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Willin': The Story of Little Feat
The saga of the legendary Los Angeles band Little Feat is one of rock 'n' roll's great stories. Formed in 1969 by ex-members of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, Little Feat created groove-heavy music that was an irresistible mix of rock, blues, R&B, country, jazz, soul, and funk. Fronted by the charismatic but doomed vocalist and brilliant slide guitarist Lowell George, the band recorded such classic studio albums as Sailin' Shoes and Dixie Chicken, as well as Waiting for Columbus, which many consider to be one of the best live albums of all time. Acclaimed journalist Ben Fong-Torres -- working with Little Feat's surviving members, their friends, and associates -- wrote Willin' based on hours of brand new interviews with the key players. The result? The first definitive biography of this beloved rock 'n' roll institution.
298 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
60 people are currently reading
135 people want to read
About the author
Ben Fong-Torres
33 books47 followersBenjamin Fong-Torres (Fāng Zhènháo) is an American rock journalist, author, and broadcaster best known for his association with Rolling Stone magazine (through 1981) and the San Francisco Chronicle (from around 1982).
Due to the Chinese Exclusion Act, Fong-Torres' father, Ricardo Fong-Torres (born Fong Kwok Seung), changed his surname to Torres and posed as a Filipino citizen in order to emigrate to the United States. His family later adopted the hyphenated surname, Fong-Torres. He is the brother of Shirley Fong-Torres.
He was portrayed in the 2000 film Almost Famous by actor Terry Chen. The fictional version of Fong-Torres was character William Miller's editor at Rolling Stone.
In real life, Fong-Torres was a writer and senior editor of Rolling Stone from almost the magazine's inception. He conducted interviews for Rolling Stone of entertainment figures including Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, comedian Steve Martin and Linda Ronstadt's first cover story in 1975. A Fong-Torres interview with Ray Charles was awarded the Deems Taylor Award for Magazine Writing in 1974.
Fong-Torres was also a rock DJ for San Francisco radio station KSAN-FM in the 1970s. On television, he is the Emmy Award-winning co-anchor of the Chinese New Year Parade broadcast on KTVU (Fox) in San Francisco. In recent years, he has published Hickory Wind, a biography of Gram Parsons; The Rice Room, a memoir; The Hits Just Keep on Coming, a history of Top 40 radio, and two compilations of past articles, Not Fade Away and Becoming Almost Famous (published in May 2006). His book with The Doors (The Doors By The Doors) was published by Hyperion in November 2006. Since July 2005, he has written the bi-weekly column "Radio Waves" in the San Francisco Chronicle's Sunday Datebook. He is also a contributing editor to Parade magazine, and the music editor for TONEAudio, a web-based audio publication. He is now the host of "Backstage" which is aired from 7-9 am and 7-9 pm on San Francisco's KFRC-FM.
Due to the Chinese Exclusion Act, Fong-Torres' father, Ricardo Fong-Torres (born Fong Kwok Seung), changed his surname to Torres and posed as a Filipino citizen in order to emigrate to the United States. His family later adopted the hyphenated surname, Fong-Torres. He is the brother of Shirley Fong-Torres.
He was portrayed in the 2000 film Almost Famous by actor Terry Chen. The fictional version of Fong-Torres was character William Miller's editor at Rolling Stone.
In real life, Fong-Torres was a writer and senior editor of Rolling Stone from almost the magazine's inception. He conducted interviews for Rolling Stone of entertainment figures including Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, comedian Steve Martin and Linda Ronstadt's first cover story in 1975. A Fong-Torres interview with Ray Charles was awarded the Deems Taylor Award for Magazine Writing in 1974.
