Missing the Beat

My brother and I can be polar opposites sometimes. One of the few things we have in common is our liking the band, Little Feat. In fact, my brother thinks that the double live LP, "Waiting for Columbus", may be one of the great albums of all time. At least, I think he does.

I came to Little Feat late, "Feats Don't Fail Me" was the LP that first grabbed me. Once it did, there was no turning back. Little Feat's unique combination of rock, blues, swamp boogie and funk was unique in the rock sound of the 70's. Loved by critics and their fans and, most especially, by other musicians, they could set down a groove unlike any other.

After a hiatus upon the death of founder and front man, Lowell George, the band reformed. While never re-capturing the public's attention and being dropped by their label, Little Feat continues to tour on the rabid fan base that supports their shows and their self produced and promoted music products.

To me, the one player in Little Feat that I always admired was the one who set the groove, drove the engine and kept the beat for the band - the drummer - Richie Hayward.

We fans always talk about the signature sounds of the lead players. For me, Richie Hayward was as a unique sounding drummer as anyone. To the uneducated ears on my head, he seemingly had four arms and hands. Yet, when seeing him live, his playing was visually effortless.

Little Feat co-founder Richie Hayward has died after a long battle with liver disease. He was 64.

Hayward played drums in the seminal band throughout its entire career. In the late 1960s, he played with original Little Feat frontman Lowell George in the band’s precursor The Factory. George and Hayward co-founded Little Feat in 1969 along with Bill Payne and Roy Estrada. They established a distinctive style of improvisational southern rock that mixed elements of blues, rock boogie and funk.

Little Feat went on hiatus in 1978 and officially parted ways a year later after George died of an accidental overdose. Hayward helped reform the band in 1987 and continued to play with the group until last year when health concerns prevented him touring.

Hayward was also an accomplished sideman and played on recordings by such diverse artists as Eric Clapton, Warren Zevon, Travis Tritt, Robert Palmer, Tom Waits, Taj Mahal, Barbra Streisand, John Cale, Buddy Guy, Arlo Guthrie, Carly Simon, Bob Seger and many others. Hayward and Little Feat also collaborated with a new generation of jambands in the ’90s and ’00s, including Jimmy Herring, Bela Fleck, String Cheese Incident, Leftover Salmon and Warren Haynes. The band’s association with Phil Lesh & Friends and cover of Phish’s “Sample in a Jar” also brought an element of improvisation back into the group’s live sound.

His last public performance was a sit in with Little Feat at the Vancouver Island MusicFest on July 11, 2010.

I got to see him in July of 2009 at the Stockholm Jazz Festival. I was taken by his gaunt appearance, yet his drumming was as energetic as I had ever seen him. Here's his playing the night before in Malmo, Sweden.





Modern Drummer Magazine writer, Bob Girouard, said this about Hayward. "A hallmark of Richie Hayward’s style is his feel. The New Orleans influence is all over his playing, especially in the way he approaches shuffles and second-line rhythms. Here are a few of the drummer’s Little Feat highlights:

“Time Loves A Hero” The irresistible intro groove on the version from the classic live album Waiting For Columbus is funky as the dickens, with a pocket a mile wide. Also check out the counter time on the bell of Hayward’s ride, and his left-foot hi-hat work.

“Spanish Moon” A fat 2 and 4 on top matched with a killer kick drum punch. The rhythm defines the song.

“All That You Dream” Hayward rocks the song silly. Snare accents off the straight-four pattern with 8th-note bass drum clusters set up glorious tom fills, which lead to perfectly placed cymbal crashes against the vocals. Ferocious from beginning to end.

“Oh Atlanta” Really, can anybody play a blues shuffle the way Richie does?

“Dixie Chicken” Yet another masterwork. A groove so deep-fried that it practically falls off the edge of the barline. Gumbo that sounds as good as it tastes.

“Let It Roll” An energy unto its own. Hayward creates the perfect tension during the choruses with his snare accents and into the solos with his crash cymbals—then mercilessly drives the track into rock ’n’ roll oblivion."

Steve Gorman, drummer for the Black Crowes said, “There’s only one thing on earth that beats Richie Hayward’s drumming on Little Feat albums, and that’s Richie Hayward’s drumming on stage. He has everything: first and foremost the greatest feel imaginable, and then the chops and musical sensibility to match. Richie is one drummer who continually mystifies me. As I grew as a drummer and learned more about what I was trying to do, the bar he set rose continually too. The more I learned about drumming, the better he got. Lots of folks talk about the great drummers in rock history, but ask other musicians. Ask bassists and guitarists: Richie Hayward is in a class all by himself.”

George Recile, who works with Bob Dylan, probably summed up our feelings about Richie best. He said, “Richie’s approach to the music is pretty much like, This is the last song I’m ever going to play, so he kills it. There’s no doubt in my mind that wherever his journey takes him, he will be in that moment with everything he has. To you, my friend, big love.”

You can add mine, as well. The Heavenly All-Star Band just took it up a notch.

Rest in peace, Richie Hayward.

For an excellent interview with Richie on his playing and career, please point yourselves to "Doug Cox's Roots Review - Talkin' Music". It's in two parts and well worth it. Thanks also to Jambands.com for the bio.

From the high water years of the Lowell George Little Feat.