Actor singer singer-songwriter
He is the son of the country singer Sammi Smith. Payne was born in Nashville, Tennessee, the son of guitarist Jody Payne and Grammy Award-winning country singer Sammi Smith. His father became a longtime picker for Willie Nelson.
His mother toured with Waylon Jennings.
Payne is named for Jennings, who is his godfather. After high school, Payne enrolled in a seminary to become a minister. "I haven"t seen them since," he has said.
"I was branded a sinner and basically disowned."
Payne"s music industry career began to take shape in the clubs of Los Los Angeles
Prohibited was the playing of anything but traditional classics by Hank Williams, George Jones and other performers of true country. With the record completed, but no deal to market it, Payne was playing New York with Willie Nelson and Pat Green when Green suggested he play the album for his label, Republic/Universal.
Payne was signed with the label and his début album, "The Drifter," was released June 22, 2004. Payne then starred as Hank Garland in an independent feature about the legendary guitarist"s life titled Crazy (2007).
Waylon Payne has also made guest appearances on television, including the series Computer Society of India: Crime Scene Investigation.
Waylon Payne also stars in Monte Hellman"s thriller Road to Nowhere. Waylon Payne was also featured in the role as Tony Nash in the 2014 film The Identical.
