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Little Feat is, in back from left, Bill Payne, Kenny Gradney, Fred Tackett, Scott Sharrard and Tony Leone. Seated in front is Sam Clayton. (Photo by Fletcher Moore)

WHEELING – A lot of special ingredients go into the recipe that formulates the unique rock ‘n’ roll sound of Little Feat, according to keyboard player and founding member Bill Payne.

On Tuesday night, the legendary band promises to serve up a heaping helping of that signature sound – a bluesy southern rock concoction with some Cajun spice and little more mixed in – along the muddy banks of the Ohio River for a show at the Capitol Theatre in Wheeling.

During a recent telephone conversation with Payne, the pianist shared his excitement to get back out on the road for Little Feat’s fall tour – aptly dubbed the “Can’t Be Satisfied” Tour with special guest Duane Betts and Palmetto Motel.

“We’re in a very, very good spot,” Payne said, calling from his home in Montana. “We’ve got a great crew, we’ve got great management. We’re hitting on a lot of cylinders lately.”

With a legacy that spans more than 50 years, Little Feat has a lot to bring to the table – from beloved classics like “Willin’,” “Fat Man in the Bathtub,” “Dixie Chicken,” “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now,” “Skin It Back,” “Oh, Atlanta,” “Spanish Moon,” and many other old-school favorites to a whole host of fresh and infectious cuts from more recent decades.

The most recent Little Feat release – “Sam’s Place” – is truly something different. It features longtime Little Feat percussionist Sam Clayton on lead vocals and is a celebration of the blues.

“It’s the first time we’ve made a record that’s just one genre of music,” Payne said. “We’re a pretty eclectic band, as most people who know our group are aware. This was to spotlight Sam Clayton, who I’ve always thought was the perfect candidate to do a blues album – with or without Little Feat, to be honest with you.”

Payne knows a few things about the blues. In fact, his resume outside of Little Feat features collaborations and appearances with a who’s who of heavy hitters. He’s played with scores of the last half-century’s greatest musicians, including a myriad of blues icons such as B.B. King, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Willie Dixon, Gregg Allman, Johnny Winter, George Porter Jr. and Joe Cocker, just to name a few.

Little Feat’s most recent studio release, ��˾��ֱ���Sam’s Place,��˾��ֱ��� is a unique offering from the band ��˾��ֱ��� a smorgasbord of all-blues numbers featuring lead vocals by the band’s percussionist, Sam Clayton.

“I’ve played with some of the best people there are, and I’ve got to say, Sam’s right up there,” Payne said of Clayton.

Some select hardcore rock aficionados may assert that Little Feat’s true voice and driving force came from founding lead vocalist Lowell George, who died in 1979. Feat fetish favorites certainly are rooted in that early catalog of work. But after an eight-year hiatus following George’s passing, the band reformed in 1987 and has been touring and writing music ever since – keeping the fire burning under the stack of their fans’ best-loved numbers and keeping the creative juices flowing on new material as well.

Founding drummer Richie Hayward died in 2010, and longtime guitarist and vocalist Paul Barrere died in 2019. Despite the loss of many key players from the band’s storied history, today’s veteran Little Feat lineup is as rock-solid as it gets. The lineup features members who have spent decades with the band, along with a couple of other world-class, seasoned musicians as the “newest” members to join in recent years.

Along with Payne on keyboards and vocals are Clayton on percussion and Kenny Gradney on bass (both from the classic Little Feat lineup dating back to 1972), as well as guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Fred Tackett (who has been with the band since it reformed in 1987). The two “new guys” are Scott Sharrard (Gregg Allman Band’s lead guitarist and musical director) on guitar and lead vocals and Tony Leone (who is noted for his work with Levon Helm, Phil Lesh and Chris Robinson and the Brotherhood) on drums.

The new tour and Tuesday night’s show at the Capitol Theatre will also feature The Hot Tomato Horns.

“We’re going to mix it up a little bit,” Payne said. “We’ve got a couple of horn players from Memphis we’re bringing out with us who were on ‘Sam’s Place’ – Marc Franklin and Art Edmaiston. I met them when I was working with the Doobie Brothers some years ago. Scott Sherrard, who is our guitarist and vocalist … knew them, I think, when he was working with Gregg Allman … so we have a pretty good connection with these two horn players.”

It’s hard to describe the Little Feat sound when there are so many different flavors baked into it, Payne admitted.

“I would describe it as rhythmically engaging … it’s a combination,” he said “The genres that we play are everything from rock ‘n’ roll to country to New Orleans-style to rhythm and blues – but the rhythm section that plays throughout can include the keyboards as well as rhythm guitars, percussion, bass and drums. There’s always a sophistication to the way we play. It’s earthy and that, but it’s complex. It’s a sound that’s been developed over a very long time.”

Rock music has evolved over the course of Little Feat’s long career, as well, and although members of the younger generations aren’t exposed to it like those who grew up in the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s and even ’90s, Payne said he doesn’t see rock ‘n’ roll fading away. Regardless of the age of the listener, just put on an old Little Richard record and watch how it elevates the atmosphere in the house, he said.

