Little Feat
Encyclopedia
Little Feat is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 rock band
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 formed by singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

, lead vocalist
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...

 and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

 Lowell George
Lowell George
Lowell Thomas George was an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, who was the main guitarist and songwriter for the rock band Little Feat.- Early years :...

 and keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...

ist Bill Payne
Bill Payne
Bill Payne is a founding member of American rock band Little Feat. He is considered by many other piano rock musicians, including Elton John, to be one of the finest American piano rock and blues music artists...

 in 1969 in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

.

Although the band has undergone several changes in its lineup, the music remains an eclectic blend of rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...

, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...

, R&B, boogie, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

, folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

, gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....

, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...

, funk and jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...

 influences.

Lowell George era (1969-1979)

Lowell George met Bill Payne when George was a member of Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...

's Mothers of Invention. Payne had audition
Audition
An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performing artist.Audition may also refer to:* The sense of hearing* Adobe Audition, audio editing software...

ed for the Mothers, but had not joined. They formed Little Feat along with former Mothers' bassist Roy Estrada
Roy Estrada
Roy Estrada is an American musician and backing vocalist, best known for his bass guitar work with Frank Zappa and for co-founding Little Feat.-Biography:With drummer Jimmy Carl Black and Ray Collins, Estrada was an original member of Frank Zappa's...

 and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...

 Richie Hayward
Richie Hayward
Richie Hayward was a drummer best known as a founding member and drummer in the band Little Feat. He performed with several bands and worked as a session player...

 from George's previous band, the Factory. The name of the band came from a comment made by Mothers' drummer Jimmy Carl Black
Jimmy Carl Black
Jimmy Carl Black , born James Inkanish, Jr., was a drummer and vocalist for The Mothers of Invention.-Career: 1960s-1990s:Born in El Paso, Texas, Black was of Cheyenne heritage...

 about Lowell's "little feet." The spelling of "feat" was an homage to The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

.

There are three legends about the genesis of Little Feat. One has it that George showed Zappa his song "Willin'," and that Zappa fired him from the Mothers of Invention, because he felt that George was too talented to merely be a member of his band, and told him he ought to go away and form his own band. The second version has Zappa firing him for playing a 15 minute guitar solo—with his amplifier off. The third version says that Zappa fired him because "Willin'" contains drug references ("weed, whites and wine"). George often introduced the song as the reason he was asked to leave the band. On Oct. 18, 1975 at the Auditorium Theater in Rochester New York while introducing the song, George commented that he was asked to leave the band for "writing a song about dope".

In any version, Zappa was instrumental in getting George and his new band a record contract. When "Willin'" was recorded for the Little Feat
Little Feat (album)
Little Feat was the eponymous debut by the American rock band Little Feat, released in January 1971. Cobbled together from a variety of recording sessions mostly between August and September 1970, its sound can be best described as the antithesis to any of the group's classic recordings . Featuring...

album, George had hurt his hand in an accident with a model airplane, so Ry Cooder
Ry Cooder
Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing...

 sat in and played the song's slide
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...

 part. Lowell's accident is referenced on the cover art of the band's 1996 album Under the Radar
Under the Radar (Little Feat album)
Under the Radar is the twelfth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1998. . It was the fifth studio album since the band reunited in 1988 and the second since vocalist Shaun Murphy joined Little Feat....

. "Willin'" was re-recorded (this time with Lowell playing) on Little Feat's second album Sailin' Shoes
Sailin' Shoes
Sailin' Shoes was the second studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1972. It is notable for several reasons.First, it introduced the work of Neon Park to the group, with his design of a sailing shoe of a cake swinging on a tree swing that adorned the front cover, which...

, which was also the first Little Feat album to include cover art by Neon Park
Neon Park
Neon Park was an American artist and illustrator, best known for the images that have strongly defined covers for nearly every Little Feat album except for the band's self-titled first album. He also created the cover of Weasels Ripped My Flesh for Frank Zappa, as well as covers and graphics for...

, who had painted the cover for Zappa's Weasels Ripped My Flesh
Weasels Ripped My Flesh
Weasels Ripped My Flesh is an album by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, released in 1970.Given Zappa's already stated penchant for expressing his music in "phases"—We're Only in It for the Money was written up as "phase one of Lumpy Gravy"—conceptually, Zappa fans occasionally label this...

.

The first two albums received nearly universal critical acclaim, and "Willin'" became a standard, subsequently popularized by its inclusion on Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...

's album Heart Like a Wheel
Heart Like a Wheel
Heart Like a Wheel is Linda Ronstadt's fifth solo album release and the last-ever of her studio projects for Capitol Records, released in late 1974. It is universally considered to be Ronstadt's all-time high watermark masterpiece recording and a pioneering blueprint of Country Rock...

.

Lack of commercial success led, however, to the band splitting up, with Estrada leaving to join Captain Beefheart
Captain Beefheart
Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...

's Magic Band. In 1972
1972 in music
-Events:*January 17 – Highway 51 South in Memphis, Tennessee is renamed "Elvis Presley Boulevard"*January 20 – The début of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon at The Dome, Brighton, is halted by technical difficulties,...

 Little Feat reformed, with bassist Kenny Gradney
Kenny Gradney
Kenny Gradney, a native of New Orleans, is a member of the band Little Feat. He joined after their second album, replacing founding bassist Roy Estrada in 1972....

 replacing Estrada. The band also added a second guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

, Paul Barrere
Paul Barrere
Paul Barrere is a current member of the band Little Feat, having joined the band in 1974...

, who had known George since they attended Hollywood High School
Hollywood High School
Hollywood High School is a Los Angeles Unified School District high school located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California.-History:...

 in California, and percussionist
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...

 Sam Clayton
Sam Clayton
Sam Clayton has been a singer and percussionist, primarily focusing on drums; conga and djembe, throughout his musical career. He is best known for his membership as percussionist and supporting vocalist with the American rock band Little Feat since 1972....

. Both Barrere and Clayton added vocals on many songs, although all the band members provided backing vocals in various tunes.

This new lineup radically altered the band's sound, leaning toward New Orleans funk. The group went on to record Dixie Chicken
Dixie Chicken (album)
Dixie Chicken is the third studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1973. . The artwork for the front cover was by illustrator Neon Park....

(1973)—one of the band's most popular albums, which incorporated New Orleans musical influences and styles—as well as Feats Don't Fail Me Now
Feats Don't Fail Me Now
Feats Don't Fail Me Now is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1974. .-Track listing:#"Rock & Roll Doctor" – 2:57#"Oh, Atlanta" – 3:26...

(1974), which was a studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...

-recorded attempt to capture some of the energy of their live shows. (The name of the latter album pays homage to the Fats Waller
Fats Waller
Fats Waller , born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer...

 song.) An interesting recording in this period is the collaboration of Payne, Gradney, Barrere, Clayton and George (credited as George Lowell) with jazz drummer Chico Hamilton on the Stax album "Chico the Master", which is a strong showcase for the band's leanings toward funk and R&B.

