Dion Payton

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article may not meet the general notability guideline or one of the following specific guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: Biographies, Books, Companies, Fiction, Music, Neologisms, Numbers, Web content, or several proposals for new guidelines. If you are familiar with the subject matter, please expand or rewrite the article to establish its notability. The best way to address this concern is to reference published, third-party sources about the subject. If notability cannot be established, the article is more likely to be considered for redirection, merge or ultimately deletion, per Wikipedia:Guide to deletion.
This article has been tagged since December 2007.

This article does not cite any references or sources. (August 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Dion Payton (born in Greenwood, Mississippi) is a Chicago based blues guitarist and singer, who gained great popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s in Chicago blues clubs, including Kingston Mines, Blue Chicago and other venues. His long, virtuoso guitar solos are framed in consistently strict, disciplined rhythm, and he uses both fast flourishes of sixteenth and thirty-second note runs and arpeggios, and broad, often dissonant chords to create thick textures with a tortured, emotional feel. An important feature of his playing is the dramatic use of the upper register of the guitar. Influences of B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, and the Edge are all evident in his style, although he does not mimic or imitate any one artist. His unique guitar style straddles the genres of blues and hard rock, and his dry, slightly gravelly vocals create an intense, driving sound that is both powerful and plaintive.

Payton was born in and gained recording experience on Chess Records with gospel groups like the Violinaires before going on the road with Millie Jackson, Albert King and O.V. Wright. He first caught the attention of Alligator while playing rhythm guitar and co-arranging Lonnie Brooks’ 1983 album, Hot Shot. After leaving Brooks, Payton assembled the 43rd Street Blues Band in January of 1985, which served as weekend house band for Kingston Mines for many years, generating a large local following. The band's name refers to the location of the Checkerboard Lounge, where they served as Junior Wells's backing band. Accompanying Dion Payton on rhythm guitar, was Joanna Connor. Payton was signed to a multi-recording contract with Virgin Records, but never released any albums with Virgin or other labels. His only commercial recording is a single, his original "All Your Affection Is Gone," on the 1987 The New Bluebloods recording, which introduced ten younger generation Chicago blues artists.

Payton no longer performs regularly, and has become an underground legend of sorts. He appears on rare occasion in the Chicago area, but his present musical ambitions and activities are unknown.