Jackie Payne performed as the headliner for the event, as a favor for a DJ friend at Berkeley Liberation Radio and has appeared on the station. He performed solo, singing a number of R&B and soul covers to instrumental backing tracks on a tiny drug store quality cassette player which was overpowered to distortion by the low budget sound system set up for the event. Listen to a short interview on musician’s health care he gave after his set, then hear a Junior Walker and the Allstars cover he performed in the set.

Live music performance is a big part of culture and commercial entertainment in the United States and worldwide. Most smaller label and independent and underground musicians, even many really popular ones, are forced to live on the margin and do not earn enough money to purchase healthcare. The music industry does not systematically provide or subsidize health care in any way.

Musicians experience the same problems of any modest earning “self-employed” person. But they face additional challenges because the industry is set up so they are traveling on whirlwind tours across the country and multiple continents with minimal living expense money and no health care. They can’t afford to cancel shows at the last minute for illness because it is too disruptive to the operations of the clubs and concert venues they play in. How many times do we see benefits set up for musicians for major illness or injury, as if this should be handled with “charity”? Blues Clubs have been some of the hardest hit by the current recession, with blues clubs closing down all over the country the past 2 years.

Vocalist Jackie Payne was born in Atlanta and grew up in Texas, learning at a young age from all-time greats like Lightnin’ Hopkins. He started performing at age 13 and had an R&B single hit in the early 1960‘s. He spent much of his early years based in Los Angeles, relocating to the Bay Area in the mid-late 1990’s. He has performed with many bands, including The Johnny Otis Show and The Dynatones. While he sticks to traditional music, he sings an incredible array of songs in a wide range of styles including gritty Chicago blues, soul, funk, 60’s pop R&B covers and, occasionally, blues-based rockers and is clearly in the modern world of blues.

I’ve been a fan of his since his early days in the Bay Area. I’ve seen him go from a hard working local performer, piecing together a living playing small money shows with a number of bands, private parties and other projects to an internationally renowned live performer. Several years ago his current group Jackie Payne Steve Edmonson Band got a recording out on a small Portland-based label, then suddenly were touring abroad on the festival circuit to significant critical acclaim. He as a singer and his band have been nominated for a number of prestigious blues awards over the past four years. He currently is recorded on Delta Groove recordings, a label with a growing cast of high quality blues performers.

To my ears, his current recording “Overnight Sensation” is his best. As long as I’ve known him, he has willing to give back to the community when he can. He speaks articulately about appreciating his critical acclaim but wishing he could be compensated accordingly.