Jazz Musician. A bassist, his first instrument of choice was a sousaphone while a child; he would switch to the base after watching a concert by James Moody and Ellis Marsalis' New Orleans Jazz Quintet in 1958. Payton was educated at Xavier University, earning a degree in Music, while establishing himself as a well-known musician in New Orleans; he achieved attention nationally with his instrumental contributions on Lee Dorsey's Top 10 hit "Working In The Coal Mine", (which reached number 8 during the Summer of 1966), and Aaron Neville's "Tell It Like It Is" (peaking at number 2 in late 1966). It was during that period, when Payton made his performance debut at the historic Preservation Hall. He would utilize his college degree, as he lent his talents teaching in the New Orleans Public School District. Following his retirement in 1991, Payton returned to the entertainment arena as a full-time member of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. In addition, he backed many artists including Clark Terry, Robert Parker and Nancy Wilson. He was the father of Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Nicholas Payton (whom he also performed with). Payton remained active until suffering a stroke in January 2010, from which he never fully recovered.
Jazz Musician. A bassist, his first instrument of choice was a sousaphone while a child; he would switch to the base after watching a concert by James Moody and Ellis Marsalis' New Orleans Jazz Quintet in 1958. Payton was educated at Xavier University, earning a degree in Music, while establishing himself as a well-known musician in New Orleans; he achieved attention nationally with his instrumental contributions on Lee Dorsey's Top 10 hit "Working In The Coal Mine", (which reached number 8 during the Summer of 1966), and Aaron Neville's "Tell It Like It Is" (peaking at number 2 in late 1966). It was during that period, when Payton made his performance debut at the historic Preservation Hall. He would utilize his college degree, as he lent his talents teaching in the New Orleans Public School District. Following his retirement in 1991, Payton returned to the entertainment arena as a full-time member of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. In addition, he backed many artists including Clark Terry, Robert Parker and Nancy Wilson. He was the father of Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Nicholas Payton (whom he also performed with). Payton remained active until suffering a stroke in January 2010, from which he never fully recovered.
Bio by: C.S.
Advertisement
