Asie Reed Payton (April 12, 1937 – May 19, 1997) was an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

, who lived most of his life in Holly Ridge,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, in the

Mississippi Delta The Mississippi Delta, also known as the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta, or simply the Delta, is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi (and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana) that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo ...

. Born in

Washington County, Mississippi Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 51,137. Its county seat is Greenville. The county is named in honor of the first President of the United States, George Washingt ...

, he sang and played the

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, but made his living as a

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...

. Near the end of his life he recorded one

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, ''Worried'', for the

Fat Possum Records Fat Possum Records is an American independent record label based in Water Valley and Oxford, Mississippi. At first Fat Possum focused almost entirely on recording previously unknown Mississippi blues artists (typically from Oxford or Holly Sprin ...

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed dir ...

, which was released after his death. He died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

. He appeared and performed in the documentary

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

, ''You See Me Laughin': The Last of the Hill Country Bluesmen''. There is also a track by Payton on the ''

Big Bad Love ''Big Bad Love'' is a 2001 film directed by Arliss Howard, who co-wrote the script with his brother, James Howard, based on a collection of short stories of the same name by Larry Brown.soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

. Payton's song, "I Love You" from the album, ''Worried'', was used in the closing credits of the 2002

, ''

The Badge ''The Badge'' is a 2002 mystery-thriller film directed by Robby Henson and starring Billy Bob Thornton, Patricia Arquette and William Devane. Release The Badge was originally intended to be distributed by Propaganda Films, but the production com ...

''. Several artists from Fat Possum were featured in the soundtrack, but it was not released. He and his wife Mary are interred at Holly Ridge Cemetery, where

Charlie Patton Charley Patton (April 1891 (probable) – April 28, 1934), also known as Charlie Patton, was an American Delta blues musician and songwriter. Considered by many to be the "Father of the Delta Blues", he created an enduring body of American musi ...

is also buried. Payton's song "Back to the Bridge", from his final album ''Just Do Me Right'' (2002), was featured on the compilation album ''The Rough Guide to Delta Blues'' (2002). The song is also referenced in Jeri Smith-Ready's novel ''Bring On The Night (2010)''.

Filmography

*''You See Me Laughin': The Last of the Hill Country Bluesmen'' (2003; released by Fat Possum Records in 2005)

References

External links

Asie Payton page
from Fat Possum Records site 1937 births 1997 deaths American blues singers American blues guitarists American male guitarists People from Sunflower County, Mississippi Fat Possum Records artists Blues musicians from Mississippi People from Washington County, Mississippi African-American farmers Farmers from Mississippi 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American guitarists Guitarists from Mississippi African-American guitarists 20th-century African-American male singers {{US-guitarist-stub