what others are saying...

HERE IS WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT:

THE JACKIE PAYNE STEVE EDMONSON BAND

Click, here then scroll down to The Jackie Payne Steve Edmonson Band for a complete Press/Promo Kit

ABOUT THE "OVERNIGHT SENSATON" CD

On their sophomore effort for Delta Groove, Jackie Payne and Steve Edmonson demonstrate once again their mastery of the fine art of timeless rhythm & blues delivered with style and flair that recall the classic sounds of Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and Bobby "Blue" Bland. "Overnight Sensation" is a terrific example of this dynamic and wickedly tight band…

Blues Festival e-Guide

On an earlier self released recording, Payne described himself as the last of the “red hot soul singers” – I don't know about the last but I'd certainly have no argument with “red hot”. And – in Steve Edmonson – he has a partner whose fretwork displays all of the dexterity, command of tone and phrasing that is associated with all of the giants of blues guitar, with names like T-Bone Walker, Pete Lewis, Cal Green Johnny Heartsman and Matt Murphy springing to mind.

Mick Rainsford, Blues in Britain Magazine

Good music doesn't get better than that. Jackie Payne & Steve Edmonson give us the best of both worlds, blues and soul, that is. Jackie's voice is soulful and sensual, bringing to mind the era of classic soul singers who could make every song their own. Steve's guitar on the other hand is pure blues, it has a beautiful tone and stings like a bee, without being overplayed.

Przemek Draheim, Blues Poland

The Jackie Payne-Steve Edmonson Band is a quality act and this is a fine recording.

Richard Ludmerer, BluesWax

The teamwork on display in the San Francisco-based Jackie Payne Steve Edmonson Band is tight-knit and spectacular. On Overnight Sensation , the six band members and their guests swirl together a scintillating and zesty mélange, leaning decidedly towards the soul end of the soul/blues realm they so naturally inhabit. Overnight Sensation is a colorful affidavit affirming the fact that Jackie Payne and Steve Edmonson lead one of the best old-school, new imagination soul/blues acts, period. The teamwork on display in the San Francisco-based Jackie Payne Steve Edmonson Band is tight-knit and spectacular. On Overnight Sensation , the six band members and their guests swirl together a scintillating and zesty mélange, leaning decidedly towards the soul end of the soul/blues realm they so naturally inhabit.

Hittin' The Note

…none of them sing as soulfully and consistently strongly as Payne does here, and with the superior playing by guitarist Edmonson and the band, this certainly will be on my list of best blues recordings of 2008.

Ron Weinstock, Jazz & Blues

This music is truly born out of time. Most of the original stuff here sounds like a throwback to when R&B/Funk/Soul/Blues were mixed effortlessly in the towns of Memphis and Muscle Shoals. Expect another BMA nod to come their way in February and possibly two for the excellent work on this record.

Ben The Harpman , Juke Joint Soul

…this is an eclectic and well-realized set of full-blooded horn-band blues and R&B, delivered by masters of their craft.

Davis Whiteis, Living Blues Magazine

Jackie Payne is one of the best "old-school soul" shouters on the scene today, and Steve Edmonson can wail blues guitar with the best of 'em. Put them together, and you have a dynamite combination, and "Overnight Sensation" is a fun listen, for sure!!!

Sheryl and Don Crow, Music City Blues

With a combined 60 years of experience playing soul and blues all around the world, Jackie Payne and Steve Edmonson are uniquely qualified to produce music that sounds both utterly fresh and undeniably nostalgic. In an era when music in general seems to have lost its soul, these two veterans have released an album infused with true passion and a timeless groove.

Michael Macomber, Retro Music

Quintessential Soul Blues. If you listen to the name dropping title track, you get the sense that Mr. Payne has sung with just about everyone in the Texas Blues scene. If his voice was as commanding back in the day as it is today, you can certainly understand why they wanted him onstage with them. On this CD, in addition to Mr. Edmonson's tasteful guitar licks, there is a driving rhythm section and some fantastic horns.

Nick Delay, WVKR-fm

ABOUT THE "MASTER OF THE GAME" CD

Delta Groove has struck gold with this dynamic duo: veteran R&B singer Jackie Payne and versatile West Coast guitarist Steve Edmonson share a vision for a blend of deep soul, gospel, and many blues styles that gel solidly on Master Of The Game. Payne's edgy and emotive voice calls to mind the heydays of O.V. Wright and Bobby "Blue" Bland. Payne, former frontman for the Johnny Otis Show and nephew of Georgia harp blower Neal Pattman, wrote the lyrics for nine of the thirteen songs on the album, while Edmonson's chameleonic guitar work struck the necessary balance that makes Master Of The Game such a fulfilling listen. The album is a mix of up-tempo foot stompers like Mean Evil Woman and the title track; harder-edged blues rockers, Woman In Kansas City; mid-tempo shuffles, The Real Deal and Black Cat Roun' My Do'; and sweet ballads, Brook Benton's I'll Take Care Of You. Also of note is a worthy cover of O.V. Wright's A Nickel And A Nail. Payne somehow manages to channel O.V. Wright's sound, while keeping his performance his own. Another highlight is an Edmonson original instrumental entitled Cabranito, where he pays tribute to the West Coast guitar heroes of the 1950s.

The Jackie Payne / Steve Edmonson Band is one to watch. Highly recommended.

Mark Coltrain - Living Blues, 10/06

The powerful gumbo of late ‘60s and early ‘70s soul music was a spicy mixture of sharply punctuated R & B rhythms, emotion-laden gospel vocalizing, and feisty lyrical themes emphasizing physical admiration, sexuality, and calls for mutual respect. Jackie Payne delivers authentic soul vocals with the intensity of Wilson Pickett, the power of Sam and Dave, the sensitivity of James Carr, the deep feeling of Otis Redding, and the mischievous cunning of Joe Tex. Payne's musical roots are deep. They extend from T-Bone Walker, Gatemouth Brown, and Lowell Fulson, through the Stax-Volt-Malaco-Atlantic soul decades, to a long-term involvement with magnificent Westcoast bandleader/arranger/R & B guru Johnny Otis. Delta Groove executives have created a heavenly match. The broadly experienced Payne is united with stellar axeman Steve Edmonson and his tight and terrific rhythm masters. The superb horn arrangements and the solid drumming of Nick Otis echo the studio magic of Memphis and Muscle Shoals.

Of the 13 songs presented, the 10 original numbers sparkle far more than the covers of Bobby Blue Bland and Johnny Taylor. Payne salutes a voodoo queen from Cajun land in “Mean Evil Woman”; he lauds two very sexy ladies in “The Real Deal” and “Sweet Landlady”; and he anticipates a special relationship with a lovely lady in Oakland in “Wake Me Up In San Francisco.” The title track is a blues ‘n' soul lament to a self-proclaimed fool. The drummer gets his licks in on “Woman In Kansas City,” but Payne still dominates with vocal authority drawn from years of microphone manipulation.

