Reggie Hines, a diverse and explosive instrumentalist, is proud to be a New Yorker. Born and raised in the South Bronx of New York City, Reggie came from a very musical family and was spoon-fed various styles of music including the unorthodox sounds of Parliament Funkadelic, the never ending grooves of the “Godfather of Soul”, James Brown, the innovative transitions of Miles Davis and the conventional sounds of southern gospel. Mama Hines was a singer and you could hear daddy Hines during the wee hours of the morning jamming the night away. The constant influences of music were bound to have an impact on young Reggie.

Beating his way into the music scene as a drummer, Reggie played for several gospel groups in New York City and traveled the East Coast. These experiences gave him an appetite for more. Even in high school he was very detailed and had a melodic mindset. He needed more to sustain him so he began to venture out musically. Although the drums was his first love, Reggie wanted to play an instrument that allowed him to be more expressive and began to play bass guitar. Reggie later went to school for music and took an interest in the saxophone and knew immediately that this was it.

Living in the South Bronx, Reggie lived among mostly blacks and Hispanics, therefore limiting his range of musical education. In the Bronx he surrounded himself with the highly syncopated sounds of Salsa, Merengue, and of course authentic Hip Hop. In order to broaden his horizons, it was imperative for him to venture to other parts of the city. He began attending school in Manhattan and quickly made friends with Chinese, Italian, Vietnamese and people from varying ethnicities. Pleased with his diverse relations Reggie embraced his educational experience and began studying Hindu, Arabian, Japanese and other types of musical cultures. This diverse lesson is easily detected in his music. Reggie’s rapid progression earned him a scholarship to the prestigious Usdan Camp of Performing Arts in Huntington, Long Island. After successfully completing this prestigious school, he attended Julia Richman High School’s Talent Unlimited program in Manhattan, New York where the foundation was laid for Reggie’s new and adventurous career.

Reggie was always interested in going to college and focused on The Berklee School of Music in Boston. In order to obtain money for tuition Reggie decided to join the Army to get the GI Bill. The Army provided Reggie with intensive music training and allowed him to play with the distinguished Army band. After being all he could be in the Army, Reggie changed his mind about Berklee, but instead embarked on an exciting music career.

Over time, Reggie became a gigging musician and began to familiarize himself with the synthesizer and began working with synths and music sequencers. He began composing all genres of music which opened many doors of opportunity. Reggie wrote hit tunes for Gerald Alston from the Manhattans, Regina Belle, the late legendary songstress, Phyllis Hyman including for The Prime of My Life album the songs, “I Can’t Take It Anymore” and “When You Get Right Down To It”, which was nominated for a Grammy for the best R&B song of the year. That song also earned him an ASCAP award for his composing abilities. He’s also written songs for Chaka Khan and Bell Biv Devoe. Reggie’s musical talents would eventually catch the eyes and ears of Hollywood. He worked in conjunction with Tru Master and the RZA to compose the movie score for “Blade Trinity”. Although that score found itself on the cutting room floor, his composition continued with a full movie orchestral score for the independent film, “Like Butta Baby” as well as some soundtracks for the movie, “Colors of Rage”.

At one point in time, Reggie dabbled in producing and he began with a rap group, and then quickly added a funk band, R&B, fusion, salsa and a reggae group to the list of his production credits. His musical talents became well known by many and were sought out by various musical artists. His music career was taking off and he added to his musical resume by playing for the likes of Regina Belle, Brian McKnight, Cheryl “Pepsi” Riley, Carl Thomas, Iyanla Vanzant, Zhane, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Wu-Tang Clan, Sybil, Angie Stone, Jill Scott, Freddie Jackson, Christopher Williams, Chico DeBarge, El DeBarge, Hezekiah Walker and the Love Fellowship Choir, The O’Jay’s, Ray Chew and the Crew, Johnny Kemp, Desiree Coleman-Jackson, Luther Vandross (on his last tour), Angie Stone (Angie actually incorporated a special segment just for Reggie in her show) and a host of others.

Reggie began commanding the attention of the national audience and capitalized on it by performing on the David Letterman Show, Live with Regis and Kelly, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Tom Joyner’s Sky Show and Cruise, Montreaux Jazz Festival, Bermuda Jazz Festival, Bou Bou’s Jazz Festival in St. Barths, Merengue Soul Festival, Sinbad’s Bermuda Cruise Festival, St. Lucia Jazz Festival, Stockholm Jazz Festival, Essence Music Festival, Pori Jazz Festival in Finland, Jamaica Jazz Festival, Atlanta’s Midtown Music Festival, NV Magazine Awards, Black Enterprise Golf Classic, Vy Higgensen’s Blue Note Gospel Tour in Japan, Lou Rawl’s United Negro College Fund Telethon, Miami Soul Beach Festival, Jack and Jill Foundation, and others.

Reggie Hines has come full circle in his musical career. His debut CD, “Do You See What I See” is a true testament of his musical abilities. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.