After a year and a half playing rhythm guitar for Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, Lowell George recruited Richie Hayward, the drummer in The Factory, a band George had been in pre-Zappa, fellow Zappa musician Roy Estrada, and pianist Billy Payne to form Little Feat. Kenny Gradney replaced Estrada on bass in 1972 and Lowell got his high school friend and guitarist Paul Barrere to join and added Sam Clayton for percussion. Lowell's insistence of maintaining total control of the band drove Barrere and Payne to quit in 1979, by which time George was concentrating on a solo career. He died four days after starting a tour in support of his album Thanks, I'll Eat It Here. His death was ruled a heart attack related to cocaine use.