Adding up the raw data - solo performances, participation in multiple bands, invitations to sit in with friends' bands, and studio sessions - it's fair to conclude that Warren Haynes is among the hardest working performers in music today.
But for the 23rd greatest guitarist of all time (as determined by Rolling Stone), music doesn't feel like hard work. Haynes is just doing what he loves, being what he is. He's a man who loves music. Everything about it, really: creating it, playing it, singing it, experiencing it, appreciating it, sharing it.
"Musicians are the biggest fans," he says. "That's why they become musicians in the first place."
Growing up in Asheville, North Carolina, Haynes remembers getting his first taste of musical nourishment at the tender age of six when he heard black gospel on the radio. He was raised by a father who loved Merle Haggard and Bill Monroe, but he was coached by two older brothers partial to Miles and Coltrane, Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, Dylan and Van Morrison. At first he was most interested in vocalists like Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett, zeroing in on even B.B. King's voice, not just his licks.
In addition to singing and playing guitar in The Allman Brothers and The Dead, Warren has been the front man for his own band Gov't Mule since its founding with then Allman Brothers bass player Allen Woody and long time collaborator and friend Matt Abts in 1995. Gov't Mule to date has released eight studio albums, several live recorded and sold over 2 million songs of their live performances through the web site www.muletracks.com. Their current album, "By A Thread" is currently in-stores now through Haynes' own label Evil Teen Records.
"Singing and songwriting and guitar playing are all equal in my mind," he says. "Basically I'm thankful that I have all three in my life.
Raleigh Boutique Amphitheatre
July 16, 2010
Raleigh, NC
Artscape
July 17, 2010
Baltimore, MD
Roadrunner Uptown Amphitheatre
July 18, 2010
Charlotte, NC
W.C. Handy Park Pavilion
July 21, 2010
Memphis, TN
Sloss Furnace
July 22, 2010
Birmingham, AL
Harris Riverfront Park
July 23, 2010
Huntington, WV
HullabaLOU
July 24, 2010
Churchill Downs, KY
Trib Total Media Amphitheatre
July 25, 2010
Pittsburgh, PA
Aaron's Amphitheatre @ Lakewood
July 27, 2010
Atlanta, GA
Ford Amphitheatre
July 28, 2010
Tampa, FL
Cruzan Amphitheatre
July 30, 2010
West Palm Beach, FL
Cruzan Amphitheatre
July 31, 2010
West Palm Beach, FL
Riverfront Park
August 1st, 2010
Cocoa, FL
House of Blues
August 3rd, 2010
Mrytle Beach, FL
Innsbrook Pavilion
August 4th, 2010
Richmond, VA
Bank of America Pavilion
August 6th, 2010
Boston, MA
Buffalo Place: Rocks The Harbor
August 7th, 2010
Buffalo, NY
Summer Music Festival
August 8th, 2010
Loudoun, VA
Central Park Summerstage
August 11th, 2010
New York, NY
Theatre @ Westbury
August 12th, 2010
Westbury, NY
Lake Champlain Maritime Festival
August 13rd, 2010
Burlington, VT
Great Plaza @ Penn's Landing
August 14th, 2010
Philadelphia, PA
Mountain Park
August 15th, 2010
Holyoke, MA
Royal Oak Theatre
August 18th, 2010
Royal Oak, MI
LC Pavilion
August 19th, 2010
Columbus, OH
The Lawn @ White River State Park
August 20th, 2010
Indianapolis, IN
Cabooze Plaze
August 21st, 2010
Minneapolis, MN
Simon Estes Amphitheatre
August 22nd, 2010
Des Moines, IA
Deer Valley Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheatre
September 3rd, 2010
Park City, UT
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
September 4th, 2010
Morrison, CO
Taos Mountain Music Festival
September 5th, 2010
Taos Ski Valley, NM
Released 2010 - Evil Teen Records
Released 2007 - ATO Records
Released 2006 - ATO Records
Released 2004 - ATO Records
Released 2002 - ATO Records
Released 2001 - ATO Records
Released 2000 - Volcano Records
Released 1998 - Volcano Records
Released 1995 - Relativity Records
Released 2004 - ATO Records
Released 2003 - ATO Records
Released 1993 - Megaforce Records