Bill Payne


William H. Payne is an American pianist who, with Lowell George, co-founded the American rock band Little Feat. He is considered by many other rock pianists, including Elton John, to be one of the finest American piano rock and blues musicians. In addition to his trademark barrelhouse blues piano, he is noted for his work on the Hammond B3 organ. Payne is an accomplished songwriter whose credits include "Oh, Atlanta". Following the death of Little Feat drummer Richie Hayward on August 12, 2010, Payne is the only member of the group from the original four-piece line-up currently playing in the band.
Payne has worked and recorded with J. J. Cale, Jimmy Buffett, Doobie Brothers, Emmylou Harris, Bryan Adams, Pink Floyd, Bob Seger, Toto, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Carly Simon, James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, Helen Watson, Stevie Nicks, Robert Palmer, Richard Torrance, Tommy Emmanuel, Stephen Bruton, and Shocking Edison. He was a guest performer on Bonnie Raitt's album Sweet Forgiveness in 1977, and wrote its track, "Takin' My Time."
Paul Barrere and Bill Payne played several live concerts with Phil Lesh and Friends, from October 1999 through July 2000. Payne was a member of Boulder band Leftover Salmon from 2014 until December 2015.
In August 2015, Payne was selected to play keyboards for The Doobie Brothers after their keyboardist Guy Allison was called to work on an album project in Japan. However, in December 2015 Payne rejoined the Doobies as a touring member, officially taking the position previously held by Allison. In the few weeks of touring with the Doobies, he was featured with the band and Michael McDonald on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Payne's temporary term ended in early September after the Doobies' concert at the BB&T Pavilion in Camden, New Jersey.

Other work

Payne was a pioneer in the development of online music communities. In the early 1990s, he contacted his fan base and enlisted the help of friend Jay Herbst to develop the Little Feat Grass-roots Movement. This model went on to be a template for many bands in the creation of their Street Teams, which enlist the help of fans for purposes of music and concert promotion. This method has proven to be an effective vehicle for bringing bands and fans closer together, and forging friendships between them.
Payne now also works as a commercial photographer.

Songwriting (selected)

Payne wrote or co-wrote many of the songs in Little Feat's catalogue, including the following:
  • "Snakes on Everything"
  • "Strawberry Flats"
  • "Truck-Stop Girl"
  • "Brides of Jesus"
  • "Tripe Face Boogie"
  • "Got No Shadow"
  • "Oh, Atlanta"
  • "Somebody's Leavin'"
  • "Time Loves a Hero"
  • "Gringo"
  • "Takin' My Time"
  • "Red Streamliner"
  • "All That You Dream"

    Discography

Little Feat

Solo

  • ''Cielo Norte''

    Collaborations

With Bonnie Raitt
  • Takin' My Time
  • Home Plate
  • Sweet Forgiveness
  • The Glow
  • Nine Lives
With Shigeru Suzuki
  • Band Wagon
With Robert Palmer
  • Pressure Drop
  • Some People Can Do What They Like
  • Double Fun
With J. J. Cale
  • Shades
  • Closer to You
With Brian Cadd
  • White on White
With Stephen Bishop
  • Bish
With Jimmy Barnes
With Harry Nilsson
  • Flash Harry
With Jackson Browne
  • For Everyman
  • The Pretender
  • Hold Out
  • Lawyers in Love
  • Lives in the Balance
With Curtis Stigers
  • Curtis Stigers
With Steve Harley
  • Hobo with a Grin
With Emmylou Harris
  • Elite Hotel
  • Pieces of the Sky
  • Blue Kentucky Girl
  • Evangeline
  • White Shoes
  • All I Intended to Be
With Janis Ian
  • Restless Eyes
With James Reyne
  • James Reyne
  • The Whiff of Bedlam
With Rod Stewart
  • Out of Order
With Gail Davies
With Steve Cropper
  • Playin' My Thang
With Jeffrey Osborne
  • Emotional
With Michael Martin Murphey
  • Lone Wolf
With Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt
  • Trio
With Gregg Allman Band
  • Playin' Up a Storm
With Jude Cole
  • Start the Car
With Diana DeGarmo
  • Blue Skies
With Bob Seger
  • Against the Wind
  • The Distance
  • Like a Rock
  • The Fire Inside
  • It's a Mystery
  • Face the Promise
  • I Knew You When
With Colin James
  • Colin James
With Melanie
  • Seventh Wave
With B.B. King
  • Deuces Wild
With Bryan Adams
  • Waking Up the Neighbours
With Stevie Nicks
  • Bella Donna
  • Rock a Little
With Cher
  • Cher
With Shannon McNally
  • Jukebox Sparrows
With Jimmy Buffett
With Shawn Colvin
  • Fat City
With Carly Simon
With Richard Marx
  • Repeat Offender
  • Paid Vacation
With Neil Diamond
With Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell
  • Old Yellow Moon
With Art Garfunkel
  • Watermark
With Julia Fordham
  • Falling Forward
With Gene Parsons
  • Kindling
With Barbra Streisand
  • Wet
With Maria Muldaur
  • Sweet Harmony
  • Meet Me at Midnite
With Shelby Lynne
  • Love, Shelby
  • Identity Crisis
With Jane Wiedlin
  • Jane Wiedlin
With Dusty Springfield
  • It Begins Again
With Donovan
  • Lady of the Stars
With Jennifer Warnes
  • Famous Blue Raincoat
With Melissa Manchester
  • Don't Cry Out Loud
With Phoebe Snow
  • Rock Away
With James Taylor
With Dolly Parton
With Leo Sayer
  • Endless Flight
  • Here
With Valerie Carter
With Yvonne Elliman
  • Night Flight
With Linda Ronstadt
  • Mad Love
  • Get Closer
With Rita Coolidge
  • Heartbreak Radio
  • Inside the Fire
With Nicolette Larson
With Taj Mahal
  • Dancing the Blues
With Doobie Brothers
  • Toulouse Street
  • The Captain and Me
  • Stampede
  • Minute by Minute
  • Cycles
  • World Gone Crazy
  • Live at the Beacon Theatre
  • Liberté
With Tom Johnston
  • Everything You've Heard Is True
With Patrick Simmons
  • ''Arcade''