt Abts), Haynes was invited to join. The two performed together on one Dickey Betts Band album, 1998's Pattern Disruptive.

When the Allman Brothers Band reunited in the summer of 1989, Haynes was asked to join the band. He has since played on four well received studio albums, including the gold certified Where It All Begins (1994). He also has played on four official live releases from the band, including the 2003 DVD Live At the Beacon Theatre (certified gold 2003). Although he and bass player Allen Woody left the group in March of 1997 so that they could focus solely on Gov't Mule, Warren did return alongside young guitar prodigy Derek Trucks shortly after Woody's untimely death. Warren has only missed a handful of Allman Brothers shows since his hiatus -- once in July 2005 and a week in August 2005 due to an eye injury and then in August, a family matter. Jack Pearson and Ron Holloway and Chuck Leavell guested in Warren's absence. To say that fans were disappointed by Haynes' absence would create dissent in their ranks.

Where's My Mule? Where's My Forty Acres?

In 1994, Haynes formed Gov't Mule with Dickey Betts Band's Matt Abts and Allman bassist Allen Woody, as a side project and then full time in March 1997. With that line-up the band released three outstanding albums, but what the band was known for was their powerful live performances. Some of these performances can be heard on the live albums (Live At Roseland Ballroom and Live With A Little Help From Our Friends which captures the sounds heard at one of the best of their yearly New Year's Eve shows) and of course the hundreds of authorized bootleg CDs and DVDs that float around trading circles and bit torrent websites.

In August of 2000 Woody passed away, and the decision was made tofinish the tour acoustically and Gov't Mule released 2 studio albums (The Deep End Vol. I and II) and 1 live album (The Deepest End) featuring many of Woody's favorite bass players and miscellaneous other musicians and toured with many of them sitting in throughout it. In 2003 Andy Hess (bass) and Danny Louis (keyboard/organ) were added as permanent members to the group and in late 2004 they released their first studio effort Deja Voodoo which later included an EP of newly recored material titled Mo Voodoo.

The group is considered one of the best touring acts to date and often include a revolving door of guests during their shows. While the band does not attract a roaming group of followers ala the Grateful Dead, they do boast an extremely dedicated, grassroots fanbase, many of whom are over 30 and male. It is often said that the band is a "musicians' band" and that many of their fans are musicians. One of the ongoing injokes of the band is a paper napkin with "WAR PIGS" written on it as a song request. The passionate fanbase is known for its extensive disagreements which even Haynes acknowledged in a song verse ("That's Why I'm Here") performed in July 2005.


The Dead

Though never a member of the real Grateful Dead, over time Warren has performed and toured with many of the remaining members. In 1997 Warren and Matt came onstage to jam with Bob Weir & Rob Wasserman in a small club near the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame being filmed for the Robert Mugge film on Robert Johnson, Hell Hounds On My Trail. Then in 2000 Phil Lesh approached him to play lead guitar and sing for his solo group Phil Lesh & Friends, where he played for 3 years. Then in 2004 when The Dead (remaining members of The Grateful Dead) were in need of a new guitarist they called upon Haynes to come play lead and sing for that summer's "Wave That Flag Tour". His run with The Dead ended on a night where he came in with them, then performed a solo acoustic set, and then ended the night playing with the Allman Brothers Band and started out on his next tour with them.

Solo

In 1992 Warren released an album of his first solo effort, Warren Haynes Band's Tales of Ordinary Madness. He then toured briefly with various musicians filling in different spots in the group.

In 2003 and 2004 Warren also released 2 solo acoustic albums, The Lone EP which is a collection of live performances and Live From Bonnaroo 2004 which documents his solo performance to a crowd of thousands at the Bonnaroo Music Festival. Whenever not touring with one of his electric groups Warren will take time out to make appearances or entire tours of his solo acoustic shows where he'll perform some of his own songs and acoustic workings of old blues songs and well known popular rock songs from along the ages. In 2004, Warren Haynes performed 5 full-length solo acoustic shows, 3 in NYC, 1 in San Francisco, and 1 in Philadelphia as well as opened 23 times for The Dead and once for the Allman Brothers Band.

In 2005 Warren performed a one time only show under the name Warren Haynes & Friends. The band included Matt Abts on drums, Dave Schools of Widespread Panic and part-time Gov't Mule fame on bass, John Medeski of Medeski Martin & Wood, and Skerik the avant-garde sax player of cult-fame in bands such as Critters Buggin' (with ex-Pearl Jam drummer Matt Chamberlain) and Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade making bizarre noises and sometimes authentic sounds on his saxophones. The group played a selection of blues songs covers including songs of Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Tom Waits, and of course some Gov't Mule classics.

Taping Policy

All of Warren Haynes' projects (that he has a say in) are pro-audio taping/trading/online distribution. The only exception being the Allman Brothers Band which is pro-taping/trading, but is against distribution of their shows via the internet with programs such as Bit Torrent. However, since 2000 Warren has been against video taping and soundboard recording in all bands he has a say in.

Some Bit Torrent trackers that carry Gov't Mule/Warren Haynes material include:

You can also find Phil Lesh & Friends shows on the Live Lossless Audio Archive:

For a complete database of Warren Haynes setlists:

Discography

Allman Brothers Band

Gov't Mule

Warren Haynes


Musicians performed with

In the past Warren has performed in many bands and with many artists. Just a small selection of those artists and bands that haven't been listed already include:

See also

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