- His mother is singer 'Sammi Smith' of "Help Me Make it Through the Night" fame. His father, Jody Payne, is Willie Nelson's longtime guitarist.
- He is named after his godfather Waylon Jennings.
- His character in Walk the Line (2005) (Jerry Lee Lewis), and his character in Crazy (2008) (Hank Garland) actually recorded together in the 1950s.
- Portrays Jerry Lee Lewis in Walk the Line (2005), which is about the life and times of Johnny Cash. Cash's bassist Marshall Grant was the one who discovered his mother 'Sammi Smith', and Cash's friend and collaborator Waylon Jennings is his Godfather.
- Son of Grammy winning female vocalist Sammi Smith, a Grammy-winning female vocalist and Jody Payne, longtime guitarist with Willie Nelson.
- Raised by his aunt and uncle in Dallas, Texas from the time he was about four months old since both his parents were always touring with their respective music careers.
- Both he and Jerry Lee Lewis (who he portrayed in _Walk the Line (2005)) are the same height.
- Often spent summers on tour with his mother, Sammi Smith.
- Wrote 10 of the 11 songs on "The Drifter"
- Wrote for and performed on Pat Green's seventh album "Wave On Wave"
- Payne and Pat Green co-wrote the satirical song "Elvis" and "Sing Till I Stop Crying" on Green's album "Wave on Wave"
- Recorded "The Drifter" in 2004. He wrote 10 of the 11 songs on the album and spent the advance on a 1964 white Cadillac convertible.
- Started in the Los Angeles club scene at clubs such as Eastbound And Down and the King Club
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