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 World tour and
throughout 2007 performed as a touring member of his Coral
Reefer Band. As a musician,
he has performed on over 350 albums.As a composer, he has just entered heretofore undiscovered country
and should be an artist to listen out for in the years to come.
