Roy Payne does not get his due as a great Canadian songwriter. he wrote two truly great songs. 'I wouldn't take a million dollars for a single Maple Leaf' which he wrote when he was in the Canadian Army in Egypt. And 'There are no price tags on the doors of Newfoundland ' both of which can be considered anthems
No question he was a character
I met him in Toronto in the summer of 75. The Horseshoe was still Country and Western. I had moved in across the street in June and the Horseshoe had become my local and by then i had set up an after hours club. (booze can).
It came to pass that Roy owed Morty Star (The manager of the Horseshoe) $3,000.00. so Morty hired Roy for the whole month of August. the idea that he could get his money back. He made strict rules that Roy could have no bar privileges and he wasn't to drink.
So I am sitting in a booth in the east half of the huge bar. Drinking jugs of drafts with a couple of friends Roy was just setting up for the gig on the stage on the west side of the bar and Morty was behind the bar on the westside front of the bar. there was a half wall down the middle and I was on the other side. I was sitting talking and drinking when something grabbed my leg. I looked down at Roy under my seat holding up a dollar."Give me a beer will you?" He had crawled under about 5 booths to get to us and that is how we became friends. He spent almost every night at my bar for the rest of the month and we hung out quite a bit
Roy was mostly drunk or whatever and crazy but he knew all the country stars and introduced me to many like Billy Joe Shaver etc. He could write a song in a minute I watched him write one about the liquor menu.
By the way at the end of the month, Roy owed Morty $6000.
Roy Payne is an icon of Canadian Country music. He was born in Trout River, Newfoundland, and was raised by his grandparents. He served 12 years in the Canadian army and was a truck driver amongst other odd jobs before making music his full-time vocation.
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