Waylon Payne is the son of country singer Sammi Smith ("Help Me Make It Through the Night") and longtime Willie Nelson guitarist Jody Payne, as well as the godson and namesake of Waylon Jennings. His aunt and uncle raised him in Dallas from the time he was about 4 months old, though he often spent summers on tour with Smith.
Payne found his niche in the Los Angeles club scene, playing the popular nightspots known as Eastbound and Down and the King King Club. The gigs were a magnet for musicians playing uncompromising old-school roots music, attracting artists such as Lucinda Williams and Dwight Yoakam. A standing rule specifically prohibited the playing of anything but the bona fide classics of Hank Williams, George Jones, Johnny Cash and the other pillars of traditional country.
Eventually, stranded in L.A. and crashing with friends, Payne built a close and supportive group of musical idealists. Producer Keith Gattis borrowed money from an investor and hired musicians for studio time, including Wallflowers keyboardist Rami Jaffee on Hammond B-3 organ and Doug Pettibone from Lucinda Williams' band on guitar. Gattis and Payne also played on the session. Almost all the songs were written in a six-month period.
Shortly thereafter, Payne -- with a finished record and no deal -- was playing New York with Willie Nelson and Pat Green when Green suggested he play the album for Republic/Universal, the same label he had signed to. Republic/Universal released the album The Drifter in 2004. With his advance money, Payne splurged on a 1964 white Cadillac convertible.
