Paul Barrere, singer and guitarist of rock band Little Feat, died Saturday in a Los Angeles hospital. He was 71.
“Paul auditioned for Little Feat as a bassist when it was first being put together – in his words, ‘as a bassist I make an excellent guitarist’ – and three years later joined the band in his proper role on guitar,” read a tribute on the band’s Facebook page. "Forty-seven years later, he was forced to miss the current tour, which will end tomorrow, due to side effects from his ongoing treatment for liver disease.
"He promised to follow his doctor’s orders, get back in shape, and rock on the beach at the band’s annual gathering in Jamaica in January 2020. ‘Until then,’ he wrote, ‘keep your sailin’ shoes close by…if I have my way, you’re going to need them!’
“As the song he sang so many times put it, he was always ‘Willin’,’ but it was not meant to be. Paul, sail on to the next place in your journey with our abiding love for a life always dedicated to the muse and the music. We are grateful for the time we have shared.”
Barrere joined Little Feat in 1973 before the recording of its third studio album, Dixie Chicken. He took a break from the band in 1994 to undergo treatment for Hepatitis C and was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2015.
In addition to his work with Little Feat, Barrere released three solo albums between 1983 and 1986.
Among those paying tribute on social media was Bonnie Raitt, who remembered Barrere as “a brilliant guitarist, singer and songwriter – a cornerstone of one of the greatest bands of all time.”
Musician Nils Lofgren tweeted: “You’ve Blessed us all with a lifetime of inspired, soulful music.”
Barrere is survived by wife Pam and three children.