Sonny payne biography
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Sonny Payne's father was Wild Bill Davis's drummer Chris Columbus. After early study with Vic Berton, in Payne started playing professionally around New York with the Dud and Paul Bascomb band, Hot Lips Page, Earl Bostic (–), Tiny Grimes (between and ), and Lucille Dixon ().
From to , Payne played with Erskine Hawkins' big band, and led his own band for two years, but in late December, , he made his most significant move, joining Basie's band for more than ten years of constant touring and recording. He was originally asked only to temporarily fill in for Basie's sjuk regular drummer, but Payne's flashy style was such a hit that he was immediately hired to be Basie's permanent drummer.
He left Basie in , leading his own trio and touring with Illinois Jacquet in He was Frank Sinatra's anställda drummer for all of the singer's appearances with the Count Basie Orchestra in and ; in fact, whenever Sinatra sang with Basie in the s, Payne was the drummer. He later rejoined Basie at
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Sonny Payne
Sonny Payne was an American jazz drummer, best known for his work with Count Basie and Harry James.
Payne's father was Wild Bill Davis's drummer Chris Columbus. After early study with Vic Berton, in Payne started playing professionally around New York with the Dud and Paul Bascomb band, Hot Lips Page, Earl Bostic (–), Tiny Grimes (between and ), and Lucille Dixon ().
From to , Payne played with Erskine Hawkins' big band, and led his own band for two years, but in late December, , he made his most significant move, joining Count Basie's big band for ten years of constant touring and recording. He was originally asked only to temporarily fill in for Basie's ailing regular drummer, but Payne's skillful playing was such a hit with audiences and the band that he was immediately hired to be Basie's permanent drummer.
From Count Basie’s autobiography: “Sonny Payne came in there, and right away he touched off a new spark in that band, and we had to keep him . . . but I w
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"Sunshine" Sonny Payne
American radio host (–)
"John William Payne" redirects here. For the Louisiana sheriff, see John William Payne (politician).
John William Payne (November 29, – February 10, ), better known as "Sunshine" Sonny Payne, was an American radio host, who had presented blues music as the host of the King Biscuit Time radio show on KFFA in Helena, Arkansas from until his death. In he was nominated for induction into the Blues Hall of Fame.
Life and career
[edit]John William Payne was born in Helena, the son of Gladys Swope Payne and William G. Payne. In he began working as a paper boy, and met and became friends with blues musicians Robert Lockwood, Jr. and Sonny Boy Williamson. He applied for work at radio station KFFA when it began operating in , and started as a janitor and errand boy at the hållplats two days before broadcasts began. In , in the absence of the station's owner and announcer Sam Anderson, he also began reading commercials on the station