William H. Payne (born March 12, 1949, in Waco, Texas) 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, 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:

Discography

Little Feat

Solo

Collaborations

With Bonnie Raitt With Shigeru Suzuki With Robert Palmer With J. J. Cale With Brian Cadd With Stephen Bishop With Jimmy Barnes With Harry Nilsson With Jackson Browne With Curtis Stigers With Steve Harley With Emmylou Harris With Janis Ian With James Reyne With Rod Stewart With Gail Davies With Steve Cropper With Jeffrey Osborne With Michael Martin Murphey With Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt With Gregg Allman Band With Jude Cole With Diana DeGarmo With Bob Seger With Colin James With Melanie With B.B. King With Bryan Adams With Stevie Nicks With Cher With Shannon McNally With Jimmy Buffett With Shawn Colvin With Carly Simon With Richard Marx With Neil Diamond With Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell With Art Garfunkel With Julia Fordham With Gene Parsons With Barbra Streisand With Maria Muldaur With Shelby Lynne With Jane Wiedlin With Dusty Springfield With Donovan With Jennifer Warnes With Melissa Manchester With Phoebe Snow With James Taylor With Dolly Parton With Leo Sayer With Valerie Carter With Yvonne Elliman With Linda Ronstadt With Rita Coolidge With Nicolette Larson With Taj Mahal With Doobie Brothers With Tom Johnston With Patrick Simmons