Tim Gaines (born Timothy Hagelganz; December 15, 1962) is an American bass guitarist best-known as the long-time bassist for the Christian metal band Stryper until his departure in 2017. Biography Early life Gaines was born in Portland, Oregon, into a German family, whose ancestry was that of the Volga Germans. When Gaines was four years old, he and his family moved to Arcadia, California, where he later attended Arcadia High School. When he was young, he was bullied by classmates at school because of his unique and often mispronounced last name, Hagelganz, and for being the son of Arcadia Presbyterian Church's pastor. He later adopted the stage name Gaines in the likeness of his uncles Reuben, a radio announcer, and Ronnie, a jazz nightclub performer, who also used the name professionally. Musical career With Stormer After Arcadia High School, Gaines joined the band Stormer, with whom he recorded a demo and had performed extensively in Los Angeles and on Hollywood's Sunset Strip. At the time Gaines joined Stormer, they had already been a popular band for 10 years in the Los Angeles area. The lineup at the time consisted of Tom Hardy on vocals; Steve Hall on drums; Stephan Shawn on guitar, keys, and vocals; and Donny Simmons on lead guitar and vocals. In an interview about Stormer, Gaines recalled, "We signed a deal with an indie label called Rockwoodz music out of Phoenix, Arizona, and they put us in the studio to record an album and a Christmas single. Well, the single was the only thing that ever made it to vinyl and 500 singles were sent out all over the U.S. to radio. We got some good reviews for the single in some trade magazines but nothing ever happened with the band. For whatever reason, Rockwoodz went belly up and the album was never released. We did some small tours around the southwest but eventually I was to leave the group." In 2008, when asked if the demos will be remastered and made public, Gaines replied, "I doubt if anyone can find the Masters. We are talking of having a Stormer reunion in the near future. We may decide to record it." Gaines occasionally collaborated with Donny Simmons and Tom Hardy when he was not working with Stryper. With Stryper Being a Sunset Strip regular, in 1983, Gaines joined up with Michael Sweet, Robert Sweet, and Oz Fox,