One Arm Bandit headed back to Sisters

The most popular act in Sisters Rodeo history is coming back to celebrate the rodeo's 75th anniversary. The One Arm Bandit is bringing his black mouth cur hounds, horse or mule, and buffalo to town.

John Payne, the One Arm Bandit, has won the national Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association Specialty Act of the Year 12 times, including 2014. There is just nothing else like this performance, an unbelievable display of communication between a man and his animals. Wherever he performs, he steals the show.

Whip in hand, dogs at his bidding, he herds buffalo from horse or muleback onto the bed of a truck and even on the roof of a stock trailer.

He will also take his act to the Sisters Rodeo Parade, sometimes in a breathtaking performance with his horse on the roof of a moving stock trailer.

John Payne was born on an Oklahoma ranch. The cowboy has spent his entire life on a horse with dogs at his side. He partners with his dad and four brothers as ranchers in his home state, but his showmanship keeps him on the road most of the year.

When hired to herd some intractable bulls, John and his cur dogs earned the respect of the ranch owner. The bulls were penned in a short while, and the result was the beginning of Payne's career in the rodeo arena.

Many years ago, Payne made the one-time mistake of trying to be an electrician on a power pole where he grabbed a line, believing the power was off. He sustained 7,200 volts for 10 seconds.

While the voltage was destroying his leg, he was unable to let go, held to a wire 25 feet high by sheer electrical power. When his hand was burned loose, he fell. He was revived with CPR, licked his wounds for two months and went back to ranching. Through this shocking experience, Payne became "The One Arm Bandit."

The One Arm Bandit and Company has now taken their legendary act throughout the United States, Canada and Dubai. This act has been seen at some of the top horse shows and rodeos in the nation, always stunning an appreciative crowd. His son and daughter are now carrying on the tradition.

Payne believes anything can be accomplished through sheer nerve, determination and the drive to excel in one's field.

Sisters Rodeo will begin June 10 with Xtreme Bulls, followed by four rodeo performances June 12-14. For tickets and information, call the ticket hotline at 541-549-0121 or 1-800-827-7522, or visit the ticket office at 220 W. Cascade Ave. in Sisters. For information visit www.sistersrodeo.com.