ABOUT
As a performing artist, Sam Payne has shared the stage with rock legends Toto and Foreigner, pop stars Air Supply and Marie Osmond, and more. He has entertained as a storyteller, songwriter and jazz musician in concert halls from Bulgaria to Tokyo, and from the Will Rogers Auditorium in Dallas, Texas to the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. He holds a bachelor's degree in English from Weber State University, and a Master's degree in Education from Southern Utah University. As a radio writer and personality, he has written for the Glenn Beck Program, directed the nation’s number one inspirational Internet radio station, YLDSR.com, and created and syndicated “The Radio Family Journal,” a popular radio feature on faith and family. Mr. Payne has also authored publications for children, with a readership of some 200,000 elementary school students. His work has been adopted as core curriculum by state boards of education in Florida and Arkansas. He has also authored works of historical fiction, and co-directed the "Soundcheck Series," an artist development program for independent songwriters.
“Sam Payne – totally crushing it. Incredible. Amazing work,” says international storyteller Antonio Sacre of Sam Payne’s stage show. Payne's arresting stage presence, craftsmanship, and his soaring tenor voice have established him as a favorite with audiences and critics alike. Payne has brought his stories and songs to halls in Canada, Bulgaria, Tokyo, and from coast to coast in the United States. He's been featured at festivals large and small, including the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival and the Weber Storytelling Festival. Sam also hosts "The Apple Seed: Tellers and Stories," a daily national radio show on the art of storytelling for BYU radio.
"The Gift of the Tongue. You've got it, my friend. In Spades. Astonishing."
--International Storyteller Clare Murphy
"Fill-the-room stage presence. Totally iPod-worthy."
--International storyteller Kim Weitkamp
"Original, over-the-top creative, genius. Let's be honest, genius. Totally different league from anyone around that I've seen as far as artistry."
--Entertainer Jason Hewlett
"The best voice at the festival."
--Utah Arts Festival
"Listening to the lyrics--that song about his grandfather; Holy Cow! Some of the best lyrics I've ever heard."
--Glenn Beck, the Glenn Beck Program