This superb disc is not merely retro soul. It plots a vibrant new path for a wonderful old musical form. Jackie Payne and Steve Edmonson are masterful soul song composers; saxman Carl Green understands the value of hard-hitting horn arrangements; and bassist Bill Singletary knows how to bottom out soulful efforts. This is a fine release.

B. Lee Cooper - Newman University 10/06

***** = Classic, Essential Purchase!

***** Soul + Blues = "Soul Blues". Simple enough but it's not that simple. Ray Charles once said any music is "Soul" if you sing it with feeling. But too often journalists label any music with a black singer as "Soul". That's ludicrous for not everybody has "Soul". But I'll digress because Jackie Payne does have it...and in abundance. A Gospel-hewn, gritty voice that masters both Soul and Blues games. This new Delta Groove Productions release, "Master Of The Game", is the epitome of deep-in-yo-gut Southern Soul, Staxy Funk and raucous Blues. Oh, and pardon me for neglecting to mention the co-star, master chord cutter Steve Edmonson. This guitarist and his band (Bill Singletary, Nick Otis, Carl Green and John Middleton) are a perfect match for Payne. Edmonson first worked with Jackie as producer on "Soulful Blues", a collaboration with Bay area guitarist Kenny "Blue" Ray. This lead to the first Payne-Edmonson outing, the mighty fine "Partners In The Blues". This new one is even better with ten dynamite originals and three choice covers. Picking a single must be migraine-inducing for these folks since so many cuts stand out. My picks would be "Sweet Landlady" and "A Fool Named Me". A concise, cheeky Downhome Blues, "Landlady" has Payne singing. "I got a sweet landlady I love to pay my rent on time/See she takes the rent on trade/I don't have to spend one dime!". A tart solo by Edmonson, sharp horn blasts by Green and Middleton (dubbed the "Sweet Meet Horns") and icy slick B-3 courtesy of John Thomas punctuate this gem. Meanwhile "Fool" is a pure Southern Soul propelled by Wurlitzer, a horn backdrop and an aching vocal by Payne. Inspired. Payne proves he's got that special (and elusive) something singers like Otis Redding and Bobby "Blue" Bland possess. Equally magnificent is "Warm Rain Fallin'", which captures the same mood as "Cruisin'". Great sax lead by Green. Blues pounders like "Mean Evil Woman", "The Real Deal", "Woman In Kansas City" could cause dance riots in local juke joints as will Funk/Blues numbers like "Black Cat Roun' My Do" and the title track. Of the covers we have a quickened "A Nickel & A Nail", an appropriately moody "I'll Take Care Of You" and a sprite "Just The One (I've Been Looking For)" that is already gaining airplay in the South. This is turning out to be the best year for Soul Blues in recent memory now thanks in large measure to Jackie Payne & Steve Edmonson's "Master Of The Game". Buy it now I tells ya!

Dylann DeAnna - Bluescritic.com 10/06

Veteran vocalist Jackie Payne and guitarist Steve Edmonson are back with this new offering from Delta Groove (they had a CD on Burnside reviewed by Norman Darwen back in B&R 182). It's a bit of a departure from the norm for Delta Groove; having put out a well received series of mostly straight ahead blues albums, with this disc they have veered off, and as the liner note says: ‘. . . takes a sharp turn onto Funk Avenue and ends up deep in the heart of Soulsville'.

Jackie Payne has worked with T-Bone Walker, Freddie King and Pee Wee Crayton, and was featured frontman with the Johnny Otis Revue for fifteen years. His forte is the deep soul sounds of Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. Jackie Payne and Steve Edmonson have a track record that goes back ten years; other musicians on board are bassist Bill Singletary, drummer Nick Otis (son of Johnny Otis), and the Sweet Meet Horns (Carl Green on saxes and John Middleton on trumpet). Fred Kaplan and John Thomas guest on piano. With ten originals and three covers on board, ‘Master of The Game' is an old school outing, with feet firmly planted in the blues and Southern soul camps.

Home run hitters? well for me the thundering opening cut ‘Mean Evil Woman' is a real attention grabber, ‘The Real Deal' is a straight ahead blues with femme backing singers and a booting tenor sax chorus, while ‘A Fool Named Me' inhabits Southern soul territory. The bluesy ‘Woman In Kansas City' has an Elmore style intro, Edmonson really struts his stuff on this outing.

‘Wake Me Up In San Francisco' is a slowie in an Albert King bag; Steve Cropper and Eddie Floyd penned the Memphis style groover ‘Just The One', with Cynthia Manley and Jessica Williams on backing vocals it's a real gospel tinged mover. Driven along by a relentless rhythm guitar line and riffing tenor sax, Edmonson's original, the T-Bone Walker inspired instrumental ‘Cabranito' is definitely not a filler! The closer ‘I'll Take Care Of You' is a slowie, with Jackie Payne delivering a passionate reading of this Brook Benton original.

Payne has not received the acclaim that he surely deserves and Edmonson is a versatile guitarist, whether laying down a rhythm line or stepping out. This new Delta Groove release surely must be the stepping-stone to bigger things for Payne and Edmonson, check these guys out, they're hot!!

Phil Wight - Blues & Rhythm Magazine, UK 9/06

Delta Groove presents a wonderful Soul/R&B/Blues record in the sound of the 60's, but featuring mostly new compositions. Jackie Payne is a soul/blues singer of the old school who knows his Bobby Bland and Johnnie Taylor, but has found his own voice. Guitarist Steve Edmonson plays intensive solos and has also mastered the intricacies of Soul/R&B rhythm guitar. The music is not only an excellent mixture of bluesy soul and soulful blues with a whiff of funk, the tunes were also mostly written by the band, and it's well-crafted material. Another plus are the horns, which are fully integrated and not an overdubbed add-on. This is music that will appeal to a broad range of listeners and deserves a broad listenership. Another winner from Delta Groove!

Klaus Kilian, Blues News - Germany 10/06

Delta Groove is known for putting out some first class straight ahead blues records but for their latest release take "a sharp turn onto Funk Avenue and ends up deep in the heart of Soulsville" as the liners descriptively relate. Indeed "Master of the Game" is funky, soulful outing shining the light on great unsung soul singer Jackie Payne and his guitar playing partner Steve Edmonson.

Veteran singer Jackie Payne cut his first single ("Go Go Train b/w I'll Be Home, Jetstream") way back in 1965. Payne has worked with T-Bone Walker, Freddie King and Pee Wee Crayton, and was featured frontman with the Johnny Otis Revue for fifteen years. In the last decade Payne has cut his debut album "Day in the Life of a Bluesman" for JSP, cut a pair with Kenny "Blue" Ray including the terrific "Soulful Blues" and most recently waxed 2003's "Partners In The Blues" with Steve Edmonson. Edmonson spent four years touring with the Blues/Soul show band, the Dynatones and has worked with folks like James Cotton, Sir Mack Rice, Syl Johnson and Van Morrison among others. Backed by a sympathetic band the duo deliver the goods on a classic soul session with a strong blues streak.