Fong-Torres was also a rock DJ for San Francisco radio station KSAN-FM in the 1970s. On television, he is the Emmy Award-winning co-anchor of the Chinese New Year Parade broadcast on KTVU (Fox) in San Francisco. In recent years, he has published Hickory Wind, a biography of Gram Parsons; The Rice Room, a memoir; The Hits Just Keep on Coming, a history of Top 40 radio, and two compilations of past articles, Not Fade Away and Becoming Almost Famous (published in May 2006). His book with The Doors (The Doors By The Doors) was published by Hyperion in November 2006. Since July 2005, he has written the bi-weekly column "Radio Waves" in the San Francisco Chronicle's Sunday Datebook. He is also a contributing editor to Parade magazine, and the music editor for TONEAudio, a web-based audio publication. He is now the host of "Backstage" which is aired from 7-9 am and 7-9 pm on San Francisco's KFRC-FM.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
November 18, 2013
I am a "Feat Head" as it turns out. Other than Elvis Costello, I have more Little Feat recordings than any other one artist or group in my eclectic collection, and yes - why aren't they in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? as Ben Fong-Torres wonders. As grateful as I was to get some information on this decades-long, brilliant band, this has to be one of the worst written bios I've ever read. I did get a uncorrected proof copy, but it needed about 10 years of editing. Fong-Torres is a respected journalist and has been around as long as the band, but this book was chaotic and most of the info seemed to be culled from other published articles. He indicates that the personal interviews were less than successful, but they were often downright painful and didn't contribute much more than a few awkward sentences. So, I'd say read it, because Little Feat has been sadly and curiously neglected and needs all the recognition they justly deserve, but don't expect much from the writing.
December 9, 2013
In “Willin’: The Story Of Little Feat” Ben Fong-Torres does a fine job of chronicling the equally brilliant band Little Feat over 40+ year existence, truly a feat for any band. The story naturally is built around the rise and decline of the band’s founder guitarist extraordinaire Lowell George who to this day who never received the notoriety he deserved during his brief 34 year life and except for the legion of Feat fans still remains relatively obscure among the other musicians that came out of southern California in the late 60’s.
Fong-Torres begins the musical journey when George joins an early incarnation of the Mothers of Invention only to be told by Zappa that as talented as he was he didn’t fit the band which lead him to put together the first incarnation of the band that became Little Feat, a name that was bestowed on him by Jimmie Carl Black another of the Mothers for his small but wide feet.
The book follows the bands progression with each chapter devoted to an album beginning with “Little Feat” in 1971 on which the song “Willin’” makes it first appearance. Like many of their other albums for Warner Brothers it was ill-supported (and sold relatively few copies) on through “Sailin’ Shoes” (1972), “Dixie Chicken (1973) and five more albums ending with “Down On The Farm (1979) coinciding with George’s death. One of the most entertaining aspects of the book is Fong-Torres insights into the origins of various songs including Willin’ many of which include differing versions from members of the band and others in their inner circle. As time progressed George became increasingly autocratic even locking other members out of the studio as he insisted on producing albums by himself. Coupled with much drug use things became increasingly erratic for the band peaking with what is still considered one of the finest live albums in rock music “Waiting For Columbus” in 1978.
Following George’s death the band took a multi-year hiatus with band members performing live and or in sessions with Jackson Brown, Jimmy Buffet, Bonnie Raitt and on and on. The post – George years of the book while interesting are not nearly as fascinating as the early years which is no surprise but the tone of book at that point is just this side of hagiography. All in all, Fong Torres did a phenomenal job of capturing the ebb and flow of one of the finest bands still performing today, or as he says on p. 245 “a rock band who has had a generous share of thrills and spills, highs and lows, breakups and makeups”.
Fong-Torres begins the musical journey when George joins an early incarnation of the Mothers of Invention only to be told by Zappa that as talented as he was he didn’t fit the band which lead him to put together the first incarnation of the band that became Little Feat, a name that was bestowed on him by Jimmie Carl Black another of the Mothers for his small but wide feet.
The book follows the bands progression with each chapter devoted to an album beginning with “Little Feat” in 1971 on which the song “Willin’” makes it first appearance. Like many of their other albums for Warner Brothers it was ill-supported (and sold relatively few copies) on through “Sailin’ Shoes” (1972), “Dixie Chicken (1973) and five more albums ending with “Down On The Farm (1979) coinciding with George’s death. One of the most entertaining aspects of the book is Fong-Torres insights into the origins of various songs including Willin’ many of which include differing versions from members of the band and others in their inner circle. As time progressed George became increasingly autocratic even locking other members out of the studio as he insisted on producing albums by himself. Coupled with much drug use things became increasingly erratic for the band peaking with what is still considered one of the finest live albums in rock music “Waiting For Columbus” in 1978.
