Bill Payne


Bill 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, 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, Shocking Edison, Robert Palmer, Richard Torrance and Stephen Bruton. 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. 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. However, in December 2015 Payne rejoined the Doobies as a touring member, officially taking the position previously held by Allison.

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:

Solo

With Robert Palmer
With Bonnie Raitt
With J. J. Cale
With Brian Cadd
With Stephen Bishop
With Harry Nilsson
With Jackson Browne
With Steve Harley
With Emmylou Harris
With Rod Stewart
With Steve Cropper
With Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt
With Gregg Allman Band
With Diana DeGarmo
With Bob Seger
With Melanie
With B.B. King
With Bryan Adams
With Stevie Nicks
With Cher
With Jimmy Buffett
With Shawn Colvin
With Carly Simon
With Richard Marx
With Neil Diamond
With Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell
  • Old Yellow Moon
With Art Garfunkel
  • Watermark
With Julia Fordham
  • Falling Forward
With Barbra Streisand
  • Wet
With Maria Muldaur
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
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'