Payne is every bit the classic soul singer, able to sing silky soul ballad or move to a gravelly growl with ease. Payne comes across somewhere between Otis Redding and Al Green but definitely has his own style. Partner Edmonson plays with utter taste, playing around Payne's vocals beautifully, reminiscent of the way Steve Cropper and Otis used to play together, although Edmonson has blusier style and can really pour it on when it's called for. The two are supported by a fine band that includes bassist Bill Singletary, drummer Nick Otis (son of Johnny Otis), and the Sweet Meet Horns (Carl Green on sax and John Middleton on trumpet). Fred Kaplan and John Thomas guest on piano. Things cook right out of the gate with the rocking "Mean Evil Woman." The torrid pace continues on the funky "Master of the Game", the bouncy "The Real Deal" sporting some wailing tenor and the roaring "Woman In Kansas City", opening with an Elmore styled intro and features blistering guitar work throughout. Payne dips into pure southern soul territory on the gentle "A Fool Like Me", the sultry "Wake Me Up In San Francisco" and the pulsing Steve Cropper penned "Just The One." On "Nickel and a Nail" Payne turns in a fiery performance really doing justice to a throbbing version of the O.V. Wright classic.

For it's first foray into Soulsville, Delta Groove couldn't have asked for a better kick off then "Master of the Game" which captures a dynamic soul singer at the top of his game.

Jeff Harris - Bad Dog Blues 10/06

This outfit's 2003 CD "Partners In the Blues" was one of the nicest surprises of that year, a real, solid and fully realised blues effort that demonstrated just why vocalist Jackie had fronted the Johnny Otis Orchestra for many years, as well as just what a skilful guitarist and capable bandleader Steve is. It also showed the wisdom of teamwork.

So could this CD follow suit? Well, of course it could! These guys have spent the intervening years on the road honing their talents and it shows. By around the half-way mark of this CD, I had made mental notes of the influence on these guys of the likes of Albert King, Junior Parker, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, Magic Sam, Freddy King, BB King and ZZ Hill - but unlike many bands these days, these elements have been absorbed and reworked in the best blues fashion. Take a listen to track five (of 13), "Woman In Kansas City", with its broomdusting guitar recalling the heyday of Elmore James. However, listen to the unison riffing of the horns, and even their place in the mix, which shows a real familiarity with and understanding of Elmore's work - and the original (but traditional sounding) lyrics and fine vocal delivery complete an excellent blues.

Now some of you may have noticed ZZ Hill in the above list, and that reference is not to the journeyman soul/blues singer of the seventies (who nevertheless made many more than decent 45s) but to the man he became, the fully-developed southern soul great who helped revitalise the music in the early eighties - yes, Jackie's voice is that good! The last few numbers - with the exception of a fine guitar instrumental - fall into Memphis / deep soul territory, with "A Nickel And A Nail" perhaps also a passing nod to Robert Cray. And any set that can end with a killer version of "I'll Take Care Of You" to rival Bobby Bland has just got to be a contender for album of the year.

Any quibbles? Yes, I do have one - that title. Surely it would be more accurate to call this CD "Master s of the Game". After all, everyone concerned in this superlative set is right at the top of their form!

Norman Darwen - Blues & Rhythm, UK10/06

My Music Or Yours

Just out from Delta Groove is the Jackie Payne-Steve Edmonson Band's, Master Of The Game . Though the entire CD is great for listening, there are four or more cuts that will appeal to the dancers. My top pick would be Just The One . It is somewhat of an Old School release updated with plenty of horns and great vocals. I was also impressed with The Real Deal , Woman In Kansas City and Black Cat Roun' My Do' . It wouldn't surprise me if any one of these three would make the charts as well. When you have this many good cuts, it is hard to make a recommendation. But I am partial to Old School type music. Jackie Payne and Steve Edmonson have a history together that goes back almost ten years. They first met when they both were members of veteran show band, The Dynatones. Steve is the son of folk musician Travis Edmonson, of Bud and Travis fame, so it is not a surprise that he became interested in music at an early age. Jackie Payne's experience spans over thirty years. He began his musical career at the early age of 13 in his hometown of Atlanta , Georgia . At 17, he moved to Houston and worked with many artists, including T-Bone Walker, Albert Collins, Gatemouth Brown, Lowell Fulsom and Pee Wee Crayton, just to name a few. Over the years, Jackie completed three world tours as lead vocalist with The Johnny Otis Show. Through the years, he has received numerous awards and nominations, including a nomination for a 1993 Grammy. When not teaming up with Steve, Jackie can be heard with his own band in venues in and around his home base, the San Francisco Bay Area. Other band members of the Jack Payne-Steve Edmonson Band include bassist “ Col. ” Bill Singletary and Drummer Nick Otis, son of Rhythm & Blues legend Johnny Otis. Nick has performed as a part of his father's Johnny Otis Orchestra for more than 20 years. All of the band members are true masters of the games, making it more appealing to pick up Master Of The Game. This one's gonna be hot!

Mike Little - Association of Beach & Shag Club DJ's 10/06

ABOUT JACKIE & STEVE

"It is rare when a voice like Jackie Payne's comes out of nowhere and lands in front of the blues world. Sit up and take notice because you will be hearing more from this man."

Brett J. Bonner - Living Blues Magazine

"Steve Edmonson’s band with sensational soul singer Jackie Payne continues to amaze and delight! If bands get much better than this, please let me know about them."

Joseph Jordan, Southland Blues, January., 2003.

“Jackie Payne is a performer of classy presence and subtle physical movement [who’s] got the raspy-voiced Wilson Pickett – Otis Redding thing nailed flat”.

The Los Angeles Times

Steve Edmonson ...evokes many of the post-war eras great players – Otis Rush has already been mentioned, but also the likes of Albert King, Wayne Bennett, Eddie Taylor, Johnny Copeland and 60’s B.B. to name a few. His playing is also to-the-point, tasteful and controlled but always exciting...

Norman Darwen, BLUES & RHYTHM

" What can you say about Jackie Payne that hasn’t been said before? He has performed or recorded with just about everyone, but is probably most well known for his work with Johnny Otis. I have yet to hear a blues/r&b singer that puts more emotional intensity or feeling into his work than this man."

Steve Hinrichsen, Blues Bytes, Online Blues Review

"Between Jackie Payne’s super soulful, gospely blues vocals and Steve Edmonson’s six string sting, you’ve got an unbeatable combination not to be missed."

Rusty Zinn, Alligator Recording Artist

"…all hype aside, Jackie Payne is one of the finest blues singers and R & B interpreters in the country."

Joseph Jordan, Southland Blues.

"…the real treat is the sparse, clean and ever so tasteful guitar fills that Steve Edmonson tosses off here and there…Cadillac Assembly Line (Mack Rice), made famous by Albert King, is a guitar showpiece and Mr. Steve Edmonson rises to the occasion. He plays Albert King almost better than Albert King. He’s got all the tone, stretches, licks, Vibrato…everything…down. Not that this is a straight copy. This guy is far too sophisticated for any of that. It’s just the most eloquent tip o’ the hat that I’ve ever heard. Stinging notes without mercy, stretching whole chords relentlessly…at times, if I didn’t know better, I’d have thought Albert was back with us."

