ISLAND-BORN Les Payne, who wanted to be a pop singer and played more than 6,000 gigs during his long and eventful career, has died suddenly at his home in High Wycombe, aged 73.
Mr Payne was born in 1943 in Linden Road, Newport, to Joan and Dan Payne, and went to the National School and then both Barton and Priory Boys.
Always infatuated with pop music, he used to sing in the interval when the Island’s first rock ’n’ roll star, Johnny Vincent, played at the Ryde Castle Hotel.
He bought his first guitar in Pat Deacon’s Newport bicycle shop. He had sung in the Priory Boys Choir and also played in a skiffle group.
His Island jobs included working for the grocery wholesalers, Stewart and Crouchers, driving for Leigh Thomas, cleaning engines at St John’s Station, Ryde, and being an assistant life saver at Seaclose Pool.
Mr Payne left the Island in 1963 and longed to become a famous pop star. During his life, he made many records and on a few occassions came near to chart success.
He wrote most of the songs himself but when he was in Chameleon, David Bowie wrote a song for the band. It was called Star and he later recorded it himself.
Some of Mr Payne’s early solo singles were made ‘record of the week’ by leading radio DJs, including Johnny Walker, Annie Nightingdale and Noel Edmunds.
One of his singles got more than 100 plays on Radio One. He also fronted a band called Mainland, who made an album and supported Leo Sayer on a British tour.
In 1991, he became the first virtually unknown pop singer to win a Harp Beat Rock Plaque. Previous winners included Elvis Presley, Simon and Garfunkel and Tom Jones. He was given the award for playing more than 5,000 gigs. He was subsequently interviewed all around the world.
Diana Ross saw him on TV-AM and invited him to her private party. They were seen dancing together. He was still working until his untimely death.
He leaves his wife, Pennie, sons Crispin and Elliot, sister Val and brothers Mike and Graham, step-children Josh and Libbie and grandchildren Tiegan, Jobey and Flynn.