Nicky V. Hines travels the world as a cruise-ship music director

Nicky V. Hines, a Cape Girardeau native, has a dream career in music that has taken him around the world.

After he graduated from high school, he headed to Hollywood.

Hines won a full-ride scholarship to the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles.

"Most people went there to party," he said.

Not Hines. His days started at 6 a.m. so he could get in four hours of practice on his guitar before classes started.

Nicky V. Hines performs a 15-minute guitar solo called "Epic Rock Pre-Show" as part of his on-board entertainment. (Photo submitted by Michelle Pepper)

After earning an associate degree, he was recruited as a show-band musician by Carnival Cruise Lines.

It didn't take the management long to sit up and take notice of Hines' drive and determination.

At 22, he is a music director with the company, the youngest in the history of the cruise line.

He is manager for all the musicians on board, preparing all their schedules and conducting a six-piece show band.

Most of the musicians are older than he is, but he said that growing up, he didn't hang around many people his own age, so that, coupled with his musical mastery, makes things a bit easier.

"I know my instrument enough to earn the respect of the older guys," he said. "When your subordinates are twice your age, it can be awkward, but I talk to them man-to-man and earn their respect."

Hines does a three-hour show six nights a week -- during which he performs a 15-minute guitar show -- in front of an audience that averages 700 people.

Carnival Cruise Lines has a fleet of 24 ships, and musicians rotate among them, he said.

"Musicians are interchangeable, but bands stay together," he said.

Hines said he just finished a trip of some 10,000 oceangoing miles, and not all of them were smooth sailing.

In April, the ship he was on was battered by a tropical storm that ripped lifeboats from the side of the ship, smashed dishes and knocked out portholes.

"There were 40- to 50-foot swells," Hines said.

He immediately was pressed into emergency service and began helping the ship's safety officer make sure the ship was secure.

"I didn't have time to be frightened," he said.

After the ship was able to dock and received supplies and repairs, they were back at sea again.

So far, Hines has traveled to more than 20 countries in the course of his work.

"It's a great job," he said.

His favorite ports have been Tahiti and Hawaii.

He said he leaves the ship with his guitar in hand.

Carrying the instrument when he leaves the ship has allowed him to jam with local musicians along the way, the highlight of his travels.

"I'm meeting musicians from all over the world," he said.

While in Bora Bora, Tahiti, he played guitar with some islanders who gave him a handmade instrument called a Pacific banjo.

"It is carved from one piece of wood, and strung with fishing line," he said. "These instruments are highly sought after" -- So much so that while carrying it with him on the Hawaiian islands, he was approached several times by people wanting to buy it from him.

The local musicians taught him to play the instrument, and in return, he played music from his native region.

"I was playing blues and country," he said. "Actually, the music they play down there sounds a lot like Appalachian folk music."

Hines said he spends about six months at sea and is home for two months, time he uses for recording and, of course, practicing.

On July 11, he released his first album, "Chain of Lights," which is available on his website, nickyvmusic.com.

In early November, he will join musicians from the ship Ecstacy, where they will practice for three weeks before setting sail again. Until then, he will be home, but not for R & R.

Time at home is busier for him than when he is at work.

"I work harder on land than I do at sea," he said. "It's 24/7, seven days a week. There's no down time."

While he is in Cape Girardeau, he likes to play with local musicians such as Bruce Zimmerman, Doug Rees and Chas Watkins.

"Those guys are my heroes," Hines said. "They are the local musicians who gave me a chance."