The release of The Last Record Album
The Last Record Album
The Last Record Album is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1975. .-Track listing:#"Romance Dance" – 3:49#"All That You Dream" – 3:52...

in 1975 signaled another change in the Little Feat sound, with Barrere and Payne developing an interest in jazz-rock
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...

. Prior to the recording of The Last Record Album, drummer Richie Hayward
Richie Hayward
Richie Hayward was a drummer best known as a founding member and drummer in the band Little Feat. He performed with several bands and worked as a session player...

 had a motorcycle accident and the liner to the LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...

 release of The Last Record Album was decorated with copies of his many hospital bills. Also present was evidence of a late change to the running order of tracks. The lyrics for Paul Barrere's song "Hi Roller" were printed on the sleeve, but scored out, and the words "maybe next time" scrawled over them. Sure enough, "Hi Roller" was the first track on the subsequent album Time Loves a Hero
Time Loves a Hero
Time Loves a Hero is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1977. .-Track listing:#"Hi Roller" – 3:35#"Time Loves a Hero" – 3:47...

.

Lowell George continued to produce the albums, but his songwriting contribution diminished as the group moved into jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...

, a style in which he had little interest. In August 1977, Little Feat recorded a live album from gigs at the Rainbow Theatre in London and Lisner Auditorium in Washington, DC. Waiting for Columbus
Waiting for Columbus
Waiting for Columbus is the first live album by the Southern roots-rock band, Little Feat. The album was recorded during seven performances in 1977. The first four shows were held at the Rainbow Theatre in London on August 1-4, 1977. The final three shows were recorded in George Washington...

is considered by many rock music critics to be one of the best live albums of all time, despite the fact that significant portions of George's vocals and slide work were in fact over-dubbed later in the studio. It was released in 1978, by which time it had become apparent that Lowell George's interest in the band was waning, as was his health.

After Time Loves A Hero and before the Down on the Farm
Down on the Farm
Down on the Farm is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1979. It was also their last original work for nine years. The band announced their break-up in June 1979 during the making of the album, and a fortnight later the band's founder and guiding light Lowell...

sessions, Little Feat were used as the backing band for Robert Palmer's album Pressure Drop
Pressure Drop (album)
Pressure Drop is Robert Palmer's second solo album, released in 1975. Palmer is backed by Little Feat and other musicians. The title track is a cover version of the reggae hit by Toots & the Maytals. However, many other songs on the album use New Orleans funk ... along with smooth, dated disco...

, which featured his cover version of Lowell's song "Trouble."

George did some work on what would eventually become Down on the Farm but then declared that Little Feat had disbanded. In an interview with Bill Flanagan (for the book Written In My Soul) conducted eleven days before his death, George made it clear that he felt the demise of Little Feat was due to his having allowed the band to be run democratically, with the result that Payne and, to a lesser extent, Barrère, had a presence as songwriters and in production which was disproportionate to their abilities. George was particularly scathing about Payne's attempts at jazz/fusion, citing an instance when Payne jammed with Weather Report
Weather Report
Weather Report was an American jazz-rock band of the 1970s and early 1980s. The band was co-led by the Austrian-born keyboard player Joe Zawinul and the American saxophonist Wayne Shorter...

 on a TV show and dropped "into one of his 'Day at the Dog Races'. I just got out of there as fast as I could. It was embarrassing". In the same interview, George stated that he planned to reunite Little Feat without Payne and Barrère.

At this time Warner Brothers released George's only solo album Thanks, I'll Eat It Here
Thanks, I'll Eat It Here
Thanks, I'll Eat it Here is the title of the only solo album by the late rock and roll singer-songwriter Lowell George. While George is best known for his work with Little Feat, by 1977 Lowell felt that they were moving increasingly into jazz-rock, a form in which he felt little interest. As a...

for which he had signed a contract in 1975. The album was mostly a collection of cover versions of other people's songs that George had been working on as a side project for several years and, in his biography of Lowell George 'Rock And Roll Doctor', Mark Brend states that George had hinted he only signed the solo contract in order to obtain funds to finance Little Feat (and Bill Flanagan states in Written In My Soul that George "didn't want his audience to assume a collection of other people's material marked the direction of Lowell George's solo career").

While touring in support of his solo album in June 1979, at the age of 34, George collapsed in his hotel room in Arlington, Virginia. An autopsy determined the cause of death was a heart attack, although it is considered likely that George's excess weight, (formerly chronic) drug usage, and the strain of touring contributed to his condition.

Lowell George was respected for his idiosyncratic genius, for crafting sophisticated melodies and lyrics; writing memorable songs, and for his high production standards. He is also remembered for his exuberant, unique slide style, which featured sustained, ringing legato
Legato
In musical notation the Italian word legato indicates that musical notes are played or sung smoothly and connected. That is, in transitioning from note to note, there should be no intervening silence...

 lines.

The surviving members finished and released Down on the Farm before disbanding in 1979
1979 in music
See also:Record labels established in 1979* 1979 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1979.-January–February:*January 1...

. A subsequent retrospective double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....

 compilation of rare outtakes and live tracks, Hoy-Hoy!
Hoy-Hoy!
Hoy Hoy! is the name of a Little Feat collection released in 1981 two years after the band's break-up following the death of founder Lowell George...

, was released in 1981. The album is a perfect overview of the history and sound of Little Feat and includes a cover of the Hank Williams song "Lonesome Whistle".

Paul Barrere, Sam Clayton, Kenny Gradney and Richie Hayward performed several shows as Feats in 1981 and 1982.

The Craig Fuller years (1987-1993)

In 1986 Richie Hayward
Richie Hayward
Richie Hayward was a drummer best known as a founding member and drummer in the band Little Feat. He performed with several bands and worked as a session player...

, Paul Barrere
Paul Barrere
Paul Barrere is a current member of the band Little Feat, having joined the band in 1974...

 and Bill Payne
Bill Payne
Bill Payne is a founding member of American rock band Little Feat. He is considered by many other piano rock musicians, including Elton John, to be one of the finest American piano rock and blues music artists...

 were invited to play on Blue Slipper
Blue Slipper
Blue Slipper is the 1987 debut album by Helen Watson.Like its follow up The Weather Inside the album is notable for its stellar cast of session musicians including Richie Hayward, George Hawkins, Paul Barrere, Michael Landau, Ethan Johns, Bill Payne, Bernie Leadon, Jerry Donahue and Steve Lukather...

, the 1987 debut album by Helen Watson. They subsequently appeared on her second album The Weather Inside
The Weather Inside
The Weather Inside is the second album by Helen Watson released in 1989.The album is notable for its stellar cast of session musicians including Andy Fairweather-Low, Richie Hayward, George Hawkins, Michael Landau, Ethan Johns, Bill Payne, Bernie Leadon and Albert Lee...

