New York, NY (Top40 Charts) "I've always loved Little Feat, and this new incarnation of the band is bringing some serious heat, cred and new blood to their enduring legacy," says Bonnie Raitt, a longtime friend of LITTLE FEAT.
With her warm and deeply soulful vocals, Raitt duets with the band's Sam Clayton on a cover of Muddy Waters' "Long Distance Call." It's the newly released third single from the band's new album SAM'S PLACE (Hot Tomato Productions/MRI) out this Friday, May 17. Listen to the slow-burning song @Top40-Charts.com that was premiered yesterday below.
SAM'S PLACE marks the legendary band's first new studio album in 12 years; first-ever blues album; and the first one to feature linchpin conga player Clayton on lead vocals on every song.
"Every Feat fan loves us some Sam," adds Raitt. "I'm so glad he's now gotten a chance to step out front and center and put his spin on these wonderful blues songs. I loved singing 'Long Distance Call' with him, always one of my favorites, and Scott slayed on slide. Know you'll enjoy hanging out with us at Sam's Place!"
"Long Distance Call," which also features Michael "Bull" LoBue on harmonica, follows the first two tracks/videos from SAM'S PLACE: "You'll Be Mine," a cover of the Willie Dixon-written chestnut popularized by Howlin' Wolf and "Can't Be Satisfied," a rollicking interpretation of the classic Muddy Waters-written gem.
The members of LITTLE FEAT 2024 are: Bill Payne, Keyboards and Vocals; Sam Clayton, Percussion and Vocals; Fred Tackett, Guitars and Vocals, Kenny Gradney, Bass; Scott Sharrard, Guitars and Vocals; and Tony Leone, drums and vocals. Their individual musical chops and collective chemistry light up the nine-track SAM'S PLACE, which was waxed at Sam Phillips Recording in Memphis, TN (August 2023), except for "Got My Mojo Working (Live)," recorded live at the Boulder Theatre in Boulder, CO (December 17, 2022). This is the first LITTLE FEAT album recorded with new members Sharrard and Leone.
LITTLE FEAT emerged from the pandemic with their sense of humor, chops, and collective joy in playing intact—and their creativity has been renewed with the joyously blues-soaked SAM'S PLACE. The idea for the album started with Bill, but the whole band jumped in. They started working on songs at sound checks. Sam, Scott and Fred wrote a new song, "Milk Man." Visiting backstage at a FEAT show, Bonnie Raitt suggested the Howlin' Wolf tune "You Will Be Mine." Scott suggested "Why People Like That," a Bobby Charles tune. Sam chose the Willy Dixon-penned "Don't Go No Further," a deep Muddy track. And they included a live version of "Got My Mojo Working."
Scott had recorded in Memphis, and they eventually found their way to the second Phillips (the first was Sun Studios, where Elvis began his career) studio there, complete with Jerry Lee Lewis's piano, which Bill noted "practically played itself." FEAT's a rock band, but as Scott observed, at the end "the blues is home," and they basically recorded it live in the studio, in the tradition. Their playing is at an all-time high, and Bill thought their musical conversation was "flawless."
Sam was a happy vocalist. His own "Milk Man," a song about his nephew, has lyrics from his wife, Joni. The duet with Bonnie on "Long Distance Call," he humbly admitted, was classic. "We go good together, man." "Last Night" was done in memory of Sam's very good friend, the late Ed Bradley of Sixty Minutes. And "Why People Like That" was particularly satisfying. "I just like the way the slide sounds and everything. I knew Scott is a great slide player too, plus he is a great lead guitarist. And I know we would put our touch to it, the Little Feat touch. So we just sort of did it. Scott just adds a lot to it and he answers to what I'm singing."
SAM'S PLACE scratches a deep itch. Sam added, "I'm very happy because I was never expecting anything like that. I mean, I have wanted to, but I just wasn't expecting it to come to fruition. It was a long wait, but it's satisfying."
LITTLE FEAT will be busy this summer on the road. From touring with the Tedeschi Trucks Band to headline shows with The Wood Brothers, Los Lobos, Marc Broussard, Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel, The Steel Wheels, and Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley, there will be plenty of chances to boogie with the band. For their Baltimore, MD show on June 14, LITTLE FEAT will perform their classic 1973 album, Feats Don't Fail Me Now, in its entirety.
