Jimmy Payne

Born on 12 April 1936 in Leachville, Arkansas, Jimmy Payne relocated with his family to Gideon, Missouri, in 1944. There he developed a taste for country music and performed vocals during church services, later hosting a weekly Saturday gospel show on local radio while spending weekdays in the cotton fields. After moving to St. Louis in 1957 to pursue a career as a professional country vocalist, he met Chuck Glaser during his US Army service and subsequently played guitar in the Glaser Brothers band. Once Payne formed his own group, the Payne Gang, Chuck Glaser assumed management duties. Early singles included “Ladder To The Sky,” “What Does It Take (To Keep A Woman Like You Satisfied)” and “My Most Requested Song,” and he made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 1966. Among later releases was his self-penned “Woman, Woman,” which achieved national success in 1967 through a recording by Gary Puckett And The Union Gap. Solo efforts such as “L.A. Angels,” “Ramblin’ Man” and “Turning My Love On” yielded only modest returns, yet he supplied the US number 1 country hit “My Eyes Can Only See As Far As You” for Charley Pride. Collaborating with Jim Glaser, Payne co-wrote the title song for the gospel album Walk With Me The Rest Of The Way. In 1986 he joined Tompall Glaser for the duet “Ugly Women And Pick-Up Trucks.”