Payne, Bill (12 March 1949-Present)

Composer, keyboardist, and co-founder of the roots-rock band Little Feat.

In the late ’80s, he was instrumental in getting the band back together, after a nearly decade-long hiatus, and it has survived, with various line-ups, ever since.

A versatile musician, equally adept on piano as he is on a Hammond B3 organ, Payne has recorded with a diverse array of artists that includes Bryan Adams, Greg Allman, The Blues Brothers, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffett, Harry Chapin, Neil Diamond, The Doobie Brothers, Firefall, Emmylou Harris, Meat Loaf, Dolly Parton, Pink Floyd, Stevie Nicks, Robert Palmer, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Bob Seger, Carly Simon, Barbra Streisand, James Taylor, Toto, and Jennifer Warnes.

He released a pair of solo albums, Naughty and Nice and Cielo Norte, in 2004 and 2005, respectively. The latter is an instrumental affair that features the talents of Bill Evans and Yo-Yo Ma, although Payne plays most of the other instruments, weaving a tapestry of acoustic and electronic sounds that showcase his talent as a composer. In that capacity, he has also contributed music to the films Certain Fury, Dirty Money, Love Field, and Smooth Talk.

He has made numerous appearances on Saturday Night Live, and can be seen and heard in action in the concert videos Little Feat & Friends in Jamaica: Burgers & Paradise and Little Feat: Highwire Act Live in St. Louis. In 2006, he joined forces with Jay Herbst and Shocking Edison for their debut album Scientific Curiosity. Having appeared with Jimmy Buffett on his albums from 2004, he appeared as a guest musician in 2006 on his Party at the End of the Worldtour and throughout 2007 performed as a touring member of his Coral Reefer Band. As a musician, he has performed on over 350 albums.

Sources:

Payne, Bill (12 March 1949-Present)

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