“I think rock ‘n’ roll is in good shape,” Payne said. “People have tried to bury it for years, and it just doesn’t go away. There’s just an energy to rock ‘n’ roll and an honesty that is not ever going to go away. I think most of us gravitate toward good music – I know it’s subjective, of course. But things that have a melody, things that are rhythmically interesting and have lyrics that you can relate to when someone is singing them – there’s something that makes people gravitate to it.”

That’s part of what keeps Payne and Little Feat eager to hit the road or head back into the studio with new material. Payne said a new album is already in the works for next year. He noted that one cut was co-written by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Robert Hunter, the legendary late lyricist/songwriter for the Grateful Dead.

“I’ve written 20 songs with Robert Hunter … and I’ve never met the guy,” Payne explained. “We did everything through the internet.”

Four of those Hunter-penned songs were featured on Little Feat’s 2012 album “Rooster Rag,” so there are 16 more Hunter-Payne collaborations that have not yet been heard by the general public. One will be included on a new album coming out in 2025 called “Bluegrass Pines,” featuring 13 brand new songs.

“We were at Blackbird Studios in Nashville recording that record,” Payne said. “It really sounds great.”

Today’s Little Feat lineup features players who have been with the band for decade as well as some newer blood that brings their own musical prowess and veteran experience to the mix. From left are Sam Clayton, Scott Sharrard, Bill Payne, Tony Leone, Fred Tackett and Kenny Gradney. (Photo by Hank Randall)

With Little Feat, there’s no thought of slowing down when everything is trucking forward like a finely oiled machine.

“We’ve got some really great songs, and we still love playing,” Payne said, noting that the true test for a musician comes when you perform live. “You can’t fool and audience. You get up there and play in front of them. There can be reasons why maybe you don’t reach them. Maybe the sound in the venue is not good – maybe you can’t hear each other as well, so you’re not playing at the top of your game. But an audience is a tough thing to get around and get past. We’ve got a pretty good track record – certainly in the last few years – of nailing it just about every time we get up there.”

When Payne is not playing with Little Feat, he is collaborating with other musicians – most of whom are among the top in the ��˾��ֱ��. Elton John himself reportedly described Payne as one of the finest American rock and blues pianists that ever played.

“That was the best $25 I’ve ever spent,” Payne joked in reference to the reported praise from Elton John about him that ended up being widely circulated on the internet.

Most recently outside of Little Feat, Payne played and toured with the Doobie Brothers for a number of years before Michael McDonald rejoined them. Payne over the decades has played with everyone from James Taylor to Bob Seger, Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Pink Floyd, Dolly Parton, Barbara Steisand, Art Garfunkel, Neil Diamond, Jimmy Buffett, Carly Simon, Cher, Bryan Adams, Jackson Browne, Rod Stewart, Robert Palmer and many more.

“There’s a lot of stuff out there, man. With the list of people that I’ve played with – I’m either really, really good or I’m just lucky,” he laughed. “I think maybe it’s a combination of both.”

Keyboard player Bill Payne, a founding member of Little Feat, has played with a myriad of top musicians and musical acts over the past five decades. Payne is considered by many of his peers ��˾��ֱ��� including Elton John ��˾��ֱ��� to be one of the finest American rock and blues pianists. (Photo by Polly Payne)

Among the many collaborations in Payne’s past are certain ones that stick out, he hinted. Of course, his musical chemistry with George from the time they revamped the early demo version of “Willin'” into the version that appears on the 1972 album “Sailin’ Shoes,” is a proud achievement that opened the doors to Little Feat history. Another is a chance collaboration on a song for the 1980 movie “Urban Cowboy.”

“Johnny Lee had a song on the soundtrack – ‘Lookin’ for Love,'” Payne said. “I wound up playing on that track, and that kind of helped introduce country music to a much broader audience, which I was kind of proud of.”

Despite his mind-numbing resume, Payne’s humble demeanor and grounded perspective on life makes him quite an engaging storyteller. Outside of music, he is currently working on a new project that tells some of the stories from his many journeys.

“I’m writing a book called ‘Carnival Ghosts’ and documenting some of what I did as a younger guy, obviously, and I’ve shot forward a couple times to illustrate what’s going on now,” he said. “It’s been a good exercise for me to kind of compartmentalize these different lives that I’ve led mainly within the space of music. But we don’t all come from the same standpoint when it comes to what we choose to write about, what influences we have musically and otherwise that occupy our head and come out through our songs and our lyrics and such.”

Tickets for Little Feat’s show at the Capitol Theatre on Tuesday, Oct. 22, are available now. Show time is 7:30 p.m. with special guest Duane Betts and Palmetto Motel opening the show.

Payne said it’s a perfect opportunity to temporarily escape from the grind of politics, hurricanes and all of the other challenges in everyday life.

“Well, I think we all need a break about now,” Payne said. “There’s a lot of stuff that’s just driving everybody crazy. With everything that’s going on out there, Little Feat’s a great place to come and just let go of the side of the pool for a couple of hours and come and enjoy yourselves. If you like good music – and most people do – I think you’ll have some fun that evening.”

The classic 1970s lineup of Little Feat featured, standing from left, Kenny Gradney, Lowell George, Sam Clayton, Paul Barrere and Bill Payne, and seated, Richie Hayward. (Photo by Sam Emerson, courtesy of Little Feat and Warner Bros.)