In the beginning of the Hip Hop era in New York City, Calvin Gaines worked as a multi-Instrumentalist session player and producer.

He worked with ground-breaking Hip Hop legends such as Mc Lyte, UtraMagnetic Mcs, Stesasonics, Salt & Peppa, Audio Two and a host of other rappers and musicians throughout the Tri-state area.

Calvin’s unique style of production and love of various musical genres motivated him to work and live in various studios in Manhattan learning the art of engineering inside and out.
It didn’t take long for Calvin’s artistry to catch the ear of major record labels and established producers. He
began to work with some of the most celebrated and talented artist including; Lady Gaga, Whitney
Houston, Destiny’s Child, Brandy, The Temptations, Gloria Gaynor, Patti Austin, Michael Moog, Roland
Clark and countless others.

Calvin has won artistic awards for producing albums for his brother and poet Reg E. Gaines; Tony Nominated
playwright “Bring in the Noise, Bring in the Funk”. He is also credited with co-writing the ground breaking multi-platinum single “No, No, No” for the Grammy award winning group Destiny’s Child as well as five
additional singles for the group.