Following George’s death the band took a multi-year hiatus with band members performing live and or in sessions with Jackson Brown, Jimmy Buffet, Bonnie Raitt and on and on. The post – George years of the book while interesting are not nearly as fascinating as the early years which is no surprise but the tone of book at that point is just this side of hagiography. All in all, Fong Torres did a phenomenal job of capturing the ebb and flow of one of the finest bands still performing today, or as he says on p. 245 “a rock band who has had a generous share of thrills and spills, highs and lows, breakups and makeups”.
June 20, 2023
I never realized how much Little Feat influenced my musical tastes until I read this book. Little Feat incorporated a wide range of influences in rock and roll including folk, reggae, funk, rhythm & blues and California grooves to create some of the most enduring music in American history.
The beginning of the book is not promising. It almost falls into to the trap of name-dropping for name-dropping's sake. Thankfully it pulls out of the tailspin to provide a nice overview of the history of the band and the influence they had on American music. Much of narrative centers, rightfully, on the brief, musically brilliant life of Lowell George. His troubles with drugs never prevented him from creating some of the best American music of the 20th century. Moreover, the other members of the band—Paul Barrere, Bill Payne, Sam Clayton, Kenny Gradney—have their contributions highlighted generously.
A nice addition to the history of great American music. A few of my favorites:
Willin'
All That You Dream
Mercenary Territory
Spanish Moon
Be One Now
20 Million Things (Lowell George solo, this would be the first song on my desert island disc)
The beginning of the book is not promising. It almost falls into to the trap of name-dropping for name-dropping's sake. Thankfully it pulls out of the tailspin to provide a nice overview of the history of the band and the influence they had on American music. Much of narrative centers, rightfully, on the brief, musically brilliant life of Lowell George. His troubles with drugs never prevented him from creating some of the best American music of the 20th century. Moreover, the other members of the band—Paul Barrere, Bill Payne, Sam Clayton, Kenny Gradney—have their contributions highlighted generously.
A nice addition to the history of great American music. A few of my favorites:
Willin'
All That You Dream
Mercenary Territory
Spanish Moon
Be One Now
20 Million Things (Lowell George solo, this would be the first song on my desert island disc)
April 20, 2020
Reading the bio of this terrific band during the C19 quarantine provided me with the time to listen to the bands output loud and chronologically while reading each chapter. Mr Fong Torres strength was describing how each members arrival and departure contributed to the evolution of the band. With the history of influences well laid out one can really hear the bands development more clearly than ever before.
When I got to the section on Waiting For Columbus the stellar live album, I learned that a newer edition of the cd has an additional disc that doubles the joy of this fine record. Luckily I found a copy on Amazon and with a gift card from my fav sister in law, I look forward to laying my newly informed ears on this historic edition of the album. The book is a good balance of band bios and musical contribution. I encourage to listen as you read. The author also leaves a fine trail of band members influences and other contributions to expand ones destinations on a listening journey.
When I got to the section on Waiting For Columbus the stellar live album, I learned that a newer edition of the cd has an additional disc that doubles the joy of this fine record. Luckily I found a copy on Amazon and with a gift card from my fav sister in law, I look forward to laying my newly informed ears on this historic edition of the album. The book is a good balance of band bios and musical contribution. I encourage to listen as you read. The author also leaves a fine trail of band members influences and other contributions to expand ones destinations on a listening journey.
December 25, 2014
Fong-Torres is a journalistic, not a cultural historian. With that in mind, he does fine: he's written a blow by blow march through the story of Little Feat from Lowell George's early life in the Hollywood hills to the current incarnation of the band led by Bill Payne and Paul Barrere. What deeper reflection the book includes is generally in the form of directly reported interviews will the participants. This relative lack of editorializing is often refreshing but sometimes frustrating because the reader is left feeling as if they are present at a recital rather than inside the action as it unfolds. (This concern is likely influenced by having just finished Pat Gilbert's story of The Clash, "Passion Is A Fashion," which goes the other way.) But anyway you cut it, the story of Little Feat is compelling and instructive. Ben Fong-Torres gets it down like it's never been told before. Well worth the ride.