Bruce J. Miller, Real Blues Magazine, 2000

What the critics are saying about the "Partner's" CD:

Jackie Payne's got one of those back-of-the-throat squalls that'll cause sistas to scream – in church or, in his case, juke joints. The Georgia-born blues-and-soul journeyman has been plying his gospel-hewn craft since the '60s, when Wolfman Jack beamed his "Go Go Train" up the West Coast from a transmitter in Rosarito. Payne himself turned up in the Bay Area a decade ago with the Johnny Otis Show and toured with the Dynatones, where he met guitarist Steve Edmonson. Together the singer and the picker deliver a refreshing take on mostly '60s R&B. "That woman spends my money like it's goin' outta style / She gambles just like a man, loses every time she go / She comes home broke and mad and tells me, 'You can't cut the mustard no mo',' " Payne wails in a raspy yet elastic low tenor on "My Money Ain't Long Enough," one of two tracks by the late Oakland tunesmith Al King on Partners in the Blues. Other pearls are gleaned from the Little Willie John, Johnnie Taylor, and O.V. Wright songbooks and served up with care and passion by the partners and their solid, horn-laced band.

Lee Hildebrand, The SF Bay Guardian, July 2003

The last time we heard from exceptional soul singer Jackie Payne was the marvelous "Soulful Blues", one of 2001's best records, which teamed him up with guitarist Kenny "Blue" Ray. Payne sounds as good as ever on the classy "Partners In The Blues" this time finding great support from guitarist Steve Edmonson and his exceptional band.

Payne has been singing professionally for around 40 years. He cut some soul singles in the 60's and has worked with legends like T-Bone Walker, Johnny Copeland, Albert Collins, Gatemouth Brown, Pee Wee Crayton, Freddie King and has recorded with Johnny Otis. It wasn't until 1997's "Day In The Life Of A Bluesman" on JSP that he made his full length debut. In recent years he's been working the Bay Area with Steve Edmonson and his stellar band. In a sense this is the follow-up to the aforementioned "Soulful Blues" and Payne and Edmonson's band are in perfect synch on a set of well chosen covers and originals.

Payne is a remarkable singer who's voice evokes the classic sound of vintage R&B and soul. Payne can sing aching soul ballads with the conviction of Otis Redding while at other times his gritty vocals bring to mind Wilson Pickett. Payne gets great support from sympathetic band including stinging but ever tasteful guitar work from Edmonson plus notable west coast musicians like guitarist Rusty Zinn, Jim Pugh (organ, vibes) and piano/organ from Austin DeLone who added so much to "Soulful Blues." Payne tackles blues and soul with equal conviction kicking things off with a shuffling version of Little Milton's "I'm A Lonely Man" with watery, stinging guitar from Edmonson and pulsing horns, Payne growls the blues on Willie Dixon's "Close To You", the horn driven "I Don't Believe" is a killer with Edmonson showing off some T-Bone inspired chops and the romping blues of "The Devil's Hand" features stinging slide from Rusty Zinn. Covers of "Tell It Like It Is" and "I Need Your Love So Band" are prime showcases for Payne's emotional vocals.

"Partners In The Blues" is the perfect vehicle for one of the blues most passionate vocalists. Luckily Payne has found his match in this extraordinary band who together have produced one of the year's finest most soul drenched outings.

Jeff Harris, Bad Dog Blues, July 2003

My mother once exclaimed in fear “Oh my God. He’s turning black.” Maybe I was in my last life, because soul and blues has been in my spirit for as long as I can remember. When it comes to soul, I usually dig in the past, roaming through the old records by Wilson Picket, Al Green, Sam & Dave, Otis Redding and Solomon Burke. Hold on, rejoice and get low. This album is as good and even better because you get good old-fashioned gut-wrenching soul music with pure , unadulterated scorching blues. This is the soul-blues with a heavenly voice as golden as Alsatian wine. Jackie Payne who is equally at home in soul, R&B and blues is simply unbelievable. This CD comes from one of my favorite indie labels Burnside records in Portland, Oregon and their material usually sits favorably with me in style, taste and substance. I did not expect this.
At first listen it sounds like Al Green backed by a powerhouse blues band. It’s not Green, but Jackie Payne. After all, he’s worked with them all, including T-Bone Walker, Johnny Clyde Copeland, Albert Collins, Pee Wee Crayton, Gatemouth Brown, Lowell Fulson, Buddy Ace and Freddy King. Payne has also worked with Gladys Knight and Etta James. He was the lead singer for the Johnny Otis Show for 15 years and with the show band the Dynatones for 2 years. Guitarist Steve Edmonson, the son of folk musician Travis Edmonson of Bud and Travis fame, fronts the awesome blues band. He spent the first several years of his life criss-crossing the country on the road. Edmonson has performed with musicians of such diverse styles as James Cotton, Luther Tucker, Van Morrison, Maria Muldaur, Rusty Zinn and Buddy Miles. This collaboration is the hottest salt and pepper mix since Johnny Winter produced Muddy Waters and since Sam Myers joined Anson Funderburgh– rocking jump blues, deep soul and rich early rock-n-roll, all in one.

Put on your dancing shoes and get ready for an amazing trip that seems like the old Stax Volt soul singers joined forces with the old Chess records blues musicians. The two San Francisco Bay musicians partnered up here and from seemingly out of nowhere they put down one of the hottest soul records in years. Their friendship and love for the music comes through in every note. These guys were having serious fun and in this genre this is unquestionably the best contemporary album on the shelves. Their version of the soul classic “That’s how strong My Love Is” is perhaps the best soul singing with a sweet, biting classic blues guitar I have ever heard. One of the best of 2003.

Frank Matheis - Music Writer and Radio Producer

Vocalist Jackie Payne spent his formative years in Houston , where he came in contact with such Gulf Coast / West Coast stalwarts as T-Bone Walker, Johnny Copeland, Pee Wee Crayton, and others. He hooked up with Johnny Otis in the ‘80s: he appears with Otis on the Grammy Nominated “Spirit of the Black Territory Bands”, recorded in '92. He recorded under his own name for JSP in the late ‘90s and in 2000 he released a CD.
“Ain't Nothin', But A Party” on his own Shades Of Blue label. Guitarist Edmonson worked with figures such as James Cotton, Syl Johnson, and Maria Muldaur before becoming leader of The Dynatones, a Bay Area show band that worked with Payne in the late ‘90s. That association led Edmonson to commit himself to working with Payne full time.

Despite his years on the Texas-California axis, Payne is at his heart, a southern soul man. His reading of O.V. Wright's “That's How Strong My Love Is” almost sounds like an outtake from some forgotten Memphis session c. 1967. On the Harold Burrage classic “Cryin' For My Baby”, he segues effortlessly from a feathery croon to a gristle-laden scream reminiscent of “Little Boy Blue” - era Bobby Bland. His tremulous gospel intensity on “Tell It Like It Is” is heart-rending, and it also provides a tantalizing glimpse of what Otis Redding might have done with the classic.

