In this interview on the Morning Sound Alternative, Joanne Cole speaks with legendary pianist and Little Feat co-founder Bill Payne about the band’s latest release, Strike Up the Band, their upcoming performance at Winter Park’s Blues From the Top festival, and Payne’s decades-spanning musical journey. Payne reflects on his influences—from Little Richard and Leon Russell to Ray Charles—and shares stories of forming Little Feat with Lowell George in 1969. He also introduces the current lineup of the band and previews his forthcoming memoir, Carnival Ghost. Payne emphasizes the vital role of community radio in connecting people through music, art, and shared experiences. (Interview: 6/2/25)
Joanne Cole: There you are, Bill.
Bill Payne: Hey. Hi, Joanne.
Joanne Cole: Hey, how are you?
Bill Payne: I’m doing great. I enjoyed listening to Little Feat.
Joanne Cole: Yeah? Oh, excellent! So you could hear it. That’s your newest release, Strike Up the Band, and that one was called “Bayou Mama.” My guest is Bill Payne. Welcome to KGNU, Bill. It’s an honor to have you with us.
Bill Payne: My pleasure. I wrote that song with Charlie Starr from Blackberry Smoke, which was an honor. We’re gonna be down in Mexico—Cancun—in December with those guys. A great band from Georgia, his group. Life is good.
Joanne Cole: Okay, the one time in the world my phone rings, and it’s while I’m in an interview! Are you doing a cruise or something?
Bill Payne: We’ll be on the beach in Cancun. It’s with Blackberry Smoke and Little Feat. It’s in December. Actually, it’s got a title… that I can’t remember. Something about the tides, I think. That’s cool.
Joanne Cole: Well, we want to talk about your show coming up right here in Winter Park. It’s called Blues From the Top. It’s a wonderful blues festival hosted by the Grand County Blues Society, and you guys are playing Saturday, June 27th. In addition to you, there’ll be The Record Company, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers, and Big Brother.
First of all, Bill, I just gotta get this out of the way—I didn’t sleep at all last night ’cause I boned up for our interview tonight, and I don’t think I’ve ever interviewed anyone who’s played as much music or has been such an amazing contributor to the American music scene as you. Thank you for that. And thank you for being so generous with your time and coming on with us to talk this up.
I listened to some of your old interviews. One of the things that really stuck out to me was when someone said you were heavily influenced by New Orleans piano, which is a style I love. It’s why I think I love Little Feat so much—that funky beat. I also love Robert Palmer, so we’re gonna go out with some Robert Palmer tonight.
You said you don’t have to be from Austria to play Bach, or whatever it was, and so I guess you don’t need to be from New Orleans to play great New Orleans piano. But I wanted to ask you—who were your piano influences?
Bill Payne: Well, I’d start on the rock and roll side with Little Richard—“Tutti Frutti,” “Slippin’ and Slidin’”—there was some great stuff. When I was a kid, I listened to a lot of that. Also Elvis Presley—don’t know who was playing piano for him at the time—but “Jailhouse Rock” was a really good one, too.
Ray Charles, of course. Later, with The Band and Big Pink, Richard Manuel was an influence. But one of the guys who really captured my heart was Leon Russell, from Oklahoma.
I kind of lucked out. I was born in an era of really great American music. I had a teacher in Ventura, Ruth Newman, who allowed me to not only read music—I was reading Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms, etc.—but she also allowed me to play what was in my heart and soul. That was kind of unheard of in the ‘50s.
Joanne Cole: How did you come to form the band Little Feat with Lowell George?
Bill Payne: Well, it’s a long story, and I’ll tell a little bit of it. I’ll let people know that I’m writing a book—it’s a memoir called Carnival Ghost, and it’s going to be out next year, I hope. I actually have to deliver it next March. I’ve got a great editor named John Baxter—and Gary Bays—two editors, in fact. Extraordinary people.
So, how did we form Little Feat? It was in 1969. I was in Isla Vista, which is near Santa Barbara—University of California, Santa Barbara. I had a phony calling card and there were two labels that Frank Zappa had. One was called Straight, and the other was Bizarre. I called Bizarre and was introduced to someone in Los Angeles, and I took a visit down there.
They said, “Well, probably won’t work—you playing keyboards—‘cause I play ’em.” I thought, “Well, God, this guy knew I played keyboards, but maybe he didn’t think I played that well.” He said, “Lowell George is forming a band.” I went back to Bizarre Records and they introduced me to Lowell.
