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Little Feat is an American band formed by singer-songwriter, frontman and guitarist Lowell George and keyboard player Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles.

The band plays a mixture of blues, R&B, country, New Orleans funk, and rock and roll.

Lowell George Era (1969-1979)

George had met Payne when George was a member of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention. Payne had auditioned for the Mothers, but had not joined. They were backed by former Mothers' bassist Roy Estrada and drummer Richie Hayward from George's previous band, The Factory. The name of the band came from a comment made by Mothers' drummer Jimmy Carl Black about Lowell's literally "little feet." The spelling of "feat" was a nod to The Beatles.

There are three legends about the genesis of Little Feat. One has it that George showed Frank 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 Mothers. In any version, Zappa was instrumental in getting George and his new band a record contract. Ironically, when "Willin'" was recorded for the first, eponymous Little Feat album, George had hurt his hand and could not play the song's slide part, so Ry Cooder sat in and played the part. This was one reason why "Willin'" was re-recorded and included on their second album Sailin' Shoes. Sailin' Shoes was also the first Little Feat album to include cover art by Neon Park, who had painted the cover for Zappa's Weasels Ripped My Flesh.

The first two albums, Little Feat and Sailin' Shoes, received nearly universal critical acclaim. George's song "Willin'" became a standard, subsequently popularized by its inclusion on Linda Ronstadt's album Heart Like A Wheel.

Lack of commercial success led, however, to the band splitting up, with Estrada leaving to join Captain Beefheart's Magic Band. In 1972 Little Feat reformed, with bassist Kenny Gradney replacing Estrada. The band also added a second guitarist/vocalist, Paul Barrere, who had known George since High School in California, and percussionist Sam Clayton. This new lineup radically altered the band's sound, leaning toward New Orleans funk. The group went on to record Dixie Chicken (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 (1974), which was a studio-recorded attempt to capture some of the energy of their live shows. (The name of the latter album is a kick-back to early American jazz musician Fats Waller.)

That members of The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin were among Feat's loyal fans gave proof of their musical influence.[citation needed] Mick Taylor can be heard guesting on Waiting For Columbus, Little Feat's live album recorded partly in the Rainbow Theatre in the United Kingdom, and partly in Lisner Auditorium on the campus of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C.. Lowell George was respected for his idiosyncratic genius, for crafting sophisticated melodies and lyrics; writing memorable songs, and for his high production standards. However, he's probably best remembered for his exuberant, unique slide style, which featured sustained, ringing legato lines. His soulful, expressive voice has influenced many performers[citation needed].

The release of The Last Record Album in 1975 signaled another change in the Little Feat sound, with Barrere and Payne developing an interest in jazz-rock. But their jazz feel was further extended in 1977's Time Loves A Hero. Prior to the recording of The Last Record Album, drummer Ritchie Hayward had a motorcycle accident and the liner to the LP 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.

Lowell George continued to produce the albums, but his songwriting contribution diminished as the group moved into jazz fusion. 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 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[citation needed]. 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. George did some work on what would eventually become Down On The Farm but then recorded a solo album Thanks, I'll Eat it Here and declared that Little Feat had disbanded. While touring for Thanks, I'll Eat it Here in June 1979, at the age of 34, George was found dead in his hotel room in Arlington, Virginia. An autopsy found the death to be caused by a heart attack, although it is considered likely that George's weight, (formerly chronic) drug usage, and the strain of touring contributed to his condition.

The surviving members finished and released Down On The Farm before disbanding in 1979. A subsequent retrospective double album compilation of rare outtakes and live tracks, Hoy-Hoy!, was released in 1981.

While Lowell George was the founder of the band, with his great talent as a musician, he learned early on that directing and finding great talent was a niche, possibly from his work with Frank Zappa. The longevity of the band is a great tribute to George, and because of his legacy and inspiration, Little Feat remains, at least, in part, unchanged to this day.