The late 60s and early 70s saw Les and his many bands supporting artists of the calibre of Genesis and Gary Moore. Publishing contracts were obtained but produced no results.
Les recorded David Bowie's 'Star' before it appeared on the Ziggy Stardust album. In 1971 Bowie offered to produce the single for Les. RCA turned down Bowie's offer, Les recorded the song with lyrics that differ from Bowies later version but it was never released.
Les Payne's bad luck can be summarised by two incidents. In 1974 his first single was released on RCA. It quickly became Johnnie Walkers Record of the Week on Radio 1 and got lots of airplay. Just as it began to sell well the miners strike, three day week, vinyl shortage prevented re-pressing.
In 1982 Les secured a deal with Polydor. A single was released 'Who Will Be The Winner'. It was an anti-war song and just after the release the Falklands War started and the single got no airplay as a result.
Throughout his life as a professional musician Les Payne has never stopped gigging and trying to secure record deals. Failure has only resulted in him becoming more and more optimistic and doggedly persistent in his quest to succeed.
In the early nineties Les Payne was awarded a Harp Beat Rock Plague which was presented to him at the Pegasus Public House (now T.Js) in Marlow Bottom to mark his 5,100th gig. Harp Beat Rock plagues were put up all over Britain commemorating all kinds of rock events. Les was chosen for his persistence, continually gigging and organising gigs at the Pegasus. The award led to a brief set of invitations to sit on radio station sofas and even an invite from Diana Ross to come to a party.
Typical of Les Payne's down to earth approach to the rock business he has refused to change his name. He once explained it thus:
"I wrote a song called So Long. Johnny Ringo is the character in So Long. The song wasn't about Johnny Vincent (wild, horse riding, Island rock'n'roll singer) but it was inspired by him. It's as much about the cowboys in the old Western black and white movies as it is about rock'n'roll singers with pseudo names. I never wanted that for myself. I've always wanted to go under my own name."
In 1991 Les released his first CD Forty Seven Summers which features fifteen originals. Clive Bunker of Jethro Tull is featured on drums. The title of the album indicates Les's fascination with the American Native Indian hence Forty Seven Summers is the way the American Indian speaks of their age. The album is chock full of great songs. 'Somewhere In The World' featuring the audience at the Pegasus.
In 1994 Les staged a Sergeant Pepper stage show complete with costumes. In the summer of 1995 Les organised another stage show called Yesterday which swept through the generations from skiffle to punk. Both shows were fund raisers for the Iain Rennie Hospice that cares for terminally ill patients in their own homes.
"My play starts is called Yesterday. I steer clear of the words rock'n'roll for my show. It's just become a term. My show will start with Buddy Holly. It is going to be the whole aspect of forty years of music, there's going to be a splash of everything. I hope. I thought I'd like to start the show quite moody and creepy. I listen to these Buddy Holly out takes. They quite haunt me. There's going to be a Buddy Holly band. I've take on a '2001' version of Losing Time. At the end as it dies away you can hear the Buddy Holly out-takes, my Buddy Holly will take over."
800 people packed the Swan Theatre in High Wycombe on Sunday, July 9th, 1995. The show, put together with hardly any rehearsal for the main performers, was still well organised and received with tremendous applause, particularly for the two choirs of schoolchildren who performed in front of these massive crowds.
One choir did an amazing version of David Bowie's Space Oddity. Baz and Mick ably featued skit after skit between the various acts. The artists who came to play were drawn across the musical spectrum. Joe Brown, once ace gutiar player for Billy Fury and pop star in his own right, performed a stunning Summertime Blues. Rick Wakeman's former vocalist Ashley Holt left progressive rock behind and belted out a storming Mustang Sally.
Various 'Stars in their Eyes' performers gave excellent renditions of artists such as Ray Charles and Billy Idol. There was even a Johnny Vincent look-a-like in Billy Gallagher who walked and talked and curled his lip to order. The fabulous Doris Brendell, daughter of classical pianist Alfred Brendell, did a Tina Turner party piece and soared away on backing vocals the rest of the night.
Howard Jones performed solo at the event and he brought massive cheers from the crowd when he said: "I'd just like to say what a great guy Les Payne is to put this event on to raise money for such a cause."
In 1996 Les Payne was involved with the filming of an advert for Vesta Foods. As Wally Wallace, leader of a group called the Vestas, it was a marvellous send up of the sixties and seventies. A four track CD single Eat the Beat sounds like the Turtles meet Kula Shaker complete with an indepth family tree from the one and only Pete Frame.
After filming the advert Les was given a flight to Los Angeles in thanks for his efforts. In January 1997 Les Payne took his first flight to America and in typical fashion met up with an old friend running a record studio just outside the airport.
In August 1995, on the anniversary of the Afton Festival, Les Payne came to Isle of Wight Rock's book launch at Northwood House, Cowes to perform a set of songs between which Isle of Wight Rock read out pieces of their work. One day maybe we will get him back to the Island for a gig which he has so dearly wanted to do for a long, long time.
Perhaps the last word must rest with Les Payne which sums up his approach to life. Les's mate the incomparable John Otway was approached by Radio Four for a programme called Failures. Otway declared that he knew someone who was a bigger failure than him in the rock'n'roll business and promptly put the producers onto Les Payne.
In a Bristol radio studio a presenter posed this question to Les Payne. "What's your definition of a failure?" To which Les Payne replied:
"My definition of a failure is someone who takes the train to the city each day to work in a bank."