Jody Payne (January 11, 1936 – August 10, 2013) was an American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

musician and singer. He is best known as a longtime guitarist in

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album '' Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (1 ...

's band, '' The Family''.

Early life

Payne was born James L. Payne in

Garrard County, Kentucky Garrard County ( ;) is a county located in the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the county's population was 16,953. Its county seat is Lancaster. The county was formed in 1796 and was named for James Garrard, Governor ...

. He and his sister, Imogene Payne (born 1934), sang together when they were five and six years old. He sang and played the mandolin for Imogene's first year graduation and that was the beginning of his music career. His next performance was when he was about 10 or 11, they sang with his father on a radio show on WHIR in Danville.

Professional career

In 1951, Payne went on the road playing bluegrass music with

Charlie Monroe Charlie Monroe (July 4, 1903 – September 27, 1975) was an American country and bluegrass music guitarist. Charlie performed with his brother, Bill, as part of the Monroe Brothers. He later formed his own group, Charlie Monroe & the Kentucky P ...

for a time. After he returned home, the family moved to

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, Ohio. He was drafted into the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

in 1958 and served two years. He was discharged in 1960 and, in the spring of 1961, went to Detroit, Michigan and started playing at the West Fort Tavern. He then toured with

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled a ...

and The Strangers. Payne also was on recordings with

Hank Snow Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow (May 9, 1914 – December 20, 1999) was a Canadian-American country music artist. Most popular in the 1950s, he had a career that spanned more than 50 years, he recorded 140 albums and charted more than 85 singles on ...

Tanya Tucker Tanya Denise Tucker (born October 10, 1958) is an American country music singer and songwriter who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13. Over the succeeding decades, Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature int ...

and Leon Russell. Payne first met Willie Nelson in about 1962 in Detroit. Nelson was playing bass with Ray Price. Payne started working with Nelson in November 1973 and retired in 2008 from his band. Payne appeared in television and film including:

Monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

Songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

Soundstage A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a soundproof, large structure, building, or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie stu ...

, Farm Aid '86, '97 and The Tenth Anniversary Concert,

Austin City Limits ''Austin City Limits'' is an American live music television program recorded and produced by Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", and is the only television show to ...

, and Honeysuckle Rose. The final recording Payne played on was the 2012 Dallas Moore Band Live Album "Hank To Thank: Live at Historic Herzog Studio."

Personal life

Payne and country singer Sammi Smith married, but later divorced. They had one son, musician/singer/actor Waylon Payne (born 1972). He and his second wife, Vicki, were married in 1980 and lived in Stapleton, Alabama. They had a son, Austin Payne (born 1981). Payne remained active as a musician until his death. Payne died August 10, 2013 at a hospital from cardiac problems. He was 77.

References

External links

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Featured Family Member: Jody Payne
{{DEFAULTSORT:Payne, Jody 1936 births 2013 deaths American country guitarists American male guitarists American country singer-songwriters Country musicians from Kentucky People from Baldwin County, Alabama People from Garrard County, Kentucky Singer-songwriters from Kentucky Guitarists from Alabama Guitarists from Kentucky 20th-century American guitarists Country musicians from Alabama 20th-century American male musicians American male singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Alabama