David Stanley Payne (born 11 August 1944) is an English

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pro ...

best known as a member of

Ian Dury Ian Robins Dury (12 May 1942 27 March 2000) was a British singer, songwriter and actor who rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and new wave era of rock music. He was the lead singer and lyricist of Ian Dury and the Blockheads ...

's backing band

The Blockheads The Blockheads are an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Originally fronted by lead singer Ian Dury as Ian Dury and the Blockheads or Ian and the Blockheads, the band has continued to perform since Dury's death in 2000. Current member ...

, and for his twin saxophone solo on their 1978 UK No. 1 single "

Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick" is a song by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, first released as a single on Stiff Records in the UK on 23 November 1978 and credited to "Ian & the Blockheads". Written by Dury and the Blockheads' multi-instrumentalist C ...

". He also appeared on the first version of

Nico Naftiran Intertrade Company limited (NICO) is a Swiss-based subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). NICO is a general contractor for the oil and gas industry. NIOC buys the vast majority of Iran's gasoline imports. NICO is a key pl ...

's 1981 album '' Drama of Exile''. According to

Pete Frame Peter Frame (born 10 November 1942 in Luton, Bedfordshire, England) is an English music journalist and historian of rock music. He has produced outlines of the history of rock bands for various magazines, such as ''Sounds'', ''NME'', '' Melody ...

's Rock Family Trees, Payne grew up in

Clacton-on-Sea Clacton-on-Sea is a seaside town in the Tendring District in the county of Essex, England. It is located on the Tendring Peninsula and is the largest settlement in the Tendring District with a population of 56,874 (2016). The town is situated ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

and started playing the clarinet because of his enjoyment of

Dixieland Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

. On hearing swing,

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...

and

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gi ...

in the 1960s he moved to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, and began taking lessons and going to jazz clubs. He also took up the soprano saxophone, and began playing in mixed media events. He was drawn into The People Band, and moved with them to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. He met Ian Dury when he visited London in late 1970—"He thought I was a junkie, I thought he was an idiot"—and returned to the Netherlands. After the People Band played a gig in London with Dury's proto-punk Pub Rock band

Kilburn and the High Roads Kilburn and the High Roads were a British pub rock band formed in London by Ian Dury in 1970. The band released one studio album in 1975, disbanding the same year. AllMusic credits the band with being "an undeniable influence on punk and new w ...

in 1971, he was coerced into joining them for a jam at their home, and ended up staying with the band until it broke up in June 1975. He thereafter returned to Clacton; he played two gigs with

Ronnie Lane Ronald Frederick Lane (1 April 1946 – 4 June 1997) was an English musician and songwriter who is best known as the bass guitarist and founding member of Small Faces (1965–69) and subsequently Faces (1969–73). Lane formed Small Faces ...

, and a few with

The Fabulous Poodles The Fabulous Poodles were a British pre- new wave band formed in 1975. Known for quirky stage antics, such as exploding ukuleles, as well as songs with funny lyrics, The Fabulous Poodles toured with Meat Loaf, Sha Na Na, Tom Petty, Bill Brufor ...

. In the meantime Dury launched a solo career, and Payne contributed to a few songs on Dury's first album, ''

New Boots and Panties!! ''New Boots and Panties!!'' is the debut studio album by Ian Dury, released in the UK on Stiff Records on 30 September 1977. The record covers a diverse range of musical styles which reflect Dury's influences and background in pub rock, taking i ...

'', in 1977. Payne, however, joined

Wreckless Eric Eric Goulden (born 18 May 1954), known as Wreckless Eric, is an English rock/ new wave singer-songwriter, best known for his 1977 single " Whole Wide World" on Stiff Records. More than two decades after its release, the song was included in ''M ...

's band. After the completion of his album and its success, Dury badgered Payne into rejoining his band, now called The Blockheads, full-time; Payne did, and became co-composer of numerous songs in their catalogue. He left the band in August 1998 but returned for an exclusive performance of ''New Boots And Panties!!'' on 17 April 2008, and on 30 April 2009 for two shows at The

Electric Ballroom The Electric Ballroom is a 1,500-capacity performance venue (primarily for rock bands) and indoor market located at 184 Camden High Street in Camden Town, London, England. History The Electric Ballroom started as an Irish ballroom in the 1930 ...

in Camden.

Discography

Albums

* '' Handsome'' – Kilburn and the High Roads (1975) * ''

Wotabunch! ''Wotabunch!'' was released by WEA in 1977 following the success of Ian Dury as a solo artist. It is technically the 'second album' by Kilburn and the High-Roads. When talking about Kilburn and the High-Roads' output in his track-by-track comment ...

'' – Ian Dury & The Kilburns (1977) * ''

'' – Ian Dury (1977) * ''

'' –

(1978) * '' Do It Yourself'' – Ian Dury & The Blockheads (1979) * '' Laughter'' – Ian Dury & The Blockheads (1980) * '' Drama of Exile'' –

(1981) * ''It's Personal'' – City Boy (1981) * ''The Best Of Kilburn & The High Roads'' –

(EP, 1983) * '' 4,000 Weeks' Holiday'' – Ian Dury & The Music Students (1984) * ''Hold On To Your Structure'' – Ian Dury & The Blockheads (VHS- Live Video, 1985) * ''

Apples An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

'' – Ian Dury (1989) * ''Live! Warts 'n' Audience'' – Ian Dury & The Blockheads (live album, 1990) * ''

The Bus Driver's Prayer & Other Stories ''The Bus Driver's Prayer & Other Stories'' is the seventh solo album by Ian Dury, released in 1992 by Demon. Despite being recorded after the successful live reunion of Ian Dury and the Blockheads, inspired by the death of their drummer Charley ...

'' – Ian Dury (1992) * '' Mr. Love Pants'' – Ian Dury & The Blockheads (1998) * '' Ten More Turnips from the Tip'' – Ian Dury & The Blockheads (2002)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Payne, Davey English rock saxophonists British male saxophonists Living people 1944 births People from Willesden People from Clacton-on-Sea The Blockheads members 21st-century saxophonists 21st-century British male musicians