Rocky Gaines brings an African American impact to the realm of acoustic Americana/Folk warmth and storytelling. Rocky has been performing nationally on folk/acoustic circuits since her high school and college days in San Antonio, Texas. Ever a traveler, Gaines grew up in an Air Force family stationed around the country from Hawaii to Cape Cod and points in between. Music became a means for easily adapting to the culture of each region her family was living.
Rocky learned to play guitar in Hawaii, and she later became fascinated with folk music when they moved to Cape Cod. The family settled in Schertz, Texas and thus, the magic of wide-open Texas skies and Texan songwriting worked their way into her sound. Recognizing her ability to superimpose her identity on these different backgrounds provided inspiration for her signature song, the title track of her CD "Black Stone."
"Black Stone" was recorded in Nashville, with producer Johnny Pierce (Jimmie Spheeris, Juice Newton, Kathy Mattea). Pierce was delighted to bring a full emphasis to Gaines' songwriting style with its "Americana-Africana" effects: the percussive and rhythmic undertones evidenced on songs such as the Cajun-Zydeco flavored, "Do You Ever Think About Me," the reggae-ish "Outside The Lines," the gospel-inspired "We Will Miss You," and her homage to the election of Nelson Mandela, "Stand In Line," with its infectious African chant.