I SAW THE BLUES is the latest release from blues singer Jackie Payne. An alum of The Johnny Otis Band, Jackie started singing professionally at the age of 13. Born in Athens, Georgia at the age of seventeen he relocated to Houston, Texas. It was in Houston where Jackie recorded his first regional hit, “Go Go Train” on the Jetstream label. The success of that record caught the attention of Stax Records, and Jackie was asked to tour with The Stax Revue. The 45-city toured featured Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and Rufus & Carla Thomas. For fifteen years Payne was the featured vocalist with The Johnny Otis Orchestra. In 1993 with Jackie on vocals, the band was nominated for a Grammy Award. Payne and blues guitarist Steve Edmonson, formed the Jackie Payne Steve Edmonson Band in the late 1990s. The band, which was based in the San Francisco Bay Area, has recorded three albums, “Partners In The Blues” on the Burnside Records label, “Master Of The Game” and “Overnight Sensation” on the Delta Groove label. The band won the Contemporary Blues Muic Award for Best Soul Blues Album of 2006 for the “Master Of The Game”. During the spring of 2014, Jackie Payne finished recording I SAW THE BLUES. His plans to release a CD later in the year, were thwarted when he suffered a major stroke in October. Guitarist Kid Andersen CEO of Greaseland Studio’s, and guitarist friend Anthony Paule committed to helping make Jackie’s longing to release I SAW THE BLUES, come to fruition. Six of the twelve songs on I SAW THE BLUES were either written or co-written by Jackie.