. The surviving former members of Little Feat then reformed in 1987 when Barrere, Clayton, Gradney, Hayward and Payne added songwriter/vocalist Craig Fuller
Craig Fuller
Craig Fuller is an American musician and songwriter. Co-founder of Pure Prairie League, along with John David Call and George Ed Powell. Fuller departed after their second album, Bustin' Out, due to draft board problems. He returned to the music business in 1976 for two LPs with American Flyer...

, formerly from the band Pure Prairie League
Pure Prairie League
Pure Prairie League, sometimes abbreviated PPL, is an American country-rock band whose roots began between 1964 and 1969 in Waverly, Ohio with Craig Fuller, George Powell, Tom McGrail, Jim Caughlan and John David Call. In 1970 McGrail named the band after a 19th century temperance union mentioned...

 (who also provided some rhythm guitar), and Fred Tackett
Fred Tackett
Fred Tackett, an American native of Arkansas, is an accomplished songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Originally a session player on guitar, mandolin, and trumpet, he is best known for his longevity as a member of the band Little Feat....

 on guitar, mandolin and trumpet. The band admired Fuller's previous work and were impressed when he toured with them in 1978 as part of the Fuller/Kaz band. They didn't need an audition, having played with him on tour, and thus, the new Little Feat lineup was formed. The initial release by the new lineup, Let It Roll, was a tremendous success, garnering Feat its first gold record LP since Waiting For Columbus which now had gone platinum. The band received more exposure than ever, including an appearance on Saturday Night Live. Concerts were booked nationally and Little Feat played enthusiastic, sold out shows. Barrere, Payne and company were pleased by the audience reaction: not only were they able to put over the Feat classics, but the new music was solid. While some Little Feat diehards could not accept the band without Lowell George, the new Little Feat with Fuller made a comeback that introduced a whole new generation to Little Feat.

But the follow-up album Representing the Mambo
Representing the Mambo
Representing the Mambo is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1990 . First single "Texas Twister", aided by a popular video which received heavy rotation on MTV, became the band's second #1 hit on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.-Track listing:#"Texas Twister"...

, released in 1990 proved to be the group's last album for Warner Brothers who were uncomfortable with the album's more jazzy leanings. The third and final album by this line-up, Shake Me Up
Shake Me Up
Shake Me Up is the tenth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1991. . It was the last that they recorded with frontman Craig Fuller.-Track listing:...

 (1991) was released on Morgan Creek
Morgan Creek
Morgan Creek is a stream in Mono and Inyo counties of eastern California, in the western United States.It flows from the high eastern Sierra Nevada in the Inyo National Forest, through Round Valley, to its confluence with Pine Creek near the Owens River northeast of Bishop in the Owens...

 as was the soundtrack of the 1992 film White Sands
White Sands (film)
White Sands is a 1992 motion picture directed by Roger Donaldson and written by Daniel Pyne for Warner Bros. The movie is about a U.S. southwestern small-town sheriff who finds a body in the desert with a suitcase and $500,000. He impersonates the man and stumbles into an FBI investigation...

, which contained one song by Little Feat called Quicksand and Lies but this label folded soon afterwards and Little Feat were moving from one label to another until the establishment of Hot Tomato Records in 2002.
Fuller departed in 1993, stating that touring required too much time away from his family. Fuller joined a reformed Pure Prairie League
Pure Prairie League
Pure Prairie League, sometimes abbreviated PPL, is an American country-rock band whose roots began between 1964 and 1969 in Waverly, Ohio with Craig Fuller, George Powell, Tom McGrail, Jim Caughlan and John David Call. In 1970 McGrail named the band after a 19th century temperance union mentioned...

, has commenced a long-overdue solo career and still guests with Little Feat on occasion.

The Shaun Murphy years (1993-2009)

Craig Fuller was replaced by Shaun Murphy
Shaun Murphy (singer)
Shaun Murphy is an American R&B singer songwriter, best known for her powerhouse singing style. Her recording career started in 1971 with Motown Records and continues to this day.-Biography:...

 in September 1993
1993 in music
This is a summary of significant events in music in 1993.-January–February:*January 8 – The U.S. Postal Service issues an Elvis Presley stamp. The design was voted on in February 1992....

. Shaun had sung on all of the recent Little Feat albums and throughout 1993 she had toured as part of Bob Seger
Bob Seger
Robert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...

's band with Fred Tackett
Fred Tackett
Fred Tackett, an American native of Arkansas, is an accomplished songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Originally a session player on guitar, mandolin, and trumpet, he is best known for his longevity as a member of the band Little Feat....

 and Bill Payne
Bill Payne
Bill Payne is a founding member of American rock band Little Feat. He is considered by many other piano rock musicians, including Elton John, to be one of the finest American piano rock and blues music artists...

.

Murphy began her career working in Detroit, Michigan, most notably in theater, and received a record contract with Rare Earth Records, a division of Motown Records
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...

, as a member of a duo with Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...

. The duo later disbanded, and Murphy went on to sing and record with renowned artists such as Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...

 and Bob Seger
Bob Seger
Robert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...

, prior to joining Little Feat as a full time member of the band.

Shaun's first album with the group was Ain't Had Enough Fun
Ain't Had Enough Fun
Ain't Had Enough Fun is the eleventh studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1995. . It was their first with female vocalist Shaun Murphy and was dedicated to the memory of their cover artist Neon Park who died in 1993 after a long battle with Lou Gehrig's disease...

. As well as having material specifically written for her, for increasing fan draw attracted to her hard-edged powerhouse voice, further albums, Under the Radar
Under the Radar (Little Feat album)
Under the Radar is the twelfth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1998. . It was the fifth studio album since the band reunited in 1988 and the second since vocalist Shaun Murphy joined Little Feat....

 and Chinese Work Songs
Chinese Work Songs
Chinese Work Songs is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 2000.-Track listing:#"Rag Mama Rag" Chinese Work Songs is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 2000.-Track listing:#"Rag Mama Rag" Chinese Work Songs is the...

 saw Murphy become an integral part of the group sharing lead vocals and writing with Payne and Barrere. Her rendition of Bob Dylan's work, "It Takes a Lot to Laugh", was first recorded in studio on Chinese Work Songs
Chinese Work Songs
Chinese Work Songs is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 2000.-Track listing:#"Rag Mama Rag" Chinese Work Songs is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 2000.-Track listing:#"Rag Mama Rag" Chinese Work Songs is the...

, and became a favorite in live appearances with Murphy as lead singer prior to her departure in 2009. After recording five studio albums and performing over 1,400 concerts with the band, Murphy's position was made redundant, and the group pared down to a six-piece collective entity. Shaun would subsequently form The Shaun Murphy Band
The Shaun Murphy Band
The Shaun Murphy Band was founded in early 2009 by veteran blues and soul singer Shaun Murphy. Within a matter of a few weeks after release of the band's first album, Livin' The Blues, the album jumped to position 10 on the Roots Report Top 50 Blues Weekly Chart...

, with a specific blues-oriented niche. As of May 2011, Shaun had released two albums, returned to take her place with the Silver Bullet Band in the 2011 tour of Bob Seger, in addition to many scheduled live appearance with The Shaun Murphy Band, one of which to release a third album, and DVD, live in Detroit.

