Anyone here a Billy Payne fan?

Well,
I'm afraid my exposure to Little Feat wasn't very substantial. I had an album called 'Feats Don't Fail Me Now' back in 1974 and I listened to one song in particular a lot. It was called 'The Fan' and I would pick up the record needle over and over to listen to the keyboard solo. It was a wonderful mix of a accordian like synth tone and his Hammond organ. Great stuff! I don't know why I didn't pursue their other albums after that but I did see Little Feat perform on TV one time. Bill Payne's solo was so tasteful and melodious. Not a flashy player but excellent playing.

Count me as a big fan!

His New Orleans-flavoured solo on the "Waiting for Columbus" version of Dixie Chicken and his great fills on Allen Toussaint's soulful funky masterpiece On Your Way Down --the definitive version, IMO-- are constant inspirations to me. I know he has recently taken his considerable talents in a more jazzy direction, but it's his older LF work that I can't get enough of.

Some other Feat highlights of Bill Payne are the acid-jazzy "Day at the Dog Races" and the pop-funk of "Two Trains". His light touch is evident on Lowell Georges gently scolding "Trouble", which is beautifully performed by his daughter Inara on the LG tribute album.
To me, he's a repository of the great New Orleans style just like Dr. John. Unfortunately, I haven't kept up with his newer work, which I imagine is common among many LF fans and probably ticks him off.

That's good. I'm glad that there are some Billy Payne fans out there. He has an amazing resume when it comes to session work, too. His keyboards shine on many, many tracks by artists such as James Taylor, Bob Seger, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Brian Adams, Jackson Browne and others.
I don't think that he'd be "ticked off" if you didn't like his newer solo outing. He's strongly influenced by Bill Evans, that's all. However, Billy and Little Feat are still together and tour constantly. They have a very nice website that's worth looking into.
I'm with you all the way in praising his New Orleans style, pastafarian. His left hand is monstrous and his Hammond playing is always so tasteful.
As I said, I'm glad he's still a presence out there and I wish him a long and happy career.