Who is Little Feat

It is perhaps a simplification to say that Little Feat emerged out of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, but that is what we will go with here...

Beyond that what this ensemble accomplished musically defies description.  Can you listen to this Gumbo of sounds and styles and sit still? Not sing along?

If so, then you just ain't listenin'!

Bonnie Raitt famously said that she "missed Little Feat more then she missed being eight years old."  A remarkable quote from a time after Lowell George had passed away when the remaining members had yet to recoalesce into the Little Feat that we continue to enjoy today.  

My own love affair with this ultimate musicians band began in my college years and built from two double albums.  Yeah, this was before CDs and I bought these as LPs.  They were, of course "Waiting For Columbus" and "Hoy Hoy."  Obviously I came to the party late, and Lowell had already checked out.   

Lowell's vocal style is often imitated but ultimately his alone.  The liner notes to "Hoy Hoy" called it "Vanilla Grits" or "White Boy Got The Woo-Woos."  Just listen to the vocals on "Spanish Moon" or "China White" and you will get a feel for what this means.  Add in his bottleneck guitar playing and you have musical genius even without his unique arrangement style.

Lowell frequently went out of his way to make songs musically complex to achieve what he called the "Cracked Mosaic" effect.  Just listen to the early work and you will find plenty of examples of this.  

Do not get the impression that this was just Lowell's vehicle though, as the rest of this group was and is composed of amazingly accomplished musicians.  Unfortunately Lowell cast a rather large shadow both literally and figuratively and his demise left things in disarray for a time.

For my money the next most vital member to the whole has always been Bill Payne.  What a keyboardist!  The list of people that he played studio sessions for is amazing, and his reputation is well established in musical circles.  Bill is just a bit more reserved onstage than your average frontman, so many are unaware of him.  You just can't ignore his talent though. 

With their eclectically distinctive musical style, respect from their peers far beyond their commercial success and a fiercely devoted cadre of fans Little Feat's place in musical history was already cast in granite by the time Lowell was gone.  And we all know there are no second acts in American life right? 

Guess again!  

Little Feat eventually reformed, and are back out on the road and doing amazing work again!  You have probably heard a few of their tunes even if you are not a fan.  Songs like "Let It Roll" and "Rad Gumbo"  have shown that these guys will continue to make amazing music far into the foreseeable future.

Floyd Bogart
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