A New York Evening With Little Feat

The GRAMMY Museum is thrilled to welcome Little Feat to The Loreto Theater at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture in New York City to discuss their latest album, Strike Up the Band, their career, and creative process with a special live performance. 

Little Feat is your favorite band’s favorite band and has been since its late 1960s origins. After guitarist Lowell George played a song called “Willin’” to his then-bandleader Frank Zappa, the famously eccentric singer-songwriter encouraged George to form his own band. Teaming with keyboardist Bill Payne to form Little Feat, the two embarked on a journey to see the outfit take on many shapes and forms with different members over the years. 

The beauty of Little Feat? It was always restless and fearless, willing to take big swings with its sound and evolve as it deemed fit. When Little Feat is expected to go one way, Little Feat goes the other. 

George, Payne and fellow co-founder Richie Hayward never expected Little Feat to become a household name. Instead, they set their goal of making music their way and in the process, manage to influence their peers and generations to come.

With an assist from Zappa, the band scored a deal with Warner Bros. Records in the early ‘70s, that included drummer Richie Hayward from the Fraternity of Man. For Dixie Chicken, they filled out Little Feat’s lineup with the additional players: Paul Barrere on guitar, Kenny Gradney on bass, and percussionist Sam Clayton from Delaney and Bonnie, who fused disparate elements of rock, blues, jazz, country, and funk, the band went on a hot streak few bands can boast of. Each musician played off each other like how a photographer sees and captures images. 

 The band’s first two albums were critical favorites, with “Willin’” going on to be a hit for Linda Ronstadt. 1973’s funkified Dixie Chicken which featured the beloved title track, the rest of the decade saw Little Feat rattle off hit after hit. Dixie Chicken’s follow-up, Feats Don’t Fail Me Now included “Oh Atlanta,” written and sung by Payne. Over the years, “Oh, Atlanta” has been covered by Phish, Emmylou Harris, and Hank Williams Jr. At the peak of his band’s mid-1970s powers, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page proclaimed to Rolling Stone that Little Feat was his favorite band.

Even with this success, Little Feat wasn’t satisfied. The band continued to pivot and experiment, releasing several more albums before splitting in 1979. Tragically, George died at the age of 34.

During the years apart, the individual players’ resume was enhanced by performing with some of the greatest names in rock history. Little Feat’s members could boast of performing with a dizzying list, including Bob Dylan, Bob Weir, J.J. Cale, EmmyLou Harris, Pink Floyd, Stevie Nicks, B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, and Buddy Guy and Jimmy Buffett to name a few. If a classic rock artist released an album, it’s highly likely a Little Feat member added their magic touch. 

By 1987, Little Feat reformed and just like that, picked up where it left off. Let It Roll showed that Little Feat didn’t miss a beat, with critics once again raving about the band’s ambitious fusion and inventive songwriting. In the years since, Little Feat has not disappointed.

Even as its lineup continues to evolve, Little Feat’s DNA remains the same. With classic members Payne, Sam Clayton, Kenny Gradney, Fred Tackett and newer additions Scott Sharrard (who played in Gregg Allman’s band) and Tony Leone (The Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Phil Lesh & Friends) bringing the band fresh life, Little Feat continues to be a force to be reckoned with.