Another step for Little Feat

June 29, 2005

For lovers of “classic rock,” the coming weeks in Northern Michigan are loaded with hit-makers from the past. Old-time rockers continue to gain new life in what most critics are describing as a “soft” period in the music business. So as Uncle Bob Seger says, there is nothing better than that “Old Time Rock and Roll.” But what happens when two greats perform on the same night?
That is the case on Saturday, July 2 when Little Feat and Stevie Winwood perform 15 miles from each another. Winwood (see article) is at Interlochen’s Kresge Auditorium while Little Feat kicks off the 79th annual National Cherry Festival.
Regardless of the show you choose, the result is guaranteed, as both concerts will have some of the best musicianship to be witnessed this summer. Only the Gregg Rolie Band at the end of the Cherry Festival will rival the talents of these acts.

BOOKEND
Little Feat has been around for 36 years. This southern California band put the “jam” into the jam band scene and served as the bookend to The Grateful Dead in influencing Phish, Dave Matthews and others.
Despite their popularity and cult following, Little Feat is one of those bands that everyone has heard of, yet few can name any of their tunes or for that matter anyone in the band. Since the release of their self-titled album in 1971 (which might be their best, but only sold 250,000 copies) the group has mustered only three gold and one platinum albums (the 1989 live album “Waiting for Columbus” considered by critics to be one of rock’s best live albums).
Lowell George, one of the co-founders, gained some celebrity status, but is still a relatively unknown to the casual music fan. George passed away of a drug overdose in 1979. Yet despite their lack of name recognition, band members are considered to be some of the best musicians in the business.
Proof of this is in the number of albums Little Feat members have performed on. Bob Seger, Barbara Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, The Grateful Dead, Manheim Steamroller, Jimmy Buffet and Neil Diamond have all used Little Feat members on their albums, and in most cases, more than once and often with multiple members of the band.
The list is quite long with some 300 bands and musicians Little Feat members have recorded with over the years. The 1,000 plus albums they have appeared on have sold over 250 million copies.

LIVE SIDE
While their recording credentials are impressive, Little Feat built their cult following based on their live performances.
“This band has lived and died over the past 36 years on our live performances,” said Billy Payne, keyboardist and co-founding member. “Our best selling record is a recorded version of our concerts, so that should tell you something.”
As for tunes, the group does have a few hit “signature” songs like “Dixie Chicken,” “Let It Roll,” and “Old Atlanta.” The latter was the result of a bet between Payne and George.
“We were arguing one afternoon about the fact that neither one of us could write a hit song. Our idea of a hit song back then was something with a chorus 45 seconds into the song. I said, ‘I could do it,’ and he said, ‘No, you can’t, can’t, can’t.’ So I wrote it,” said Payne. “It hasn’t been a hit, so in that sense he was right, but it has withstood the test of time.”
During the Atlanta Summer Olympics the song received a lot of play and it often plays during the seventh inning stretch at Atlanta Braves games.
“I would venture to guess everyone has heard the song,” said Payne. “Whether they know who plays it or not is another question.”
The same can be said for a lot of their songs that have been popularized by other artists. Van Halen, Garth Brooks, Linda Ronstandt, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Palmer and Joe Walsh are just a few of the many artists that have hits recording Little Feat tunes.

JAM APPROACH
Musically the band plays a swampy mid-’70s fusion of blues, country, and New Orleans R, and blends it with eclectic jazz elements.
Lowell George set the tone for the group’s eclectic approach. He started his career as a flute player with Frank Sinatra and eventually became the guitarist with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. It was with Zappa that he met bass player Roy Estrada. Zappa was impressed with George’s songwriting talents and encouraged him to start his own band.
In 1969 George and Estrada joined up with Billy Payne and drummer Richie Hayward to form Little Feat. George knew Hayward (who today is one of the most sought after studio drummers in the industry) from their days together in the mid-’60s in the popular LA-based psychedelic folk band The Factory. Little Feat quickly caught the attention of the LA scene and developed a trendy following in southern California.
What set Little Feat apart from others was their musicianship and “jam” approach to every song.
“Yeah, in those days we use to go out and play only five of six songs,” said Payne. “But each song was 20 minutes or longer. It has gotten harder for us to jam out as much because the expectation now is for 15 or so songs in our set.”
Little Feat lost momentum in 1979 when George passed away of a drug overdose. The group couldn’t come to terms with direction and eventually split up with band members spending most of the ‘80s doing session work.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
By the end of the ‘80s they resolved their creative differences and released “Let It Roll” in 1998. The album sold more than 500,000 copies, but more importantly, the fans were happy to see Little Feat back on the road. Original members all came back minus George and Estrada (“I didn’t want to deal with the smog of LA or the constant touring,” said Estrada).
Today Little Feat also features guitarist Paul Barre, percussionist Sam Clayton and bassist Ken Gadney who all joined the band in 1972 and appeared in the 1973 album “Dixie Chicken.” Another veteran returning is guitarist and mandolin player Fred Tackett who was a sideman with band since 1973 before becoming a full fledge member in 1988.
Rounding out the band is Michigan native Shaun Murphy. If her name sounds familiar it might be her backing vocals on several Bob Seger albums dating back 30 years. Before that Murphy starred in a Detroit production of “Hair.” Another star of the show was a guy named Meatloaf. Motown producers were at the show one night and decided the two would make a great duo so Murphy became “Stoney” and along with Meatloaf released one album for Motown.
The Cherry Festival has certainly picked their best ever opening night act for their Pepsi/Kentucky Fried Chicken Bayside Entertainment Stage. Admission is a $3 commemorative pin and allows for admittance all week, making the National Cherry Festival the best musical entertainment value in the north. But at any price Little Feat is worth the admission.

For for info visit www.cherryfestival.org or call the Cherry Festival hotline
at (231) 947-4230.