Here’s a fact that may surprise old-time Little Feat fans: The reunited group has existed without Lowell George for more than twice as long as the original band that included George.

Some die-hard fans — the ones who got on board the Little Feat train in the early 1970s — may grumble that it still doesn’t matter, that the group is still not the same without George, who was the band’s lead singer, lead guitarist and probably its most dominant and unique songwriter.

The group disbanded after George died in 1979, but after reassembling in ‘88, they’ve been consistently gigging and recording ever since. (Two singers have come and gone since the founding members regrouped.) The band comes to The Ark on Thursday for a sold-out show.

Little Feat perform "Mercenary Territory" on live CD "Waiting For Columbus":

Guitarist Paul Barrere — one of the band’s co-founders — says that, now that the post-George version has been plugging away for as long as it has, “that resistance from some of the old fans to Little Feat even existing without Lowell has pretty much subsided. And, as we’ve always maintained, this was always a band. Lowell was a great singer, guitarist and songwriter, but back in the day, a lot of our songs were also written or co-written by me, (keyboardist) Bill Payne, (percussionist) Sam Clayton and (drummer) Richie Hayward.”

Granted, it was George who wrote many of the band’s signature and most popular songs, like “Sailin’ Shoes,” “Willin’,” “Trouble,” “Dixie Chicken,” “Cold, Cold, Cold,” “Spanish Moon” and “Fat Man in the Bathtub.” But the others penned some fan favorites as well, like “All That You Dream,” “Tripe Face Boogie” and “Oh Atlanta” — or co-wrote classic like “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” along with George.

In the early- to mid-‘70s, Little Feat's inspired mix of weary or surreal lyrics, sizzling slide guitar and, later, the addition of New Orleans funk, was one of the most distinctive roots-rock sounds of the era. But that chapter came to a sad close when George died and the band split up. The group reformed in 1988, however, with Craig Fuller (of Pure Prairie League) and Fred Tackett (a longtime Feat friend) filling in on vocals and guitar, respectively.

Fuller left in ’93, and Detroit-area native Shaun Murphy joined and became part of the “rotation” of singers that included Barrere and Payne. Due to the brutal economy, however, the band was getting fewer bookings this year — only 50 so far, says Barrere, “so we couldn’t tour and make enough money to support a seven-piece band and crew.” So they sadly had to let Murphy go.

Before she left, though, the group recorded its latest disc, “Join the Band,” which featured guest turns from the likes of slide-guitar hero Sonny Landreth, banjo poobah Bela Fleck, Black Crowes shouter Chris Robinson, Emmylou Harris and her pristine vocals, and several others, including Vince Gill, Dave Matthews, Brooks & Dunn and Jimmy Buffet. Some collaborations work better than others. Most Feat fans could have probably done without the predictable, commercial-country-pop imprint that Brooks & Dunn put on the classic, pensive, “Willin’” — and Dave Matthews’ (typically) overly-mannered and affected vowel-twisting on “Fat Man” just comes off as self-indulgent.

However, the “Dixie Chicken” remake shines, as Landreth’s sultry slide guitar admirably channels George’s original, while Gill tones down his country-pop habit and delivers a vocal performance befitting the song’s initial country-funk vibe. And “Sailin’ Shoes” starts out with Emmylou slyly and delightfully singing in a sassy, lower register, framed by trickling mandolin, before the song kicks into something both bluesier and funkier than the original, even while making room for Fleck’s banjo fills and Bush’s mandolin flutter.

The most poignant moment, however, is when George’s daughter Inara sings the ruminative and mournful “Trouble,” written by her dad in the early ‘70s, accompanied only by Payne on the piano. It’s a heart-rending performance, given Irena’s soft, almost frail voice and the tender sentiments expressed in the song: “Mama, lay your head down in the shade / Your feet are tired, and your eyes are too / And you wish the world was as tired as you…..I’ll write a letter, and send it away, and put all the trouble in it, that you had today.”

Hearing a daughter sing those words, written decades ago by her long-deceased father, who died way too young after living several “troubled” years of his own at the end…..Well, in the liner notes, Payne writes that he had tears in his eyes when he first heard the playback.

I’m guessing that’s the common response among most listeners, as well.

It’s true that, on its studio albums of the last decade, Little Feat does miss George's singular songwriting voice, which he had initially honed in the late 1960s as a member of the Mothers of Invention. But the group also missed those talents in the late '70s, when George's failing health and chronic addiction problems diminished his contributions, which meant the group's sound became less distinctive and more commercial, as the others took the music in a sleeker, even funkier, and sometimes jazzier direction.

In recent years, the group has borrowed a page from the Grateful Dead playbook, releasing several album’s worth of live performances, some from as far back as the early ’70s, with George, and some more recent, with more onstage improvising and a more fluid set list. So, if you see them two nights in a row, the only song you’re likely to hear twice is “Dixie Chicken.”

“We do make sure we play ‘Dixie Chicken’ every show, and, usually, ‘Willin,’” says Barrere. “But otherwise, we change it up every night, because it makes it a lot more interesting for the band — and if you’re a fan who hits the road to see a few of our shows in a row, you get to see a different show every night.”

Kevin Ransom is a free-lance writer and critic who covers music for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at KevinRansom10@aol.com.

PREVIEW Little Feat Who: Venerated band that started in the early '70s, disbanded when frontman Lowell George died in 1979, then re-formed in 1988. What: Wide-ranging and facile synergy of rocking-blues, New Orleans funk, country-rock and even some jazzy elements. Where: The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor When: Thursday, 8 p.m. How much: SOLD OUT. Details: 734-761-1451 or The Ark web site.