John Lynn Payne, of North Richland Hills, TX, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Monday, March 29. He will always be remembered as a loving husband, father, granddad, son, brother, friend, and bandmate to all who knew and loved him.

He was born on July 3, 1945, in Altus, Oklahoma, to Clyde and Thelma (Goolsby) Payne. John received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in May 1969 from Texas Technological College before it became Texas Tech University. He met his wife Gyendolyn Rice at Tech, and after a short courtship, they were married March 25, 1967.

John loved music and was an accomplished musician on many instruments, especially fiddle and guitar. He was in several bands throughout college and later in life as well. As a founding member of The Sensations in college, the group played gigs across West Texas, touring in their signature yellow hearse! He was most recently a member of The Back Beats, performing classics from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s at local restaurants and private events. He recorded two CDs – one with his band The American Classics, and a solo CD where he sang and played all the instruments.

Click here to read more