After
only being together a year, Rhiannon Scutt and Pete Sowerby of the folk, blues
and roots duo Rita Payne have achieved a great deal including a debut album,
television appearances, numerous National and International Radio air time and
are the ‘go to’ opening act for many International Folk and Blues Artists across
the UK.
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Rhiannon
and Pete have known each other since their first day of secondary school back in
2000, but decided to write music together only a year ago when Rhiannon
accidentally called Pete while he was holidaying in Spain. From there, the
Doncaster duo decided to meet up and try being a covers outfit to earn a bit of
cash in pubs. However, after one rehearsal, they began writing songs. After
compiling a playlist of around 20 self penned tunes, and mixing their names up
to create a new one - Rita
Payne set out to conquer the Doncaster pub scene.
After totting up well over 100 gigs in the first six months, Rita Payne began to attract the attention of reputable music venues due to their intriguing blend of folky harmonies, bluesy riffs and the fact they use a suitcase as a bass drum! They suddenly found themselves transported from playing to a handful of people in a pub, to hundreds in venues such as The Leadmill in Sheffield, The Dome in Doncaster and Tramlines Festival in Sheffield.
After totting up well over 100 gigs in the first six months, Rita Payne began to attract the attention of reputable music venues due to their intriguing blend of folky harmonies, bluesy riffs and the fact they use a suitcase as a bass drum! They suddenly found themselves transported from playing to a handful of people in a pub, to hundreds in venues such as The Leadmill in Sheffield, The Dome in Doncaster and Tramlines Festival in Sheffield.
Subsequently
after a chance meeting with renowned producer Keith Angel at a local gig, Rita
Payne began to record their debut album - “Stories From a
Suitcase.”
"Stories from a Suitcase is an
assured set of songs, delivered with panache. It's hard to credit this is a
début recording, the song writing is that good" - R2 Magazine 2013
“_A
truly unusual sound, great harmonies and phenomenal guitar work”- Andy Kershaw, BBC
"...their delicate harmonies
work beautifully; The subtle musical backdrop working in perfect tandem with the
breathtaking vocal interplay and well-written lyrics. I predict a great future
for this Rita Payne" - Alan Cackett, Maverick
Magazine
"Rita Payne have brought some
sunshine to my life" - David Burns, BBC Introducing
Humberside
