Throwback: Happy 100th Birthday, Roy Haynes!

2025 is rushing by. It’s March. And March is a very busy month in music history. 

• The Who frontman  Roger Daltrey celebrated his 81st birthday on March 1
• Karen Carpenter was born 75 years ago today. As one-half of The Carpenters with her older brother Richard, Karen was behind some of the most beloved and gorgeous pop songs ever written and recorded.
• Lou Reed one of the most influential figures of the past 75 years or so, was born 83 years ago on March 2
• Tone Lōc celebrated his 59th birthday on March 3
• The legendary soul artist Bobby Womack was born on this day 81 years ago
• Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted celebrated his 62nd birthday on March 4
• Pink Floyd‘s David Gilmour celebrated his 79th birthday on March 6
• The Monkees‘ Mickey Dolenz celebrated his 80th — yes, 80th! — birthday on March 8
• The pioneering Ornette Coleman was born 95 years ago on March 9
• U2‘s Adam Clayton celebrates his 65th — yes, 65th! — birthday today

Roy Haynes was born 100 years ago today. He’s arguably one of the greatest jazz drummers ever, and one of the most recorded jazz drummers in recorded history.

Over the course of his 80+ year career, Haynes played swing, bebop, jazz fusion, avant garde jazz and is considered a pioneer of jazz drumming. He has played with a who’s who of legends including Stan Getz, Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Bud Powell, Miles Davis, Sarah Vaughan, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey,Eric Dolphy, Oliver Nelson, Ray Charles, and an extraordinarily long list of others. 

You can’t love jazz without knowing of this man and his incredible work. We lost him late last year, but his influence on modern music will remain towering. Happy birthday, sir! Happy birthday, wherever you are!