Payne is equally adept on blues. His delivery on Johnny Copeland's “The Devil's Hand” is a grot-and gurgle workout. He straddles deep soul and down-home blues with deep-hearted ease on Johnny Taylor's “I'm Doin' My Own Thing” and his own “Sweet Candyman” and “Monday Morning Comin' Down” (the latter two couched in stripped-down, jukey arrangements. On Little Willie John's “I Need Your Love So Bad”, he stares into the abyss of utter, heartbroken vulnerability, alternately crooning and screaming his plea with an intensity.

Payne, Edmonson, and their compatriots have delivered an eclectic set of blues, soul, and vintage R&B with a rare fusion of elegance, musical dexterity, and hot blooded passion that's become all too rare. This disc counts as one of the year's more pleasant surprises.

-David Whiteis, Living Blues, December 2003

"Working together as easily as bread and butter, superb singer Jackie Payne and guitarist Steve Edmonson have assembled one of the best blues releases of the year."

Bob Powers - G21 Magazine, June 2003

“It is wonderful to have this group finally get a major record distribution deal. This CD is a solid and soulful piece of work from one of the best blues and R&B bands on the scene.

"That's How Strong My Love Is" is classic Jackie Payne...soul-throaty moans and aching sensual vocals. Steve Edmonson shines on "Think Twice Before You Speak" with his soulful, rhythmic guitar style. "Sweet Candyman" is an original written by the team of Jackie Payne, Steve Edmonson and Rusty Zinn and reflects their swinging blues seasoning. Rusty Zinn's slide guitar work is a treat on "Monday Morning Comin' Down." The finale of "I Need Your Love Your Love So Bad" demonstrates Payne's compelling soulful delivery sweetened by the sensitive guitar styling of Edmonson.

This CD containing 14 cuts encompasses some of the best soul/blues one is likely to find. My highest recommendation goes to this effort--it is one CD worth seeking out!”

Dorothy Hill, Jazz Now, August 2003

"Partners in the Blues (Burnside Records), from The Jackie Payne/Steve Edmonson Band is a unique partnership, one between a vocalist and a guitarist...Jackie Payne wants to express himself, and has plenty to say. Steve Edmonson has made a mental leap most guitarists haven’t; he has figured out how to feel artistically rewarded while playing guitar, even when others on the bandstand or in the studio are heard as well. What results is a tighter fit than one usually finds in modern, urban blues. If most of their big blues band peers' recordings were compared to neatly stacked piles of bricks, Partners in the Blues would have to be seen as bricks professionally mortared, joisted, and built into a sturdy house. The structural strength achieved by the Payne/Edmonson partnership is that dramatic and that obvious. You will get it halfway through the first song. Put in random rotation on your CD player with, say, “best of” records by James Cotton, Big Twist & the Mellow Fellows and Bobby “Blue” Bland, this record will more than hold its own. I mean no disrespect for the many fine acts out there working with harmonica, second guitarists, horn sections and keyboards beefing up basic blues bands in praising Partners in the Blues so highly. There are better guitarists out there than Steve Edmonson. There are better (a few … fewer every day) soul/blues singers out there than Jackie Payne. There are not better acts than this one, thanks to a spiritual brotherhood between the front men that’s more sensed than heard, more felt than intellectually perceived. By the way, the track list comes from the greasy/funky soul/blues undercurrent stomping grounds shared by the ghosts of Otis Redding and Albert King, and it’s a beautiful frame for the act. “Tell It Like It Is,” usually identified with Aaron Neville, will drop you the way a tornado would drop the abovementioned un-mortared piles of bricks."

Arthur Shuey, Blues Bytes, July 2003

Track 3, the Willie Dixon number, and the singer is strong, the rhythm section has that lurch down to a “T,” and the band is wailing. It’s a fine, fine performance – so why am I just the teeniest bit disappointed? Well, on the opener these guys tackle the old Little Milton number a la Otis Rush – impassioned singing, cracking West Side guitar licks, pounding band – before they ease into “Doin’ My Own Thing.” Johnny Taylor’s Stax single was a highly prized and much praised item in the Darwen household for many years, so it is a little hard to be objective, but whilst this version is slightly different, it is close enough to make me recall that masterpiece without causing me to wonder why they bothered. So I guess I just prefer West Coast vocalist Jackie Payne when he has something to wail about rather than when he is simply tackling a straight blues, though as I said, there is nothing wrong with the way he does that, and plenty right, I should add.

Jackie first recorded back in 1965 for Huey Meaux’s Jet Stream Label, and after a long barren spell he came back into the lime light as a result of a stint with Johnny Otis, during which he recorded two of the latter’s albums. Our man has now established something of a reputation for himself with subsequent appearances on CD’s by guitarist Anthony Paule and Kenny “Blue” Ray and work for JSP which resulted in his own album, “A Day In The Life Of A Blues Man,” and a guest spot with Kirk “Eli” Fletcher, also on JSP. A couple of years ago he also put out an album on his own Shades Of Blues label, reviewed by Phil Wight in B&R 161. That perhaps isn’t enough to prepare the listener for just how good this CD is. Only two originals out of fourteen tracks, but whoever picked these numbers sure knows his stuff. Jackie has the opportunity to holler, scream, and wail in true southern fashion, recalling Bobby “Blue” Bland at his 60’s peak in places, various southern soul men and the likes of the West Coast’s Al King. He can even turn in a convincing and worthwhile cover of Aaron Neville’s ballad “Tell It Like It Is,” no mean feat! “That’s How Strong My Love Is” is a stunningly fine slab of southern soul style, whilst Jackie takes “Need Your Love So Bad” back to church. Mind you, there are no less than excellent performances here, and after the initial play, once I knew what to expect I was more than happy that Jackie can also sing the blues pure and simple.

Hopefully former Dynatones guitarist Steve Edmonson is still reading! His is no mean contribution as he evokes many of the post-war eras great players – Otis Rush has already been mentioned, but also the likes of Albert King, Wayne Bennett, Eddie Taylor, Johnny Copeland and 60’s B.B. to name a few. His playing is also to-the-point, tasteful and controlled but always exciting, and he shows off his licks to maximum effect on the Freddie King instrumental “Sidetracked.” Tim Wagar, organist Jimmy Pugh and tenor saxist Terry Hanck are present among many others, with Rusty Zinn also helping out with rhythm guitar and the occasional guitar break or slide guitar. Oh, and Tim Kaihatsu took the photos for the cover.

Over the last few years, it seems that amid the slew of mediocrity served up by many bands as “the blues” these days, every now and then something comes out of the West Coast that really grabs me and restores my faith. This is one of the latter category.