Hayward health and death

In August 2009, Richie Hayward announced that he had recently been diagnosed with a severe liver disease and would not be at work indefinitely. A benefit concert was organised and a website created where fans unable to attend could donate towards his treatment costs. Little Feat announced that their drum technician Gabe Ford
Gabe Ford
Gabe Ford is an American musician probably best known as the current drummer for Little Feat. He was born into a musical family. His father, Patrick, is also a musician as are his uncles Mark Ford and Robben Ford. He plays drums, guitar and keyboards.-Musical career:Ford spent his early career in...

 would take his place.

Hayward married and was living on Vancouver Island B.C., with his liver cancer in remission while waiting on a liver transplant. Sunday July 11, 2010 Little Feat played at Vancouver Island Music Fest, and Hayward was slated to play just a couple of tunes, but once he sat behind his kit, he finished out the night. Hayward had intended to return to the band in the event of recovery but he died on August 12, 2010 from pneumonia and complications from lung disease.

Legacy - today and tomorrow

Some of the prominent musicians and bands to play and record the music of Little Feat include Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...

, The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in 1989. Their discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the...

, The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...

, The Bridge
The Bridge (band)
The Bridge is an American jam band. They are based out of Baltimore, Maryland and formed between 2001 and 2002. The band is known for their live performances, blending "various elements of blues, folk, funk and bluegrass"-The band:...

, Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...

, Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....

, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...

, Steve Earle
Steve Earle
Stephen Fain "Steve" Earle is an American singer-songwriter known for his rock and Texas Country as well as his political views. He is also a producer, author, a political activist, and an actor, and has written and directed a play....

, Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...

, Taylor Hicks
Taylor Hicks
Taylor Reuben Hicks is an American singer who achieved fame in 2006, when he won the fifth season of American Idol. Hicks got his start as a professional musician in his late teens and performed around the Southeastern United States for well over the span of a decade, during which he also released...

, Ron Holloway
Ron Holloway
Ronald Edward "Ron" Holloway is an American tenor saxophonist. He is listed in the Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz where veteran jazz critic Ira Gitler described Holloway as a "bear-down-hard-bopper who can blow authentic R&B and croon a ballad with warm, blue feeling." Holloway is the recipient...

, Keisuke Kuwata
Keisuke Kuwata
has gained fame as a Japanese multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and frontman for the Southern All-Stars, as well as his own solo band, the Kuwata band. He has also done significant amount of scoring music for films. He went to Aoyama Gakuin University....

, Nicolette Larson
Nicolette Larson
Nicolette Larson was an American pop singer. She is perhaps best known for her work in the late 1970s with Neil Young, as well as her 1978 cover of Young's "Lotta Love". The song, her debut single, was a Number One Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks hit and #8 pop hit that year...

, Nazareth
Nazareth (band)
Nazareth is a Scottish hard rock band, founded in 1968, that had several hits in the UK in the early 1970s, and established an international audience with their 1975 album Hair of the Dog. Perhaps their best-known hit single was a cover of the ballad "Love Hurts", in 1975...

, Robert Palmer, The Radiators
The Radiators (US)
The Radiators, also known as The New Orleans Radiators, are a rock band from New Orleans, Louisiana, who have combined the traditional musical styles of their native city with more mainstream rock and R&B influences to form a bouncy, funky variety of swamp-rock they call fish-head music...

, Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...

, Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...

, John Sebastian
John Sebastian
John Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000...

, Richard Shindell
Richard Shindell
Richard Shindell is an American folk songwriter. Shindell grew up in Port Washington, New York. He currently lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with his wife, a university professor, and their children....

, Carly Simon
Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...

, Mick Taylor
Mick Taylor
Michael Kevin "Mick" Taylor is an English musician, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and The Rolling Stones...

, Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...

, Joe Walsh
Joe Walsh
Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has been a member of three commercially successful bands, the James Gang, Barnstorm, and the Eagles, and has experienced notable success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, especially with B.B...

, Bob Weir
Bob Weir
Bob Weir is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, most recognized as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead, together with other former members of the Grateful Dead...

, Phil Lesh
Phil Lesh
Phillip Chapman Lesh is a musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career....

, Sam Bush
Sam Bush
Sam Bush is an American bluegrass mandolin player considered an originator of the Newgrass style.- History :...

, Coco Montoya
Coco Montoya
Coco Montoya is an American blues guitarist and former member of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers.-Musical career:...

, Vince Herman
Vince Herman
Vince Herman is a guitarist and singer best known for being one of the founding members of Leftover Salmon. Leftover Salmon started in 1989 as somewhat of a melding of the Left Hand String Band and the Salmonheads, and became more and more popular over the sixteen years that followed...

, Inara George
Inara George
Inara Maryland George is a Los Angeles, California-based singer-songwriter, one half of The Bird and the Bee, a member of the band Merrick, with Bryony Atkinson, and a member of the trio The Living Sisters, with Eleni Mandell and Becky Stark...

, Stephen Bruton
Stephen Bruton
-Background:Born in Wilmington, Delaware as Turner Stephen Bruton, he moved with his family to Texas at the age of two. He fell into the Fort Worth music scene after graduating from Texas Christian University when he joined Kris Kristofferson's band as the latter's career was about to take off;...

, Widespread Panic
Widespread Panic
Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Todd Nance, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guitarist Jimmy Herring...

 and Jimmy Buffett
Jimmy Buffett
James William "Jimmy" Buffett is a singer-songwriter, author, entrepreneur, and film producer. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett's musical hits include "Margaritaville" , and "Come Monday"...

 .

In 2008, Little Feat reached their 20th anniversary as a once-again active band, and with just one line up change since 1988. Jimmy Buffett has been an enthusiastic booster of the band for many years and his private record label was partnered with Feat's Hot Tomato Records to produce the CD Join the Band. Released in mid-August 2008, the album features collaborations with Buffett, Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews
David John "Dave" Matthews is a South African–born American musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band...

, Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...

, Bob Seger
Bob Seger
Robert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...

, Béla Fleck
Béla Fleck
Béla Anton Leoš Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.-Early life and career details:Fleck was born in...

, Brooks and Dunn, Chris Robinson (Black Crowes), Vince Gill
Vince Gill
Vincent Grant "Vince" Gill is an American neotraditional country singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman to the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s, and as a solo artist beginning in 1983, where his talents as a...

, Mike Gordon
Mike Gordon
Mike Gordon is a bass guitar player and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish. Gordon is also an accomplished banjo player, and is proficient at piano, guitar, harmonica and percussion...

 (Phish), and Inara George
Inara George
Inara Maryland George is a Los Angeles, California-based singer-songwriter, one half of The Bird and the Bee, a member of the band Merrick, with Bryony Atkinson, and a member of the trio The Living Sisters, with Eleni Mandell and Becky Stark...

.

On October 31, 2010, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ, the band Phish covered Little Feat's album, Waiting for Columbus, for their annual Halloween show. As a result of this concert and the distribution of its recording, Waiting For Columbus has recently gained recognition from a wider audience and has become culturally relevant to the youth of the modern era (2010).

