Singer-Songwriter-Guitarist Bob Payne resides in Sonoma County in Northern California. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bob has been writing and performing for over 30 years. Bob came of age musically growing up immersed in the incredible music scene that was San Francisco in the middle to late 60s. During the 70s, he played in numerous bands whose styles ranged from pop and rock to blues, country, and western swing, performing in the Bay Area and Northern California as a lead guitarist. The 80s saw him turn to performing as a solo act, establishing a whole new audience when his travels took him to the Hudson Valley area of New York, as well as developing a following in central Connecticut. During that time, he recorded and produced, and his songs and performances began to gain area recognition, both on radio and television. He was opening act for the McGarrigle Sisters from Canada, and performed, as a member of the band Free Flight, in concert billed with U. Utah Phillips. Bob also performed for the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York on an ongoing basis, and at various venues in conjunction with the Hudson Valley Folk Guild, as well as a regular roster of venues throughout New York and Connecticut. Upon returning to Northern California in the mid 80s, Bob was forced to take a hiatus from performing for personal reasons, but continued to write and work on crafting his skills, as well as working on collaborations with Peter Crispell, a good friend and songwriter he worked with in New York.
Currently, Bob has returned to performing, and is working on material covering a variety of messages and styles. His affiliation with the West Coast Songwriters has begun to gain him recognition, and, in April, 2009, he won the best song award for his song "Trees and Wind" at the WCS / Sebastopol song competition. Noted San Francisco Bay Area vocalist and vocal coach Raz Kennedy has called the song a "great driving & energetic performance. Wonderful prosody of lyric & music" and describes Bob’s voice as "so compelling, with a sound that draws the listener right in. Warm, soulful with a convincing, emotional delivery". Raz describes Bob’s song "Broken Hearts" as "heartfelt...well done". And multi-Platinum and Grammy Award winning producer and songwriter Scott Mathews, after hearing Bob perform "Broken Hearts", declared "I am a fan!".
On July 16, 2010 at the West Coast Songwriters' competition in Sebastopol, California, Bob won the Best Song award for his song "Broken Hearts".
Bob can be contacted at: bobpayne@neteze.com