Here's the track listing for SAM'S PLACE:
Milkman- Written by Sam Clayton (ASCAP), Fred Tackett for Hoceanna Music (ASCAP), and Scott Sharrard for Brickyard Blues Music BMI
You'll Be Mine - Written by Willie Dixon for Hoochie Coochie Music (BMI)
Long Distance Call - Written by Muddy Waters for Watertoons (BMI)
Don't Go No Further - Written by Willie Dixon for Hoochie Coochie Music (BMI)
Can't Be Satisfied - Written by Muddy Waters for Watertoons (BMI)
Last Night - Written by Walter Jacobs for ARC Music (BMI)
Why People Like That - Written by Bobby Charles for Street People Songs (BMI)
Mellow Down Easy - Written by Willie Dixon for BMG Bumblebee (BMI)
Got My Mojo Working (Live) - Written by Preston Foster for Dar Music, Inc (BMI)
Here are LITTLE FEAT's tour dates:
Friday, May 31 Berkeley, CA Greek Theatre Supporting Tedeschi Trucks Band
Saturday, June 1 Berkeley, CA Greek Theatre Supporting Tedeschi Trucks Band
Tuesday, June 4 Reno, NV Grand Sierra Theatre Supporting Tedeschi Trucks Band
Wednesday, June 5 Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl Supporting Tedeschi Trucks Band
Friday, June 7 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre Supporting Tedeschi Trucks Band
Saturday, June 8 San Diego, CA Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheater Supporting Tedeschi Trucks Band
Sunday, June 9 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre Supporting Tedeschi Trucks Band
Monday, June 10 Los Angeles, CA Grammy Museum at L.A. LIVE
Thursday, June 13 Cary, NC Koka Booth Amphitheater Headline
Friday, June 14 Baltimore, MD Pier Six Pavilion Headline
Saturday, June 15 Syracuse, NY New York State Blues Festival 2024
Monday, June 17 Pittsburgh, PA Carnegie Music Hall of Oakland Headline
Tuesday, June 18 Cincinnati, OH PNC Pavilion Headline
Thursday, June 20 Indianapolis, IN Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park Headline
Friday, June 21 Grand Rapids, MI Meijer Gardens Amphitheater Headline
Saturday, June 22 Highland Park, IL Ravinia Festival Co-Headline w/ Los Lobos
Monday, June 24 Evansville, IN Victory Theatre Headline
Tuesday, June 25 St. Louis, MO The Factory Headline
Wednesday, June 26 Kansas City, MO Uptown Theater Headline
Friday, June 28 Sioux Falls, SD Washington Pavilion Headline
Saturday, June 29 Saint Paul, MN Fitzgerald Theater Headline
Sunday, June 30 Mankato, MN Vetter Stone Amphitheater Headline
Tuesday, July 2 Des Moines, IA Hoyt Sherman Place Headline
Wednesday, July 3 Omaha, NE The Astro Headline
Friday, July 5 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Supporting The Avett Brothers
Saturday, August 17 Milford, CT Milford Oyster Festival 2024
Sunday, August 18 Jim Thorpe, PA Penn's Peak Headline
Tuesday, August 20 Deerfield, MA Tree House Brewing Company Summer Stage Headline
Wednesday, August 21 Hyannis, MA Cape Cod Melody Tent Headline
Thursday, August 22 Cohasset, MA South Shore Music Circus Headline
Saturday, August 24 Webster, MA Indian Ranch Headline
Sunday, August 25 Bethel Woods, NY Bethel Woods Center for the Arts Supporting Tedeschi Trucks Band
Tuesday, August 27 Patchogue, NY Patchogue Theatre Headline
Wednesday, August 28 Philadelphia, PA The Mann Center Supporting Tedeschi Trucks Band
Friday, August 30 Selbyville, DE Freeman Arts Pavilion Headline
Saturday, August 31 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center Supporting Tedeschi Trucks Band
Sunday, October 20 Northfield, OH MGM Northfield Park Headline
Tuesday, October 22 Wheeling, WV The Capitol Theatre Headline
Thursday, October 24 Louisville, KY Louisville Palace Theater Headline
Friday, October 25 Cherokee, NC Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort Event Center Headline
Saturday, October 26 Charlottesville, VA The Paramount Theater Headline
Monday, October 28 Virginia Beach, VA Sandler Center For The Performing Arts Headline
Tuesday, October 29 Charlotte, NC The Knight Theater Headline
Wednesday, October 30 Wilmington, NC Kenan Auditorium Headline
Friday, November 1 Macon, GA Macon City Auditorium Headline
Saturday, November 2 Miramar Beach, FL Moon Crush Cowboy Moon 2024
Feb. 28 - Mar. 7, 2025 Miami, FL Cayamo 2025
The members of Little Feat emerged from the pandemic with their sense of humor, chops, and collective joy in playing intact on their 2024 album Sam's Place. Over the past three years, they've focused tours on their epic live album Waiting for Columbus and re-issues of some of their classic albums (Sailin' Shoes, Dixie Chicken, and Waiting for Columbus). Audience response has been rapturous. The band builds on a deep, over 50-year history. Little Feat used a combination of elite musicianship and brilliant, idiosyncratic songwriting to create a repertoire that transcends all boundaries. California rock, funk, folk, jazz, country and rockabilly mixed with New Orleans swamp boogie led to a powerful sound that has kept the audience dancing for decades. Their groove - in songs like "Dixie Chicken," "Spanish Moon," "Fat Man in the Bathtub," and "Feats Don't Fail Me Now" is a continuous thread of excellence that embraces the qualities of exploration that make up Little Feat, its music, while honoring their brothers that began this journey decades ago: Lowell George, Richie Hayward, and Paul Barrere. Their legacy is honest and durable with no end in sight. It has always been about the songs and musicianship. They're in top form now with Scott Sharrard on lead guitar/vox and Tony Leone on drums/vox, and with founder Bill Payne on keys/vox, Fred Tackett on guitars/vox, Kenny Gradney on bass, and Sam Clayton on percussion/vox.