July 10, 2016
I am being generous, only because I did learn some things about Little Feat. The prose, however, is like an extended length Rolling Stone magazine article. It is also very much dumbed down, apparently aimed at an audience of dullards with only the musical knowledge to differentiate Aretha Franklin from Benjamin Franklin. For example, every time someone is mentioned as an A&R man, it has to be explained that this is a “talent agent”. There is only superficial analysis of the actual music, amounting to little more than labeling a piece as “rock”, “country”, “ballad”, or “boogie”. There are occasional one-word comments or exclamations, because, I guess, this is supposed to sound hip; it doesn’t. No fault of the band, great both with and without Lowell George, but this book was a major disappointment. It really deserves no more than two stars.
June 21, 2018
Five stars because it is The Feats story. One for the scrambled narrative of one name dropper Fong-Torres.
It is confusing having to read name after name after name disrupting the time line, damaging the two thirds of the book devoted to the Lowell George led band.
The book improves in the last third. Thought they was finished after Lowell George dead, and just learnt about Roy Estrada sad fate, mothers of perversion!
The band reunited fifteen years later or so, which implies a catching up work with their latest music fronted by Fuller and Shaun Murphy.
Recommended for Little Feat fans.
It is confusing having to read name after name after name disrupting the time line, damaging the two thirds of the book devoted to the Lowell George led band.
The book improves in the last third. Thought they was finished after Lowell George dead, and just learnt about Roy Estrada sad fate, mothers of perversion!
The band reunited fifteen years later or so, which implies a catching up work with their latest music fronted by Fuller and Shaun Murphy.
Recommended for Little Feat fans.
December 17, 2017
Good informative book about a life extinguished by bad habits and thwarted vision. This makes a good companion to Rock and Roll Doctor.
There are bands too hip for the room, but band leaders too hip for their band? If excess is weighed against the longevity of the art it creates then we'll be reading about L George for a long time to come.
Lowell G. is not Little Feat the way John Lennon is not the Beatles save the fact that George was musically more prepared than M. Lennon.
But in the end both lives were cut short while we were waiting for them to find their way out of the woods.
There are bands too hip for the room, but band leaders too hip for their band? If excess is weighed against the longevity of the art it creates then we'll be reading about L George for a long time to come.
Lowell G. is not Little Feat the way John Lennon is not the Beatles save the fact that George was musically more prepared than M. Lennon.
But in the end both lives were cut short while we were waiting for them to find their way out of the woods.
September 29, 2018
If you are fan of Little Feat I believe you'll really enjoy this book.
If you are fan of Lowell George I believe you'll really enjoy this book.
If you're a fan of rock music in the 1970s to the 1990s I believe you'll enjoy this book.
If you were in or around the music scene in LA during the 1960s, 70s, and beyond I belive you'll enjoy this book.
The author, we known for his work with Rolling Stone magazine does a great job of getting behind the public view of Lowell George and the band with truly insightful writing. It is a fairly quick read but put on some Feat and enjoy.
If you are fan of Lowell George I believe you'll really enjoy this book.
If you're a fan of rock music in the 1970s to the 1990s I believe you'll enjoy this book.
If you were in or around the music scene in LA during the 1960s, 70s, and beyond I belive you'll enjoy this book.
The author, we known for his work with Rolling Stone magazine does a great job of getting behind the public view of Lowell George and the band with truly insightful writing. It is a fairly quick read but put on some Feat and enjoy.
May 30, 2014
This was a very disappointing book about a great band. Fong Torres is a good writer and reporter of R&R history. He certainly gets all his who, what, when, where and whys in. Unfortunately the book is about as tedious and dry a read as a PhD dissertation on molecular biology. Group founder Lowell George dies around p170 and I wonder why I even bother with the remaining 100 pages. And the professional reviewers gave it a thumbs up. Makes me wonder about "professionals" versus the rest of us.
January 25, 2014
A decent, informative look at the history of a band probably more influential than successful. Nevertheless, I have always been a fan of theirs since I heard the album Waiting For Columbus in college. I like Chet Flippo's writing style better in musical biographies but Fong-Torres is not bad. I would recommend this book to all fans of Little Feat.