Personnel

Little Feat personnel
Little Feat (1969–72)
  • Lowell George
    Lowell George
    Lowell Thomas George was an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, who was the main guitarist and songwriter for the rock band Little Feat.- Early years :...

     - vocals, guitar, harmonica
  • Bill Payne
    Bill Payne
    Bill Payne is a founding member of American rock band Little Feat. He is considered by many other piano rock musicians, including Elton John, to be one of the finest American piano rock and blues music artists...

     - vocals, keyboards
  • Roy Estrada
    Roy Estrada
    Roy Estrada is an American musician and backing vocalist, best known for his bass guitar work with Frank Zappa and for co-founding Little Feat.-Biography:With drummer Jimmy Carl Black and Ray Collins, Estrada was an original member of Frank Zappa's...

     - bass, backing vocals
  • Richie Hayward
    Richie Hayward
    Richie Hayward was a drummer best known as a founding member and drummer in the band Little Feat. He performed with several bands and worked as a session player...

     - drums, backing vocals
Little Feat (1972–79)
  • Lowell George
    Lowell George
    Lowell Thomas George was an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, who was the main guitarist and songwriter for the rock band Little Feat.- Early years :...

     - vocals, guitar, harmonica
  • Bill Payne
    Bill Payne
    Bill Payne is a founding member of American rock band Little Feat. He is considered by many other piano rock musicians, including Elton John, to be one of the finest American piano rock and blues music artists...

     - vocals, keyboards
  • Paul Barrere
    Paul Barrere
    Paul Barrere is a current member of the band Little Feat, having joined the band in 1974...

     - vocals, guitar
  • Kenny Gradney
    Kenny Gradney
    Kenny Gradney, a native of New Orleans, is a member of the band Little Feat. He joined after their second album, replacing founding bassist Roy Estrada in 1972....

     - bass
  • Richie Hayward
    Richie Hayward
    Richie Hayward was a drummer best known as a founding member and drummer in the band Little Feat. He performed with several bands and worked as a session player...

     - drums, backing vocals
  • Sam Clayton
    Sam Clayton
    Sam Clayton has been a singer and percussionist, primarily focusing on drums; conga and djembe, throughout his musical career. He is best known for his membership as percussionist and supporting vocalist with the American rock band Little Feat since 1972....

     - congas, vocals, percussion
  • Little Feat (1987–93)
  • Bill Payne
    Bill Payne
    Bill Payne is a founding member of American rock band Little Feat. He is considered by many other piano rock musicians, including Elton John, to be one of the finest American piano rock and blues music artists...

     - vocals, keyboards
  • Paul Barrere
    Paul Barrere
    Paul Barrere is a current member of the band Little Feat, having joined the band in 1974...

     - vocals, guitar, slide guitar
  • Craig Fuller
    Craig Fuller
    Craig Fuller is an American musician and songwriter. Co-founder of Pure Prairie League, along with John David Call and George Ed Powell. Fuller departed after their second album, Bustin' Out, due to draft board problems. He returned to the music business in 1976 for two LPs with American Flyer...

     - vocals, additional guitar
  • Fred Tackett
    Fred Tackett
    Fred Tackett, an American native of Arkansas, is an accomplished songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Originally a session player on guitar, mandolin, and trumpet, he is best known for his longevity as a member of the band Little Feat....

     - guitar, mandolin, trumpet
  • Kenny Gradney
    Kenny Gradney
    Kenny Gradney, a native of New Orleans, is a member of the band Little Feat. He joined after their second album, replacing founding bassist Roy Estrada in 1972....

     - bass
  • Richie Hayward
    Richie Hayward
    Richie Hayward was a drummer best known as a founding member and drummer in the band Little Feat. He performed with several bands and worked as a session player...

     - drums, backing vocals
  • Sam Clayton
    Sam Clayton
    Sam Clayton has been a singer and percussionist, primarily focusing on drums; conga and djembe, throughout his musical career. He is best known for his membership as percussionist and supporting vocalist with the American rock band Little Feat since 1972....

     - congas, vocals, percussion
  • Little Feat (1993-Jan. 2009)
  • Bill Payne
    Bill Payne
    Bill Payne is a founding member of American rock band Little Feat. He is considered by many other piano rock musicians, including Elton John, to be one of the finest American piano rock and blues music artists...

     - vocals, keyboards
  • Paul Barrere
    Paul Barrere
    Paul Barrere is a current member of the band Little Feat, having joined the band in 1974...

     - vocals, guitar, slide guitar
  • Shaun Murphy
    Shaun Murphy (singer)
    Shaun Murphy is an American R&B singer songwriter, best known for her powerhouse singing style. Her recording career started in 1971 with Motown Records and continues to this day.-Biography:...

     - vocals, tambourine
  • Fred Tackett
    Fred Tackett
    Fred Tackett, an American native of Arkansas, is an accomplished songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Originally a session player on guitar, mandolin, and trumpet, he is best known for his longevity as a member of the band Little Feat....

     - guitar, mandolin, trumpet, vocals
  • Kenny Gradney
    Kenny Gradney
    Kenny Gradney, a native of New Orleans, is a member of the band Little Feat. He joined after their second album, replacing founding bassist Roy Estrada in 1972....

     - bass
  • Richie Hayward
    Richie Hayward
    Richie Hayward was a drummer best known as a founding member and drummer in the band Little Feat. He performed with several bands and worked as a session player...

     - drums, vocals
  • Sam Clayton
    Sam Clayton
    Sam Clayton has been a singer and percussionist, primarily focusing on drums; conga and djembe, throughout his musical career. He is best known for his membership as percussionist and supporting vocalist with the American rock band Little Feat since 1972....

     - congas, vocals, percussion
  • Little Feat (Jan. 2009-Aug. 2009)
  • Bill Payne
    Bill Payne
    Bill Payne is a founding member of American rock band Little Feat. He is considered by many other piano rock musicians, including Elton John, to be one of the finest American piano rock and blues music artists...

     - vocals, keyboards
  • Paul Barrere
    Paul Barrere
    Paul Barrere is a current member of the band Little Feat, having joined the band in 1974...

     - vocals, guitar, slide guitar
  • Fred Tackett
    Fred Tackett
    Fred Tackett, an American native of Arkansas, is an accomplished songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Originally a session player on guitar, mandolin, and trumpet, he is best known for his longevity as a member of the band Little Feat....

     - guitar, mandolin, trumpet, vocals
  • Kenny Gradney
    Kenny Gradney
    Kenny Gradney, a native of New Orleans, is a member of the band Little Feat. He joined after their second album, replacing founding bassist Roy Estrada in 1972....

     - bass
  • Richie Hayward
    Richie Hayward
    Richie Hayward was a drummer best known as a founding member and drummer in the band Little Feat. He performed with several bands and worked as a session player...