Norman Darwen, BLUES & RHYTHM, September 2003

"Partners in the Blues is in that Stax Records soul mode where horns punch like right hooks and guitar licks sting like hornets. Forget Elwood and Jake; Jackie and Steve are real blues brothers. “The Devil’s Hand” would get a high-five from Beelzebub himself and “I’m A Lonely Man” will hook you like your first potato chip."

Tony Peyser, The Santa Monica Mirror, July 2003

Please see the Merchandise Page for Joseph Jordan’s Liner Notes from Jackie & Steve’s New CD.

See below for the text of a feature article on Jackie by noted music writer, Lee Hildebrand from issue #170 of Living Blues Magazine (the one with Bobby Rush on the cover.)

JACKIE PAYNE / Breaking Out
By Lee Hildebrand

Jackie Payne has one of those back-of-the-throat squalls that'll cause sistas to holler -- in church, or as has been the case for most of his long career, in blues and soul venues. The journeyman vocalist has been having that effect on listeners, particularly women, since he was 3 or 4, when his uncle, one-armed harmonica blower Neal Pattman, would to carry him around Athens , Georgia , entertaining neighbors.

"He'd put me on his shoulder," Payne says of Pattman, who's become known in recent years through his work with Taj Mahal. "He was playing harp, and I had to hold on. He'd teach me a song and we'd go to fish fries and joints and I'd sing in a high voice. Girls just ate it up. I'd go home with a little shirt pocket full of money."

Payne, who spent 17 years as a featured vocalist with the Johnny Otis Show and currently co-leads a band in the San Francisco Bay Area with guitarist Steve Edmonson, picked up the blues from his mother's side of the family. "My mama was an angel, but the rest of 'em were alcoholics and blues people," explains Payne, who was born in Athens on September 26, 1945 .

The pull of gospel music from his father's side of the family also proved strong. "They all had quartets and choirs," Payne recalls. At age 11, he became a member of the Victory Harmonizers. The quartet performed at churches in the Athens area, but the pay, he says, was "very, very light." Then, at 13, he joined Allen's Swing Band, an outfit that played swing dance music and current R&B hits. Payne was surprised when his father didn't object to the switch.

"He was very religious -- never had a drink in his life, didn't smoke," the singer says of his dad. "The first time I came home from trying out with the band, I said, 'I gotta gig tonight.' I just knew he was gonna raise all kinds of holy hell.. I said, 'I'm making $50.' He turned around and said, '$50? You know how long it takes me to make $50? Come on; I better take you downtown and get you and outfit.' It turned out real good."

Next came a stint with a vocal group known as Fabulous Twisters that played black clubs and white fraternity parties backed by a band called the Serenaders. They played the same repertoire for both crowds, though the tune mix was different. "For the white people, you had to keep the tempo kinda fast," he explains. "Black people are more conducive to the slow kinda belly-rub dancing."

At Georgia Tech frat dances they occasionally opened for name artists, including Otis Redding and Jimmy Reed. Payne has particularly strong memories of the engagement with Reed. "It was a barnyard-type setting with hay," Payne remembers. "Jimmy Reed came out with his guitar and harp and he started singing and this pint bottle of muscatel fell out his coat pocket and burst on the floor. He just stopped. I tried to keep from laughing. This was a dry county. The package stores closed about six, and this was about eight o'clock . Fortunately, the band manager knew the store manager, so he called him up and we met him at the store, 'cause Jimmy wasn't gonna sing any more. They brought him a big fifth of muscatel. We had a great time."

Payne left home at age 17 for Port Arthur, Texas, where his cousin, onetime Esquerita backup singer Willie Jean Mitchell, helped him land a steady gig at the Cosmo Key Club. Payne cut his first record, "The Ballad of J.F.K," while in Port Arthur . He can't remember the name of label but says it got airplay back in Athens and that the producer "sent a copy to Jacqueline and she sent a thank-you letter."

In Houston , where he gigged with such locals as Gatemouth Brown, Albert Collins, Johnny Copeland, Freddie King, and Miss LaVell, Payne hooked up with Huey Meaux and in 1965 cut "Go Go Train" for the producer's Jet Stream label. A bouncy soul salute to Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Roy Head, Elvis Presley, Jimmy Reed, Fontella Bass, Brenda Lee, and others, the Alton Valier-penned tune didn't make the Billboard charts but did get heavy play in many markets, including from John R. on WLAC in Nashville and Wolfman Jack on XERB in Rosarito , Baja California .

Besides an appearance on Dick Clark's ABC-TV program "Where the Action Is," the success of "Go Go Train" translated into over two years of steady work for Payne. At a club in Kansas City , he somehow made it through a show with Johnnie Taylor, Joe Hinton, and Johnny Copeland for which the promoter had hired only a saxophonist, guitarist, and drummer for accompaniment. A string of 42 theater dates with the Otis Redding Revue fared much better. Payne performed "Go Go Train" and its flip side, the self-penned ballad "I'll Be Home," each night, with Sam & Dave's band supplying the backup.

Rufus Thomas also was on the Redding tour, but Thomas and Payne had a falling out over the line "forget Rufus, too many dogs" in "Go Go Train." "We had a little disagreement," Payne remembers. "Rufus said, 'Why you had to say something bad about me on your record?' I said, 'Sir, I did not write the song.' He knew that, but that's just the way he was."

Payne cut a second 45 for Jet Stream titled "The Next Woman I Marry" before the U.S. Army snagged him in 1968. Most of his army buddies ended up in Vietman, but Payne landed in Manheim , Germany , where he sang for a time with a band called the Metronomes. Upon discharge, he returned to Houston but soon relocated to Los Angeles to join Slim and the Funk Four, a band led by organist Willard Burton with whom he'd previously worked in Texas . Payne's discography for the next two decades is very slim, with two Burton-produced singles -- "Trail of Love" in 1978 for Shock Records and "I Found Myself (When I Lost You)" in 1980 for Midsong International -- being perhaps the only entries.

Except for 10 months of unemployment that he attributes to the disco craze, Payne didn't want for work during the '70s and early '80s and had a four-year run at the Cover Girl in Culver City . His shows there had included only a handful of blues until the club hired Pee Wee Crayton to lead the houseband. "I said, 'Oh, my God! How am I gonna do this?'" the singer recalls. "Pee Wee was a really nice man, and we went over some songs I'd forgotten I even knew. I pulled it off the first night, and it got easier each night."

Payne's versatility really paid off he joined Johnny Otis in 1986. Payne worked with the veteran bandleader for much of the next two decades, performing a mixed bag of material that included Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World," Little Johnny Taylor's "Everybody Knows About My Good Thing," and such soul classics as "Knock on Wood" and "Mustang Sally."

"He never has a song list," Payne says of Otis. "He just sits down at the piano and something will come to him, like a vision. He'd just start the intro, and everybody would know what it is. I had to adjust to Johnny, but it was one of the greatest experiences of my life."

