Biography
Bill Payne, a keyboardist and composer rooted in blues and roots rock & roll, issued his debut solo recording, Bill Payne, in 2005 through Hot Tomato Records. Although observers viewed the project as long delayed, the versatile musician determined the moment had arrived for such a step. A career launched in the late 1960s has placed him in the role of accompanist and recording participant alongside Little Feat, Jimmy Buffett, Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin, the Doobie Brothers, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Robert Palmer, Bob Seger, James Taylor, Carly Simon, and Rod Stewart, plus additional performers who fill large arenas.
Payne grew up in Virginia and Omaha, Nebraska, developing an early fascination with music before reaching his teens. At age 14 his family relocated to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he entered a private military school. His father presented him with a baritone ukulele, leading Payne to practice the instrument under the influence of guitar-driven radio tracks. He exchanged a previous clarinet for an electric guitar and joined friends in a teenage band. That ensemble, the Fabulous Furies, opened for the Beach Boys in the mid-'60s before its members dispersed to separate colleges. Payne enrolled at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and performed with area groups until the close of the 1960s. He then paused live music to accept regular employment supporting his young family. Songwriting had begun in high school and continued across the next four decades. Those original pieces reflect foundational influences from classic R&B figures such as Bo Diddley, early Stevie Wonder, and Sam Cooke. The 1960s brought further touchstones including Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, and Harry Chapin. By the late '60s and early '70s his focus turned to Joan Baez, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Joni Mitchell, and other women songwriters whose material encouraged Payne to refine his own compositions.
Rock & roll listeners know Payne chiefly as the longtime keyboardist of the roots rock and rockin' blues group Little Feat. Although steady studio work kept him occupied for years, 2005 finally brought a release issued under his own name. He helped establish the band in 1969 with Roy Estrada, Richie Hayward, and the late Lowell George. Payne contributed to the writing or vocal delivery of most of the ensemble’s signature tracks, among them "Oh Atlanta," "Day or Night," "Time Loves a Hero," and "Gringo." His session credits as a keyboardist extend across literally hundreds of recordings. Partnering with engineer Gil Morales inside a Montana studio, Payne captured the self-titled debut and began touring with other Little Feat members. In 2008 the group released Join the Band. Payne originated the concept of an album uniting numerous associates from rock and pop circles, resulting in appearances by Jimmy Buffett, Dave Matthews, Emmylou Harris, Bob Seger, Béla Fleck, Brooks & Dunn, Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes, Vince Gill, and Inara George, daughter of the late Lowell George. After leaving Los Angeles for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Payne continues to present solo performances outside his schedule with Little Feat.
Payne grew up in Virginia and Omaha, Nebraska, developing an early fascination with music before reaching his teens. At age 14 his family relocated to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he entered a private military school. His father presented him with a baritone ukulele, leading Payne to practice the instrument under the influence of guitar-driven radio tracks. He exchanged a previous clarinet for an electric guitar and joined friends in a teenage band. That ensemble, the Fabulous Furies, opened for the Beach Boys in the mid-'60s before its members dispersed to separate colleges. Payne enrolled at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and performed with area groups until the close of the 1960s. He then paused live music to accept regular employment supporting his young family. Songwriting had begun in high school and continued across the next four decades. Those original pieces reflect foundational influences from classic R&B figures such as Bo Diddley, early Stevie Wonder, and Sam Cooke. The 1960s brought further touchstones including Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, and Harry Chapin. By the late '60s and early '70s his focus turned to Joan Baez, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Joni Mitchell, and other women songwriters whose material encouraged Payne to refine his own compositions.
Rock & roll listeners know Payne chiefly as the longtime keyboardist of the roots rock and rockin' blues group Little Feat. Although steady studio work kept him occupied for years, 2005 finally brought a release issued under his own name. He helped establish the band in 1969 with Roy Estrada, Richie Hayward, and the late Lowell George. Payne contributed to the writing or vocal delivery of most of the ensemble’s signature tracks, among them "Oh Atlanta," "Day or Night," "Time Loves a Hero," and "Gringo." His session credits as a keyboardist extend across literally hundreds of recordings. Partnering with engineer Gil Morales inside a Montana studio, Payne captured the self-titled debut and began touring with other Little Feat members. In 2008 the group released Join the Band. Payne originated the concept of an album uniting numerous associates from rock and pop circles, resulting in appearances by Jimmy Buffett, Dave Matthews, Emmylou Harris, Bob Seger, Béla Fleck, Brooks & Dunn, Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes, Vince Gill, and Inara George, daughter of the late Lowell George. After leaving Los Angeles for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Payne continues to present solo performances outside his schedule with Little Feat.
Albums