     - drums, backing vocals
  • Sam Clayton
    Sam Clayton
    Sam Clayton has been a singer and percussionist, primarily focusing on drums; conga and djembe, throughout his musical career. He is best known for his membership as percussionist and supporting vocalist with the American rock band Little Feat since 1972....

     - congas, vocals, percussion
  • Little Feat (Aug. 2009–present)
  • Bill Payne
    Bill Payne
    Bill Payne is a founding member of American rock band Little Feat. He is considered by many other piano rock musicians, including Elton John, to be one of the finest American piano rock and blues music artists...

     - vocals, keyboards
  • Paul Barrere
    Paul Barrere
    Paul Barrere is a current member of the band Little Feat, having joined the band in 1974...

     - vocals, guitar, slide guitar
  • Fred Tackett
    Fred Tackett
    Fred Tackett, an American native of Arkansas, is an accomplished songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Originally a session player on guitar, mandolin, and trumpet, he is best known for his longevity as a member of the band Little Feat....

     - guitar, mandolin, trumpet, vocals
  • Kenny Gradney
    Kenny Gradney
    Kenny Gradney, a native of New Orleans, is a member of the band Little Feat. He joined after their second album, replacing founding bassist Roy Estrada in 1972....

     - bass
  • Gabe Ford
    Gabe Ford
    Gabe Ford is an American musician probably best known as the current drummer for Little Feat. He was born into a musical family. His father, Patrick, is also a musician as are his uncles Mark Ford and Robben Ford. He plays drums, guitar and keyboards.-Musical career:Ford spent his early career in...

     - drums
  • Sam Clayton
    Sam Clayton
    Sam Clayton has been a singer and percussionist, primarily focusing on drums; conga and djembe, throughout his musical career. He is best known for his membership as percussionist and supporting vocalist with the American rock band Little Feat since 1972....

     - congas, vocals, percussion

  • Studio albums

    • Little Feat
      Little Feat (album)
      Little Feat was the eponymous debut by the American rock band Little Feat, released in January 1971. Cobbled together from a variety of recording sessions mostly between August and September 1970, its sound can be best described as the antithesis to any of the group's classic recordings . Featuring...

      (1971
      1971 in music
      -Events:*February 1 – after months of feuding in the press, Ginger Baker and Elvin Jones hold a "drum battle" at The Lyceum.*February 8 – Bob Dylan's hour-long documentary film, Eat the Document, is premièred at New York's Academy of Music...

      )
    • Sailin' Shoes
      Sailin' Shoes
      Sailin' Shoes was the second studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1972. It is notable for several reasons.First, it introduced the work of Neon Park to the group, with his design of a sailing shoe of a cake swinging on a tree swing that adorned the front cover, which...

      (1972
      1972 in music
      -Events:*January 17 – Highway 51 South in Memphis, Tennessee is renamed "Elvis Presley Boulevard"*January 20 – The début of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon at The Dome, Brighton, is halted by technical difficulties,...

      )
    • Dixie Chicken
      Dixie Chicken (album)
      Dixie Chicken is the third studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1973. . The artwork for the front cover was by illustrator Neon Park....

      (1973
      1973 in music
      -January–April:*January 9 – Mick Jagger's request for a Japanese visa is rejected on account of a 1969 drug conviction, putting an abrupt end to The Rolling Stones' plans to perform in Japan during their forthcoming tour.*January 14...

      )
    • Feats Don't Fail Me Now
      Feats Don't Fail Me Now
      Feats Don't Fail Me Now is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1974. .-Track listing:#"Rock & Roll Doctor" – 2:57#"Oh, Atlanta" – 3:26...

      (1974
      1974 in music
      -January–April:*January 3 – Bob Dylan and The Band kick off their 40-date concert tour at Chicago Stadium. It's Dylan's first time on the road since 1966.*January 17...

      )
    • The Last Record Album
      The Last Record Album
      The Last Record Album is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1975. .-Track listing:#"Romance Dance" – 3:49#"All That You Dream" – 3:52...

      (1975
      1975 in music
      -January–April:*January 2 - New York City U.S. District Court Judge Richard Owen rules that former Beatle John Lennon and his lawyers can have access to Department of Immigration files pertaining to his deportation case....

      )
    • Time Loves A Hero
      Time Loves a Hero
      Time Loves a Hero is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1977. .-Track listing:#"Hi Roller" – 3:35#"Time Loves a Hero" – 3:47...

      (1977
      1977 in music
      This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1977.-January–February:*January 1 – The Clash headline the gala opening of the London music club, The Roxy....

      )
    • Down on the Farm
      Down on the Farm
      Down on the Farm is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1979. It was also their last original work for nine years. The band announced their break-up in June 1979 during the making of the album, and a fortnight later the band's founder and guiding light Lowell...

      (1979
      1979 in music
      See also:Record labels established in 1979* 1979 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1979.-January–February:*January 1...

      ) [completed after George's death]
    • Let It Roll (1988
      1988 in music
      This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1988.-January-March:* January 1 – André Rieu's Johann Strauss Orchestra plays its first concert....

      )
    • Representing the Mambo
      Representing the Mambo
      Representing the Mambo is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1990 . First single "Texas Twister", aided by a popular video which received heavy rotation on MTV, became the band's second #1 hit on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.-Track listing:#"Texas Twister"...

      (1990
      1990 in music
      This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1990.-Events:*January 21 – MTV's Unplugged premieres on cable television with British band Squeeze...

      )
    • Shake Me Up
      Shake Me Up
      Shake Me Up is the tenth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1991. . It was the last that they recorded with frontman Craig Fuller.-Track listing:...

      (1991
      1991 in music
      See also:* 1991 in music Record labels established in 1991-Summary:The year 1991 is the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. Nirvana's Nevermind, led by the surprise hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit", becomes the most popular U.S. album of the year...

      )
    • Ain't Had Enough Fun
      Ain't Had Enough Fun
      Ain't Had Enough Fun is the eleventh studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1995. . It was their first with female vocalist Shaun Murphy and was dedicated to the memory of their cover artist Neon Park who died in 1993 after a long battle with Lou Gehrig's disease...

      (1995
      1995 in music
      This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1995.- January–February :*January 18 – Jerry Garcia crashes his rented BMW into a guard rail near Mill Valley, California, USA, but is not injured in the accident....

      )
    • Under the Radar
      Under the Radar (Little Feat album)
      Under the Radar is the twelfth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1998. . It was the fifth studio album since the band reunited in 1988 and the second since vocalist Shaun Murphy joined Little Feat....

      (1996
      1996 in music
      This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact...

      )
    • Chinese Work Songs
      Chinese Work Songs
      Chinese Work Songs is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 2000.-Track listing:#"Rag Mama Rag" Chinese Work Songs is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 2000.-Track listing:#"Rag Mama Rag" Chinese Work Songs is the...

      (2000
      2000 in music
      See also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January – Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List....

      )
    • Kickin' It at the Barn
      Kickin' It at the Barn
      Kickin' It at the Barn is the fourteenth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 2003. . The album's name came from its recording at guitarist Fred Tackett's barn in Topanga Canyon. Tackett made his debut as a lead vocalist on this album with his own song In A Town Like...