Payne's discography fattened considerably after he moved to the Bay Area in 1989. Besides singing on three Otis CDs -- for Ace, Arhoolie, and J&T -- he 's featured on CDs by Bay Area guitarists Anthony Paule (Blue Dot) and Kenny Blue Ray (one for JSP, another for Tone King) and Southern California guitarist Kirk "Eli" Fletcher (JSP). The first CD under Payne's own name, Day in the Life of a Bluesman, was issued in 1997 by JSP in England . A second Payne CD, a live recording titled Ain't Nothin' but a Party, came out in 2001 on Shades of Blues Records.

In 1995 and '96, when work with Otis was slow, Payne toured the country with the Dynatones, and for the second half of his stint, the soul-oldies band included Steve Edmonson. The guitarist (son of Travis Edmonson of the '60s folk-revival duo Bud & Travis) left the Dynatones in 2001, when he and Payne put together a six-member group that sports two horn players.

The Jackie Payne-Steve Edmonson Band's debut CD, Partners in the Blues, was issued in June on the Portland, Oregon-based Burnside label. It features a thoughtfully chosen mix of blues and soul numbers. Some such as O.V. Wright's "That's How Strong My Love Is" and Little Willie John's "I Need Your Love So Bad" are fairly famous. Others like Al King's "My Money Ain't Long Enough" and Johnny Copeland's "The Devil's Hand" are rather obscure. All, however, are welcome additions the ever-expanding Jackie Payne discography.

“PARTNERS IN THE BLUES” at Ted’s in San Anselmo, CA

This month lets talk about the Blues. And when I say Blues I mean “reach in and grab your soul, never let you go blues.” I’m talking about the unique vocal styling of Mr. Jackie Payne and the let-me-get-to-the-point blues guitar of Mr. Steve Edmonson, who together are the namesakes of the Jackie Payne-Steve Edmonson Band.

Jackie Payne has a voice that was made for the blues. When listening to Payne, you hear a little bit of all the greats down through blues history. That’s because Jackie Payne is a part of blues history. A native of Athens, Georgia, Payne had his exposure to the blues as a child, listening with his uncle to the likes of Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter. As a little boy Payne would also sing with his uncle who played the harmonica.

When Payne decided to leave Georgia, he stopped off in Texas where he opened gigs for the likes of Chuck Jackson and Sam Cook. Later Payne hooked up with Albert Collins as his singer, because, says Payne, “he was too bashful to sing.”

After that Payne recorded for the label Jet Stream Records that included his regional hit “Go Go Train.”

Then, after a stint in the army, Payne headed west to the Golden State, where he started singing with the Pee Wee Crayton Band and then formed his own band. During that time Payne won entertainer of the year four years in a row. Eventually Payne got a job singing for Johnny Otis, recording two records and three world tours.

After Payne left Johnny Otis, he joined up with a show band – The Dynatones, where he met guitarist Steve Edmonson.

Edmonson has music running through his veins that you can hear in his approach in his guitar playing. Steve’s father, folk musician Travis Edmonson, (Bud & Travis) exposed Steve to music, and the road, as a youngster, grooming him on the blues via some of the acts that his father played with, touring with the likes of Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee and Lightnin’ Hopkins.

Steve has an impressive resume and has been recording albums since 1987, (Workin’ For The Blues, Eugene & The Bluejeans – Avalon Records) playing and touring with many greats such as Buddy Miles, James Cotton and Rusty Zinn, just to name a few.

After four years of touring with The Dynatones, Steve and Jackie decided to join forces and start their own project. The result is The Jackie Payne-Steve Edmonson Band. Jackie’s smooth bourbon on the rocks voice and Steve’s soulful yet down and dirty guitar licks are very evident on their latest CD release “Partners in the Blues” (Burnside Records.) The disc is packed with fourteen numbers all just drippin’ with the blues.

Jackie and Steve’s band members are top caliber players as well. On the bass, give it up for “Col.” Bill Singletary, and show your love for drummer Robi Bean. Then you have the horns consisting of John Middleton on trumpet and Carl Green on tenor saxophone. All these cats have played with so many great artists it would make your head spin. For a list of accolades you can check their website at www.payne-edmonson.com

Come hear them perform at Ted’s in San Anselmo on October 4th, starting at 9pm. If you are a fan of the blues you won’t want to miss this show. The Jackie Payne-Steve Edmonson Band will show you why they are “Partners in the Blues.”

Craig Caffall, The Gazzette, October, 2003

LABOR OF LOVE

“Good things come to those who wait,” and “Good things are worth waiting for” are the cliché that come to mind with the impending release of what is destined to be one of this year’s finest blues albums, recorded by two tried and true blues vets, It’s a match made in blues heaven, and the global blues community is in for a treat.

Georgia-born blues veteran Jackie Payne and West Coast journeyman guitar-player Steve Edmonson met some ten years ago when both heeded the call to join the popular California band The Dynatones. Within a few years, the two began to forge a personal and professional relationship, and their careers became intertwined as they embarked on a series of musical collaborations with other artists that ultimately led to this latest achievement. With the June 17th release on Portland’s Burnside Records of “Partners in the Blues,” Payne and Edmonson have reached a new career milestone together, one that should establish them firmly among the finest in the current blues scene. The album was a labor of love, and it took determination, hard work, patience and perseverance to finally bring it to fruition. It will be no time before the blues-loving public proves it worth the effort.

The musical journeys of Jackie and Steve could not have originated farther apart, but they had a key element in common. Both were literally born into worlds of music, nurtured into families that both worked and celebrated the muse. Jackie Payne grew up in rural Georgia around Athens, literally hanging out with his harmonica playing uncle, Neal Pattman as he sat on the elder blues man’s shoulders during jams. Honing his singing skills in his father’s gospel choir, Jackie left home at age 17 to pursue his musical dreams, passing through the presence of many a great soul and blues artist on the way, from Sam Cooke to Albert Collins. Steve was born into the traveling troubadour existence of Travis (Bud & Travis) Edmonson, and spent his early years on the road, while Dad played with everyone from Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee to Lightnin’ Hopkins. Genetically alone, Steve and Jackie were bound to connect.

Their first meeting occurred as mutual members of the popular Bay Area Soul/R&B band, The Dynatones. During that time, Jackie and Steve both yearned for a deeper blues component to the repertoire. Jackie left first to pursue solo endeavors and to provide vocal support to another Bay Area blues artist, Kenny “Blue” Ray. After the successful Dynatones release, “Shake that Mess,” Steve left the band to produce the Payne/Ray collaboration, “Soulful Blues,” and the trio regularly performed behind the album. Kenny was not interested in the touring side of business, so Steve and Jackie set out as a duo establishing a presence on the blues music scene in the Oakland/San Francisco area. While working the local market, particularly a bi-weekly gig at Bluesville in Oakland, Steve and Jackie developed a song list that met their mutual need to perform a mix of soul and blues.

That song list fine-tuned on stages around the bay area resulted in a self-financed recording, ready for major label distribution. However fate was playing its own song at the time. It was September, 2001. The tragic events of that month set the already-wavering economy into a tailspin, with the music industry hit especially hard. The smaller labels and independents bore the heaviest brunt. The recording that Jackie and Steve had poured their hearts into and staked their careers on met with rejection, as labels folded, distributors went bankrupt, and the fate of the music industry itself was uncertain.

True bluesmen, these dedicated artists continue to ply their trade on the northern California scene. Undeterred, they continued to submit their album to the labels. As Edmonson recalls, “We knew we put together a great record, and we had plenty of feed back from the labels that confirmed this. Everything was in such upheaval in the industry. So we went out and worked had as usual.” This work ethic was ingrained in both Steve and Jackie, having grown up watching parents and close relatives strive to stake their place in the music world. They were not going to put their project on the shelf. Steve made a second call to Burnside Records, one of the best West Coast blues labels. This time things were looking more optimistic for Burnside, and Jackie and Steve were signed on. The album hit the streets on June 17th, and no true blues aficionado will be disappointed. This infectious mix of uptown, horn-driven blues and deep Memphis soul will dig deep into any blues lovers psyche. The Payne-Edmonson Band should be a household name by Handy time, ’04.

Steve Cagle – Blue Notes, September 2003

See below for Brett J. Bonner's Liner Notes from Jackie's CD,"Day in The Life Of A Bluesman," on JSP Records.

Liner Notes for Jackie’s CD, “Day In The Life Of A Bluesman,” JSP CD 296, 1997

Jackie Payne has one of those voices that makes you sit up and ask where the hell has this guy been? His rich voice has matured like a fine sippin whiskey, and has reached that smooth point that just feels good goin down. Jackie Payne's singing career began over forty years ago with his father's gospel choir in Athens, Georgia. Born on September 26, 1945, Payne spent his formative years hanging out with his harmonica blowin' uncle, Georgia bluesman, Neal Pattman. "I first heard Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter from my uncle. He would take me around when I was about four or five and I would sit on his shoulder. He only had one arm and I would sit and hold on and he would blow his harp and let me sing." He began singing professionally with the Allen Swing Band out of Atlanta at age thirteen and later joined the R&B group, The Serenaders.

In 1963, at age seventeen, Payne left home and headed west, first settling with a cousin in Port Arthur, Texas (Billie Jean Mitchell who sang backup with Esquerita.) Mitchell got Payne a job singing at the Cosmo Key club in Port Arthur. It was here that he recorded his first side, "The Ballad of JFK', as Little Jackie Payne. Within a year Payne had moved to Galveston and teamed with a promoter/club owner who used him as a warm-up act for artists like Jerry Butler, Chuck Jackson and Sam Cooke. After settling in Houston, Payne worked with Freddie King, Johnny Copeland, Lavelle White, Gatemouth Brown and Albert Collins. "What a sweet man he was. I worked with Albert as his singer for awhile 'cos at that time he was too bashful to sing." Funky Slim, otherwise known as Willard Burton, took Payne to Huey Meaux at Jet Stream Records in 1965 where he recorded eight sides including "I'll Be Home" and the regional hit, "Go, Go Train". After a stint in the Army in 1968, Payne settled in Culver City, California. A job at the Cover Girl Club found Payne paired first with Pee Wee Crayton's band and later with a band of his own. The gig lasted four years and during that time Payne garnered four Entertainer of the Year awards in Los Angeles. Payne hired the young Barbara Morrison to work as a second vocalist with the band. Eventually Morrison left Payne to work with The Johnny Otis Show; and in 1986 she returned the favor to Payne by getting him in on a local gig with Johnny Otis. Payne and Otis hit off from the start Johnny got out his song list and said 'Any of these songs you know just say yea." Well he started listing songs and I said yes to about thirty songs in a row he said "Look man, you've got the gig there is no need in you bullshitting me. There is no way in hell you know all these songs." I said, well Mr. Otis there's just one way to find out. Hit it man! So no rehearsal, no nothing. It was a trip man. After about the third song he looked over at Barbara and said "Where in the fuck has this guy been?" This meeting created an on and off relationship that has lasted for over a decade. Payne is featured on two Johnny Otis recordings and has done three world tours with the band. Jackie Payne currently performs with the veteran show band The Dynatones and with his own group, the Rare form Band. his pipes around numbers that range in sound from vintage Bobby Bland and Jay McShann to the contemporary soul-blues stylings of Tyrone Davis and Johnny Taylor. Payne contributes two numbers, the title cut and "Hit The Ground Running", but the bulk of the songwriting and all of the guitar chores are handled by Bay Area guitarist Kenny Kenny "Blue" Ray. Ray has worked with blues artists Charlie Musselwhite, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Ronnie Earl among others, In addition, Ray has released five CDs on his own label since 1994 and has one on JSP, In All Of My Life from 1997. Ray and Payne met in 1996 and worked together on Ray's JSP release. Payne handles vocals on three outstanding tracks on that disc. It is rare when a voice like Jackie Payne's comes out of nowhere and lands in front of the blues world. Sit up and take notice because you will be hearing more from this man.

Brett J. Bonner - (Living Blues Magazine)

This past Spring, the band performed at The Spring Blues Festival in Ecaussinnes, Belgium, http://www.springblues.be/ , where we had a great time performing, as well as swapping lies, er…uh, I mean stories, with some of the other performers on the bill, including Bobby Rush, Louisiana Red, Nick Moss, Lloyd Jones, D.K. Stewart, Frank Goldwasser, Lurrie Bell, Matthew Skoller, and Jason Ricci, as well as all of the other musicians playing with those I just named, and the foreign journalists, promoters and agents that are in attendance at these events.

Click Here for Photos of the Band in Ecaussinnes by French photographer Marie-Ann Bonnefoy!

more photos from Belgium to come!
We had a great time, both on, and off stage, with the exception of our trumpet player, John Middleton, being hit by a car on an early morning walk. He did go to the hospital, but appears to be OK other than being very sore all over. Keep your eyes peeled for an article about Jackie in an upcoming issue of the British Blues Magazine, Blues & Rhythm, as well as information about a new CD from the band on a new label. We will be sending out a press release on the new project as soon as all of the details are worked out!

Thailand news..."I want to Thai Thaize you baybay..."

Yes, the rumor is true, t he band played a three month engagement at CoCo Blues, a blues club on the island of Samui off of the eastern coast of Thailand . We would like to publicly thank everyone involved in getting us over there; the club owner and management and club staff for taking such good care of us, as well as the fantastic audiences from all over the world.

The trip was an incredible experience for all of us, and we have made new friends that we hope to keep for a lifetime. We are already missing all of our friends there, and are planning to return someday. Check out the link above, and you'll see why.

HURRICANE RELIEF!

Katrina Benefit Concerts

The following are the amounts raised for The Red Cross at the recent Katrina Benefits at which the band has performed:

A Tavola Benefit - Redwood City, CA - $152,000.00!!

Ivy Room Benefit, Albany, CA- $2,068.00 !!

Power of Love Katrina Benefit in Sebastopol, CA - unknown

Fat Tuesday Benefit at Nola's,Palo Alto , CA - unknown

Music Cares Benefit, Vallejo, CA - unknown