Toledo soul singer celebrates new CD
6/11/2009Toledo soul singer Tracy Haynes influences are pretty much what you d expect.
Marvin Gaye, R. Kelly, Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder... the usual who s who of rhythm and blues vocalists. But then he adds one whose impact exceeds even those greats:His dad, Archie Haynes, who has sung gospel music at Ebeneezer Missionary Baptist Church for years.
My dad s range is out of this world and you know what? To this day he still sings better than me. He s killing me right now, killing me. I don t mess with him, the 25-year-old Haynes said.
But the son is holding his own these days.
He s got a new CD, The Rarebreed coming out this week, featuring 11 songs that tap into his various gospel, soul, and R&B predecessors. Haynes has been singing since he was a small child so he s ready to break out with concerts and a new release.
The fringe benefits are good for the 25-year-old, too.
It always came easy to me and I kind of liked the attention. I m a young man women like singers so I get a lot of extra female attention, he said laughing. It s a little better than being a guitar player, but [singing is] a passion, too and I love it. I m not just doing it for the attention.
Haynes grew up in Toledo and graduated from Scott High School. His mother is Dorothy Haynes and he has two sisters. He also has two daughters who are 1 and 2 years old.
He started a gospel group when he was 14 called Gospel Highlights and has been singing professionally in a number of groups and solo settings since then. Haynes has opened for T-Pain, Yung Joc, and Bobby Valentino.
He will play a series of shows beginning this week to promote the disc, which is available online at CDbaby.com, iTunes.com, Amazon.com and Buy.com, and will be available in local record stores Sound Asylum, Allied Records, and Freon Records.
Haynes is playing a pair of shows this weekend to herald the release of The Rarebreed.
Tomorrow night he ll be at the Erie Street Market s Civic Theatre with an autograph session at 7 p.m. and a performance at 8 p.m. in a show aimed at high school-aged students only.
On Saturday he ll play a show at the Peacock Cafe, 2007 Monroe St., beginning at 9 p.m. that is for adults only.
Tickets for both performances are $15 and can be purchased at the door.
Contact Rod Lockwood at:rlockwood@theblade.com or 419-724-6159.