      (2003
      2003 in music
      -January:* January – following an investigation by The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and London detectives, police raids in England and the Netherlands recover nearly 500 original Beatles studio tapes, recorded during the Let It Be sessions. Five people are arrested...

      )
    • Join the Band (2008
      2008 in music
      2008 was a huge year in music history with the emergence of pop superstars Lady Gaga and Katy Perry into the mainstream. Also, this is the year that is widely agreed upon by critics as the start of the fall of hip hop from the mainstream and the rise of Synthpop into the mainstream due to acts such...

      )

    Live albums

    • Waiting for Columbus
      Waiting for Columbus
      Waiting for Columbus is the first live album by the Southern roots-rock band, Little Feat. The album was recorded during seven performances in 1977. The first four shows were held at the Rainbow Theatre in London on August 1-4, 1977. The final three shows were recorded in George Washington...

      (1978
      1978 in music
      This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1978.-January–April:*January 14 – The Sex Pistols play their final show at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom....

      )
    • Live From Neon Park
      Live from Neon Park
      Live from Neon Park is the second live album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1996. . The name of the album was a suggestion of a Little Feat fan in commemoration of the then-recent passing of long-time Little Feat album cover artist and friend of the band, Neon Park.-Track...

      (1996
      1996 in music
      This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact...

      )
    • Extended Versions
      Extended Versions (Little Feat album)
      Extended Versions is a live album by the American rock band Little Feat, recorded at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles CA on June 14, 1998 for the Under the Radar album release, and released in 2000.-Track listing:...

      (2000
      2000 in music
      See also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January – Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List....

      )
    • Late Night Truck Stop (2001
      2001 in music
      See also:* 2001 in music Record labels established in 2001-Events:*January 1**Comeback of Guns N' Roses in House of Blues**Hum disbands.*January 17 – Bass player Jason Newsted leaves Metallica after 14 years with the band....

      )
    • Waiting for Columbus
      Waiting for Columbus
      Waiting for Columbus is the first live album by the Southern roots-rock band, Little Feat. The album was recorded during seven performances in 1977. The first four shows were held at the Rainbow Theatre in London on August 1-4, 1977. The final three shows were recorded in George Washington...

      (2002
      2002 in music
      This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2002.-Events:*February 3 – U2 perform during the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXVI...

      ) [re-release, doubled in size]
    • Live at the Rams Head
      Live at the Rams Head
      Live at the Ram's Head is the third live album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 2002. .-Track listing:Disc one#"Hate to Lose Your Lovin'" – 4:35#"Rocket in My Pocket" – 7:13...

      (2002)
    • Down Upon the Suwannee River
      Down upon the Suwannee River
      Down Upon the Suwannee River is the fourth live album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 2003. .-Track listing:Disc 1#"Introduction" – 0:11#"All That You Dream" – 7:40...

      (2003
      2003 in music
      -January:* January – following an investigation by The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and London detectives, police raids in England and the Netherlands recover nearly 500 original Beatles studio tapes, recorded during the Let It Be sessions. Five people are arrested...

      ) [a two-disc set]
    • Highwire Act Live in St. Louis 2003
      Highwire Act Live in St. Louis 2003
      Highwire Act: Live in St. Louis 2003 is the fifth live album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 2004. . There was also a video of the same performance released on DVD.-Track listing:Disc 1...

      (2004
      2004 in music
      See also:* 2004 in music Record labels established in 2004-January:*January 1**The Vienna New Year's Concert is conducted by Riccardo Muti.**Kurt Nilsen wins World Idol....

      )
    • Barnstormin' Live Volume One
      Barnstormin' Live
      Barnstormin' Live' is a Little Feat live performance that was first released as two single CD albums, Volume One and Volume Two, in early and late 2005...

      (2005
      2005 in music
      -Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:...

      )
    • Barnstormin' Live Volume Two
      Barnstormin' Live
      Barnstormin' Live' is a Little Feat live performance that was first released as two single CD albums, Volume One and Volume Two, in early and late 2005...

      (2005)
    • Rocky Mountain Jam
      Rocky Mountain Jam
      Rocky Mountain Jam is the ninth live album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 2007. . It is currently the band's most recent live release and features long improvisational jams on most of the songs including a nod to the Grateful Dead's "Dark Star" at the beginning of "Dixie...

      (2007
      2007 in music
      This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2007.-January:*January 1 - George Shearing is knighted for services to music in the Queen's New Year Honours List. Evelyn Glennie becomes a Dame...

      )
    • Rams Head Revisited (2010
      2010 in music
      2010 in music may refer to:*2010 in American music*2010 in Australian music*2010 in British music*2010 in Canadian music*2010 in European music *2010 in Irish music*2010 in Japanese music*2010 in New Zealand music...

      )

    Compilation albums

    • Hoy-Hoy!
      Hoy-Hoy!
      Hoy Hoy! is the name of a Little Feat collection released in 1981 two years after the band's break-up following the death of founder Lowell George...

       (1981
      1981 in music
      See also:* Timeline of musical eventsThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1981.-January–April:*January 10 – A revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance opens at Broadway's Uris Theatre, starring Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith.*January 24 –...

      )
      [collection of live recordings]
    • As Time Goes By: The Very Best of Little Feat (1994
      1994 in music
      This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1994.-January–February:*January 25 – Alice in Chains release their Jar of Flies album which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the first ever EP to do so....

      ) [Import to US
      United States
      The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

       - first, and only, Feat album available on CD for many years]
    • Hotcakes & Outtakes: 30 Years Of Little Feat (2000
      2000 in music
      See also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January – Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List....

      ) [4 CD collection & outtakes][boxed set]
    • Ripe Tomatos - Volume One (2002
      2002 in music
      This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2002.-Events:*February 3 – U2 perform during the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXVI...

      )
    • Raw Tomatos - Volume One (2002)
    • The Essentials (2005
      2005 in music
      -Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:...

      ) [Import to US]
    • Barnstormin' Live Volumes One + Two
      Barnstormin' Live
      Barnstormin' Live' is a Little Feat live performance that was first released as two single CD albums, Volume One and Volume Two, in early and late 2005...

      (2006
      2006 in music
      This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2006.-January:*January 10 – Eric Burdon releases his album Soul of a Man and begins touring with a new band....

      ) [boxed set]
    • The Best of Little Feat (2006
      2006 in music
      This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2006.-January:*January 10 – Eric Burdon releases his album Soul of a Man and begins touring with a new band....

      )

    Videos

    • Rockpalast Live (2000
      2000 in music
      See also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January – Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List....

