Thaindian News

Aug 13 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Richie Hayward, known for being the drummer and founder of the California band ‘Little Feat’, with which he spent 40 years, has died after a year long battle with cancer at the age of 64.

Hayward was born on February 6, 1946 in Clear Lake, Iowa, and once shared that his earliest memory was running away from kindergarten there on his first day. He became enthusiastic about music at a very early age after seeing Sonnie Payne, the drummer for ‘Count Basie’, on television. He immediately knew that he wanted to be a drummer, and began beating his own rhythms on orange crates.

Before he reached the age of ten years old, Hayward was teething on jazz, and R&B, listening to the tunes of such names as Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Sonny Rollins, and Dave Brubeck, and developing his own particular style. His first gig was at the Moose Lodge in Nevada, Iowa. He soon saved enough money to leave town, because, in his words, “there was no place for a drummer except the Ramada Inn lounge”, in the town which he lived.

After a few jobs as a drummer, including one with ‘The Factory’ which was an offshoot of Frank Zappa’s, Hayward recognised his dream of starting his own band, and along with pianist Bill Payne, Bassist Roy Estrada, and other Zappa members he started the band ‘Little Feat’. The band’s first album, titled the same as the band, was released in 1971.

In 2009, Hayward made the announcement that he was being treated for a liver cancer, which was later verified to be cancer. Since he did not have insurance to cover his bills, fans of the band, along with family and friends donated , organized concerts, and held eBay auctions to help him with his bills. On the band’s website, Hayward stated, “My intent is to come back to the band as soon as I am physically able. Your love and support will mean a lot to me, more than I can say.”

Hayward’s final live performance was performed last month at the Vancouver Island Music Festival, where he sat in with Little Feat. He died on August 12, 2010 of pneumonia, which he contracted due to untreated adult respiratory fibrosis. He is survived by his wife, Shauna Drayson, and his son, Severin.