January 25, 2016
Willin': The Story of Little Feat by Ben Fong Torres (Da Capo Press 2013) (780.92). It's about time Ben Fong Torres got around to writing about my second favorite band. No other band can wrap a rhyme around a second line like Little Feat with Lowell George. The band, ever since Lowell's death, has been a pale imitation at best. My rating: 7/10, finished 5/23/14.
February 14, 2018
A very readable and enjoyable overview of Little Feat which helped to create a solid narrative for me of their history.
A heavy focus on their leader Lowell George but also covering the reunion years too.
Hard to think there'll be many other similar books so this will probably stand as the definitive biography of one of America's finest bands.
A heavy focus on their leader Lowell George but also covering the reunion years too.
Hard to think there'll be many other similar books so this will probably stand as the definitive biography of one of America's finest bands.
March 31, 2014
The first 20% was a whirlwind of names that made my head spin. But I liked it a lot after that. A ton of interviews in the book, so it felt well researched. A lot of good info about Feat's early albums (even details about the album covers) and songs, which I really wanted to know about.
June 15, 2014
This book got me going on a Little Feat kick and an exploration of the life and times of Lowell George. Am currently listening to his daughter, Inara's music and am glad his good genes have been passed on to her.
November 19, 2014
A favorite topic and not badly written, as far as sentence construction and so forth, but sloppy inadequate research, fact-checking, and that kind of thing. Unless you are a die hard fan, don't bother.
March 17, 2018
A fairly quick read, yet a thorough history of the band. Learned several things I hadn't known, including that Sam & Merry Clayton are siblings. Fills in the history of some of the shorter-term band members and covers the lives of the long-term ones sufficiently.
October 9, 2015
Excellent bio of a unique band. So many memories of listening to their albums in the '70s. Ben Fong-Torres can be proud.
June 1, 2014
Ok. Not great.
Read
January 22, 2016History of Little Feat from Lowell's appearance on F Troop to today. Still the best band I ever heard
April 1, 2019
Once Lowell George died I didn't care anymore. I still don't.
This book went on way too long.
This book went on way too long.
January 19, 2026
Fills a gap on the shelf
My enthusiasm for Feats begins with their still-overlooked (as in not even remastered or expanded in these reissued days of streaming) s/t record, Sailin' Shoes, 4/10 of Dixie Chicken, and most of Waiting for Columbus. That's about it, until the Electrif Lycanthrope live bootleg which shows off the 1973 period intimately and memorably...So I figured that veteran Rolling Stone scribe Ben Fong-Torres would deliver a typical rock band bio. It's that, but his affection for the band and determination to fairly treat its long career...Billy Payne with them since their '69 start...is fairly shown. The Lowell George Seventies peak (well, three good studio LPs and then three Southern tinged, moodier, jazzier excursions, that sold better but as soporific vehicles--as woozy George let go the wheel--never drew me in contrasted with their truckstop pillhead rootsy origins) balances a long-haul bleary aftermath.
My highlights include notes on errors about the 1971 debut cover shot in Venice (as in California), and the superficial explanation of Sailin' Shoes art by Neon Park. More care could have been taken given the iconic impact of these and the series of subversive depictions which convey the wacked-out SoCal "cartoon consciousness" which even non-stoners might find engaging, in an era where far too many peers of Feats pretended to act as oracles, lizard kings, demonic incarnations, or louche troubadours.
So the narrative is distributed evenly. Lots of interviews speckle the pages, and you get a good sense of how the Hollywood and L.A. scenes shaped so many around the group, whether natives or transplants. The excess may in hindsight prove that the more sober, less hedonistic half of the lineup outlasted the partiers, and that their influence Frank Zappa was wiser than the hippies turned junkies.
But Fong-Torres doesn't moralize on the milieu the West Coast celebs and musicians, fans and pop culture, promoted and profited so lucratively. Instead he simply tracks the trajectory. I think he could have expanded the coverage of their best tracks, rather than giving so much later space to the post-Lowell iterations and especially the DeadHead-ish network of supporters keeping the legacy ongoing.
