Chanteur Country US aveugle né le 15 Juin 1917 à Alba (Texas). Leon Payne a débuté dans le milieu des années quarante, jouant avec les "Texas Playboys" de Bob Wills, puis avec les "Rhythm Boys" de Jack Rhodes. En 1948, Leon monte son propre orchestre les "Lone Star Buddies" et enregistre chez Bullet Records. Grand compositeur à la voix douce et plaintive, il a enregistré aussi chez Capitol, MGM, Decca et Starday Records. Leon Payne, qui a aussi pris le nom de Rock Rogers, est décédé le 11 Septembre 1969.

A popular singer and multi-instrumentalist of the postwar era, Leon Payne achieved his lasting fame as a songwriter whose most successful works -- among them "Lost Highway" and "I Love You Because" -- remain among the country music canon's most enduring compositions. Payne was born blind on June 15, 1917, in Alba, TX, and until the age of 18 he attended the Texas School for the Blind in Austin. There, he was encouraged by teachers to begin learning music as a method of supporting himself and became adept on guitar, piano, organ, drums, and trombone. In the mid-'30s he began performing with a number of area groups and began playing on radio in 1935.
Payne joined Bob Wills' Texas Playboys in 1938, and he remained affiliated with the group to some degree for the majority of his career. At about the same time, he began writing the first of the several thousand songs he would compose over the course his lifetime. In 1939, he cut his first solo recordings, including "You Don't Love Me but I'll Always Care" and "Down Where the Violets Grow," which evidenced his smooth, subtle Vocals technique. After spending the large part of the next decade drifting through Texas performing under the moniker "The Texas Blind Hitchhiker," he hooked up with Jack Rhodes & the Rhythm Boys in 1948. He also played frequently with Wills.
In 1949, Payne formed his own band, the Lone Star Buddies, which guested on programs like the Grand Ole Opry, the Louisiana Hayride, and the Big D Jamboree. Two of his songs also reached the charts in cover versions: George Morgan scored a big hit with "Cry-Baby Heart," and more significantly, Hank Williams cut "Lost Highway," one of his most popular efforts. Payne's own recording of his "I Love You Because," penned for his wife Myrtle, became his biggest hit in 1950; in the same year, both Ernest Tubb and Clyde Moody cut their own versions of the song. Williams also had another hit with Payne's "They'll Never Take Her Love From Me." As the decade wore on, his songs grew even more popular among his contemporaries; among the most successful were Hank Snow's 1953 "For Now and Always" as well as a pair of hits for Carl Smith, 1954's "More Than Anything Else in the World" and 1956's "Doorstep to Heaven."
Payne continued to record through 1964; in 1963, he issued two LPs, Leon Payne: A Living Legend of Country Music and Americana, and at one point even cut a rockabilly single, "That Ain't It," under the alias Rock Rogers. Still, he never repeated the success of "I Love You Because," which was later resurrected by Johnny Cash in 1960 and as a huge 1963 pop hit for Al Martino. A year later, it was also covered by Jim Reeves, who earned posthumous success with Payne's "Blue Side of Lonesome" in 1966 and "I Heard a Heart Break Last Night" in 1968. Also charting with renditions of "I Love You Because" were Smith in 1969, Don Gibson in 1978, and Roger Whittaker in 1983; most importantly, it was one of the songs recorded by Elvis Presley during his legendary Sun Records sessions of 1954.
In 1965, Payne suffered a heart attack which forced him to curtail his touring; that same year, his "Things Have Gone to Pieces" was a hit for George Jones. In 1967, Gibson covered "Lost Highway," and Johnny Darrell was successful with "They'll Never Take Her Love From Me." On September 11, 1969, Payne died following another heart attack.

http://www.talentondisplay.com/LeonPayne.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Payne

Talents : Vocals, Guitar, Songwriter

Style musical : Honky Tonk, Traditional Country, Nashville Sound, Countrypolitan

Lost Highway (1948) (Leon Payne)

Rolling Stone (1948) (Leon Payne)

I LOVE YOU BECAUSE (1949) (Leon Payne)

YOU ARE THE ONE (1956) (Leon Payne)

That Ain't It (1956) (Rock Rogers)

LITTLE ROCK ROCK (1956) (Rock Rogers)

Years in activity :

1910 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 2000 10 20

DISCOGRAPHY

Singles

06/1941 78 t. BLUEBIRD B-8735 (US)

Down Where The Violets Grow / Ten Thousand Tomorrows

08/1941 78 t. BLUEBIRD B-8788 (US)

When Sun Sets In Sierra / Neath Indian Summer Moon

08/1941 78 t. BLUEBIRD B-8812 (US)

Arizona Lullaby / Teach Me To Forget

09/1941 78 t. BLUEBIRD B-8837 (US)

Neath The Old Pine Tree / Let It End This Way

02/1948 78 t. BULLET 649 (US)

Leon PAYNE with Jack RHODES & The LONE STAR BUDDIES - Don't Try It / Lifetme To Regret

07/1948 78 t. BULLET (647) 657 (US)

Leon PAYNE with Jack RHODES & The LONE STAR BUDDIES - Empty Arms / Lipstick Trail

10/1948 78 t. BULLET 670 (US)

Baby Boy / Lost Highway

12/1948 78 t. BULLET 671 (US)

What's The Need / Rolling Stone

03/1949 78 t. BULLET 672 (US)

I Found Someone New / They'll Never Take Her Love

07/1949 78 t. BULLET 679 (US)

Cheaters Never Win / I'll Stick By You

10/1949 78 t. CAPITOL 57-40238 (US)

I Love You Because / A Link In The Chain Of Broken Hearts

12/1949 78 t. CAPITOL 57-40270 (US)

Find Them, Fool Them And Leave Them / I Hate To Leave You

03/1950 78 t. CAPITOL 920 (US) I'm A Lone Wolf / I Just Said Good Night To My Dreams
03/1950 SP CAPITOL F920 (US)

I'm A Lone Wolf / I Just Said Good Night To My Dreams

05/1950 78 t. CAPITOL 1093 (US) You've Still Got A Place In My Heart / I Couldn't Do A Thing Without You
05/1950 SP CAPITOL F1093 (US)

You've Still Got A Place In My Heart / I Couldn't Do A Thing Without You

08/1950 78 t. CAPITOL 1164 (US)  Did I Forget To Tell You? / I Miss That Girl
08/1950 SP CAPITOL F1164 (US)

Did I Forget To Tell You? / I Miss That Girl

12/1950 78 t. CAPITOL 1321 (US) Because You Love Me / My Daddy
12/1950 SP CAPITOL F1321 (US)

Because You Love Me / My Daddy

01/1951 78 t. CAPITOL 1338 (US) Great American Eagle (with Tex RITTER) / Fatal Letter
01/1951 SP CAPITOL F1338 (US) Great American Eagle (with Tex RITTER) / Fatal Letter
02/1951 78 t. CAPITOL 1405 (US) I Don't Know Why / If I Could Only Live My Life Over
02/1951 SP CAPITOL F1405 (US)

I Don't Know Why / If I Could Only Live My Life Over

04/1951 78 t. CAPITOL 1463 (US) Empty Dreams / Farewell Waltz
04/1951 SP CAPITOL F1463 (US)

Empty Dreams / Farewell Waltz

06/1951 78 t. CAPITOL 1580 (US)  Lonely And Blue Over Someone / A Million Years Ago
06/1951 SP CAPITOL F1580 (US)

Lonely And Blue Over Someone / A Million Years Ago

09/1951 78 t. CAPITOL 1782 (US) It's Many A Mile Back Home / Teach Me To Forget
09/1951 SP CAPITOL F1782 (US)

It's Many A Mile Back Home / Teach Me To Forget

11/1951 78 t. CAPITOL 1872 (US) Gentle Hands / He's The Light Of The World
11/1951 SP CAPITOL F1872 (US)

Gentle Hands / He's The Light Of The World

12/1951 78 t. CAPITOL 1912 (US) I Want You To Love Me / How Can I Help It?
12/1951 SP CAPITOL F1912 (US)

I Want You To Love Me / How Can I Help It?

04/1952 78 t. CAPITOL 2055 (US) Polk Salad Green / Weeping Willow
04/1952 SP CAPITOL F2055 (US)

Polk Salad Green / Weeping Willow

07/1952 78 t. CAPITOL 2155 (US) Jesus Paid The Price / Golden Harvest
07/1952 SP CAPITOL F2155 (US)

Jesus Paid The Price / Golden Harvest

11/1952 78 t. CAPITOL 2295 (US) Mailman / Lying To My Heart
11/1952 SP CAPITOL F2295 (US)

Mailman / Lying To My Heart

04/1953 78 t. CAPITOL 2454 (US) I Need Your Love / Wouldn't It Be Wonderful?
04/1953 SP CAPITOL F2454 (US)

I Need Your Love / Wouldn't It Be Wonderful?

07/1953 78 t. CAPITOL 2651 (US) Sister Sue Polka / If I Took The Time
07/1953 SP CAPITOL F2651 (US)

Sister Sue Polka / If I Took The Time

09/1953 78 t. DECCA 28851 (US) Pedro,The Hot Tamale Man / Don't Be Afraid
09/1953 SP DECCA 9-28851 (US)

Pedro,The Hot Tamale Man / Don't Be Afraid

03/1954 78 t. DECCA 29046 (US) The Face In The Crowd (Leon PAYNE with The Anita Kerr Singers) / You Haven't Got A Heart
03/1954 SP DECCA 9-29046 (US)

The Face In The Crowd (Leon PAYNE with The Anita Kerr Singers) / You Haven't Got A Heart

11/1954 78 t. DECCA 29333 (US) A Lifetime To Regret / The Moon, Your God, And You
11/1954 SP DECCA 9-29333 (US)

A Lifetime To Regret / The Moon, Your God, And You

09/1955 78 t. STARDAY 208 (US) I Die Ten Thousand Times A Day / We're On The Main Line
09/1955 SP STARDAY 45-208 (US)

I Die Ten Thousand Times A Day / We're On The Main Line

11/1955 78 t. STARDAY 215 (US) Christmas Everyday / Christmas Love Song
11/1955 SP STARDAY 45-215 (US)

Christmas Everyday / Christmas Love Song

01/1956 78 t. STARDAY 220 (US)  Doorstep To Heaven / You Are The One
01/1956 SP STARDAY 45-220 (US)

Doorstep To Heaven / You Are The One

03/1956 78 t. STARDAY 232 (US) Two By Four (Impersonation Of "You Know Who") / You Can't Lean On Me
03/1956 SP STARDAY 45-232 (US)

Two By Four (Impersonation Of "You Know Who") / You Can't Lean On Me

06/1956 78 t. STARDAY 245 (US) Rock Rogers - That Ain't It / Little Rock Rock
06/1956 SP STARDAY 45-245 (US) Rock Rogers - That Ain't It / Little Rock Rock
07/1956 78 t. STARDAY 250 (US) All The Time / One More Chance
07/1956 SP STARDAY 45-250 (US)

All The Time / One More Chance

10/1956 78 t. STARDAY 267 (US) Sweet Sweet Love / A Prisoner's Diary
10/1956 SP STARDAY 45-267 (US) Sweet Sweet Love / A Prisoner's Diary
1956 EP DIXIE 45-502 (US)

Blue Suede Shoes (Thumper JONES) / I've Got Five Dollars (George JONES) / Run Boy (Leon Payne) / Heartbreak Hotel (Thumper JONES) / Folsom Prison Blues (Thumper JONES) / Seasons Of My Heart (George Jones)

1956 78 t. DIXIE 503 (US) Yes I Know Why (George Jones) / If You Do Dear (Leon Payne) / These Hands (Benny Barnes) / What Am I Worth (George Jones) / So Doggone Lonesome (Leon Payne) / Cause I Love You (George Jones)
1956 EP DIXIE 45-504 (US)

Blackboard Of My Heart (Leon Payne) / Crazy Arms (Leon Payne) /  Uncle Pen (Leon Payne) / + 3 by other artists

1956 EP DIXIE 45-505 (US)

Blue Suede Shoes (Leon Payne) / Folson Prison Blues (Leon Payne) / + 4 by other artists

1956 EP DIXIE 45-506 (US)

You Are The One (Leon Payne) / My Baby Left Me; For Rent (Leon Payne) / What Would You Do If Jesus Came To Your House (Leon Payne) / + 2 by other artists

1956 EP DIXIE 45-508 (US)

Doorstep To Heaven (Leon Payne) / For Rent (Leon Payne) / + 4 by other artists

1956 EP DIXIE 45-509 (US) Blackboard Of My Heart (an uncredited artist) / Crazy Heart (an uncredited artist) / Uncle Pen (an uncredited artist) / My Baby Left Me (Rock Rogers) / You Are The One (Leon Payne) / Yes I Know Why (an uncredited artist (George Jones)) /
02/1957 SP MERCURY / STARDAY 71063x45 (US)

Lumberjack / A Million To One

1957 EP DIXIE 45-513 (US)

You Are The One (Leon Payne) / I've Got A New Heartache (Leon Payne) / I'm Really Glad You Hurt Me (Leon Payne) / + 3 by other artists

1957 EP DIXIE 45-515 (US)

Before I Met You (Leon Payne) / I'm A One Woman Man (Leon Payne) / + 4 by other artists

10/1959 SP D 1108 (US)

Brothers Of A Bottle / Mitzie McGraw

1959 SP TNT TNT-168 (US)

I'll Still Be Around / My Ship Of Dreams

1959 SP Dee Jay DJ-199-NSD (US) (promo) Ain't There No Fiddles In Austin / I Just Can't Build A Bridge (To Get Over You)
04/1960 SP D 1138 (US)

There's No Justice / With Half A Heart

06/1960 SP D 1150 (US)

Things Have Gone To Pieces / Blue Side Of Lonesome

06/1961 SP HACIENDA WW-003 (US)

Reflex Reaction / The Banter Song

1961 SP HACIENDA WW-008 (US)

Lot's Wife Looked Back / Cry, Baby, Cry

1962 SP TNT TNT-192 (US)

We'll Break The Tie / Walls Are Closing

03/1963 SP STARDAY 620 (US)

Joe Lopez / You Stood Me Up This Morning ('Cause I Let You Down Last Night)

07/1963 SP STARDAY 637 (US)

Close To You / Log Train

03/1964 SP STARDAY 666 (US)

September Memory / Six Foot Six

1965 SP LONGHORN LH 555 (US)

Truth Is In My Pocket / Everybody's Buddy, That's Me

1990 SP Texas TX-507 (US) One More Repossession (I'll Be Out Of Debt) / Eye To Eye (To A Fool)















Albums

05/1963 LP 12" Starday SLP-231 (US)

A Living Legend Of Country Music - Close To You / You Are The One / Pride Goes Before The Fall / I Love You Because / Two By Four / September Memory / You Stood Me Up This Morning ('Cause I Let You Down Last Night) / Lost Highway / She's Out Of Town / They'll Never Take Her Love From Me / You Can't Lean On Me / How Do You Cancel A Heart-Ache

06/1963 LP 12" Starday SLP-236 (US)

Americana - rare ballads and tall tales - Joe Lopez / The Hole In The Wall / Cory Belle / Six Foot Six / Injun Joe / Don't Make It Fifty-Four / Log Train / The Lincoln County War / Michael Mulvaney / The Gypsy Girl / Hugh Glass / Wilderness Road

1973 LP 12" CMH CMH-221 (GER)

I Love You Because - I Love You Because / Great American Eagle / Fatal Letter / My Daddy / Link In The Chain Of Broken Hearts / I'm A Lone Wolf / I Just Said Goodbye To My Dreams / You've Still Got A Place In My Heart / I Couldn't Do A Thing Without You / Did I Forget To Tell You / I Miss That Gal / Empty Dreams / Farewell Waltz / Lying To My Heart / Mailman / Weeping Willow

197? LP 12" Country Classics Library ‎CCL 1123 (NL) I LOVE YOU BECAUSE - I Love You Because / The Great American Eagle / The Fatal Letter / My Daddy / A Link In The Chain Of Broken Hearts / I'm A Lone Wolf / I Just Said Goodbye To My Dreams / You Still Got A Place In My Heart / I Couldn't Do A Thing Without You / Did I Forget To Tell You / I Miss That Gal / Empty Dreams / Farewell Waltz / Lying To My Heart / Mailman / Weeping Willow
1980 LP 12" Castle LP-8011 (GER)

Gone But Not Forgotten - Million Years Ago / Lonely And Blue Over Someone / I Hate To Leave You / Find Them Fool Them And Leave Them / Golden Harvest / Jesus Paid The Price / How Can I Help It / I Want You To Love Me / Fatal Letter / Great American Eagle / I Found Someone New / They'll Never Take Her Love From Me

1992 CD Cowgirlboy LP-5084 (GER)

THE Original "I Love You Because" - I Love You Because / Link In The Chain Of Broken Hearts / Empty Arms / Lipstick Trail / Don't Try It / One More Chance / All The Time / You Can't Lean On Me / Two By Four / Pedro The Hot Tamale / Don't Be Afraid / I'm Just A Lone Wolf / I Couldn't Do A Thing Without You / I Just Said Goodbye To My Dreams / Log Train / You Stood Me Up This Morning ('Cause I Let You Down Last Night)

1997 CD King 28C-4116 (US)

28 Big Ones - I Love You Because / Lost Highway / She's Out Of Town / Gypsy Girl / Six Foot Six / Wilderness Road / Log Train / Hole In The Wall / September Memory / You're Living In The Past / Trapped / Moonbeams In Your Hair / Close To You / I'm Sitting Right Where You Left Me / You Are The One / A Prisoner's Diary / A Million To One / Blackboard Of My Heart / All I Do Is Cry / All The Time / They'll Never Take Her Love From Me / Pride Goes Before The Fall / Then I Cried; Who Could Ask For More / It Hurts Me / Crazy Arms / I Die Ten Thousand Times A Day / Cory Belle

10/1999 CD Bear Family BCD-16195 (GER)

I Love You Because - I Love You Because / I Miss That Gal / Poke Salad Greens / Link In The Chain Of Broken Hearts / I Hate to Leave You / Find Them, Fool Them, And Leave Them / You've Still Got A Place In My Heart / I'm A Lone Wolf / If I Could Only Live My Life Over / How Can I Help It / Mailman / Lolita / Did I Forget To Tell You / Sister Sue Polka / I Just Said Goodbye To My Dreams / It's Many A Mile Back Home / I Don't Know Why / Weeping Willow / Lonely And Blue Over Someone / Restless Heart / Lyin' To My Heart / Fatal Letter / I Want You To Love Me / I Couldn't Do A Thing Without You / Farewell Waltz / Wouldn't It Be Wonderful / Teach Me To Forget / By Your Side / Empty Dreams / Golden Harvest

2008 CD Hillbilly Researcher HBR 059 (UK)

THE Lang / worth Sessions - Half As Much / Let's Turn Back The Years / The Gold Rush Is Over / Almost / Weeping Willow / Now That You're Here, Everything's All Right / Don't Stay Away (Till Love Grows Cold) / The Wild Side Of Life / The Road Of No Return / Jambalaya / It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels / Full Time Job / Poke Salad Greens / Sweethearts Or Strangers / I'm Planting A Rose / I'd Still Want You / Bumble Bee / Jesus Paid The Price / Waiting In The Lobby Of Your Heart / Golden Harvest / Darlin' Don't Go / You Can't Pick A Rose In December / Lifetime Or Regret / Molly Darling / I'm A Lone Wolf / Tennessee Saturday Night / Tennessee Waltz / A Link In The Chain Of Broken Hearts / Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy

2008 CD BACM CD D 225 (UK)

Lost Highway - Neath The Old Pine Tree / Let It End This Way / Ten Thousand Tomorrows / Lost Highway / Baby Boy / Great American Eagle / My Daddy / I Need Your Love / Gentle Hands / He Is The Light Of The World / Call Her Your Sweetheart / I'm Sorry For You My Friend / Silver And Gold / I'm Gonna See My Baby Tonight / Please Please / You Win Again / That's Me Without You / Don't Just Stand There / Relax And Take It Easy / Streamlined Cannonball / Little Girl In My Home Town / Doorstep To Heaven / A Prisoner's Diary / Lumberjack

2010 CD BACM CD D 295 (UK)

Lang-Worth Transcriptions, vol. 1 - I'll Sail My Ship Alone / They'll Never Take Her Love From Me / Letters Have No Arms / Unfaithful One / I Couldn't Do A Thing Without You / Kentucky Waltz / Mississippi / Take Me In Your Arms / If I Could Only Live My Life Over / Because You Love Me / If You Want Some Lovin' / Poison Love / My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean / The Waltz You Saved For Me / I'm Drifting Back To Dreamland / There's Been A Change In Me / When It's Lamp Lightin' Time In The Valley / Afraid / Let Me Call You Sweetheart / Empty Saddles / Tie Me To Your Apron Strings Again / Ramona / Down In The Little Green Valley / I Want To Be With You Always / Cold, Cold Heart / Let's Live A Little / Sick, Sober And Sorry

2011 CD BACM CD D 355 (UK)

Lang-Worth Transcriptions, vol. 2 - I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You / Lonely And Blue / A Million Years Ago / Bouquet Of Roses / The Last Round-Up / Girl Of My Dreams / Crazy Heart / That Little Boy Of Mine / Jesus And The Atheist / Steal Away / Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide / He Knows / Teach Me To Forget / Great American Eagle / I'm In A Crowd But So All Alone / If Teardrops Were Pennies / Always Late / Mom And Dad Waltz / It's Many A Mile Back Home / Hey Good Looking / Give Me More More More Of Your Kisses / How Long Will It Take To Stop Loving You / Me And My Broken Heart / How Can I Help It / Let Old Mother Nature Hace Her Way / Gentle Hands / I Want You To Love Me / Sundown Sue

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