Initially, I wanted to join Frank Zappa’s band, but they were over in Europe, so I had to wait for Frank to get back. During that time, I got to know Lowell really well. By the time Frank got back, I was already like, “I’m gonna do this with Lowell.” So that’s the way it all came down.
Joanne Cole: Well, and we’re so lucky. You have played with everyone. I could do the A to Z thing—Bonnie Raitt, The Doobie Brothers—it just goes on and on. So it’s really a treat to have you on.
I’m really looking forward to reading your book, because I seem to get a lot more out of it 50 years later by reading about the rock and roll scene.
Bill Payne: It was a… it was a…
Joanne Cole: Go ahead.
Bill Payne: Well, you were in it—I was simply a kid listening to it on pop radio. The first time I heard Little Feat wasn’t on pop radio—it was 1974 and I was in Gainesville, Florida, and I kept hearing that “Dixie Chicken” thing. I was like, “What is that?” That sound was so good.
I want to talk about the new incarnation of Little Feat. Who are your players? Who’s with you? And just so you know—we had the Sam’s Place record here at KGNU and we played it a lot. It was in our top playlist for quite some time. So thank you. Tell us about this new band.
Bill Payne: The new group is Scott Sharrard on guitar and vocals. He was the musical director for Gregg Allman. I was out on tour with the Doobie Brothers, and Gregg was a part of that package. That’s where I met Scott.
Tony Leone is our drummer—and he sings, which I had no clue about! He’s a really good singer and a good songwriter. Tony was working with Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams from the Woodstock area. Anyway, he’s been around a lot. He was a jazz drummer to begin with in New York, and then he started listening to the Allman Brothers, etc. The guy is fantastic.
The rest of the band includes Sam Clayton and Kenny Gradney, who’ve been with us since 1972—on that Dixie Chicken thing you were talking about. And Fred Tackett, who was one of the very first people I met in Los Angeles in 1969.
Joanne Cole: Wow. Well, we’re speaking with Bill Payne. Little Feat is performing on Saturday, June 28th, right in the center of Winter Park. I’m sure you’ve been to Colorado, Bill.
Bill Payne: I’ve been there a bunch. I was also part of Leftover Salmon’s band. In fact, I played with them and the Kitchen Dwellers at Red Rocks last weekend.
Joanne Cole: Yeah! So if you wanna go fishing while you’re up there in Winter Park, I’m gonna be up there. You look me up—I’ll take you to my secret spot. It’s really a beautiful place to hear music, and Grand County’s done an awesome job. The Grand County Blues Society has done an awesome job over the decades putting on this wonderful concert.
We’re thrilled to have you come back to Colorado with Little Feat. I just wanted to ask you—because I also heard in your interviews with others on public radio—that you understand the importance of community radio and independent media. So if you had any closing remarks, now that we’re on the chopping block, about the importance of independent media?
Bill Payne: Well, listen—it’s everything. What connects us? Forget all the tribes and everything. We are connected through community. That conduit is public radio. It’s public TV. It’s all the interaction that happens through the arts, through the schools, through everything.
Community is what binds us together. We can all have disparate views on things—that’s part of life. But when it comes to looking out for each other, that’s where community is so important. When calamity happens, when good things happen—the arts are not benign. They can be used in a lot of different ways.
I like to think of Little Feat and community radio—such as yours—as people that are purveying and contributing to the good things in life. Those good things include not only what we listen to—they inform us on what we might want to read, restaurants we might want to go to. So if we’re eating good food, being healthy—it also informs us on a greater level: Who do we hang out with? Who are we talking to?
And you can’t get any more important than that. I’m 76 years old—I might as well be 26. I’ve got the energy I had when I was younger, and I’m just riding that wave. The community has never been more important. So thank you for including me.
Joanne Cole: You bet. And thank you for those words of encouragement, Bill—’cause we need them. This is Bill Payne with Little Feat. I can’t wait to hear you play the piano, Bill. I’m really excited. I’ve heard it over the radio for many years, but now we’re gonna get to hear you in person—on Saturday, June 28th, up in Winter Park. That’s in Grand County. You know it, you love it—it’s gorgeous.
Bill, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day. I know you’re touring. We look forward to seeing you up there on June 28th. That’s Bill Payne with Little Feat.
I’m gonna play some of the Robert Palmer that I love so much—that y’all did on Pressure Drop. So thank you for that great work that has stood the test of time.
Bill Payne: Well, thank you, Joanne. Appreciate it.