      ) [DVD] - Eleven-song performance for German live music television show "Rockpalast" that originally aired in July 1977, plus one bonus live track from Pinkpop Festival, Geleen, Holland, June 7, 1976
    • High Wire Act Live In St. Louis 2003 (2004
      2004 in music
      See also:* 2004 in music Record labels established in 2004-January:*January 1**The Vienna New Year's Concert is conducted by Riccardo Muti.**Kurt Nilsen wins World Idol....

       live) [DVD]
    • Little Feat & Friends in Jamaica - Burgers & Paradise (2006
      2006 in music
      This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2006.-January:*January 10 – Eric Burdon releases his album Soul of a Man and begins touring with a new band....

       live) [2 DVDs] - Little Feat & Friends in Jamaica 2005
    • Little Feat: Skin It Back - The Rockpalast Collection (2009
      2009 in music
      The following is a list of notable events and releases in 2009 in music. Susan Boyle's album I Dreamed a Dream became the biggest selling album in the world for 2009, selling 8.3 million copies in five weeks; more than any other artist's in the whole year...

      ) [DVD] - At the Grugahalle in Essen in 1977, just before the recording album "Waiting For Columbus." Includes almost 30 minutes of alternative rehearsal versions including material that did not make it into the final show.

    Singles

    • Hate to Lose Your Lovin' (#1 rock 1988)
    • Texas Twister (#1 rock 1990)
    • Let It Roll (#3 rock 1988)
    • One Clear Moment (#10 rock 1989)
    • Shake Me Up (#14 rock 1991)
    • Long Time Till I Get Over You (#19 rock 1988)
    • Woman In Love (#21 rock 1988)
    • Rad Gumbo (#23 rock 1989)
    • Rock & Roll Doctor (#34 rock 1981)

    Annual band excursion to Jamaica

    Since 2003
    2003 in music
    -January:* January – following an investigation by The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and London detectives, police raids in England and the Netherlands recover nearly 500 original Beatles studio tapes, recorded during the Let It Be sessions. Five people are arrested...

     Little Feat has organised an annual fans' trip to Jamaica, where the full band plays several shows, often with guests, and various members perform solo and duo sets,
    Year Dates Solo/Duo shows
    1st Annual Featfan Excursion Two band shows:
    • 1 February 2003 (with Piero Mariani)
    • 2 February 2003 (with Piero Mariani)
  • Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett (31 January 2003)
  • Kenny Gradney (2 February 2003)
  • Fred Tackett with Miles Tackett and Dominic Genova (2 February 2003)
  • 2nd Annual Featfan Excursion Two band shows:
  • 30 January 2004 (with Sam Bush
    Sam Bush
    Sam Bush is an American bluegrass mandolin player considered an originator of the Newgrass style.- History :...

    )
  • 31 January 2004 (with Sam Bush)
  • Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett (29 January 2004)
  • Kenny Gradney with Piero Mariani (31 January 2004)
  • Richie Hayward (31 January 2004)
  • Bill Payne with Shaun Murphy and Piero Mariani (31 January 2004)
  • 3rd Annual Featfan Excursion Two band shows:
  • 28 January 2005 (with Coco Montoya
    Coco Montoya
    Coco Montoya is an American blues guitarist and former member of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers.-Musical career:...

    , Stephen Bruton
    Stephen Bruton
    -Background:Born in Wilmington, Delaware as Turner Stephen Bruton, he moved with his family to Texas at the age of two. He fell into the Fort Worth music scene after graduating from Texas Christian University when he joined Kris Kristofferson's band as the latter's career was about to take off;...

    , Miles Tackett and Piero Mariani)
  • 29 January 2005 (with Coco Montoya, Stephen Bruton, Miles Tackett and Piero Mariani)
  • Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett (27 January 2005)
  • Richie Hayward (29 January 2005)
  • Bill Payne with Shaun Murphy, Coco Montoya, Stephen Bruton, Piero Mariani and the Cajun Queens (29 January 2005)
  • 4th Annual Featfan Excursion Five band shows:
  • 28 January 2006 (with Inara George
    Inara George
    Inara Maryland George is a Los Angeles, California-based singer-songwriter, one half of The Bird and the Bee, a member of the band Merrick, with Bryony Atkinson, and a member of the trio The Living Sisters, with Eleni Mandell and Becky Stark...

    , Piero Mariani, Sam Bush and Vince Herman
    Vince Herman
    Vince Herman is a guitarist and singer best known for being one of the founding members of Leftover Salmon. Leftover Salmon started in 1989 as somewhat of a melding of the Left Hand String Band and the Salmonheads, and became more and more popular over the sixteen years that followed...

    )
  • 29 January 2006 (with Inara George, Piero Mariani, Sam Bush and Vince Herman)
  • 1 February 2006 (with Piero Mariani, Ron Holloway
    Ron Holloway
    Ronald Edward "Ron" Holloway is an American tenor saxophonist. He is listed in the Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz where veteran jazz critic Ira Gitler described Holloway as a "bear-down-hard-bopper who can blow authentic R&B and croon a ballad with warm, blue feeling." Holloway is the recipient...

     and Coco Montoya)
  • 3 February 2006 (with Piero Mariani, Ron Holloway and Coco Montoya)
  • 4 February 2006 (with Coco Montoya)
  • Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett (27 January 2006)
  • Bill Payne with Shaun Murphy, Fred Tackett, Paul Barrere and Piero Mariani (29 January 2006)
  • Bill Payne with Shaun Murphy, Fred Tackett, Paul Barrere, Ron Holloway
    Ron Holloway
    Ronald Edward "Ron" Holloway is an American tenor saxophonist. He is listed in the Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz where veteran jazz critic Ira Gitler described Holloway as a "bear-down-hard-bopper who can blow authentic R&B and croon a ballad with warm, blue feeling." Holloway is the recipient...

     and Piero Mariani (2 February 2006)
  • 5th Annual Featfan Excursion Four band shows:
  • 28 January 2007 (with Craig Fuller and Vince Herman)
  • 29 January 2007 (with Craig Fuller, Vince Herman, Howie Golub, Michael B. Favreau and Larry Lister)
  • 2 February 2007 (with Craig Fuller and Hubert Sumlin
    Hubert Sumlin
    Hubert Sumlin is an American Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist and singer, best known for his celebrated work, from 1955, as guitarist in Howlin' Wolf's band. His singular playing is characterized by "wrenched, shattering bursts of notes, sudden cliff-hanger silences and daring rhythmic...

    )
  • 3 February 2007 (with Craig Fuller and Hubert Sumlin
    Hubert Sumlin
    Hubert Sumlin is an American Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist and singer, best known for his celebrated work, from 1955, as guitarist in Howlin' Wolf's band. His singular playing is characterized by "wrenched, shattering bursts of notes, sudden cliff-hanger silences and daring rhythmic...

    )
  • Fred Tackett, Paul Barrere, Craig Fuller and Vince Herman (27 January 2007)
  • Craig Fuller (29 January 2007)
  • Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett (1 February 2007)
  • Fred Tackett (3 February 2007)
  • 6th Annual Featfan Excursion Two band shows:
  • 2 February 2008 (with Vince Herman)
  • 4 February 2008 (with Vince Herman)
  • Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett (1 February 2008)

  • External links

    • Little Feat collection on the Internet Archive's
      Internet Archive
      The Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...

      live music archive
    The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
     
    x
    OK