BIOGRAPHY

Gregg “Happy Guitar” Haynes

Guitarist • Recording Artist • Actor • Musical Director • Event Producer • Author • Minister • Mentor

St. Louis native Gregg “Happy Guitar” Haynes has devoted more than five decades to music, ministry, and mentorship, performing across 49 states and internationally.

His journey began at age ten. Unable to afford guitar lessons, he received something equally meaningful: his mother, the late Georgia Haynes, anointed him with oil and prayed over his gift. Largely self-taught, Gregg honed his sound at his father’s church, St. Paul Church of God in Christ. His exuberant playing inspired his cousin, Dr. Levi R. King, Sr., to nickname him “Happy Guitar.”

A pivotal professional milestone came in 1982, when Gregg served as lead guitarist for the award-winning gospel documentary Say Amen, Somebody, directed by George T. Nierenberg. Credited as “Gregory Haynes — Lead Guitar,” he helped tell the story of gospel pioneers including Thomas A. Dorsey and Willie Mae Ford Smith. The film was selected for the National Film Registry in 2025.

Gregg has accompanied or recorded with Edwin Hawkins, Andraé Crouch, Rance Allen, and Kirk Franklin. Among his approximately 15 recording projects is Preserving Our Heritage, reflecting his versatility across musical genres. He also performs with saxophonist Rod Tate as the jazz duo 2Smooth.

His theatrical work includes portraying B.B. King in God’s Trying to Tell You Something, serving as musical director for Paint the White House Black, and performing with St. Louis’s Black Rep under Ron Himes, notably as lead guitarist in I Am a Man. During the 2021 B.B. King Experience, he played an authentic Lucille guitar once used by B.B. King and gifted to Gregg by King’s family.

At an international conference in Helsinki, Finland, Gregg provided music for participants representing 35 countries, choosing familiar songs that crossed language barriers. He later presented a solo guitar concert during a mission trip to Ukraine.

For approximately a decade, beginning around 2000, Gregg hosted a gospel radio program on St. Louis’s KSTL, spotlighting artists and sharing inspirational messages. Through Anointed Music Ministry, he organized annual celebrations honoring local musicians and continues producing community events.

His distinctions include a Best Instrumentalist award through a Dr. Bobby Jones Gospel competition, induction into the Missouri Gospel Hall of Fame in 2024, and an honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Musical Arts from Kingdom Heritage Christian University. He authored The Story Behind the Glory.

An ordained minister, Gregg is especially committed to mentorship. Through his Music & Arts Education program, he expands opportunities for young musicians facing financial barriers and encourages artists of all ages.

His legacy lives not only through performances, but through the lives he touches, opportunities he creates, and generations he inspires.