Versatile drummer who has lent his talents to blues, country, jazz, and rock and roll.
Born in Fort Worth, Rains started out as a teenager on the Texas club circuit. He emigrated to California and found himself playing with the likes of Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Roy Head, Van Morrison, and Big Mama Thornton.
In the 1980s he moved back to Texas and became a fixture at Antone’s Blues Club and Antone’s Records.
In addition to the aforementioned artists, he has collaborated with Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Boz Skaggs, and Steve Ray Vaughan, the latter of which he appeared with at Carnegie Hall in 1997. You can also see him in action on the 1996 music video release A Tribute To Stevie Ray Vaughan.
He was nominated for a W.C. Handy Blues Award in 2002. On 6th November 2006, he appeared with the Mike Flanigin B-3 Organ Trio at the Witte Museum in San Antonio. About a month later, it was off to Smokin’ Moe’s with Cyril Neville’s Tribe 13 as a part of the San Antonio Blues Society’s WinterTime Blues bash.
The former Mother Earth and Texas Tornados drummer has appeared with Shawn Sahm & The Tex-Mex Experience, and is currently touring with Jimmie Vaughan’s Tilt-a-Whirl Band.
Doug Sahm & The Texas Tornados recordings
Cowboy Peyton Place (Doug Sahm)
I Love The Way You Love (The Way I Love You) (Atwood Allen)
Here he is on drums with Shawn Sahm & The Tex-Mex Experience performing “Why Doncha”..
Sources:
1. http://music.aol.com/artist/george-rains/116685/main
2. http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:George%20Rains:1927174082
3. http://www.jimmievaughan.com/ezine/band/george.html
4. http://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.asp?CTR=161436
5. http://www.grandblues.org/Default.aspx?tabid=97
6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEsSz9_POLI
7. http://www.wittemuseum.org/Events/Sunday%20Jazz%2006.htm
8. http://blues.about.com/library/weekly/aa011702c.htm?terms=orpheum+theatre+memphis+tennessee
9. http://theband.hiof.no/albums/uncollected_bb_king.html