My enthusiasm for Feats begins with their still-overlooked (as in not even remastered or expanded in these reissued days of streaming) s/t record, Sailin' Shoes, 4/10 of Dixie Chicken, and most of Waiting for Columbus. That's about it, until the Electrif Lycanthrope live bootleg which shows off the 1973 period intimately and memorably...So I figured that veteran Rolling Stone scribe Ben Fong-Torres would deliver a typical rock band bio. It's that, but his affection for the band and determination to fairly treat its long career...Billy Payne with them since their '69 start...is fairly shown. The Lowell George Seventies peak (well, three good studio LPs and then three Southern tinged, moodier, jazzier excursions, that sold better but as soporific vehicles--as woozy George let go the wheel--never drew me in contrasted with their truckstop pillhead rootsy origins) balances a long-haul bleary aftermath.
My highlights include notes on errors about the 1971 debut cover shot in Venice (as in California), and the superficial explanation of Sailin' Shoes art by Neon Park. More care could have been taken given the iconic impact of these and the series of subversive depictions which convey the wacked-out SoCal "cartoon consciousness" which even non-stoners might find engaging, in an era where far too many peers of Feats pretended to act as oracles, lizard kings, demonic incarnations, or louche troubadours.
So the narrative is distributed evenly. Lots of interviews speckle the pages, and you get a good sense of how the Hollywood and L.A. scenes shaped so many around the group, whether natives or transplants. The excess may in hindsight prove that the more sober, less hedonistic half of the lineup outlasted the partiers, and that their influence Frank Zappa was wiser than the hippies turned junkies.
But Fong-Torres doesn't moralize on the milieu the West Coast celebs and musicians, fans and pop culture, promoted and profited so lucratively. Instead he simply tracks the trajectory. I think he could have expanded the coverage of their best tracks, rather than giving so much later space to the post-Lowell iterations and especially the DeadHead-ish network of supporters keeping the legacy ongoing.
December 28, 2023
I tore through Ben's book when I got it, not long after it had been published. I'd had the good fortune to interview Bill Payne prior to reading it, so I knew that between Bill and Ben (before even getting to the rest of the band members) that I was in good hands. The story of Little Feat is fascinating and one which has many layers. That's the most concise way I can probably put it. Depending on who you're talking to, Little Feat might not be a household name, but those who know about 'em, get it. The rest of them? Well, hopefully they'll find this book. It was an incredibly engaging read and one which left me even further down the Little Feat rabbit hole. Ben did a great job with this book.
October 1, 2020
Love Little Feat, and did greatly enjoy legendary RS writer and editor Ben Fong-Torres' take on the found, times and ultimate end of the original incarnation of the band with Lowell George's untimely death. While some of the trials and tribulations of the band can seem trite at times -- the infighting, the temper tantrums, and excesses -- the wonderful tale of the band is not lost. Fong-Torres' love of the band is also not lost given his penchant to constantly remind us of the dichotomy of their place in history -- esteemed by fellow musicians yet under-loved by the simpletons that are the general populace. Love the band more after reading.
September 9, 2021
Decent read
This band grabbed me when I first heard them on The Last Record Album and has captured me ever since. The music while not commercial ( advocates anyway) I just live the ride the takes the timing and yes all the music and various vocalists. Do I have my favorite ones , yes, but no matter I do notebook over anyone or the other. The book goes into great detail , more than needed but no matter I learned allot. Read it!
This band grabbed me when I first heard them on The Last Record Album and has captured me ever since. The music while not commercial ( advocates anyway) I just live the ride the takes the timing and yes all the music and various vocalists. Do I have my favorite ones , yes, but no matter I do notebook over anyone or the other. The book goes into great detail , more than needed but no matter I learned allot. Read it!
February 26, 2023
For the most part a very well-written biography, though there were moments where a certain passage would seem too familiar, as if I had already read it earlier in the book (almost word-for-word). Aside from these fleeting moments of deja vu, I enjoyed this telling of the Little Feat story. I also enjoyed going back through the albums as I was reading the chapters detailing the recording sessions and tours.
March 15, 2020
Ben does an excellent job of chronicling The history of Little Feat and the stories behind the songs and especially the history of Lowell George and his family history.
February 23, 2021
A excellent look at a great band.A band I loved but since Lowell George died I haven't listened to.
August 7, 2024
A great book about a greater band!
February 25, 2026
Respectful tribute.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews