It’s been a rough 18 months for the guys in Little Feat, who come to The Ark for a sold-out show on Wednesday.

In early 2009, they had to “lay off” female singer Shaun Murphy, who’d been in the band since the mid-1990s. It was strictly economics: the recession had become so brutal that the band wasn’t getting enough gigs to support a seven-piece band plus the crew.

And Murphy was only one of the group’s “rotation” of lead singers, which included guitarist Paul Barrere and keyboardist Bill Payne.

Then, in the fall, drummer Richie Hayward, who co-founded the group way back in 1969, was diagnosed with liver cancer, and had to leave the band. When and whether he returns depends on what course his illness takes.

“We were just visiting with Richie a few days ago,” says Payne, during a mid-July phone interview from a tour stop in Washington state. “He had a good couple of days while we were there, but it’s kind of a day-to-day thing. It’s a tough disease — it throws off your equilibrium. He went through some radiation, and some chemo, and the doctors recommend a liver transplant, but they’re waiting for him to get healthy enough to go through that.”

Hayward, like many musicians, does not have health insurance. But, as fate would have it, his girlfriend was Canadian, and they have since married. Hayward now lives in Vancouver, and will soon be eligible for Canada’s universal health care.

“Richie’s situation is just another example of why we desperately need national health care in America,” says Payne. “It’s a really frightening thing, to be in that kind of vulnerable situation.”

Since Hayward became ill, drumming chores have been handled by Gabe Ford, who’d previously been Hayward’s drum tech, and is also the nephew of guitar hero Robben Ford. “Richie isn’t feeling well enough to play every night, obviously, but not too long ago, he joined us and played drums on three songs, and that really made everyone feel good.”

Those who wish to donate to help pay for Hayward’s medical expenses thus far can do so via the Sweet Relief organization http://www.sweetrelief.org/.

Meanwhile, the band is gearing up for the fall release of their new live album, “Ram’s Head Revisited.” That their next release will be another live album shouldn’t surprise, because the group, over the last decade or so, has borrowed a couple of pages from the Grateful Dead playbook: Like the Dead, the band has been rotating set lists from night to night, playing extended improvisations of their songs onstage, and releasing a series of live albums — including both recent performances and archival recordings that date back to the ‘70s.

Over the summer, the group has also been releasing several of the tracks from the upcoming disc, one at a time, for free, via its website. “We figure that’s a good way to market the album, and keep people interested until it’s released,” says Payne.

“Ram’s Head Revisited” was recorded over three nights this past spring, at the Ram’s Head club in Maryland. And it’s “Revisited” because the band previously recorded a live album there in ‘02.

“When it was first suggested that we release this, my first thought was, ‘Yeah, all we need is another live album,’” jokes Payne, since the band has released six live discs since ’02. “But when I listened to the tapes, I got this big smile on my face, because the band was really cooking, and it’s such an intimate setting, like The Ark, and I think that’s the kind of room where this band really excels.”

In the early-to-mid-‘70s, Little Feat's inspired mix of world-weary or surreal lyrics, searing slide guitar and, later, the addition of syncopated New Orleans funk, made for one of the most distinctive roots-rock sounds of the era.

Of course, there are some old-time fans, dating back to the ‘70s, who still maintain the attitude that “without Lowell George, it just doesn’t seem like Little Feat.” That’s because George, who died in 1979 — prompting the band to break up for 9 years — was the high-profile “face” of the band: he was their lead singer and played a gnarly slide guitar that was often the centerpiece of the band’s sound.

He was also their most distinctive songwriting voice, the one who penned some of the group’s most idiosyncratic signature songs — like “Sailin’ Shoes,” “Willin’,” “Trouble,” “Dixie Chicken,” “Cold, Cold, Cold.” and “Fat Man in the Bathtub.” But other band members penned some fan favorites as well, like “All That You Dream,” “Tripe Face Boogie” and “Oh Atlanta” - or co-wrote classics like “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” along with George.

But the reunited, post-Lowell version of the group has now been together for more than twice as long as the ‘70s incarnation fronted by George. (Not counting the comings and goings of singers Murphy and Craig Fuller since the band re-united in ’88). So, for the most part, the resistance by some of the old fans to a Little Feat without George has pretty much subsided at this point.

The group is also presently working on a new studio album that has the working title “Little Feat: A World of Blues,” says Payne. “We’re finishing up the lyrics and getting the melodies and song structures together. We’re set to record pretty soon, and it’ll be out next year some time.”

Although the word “blues” in the title may imply a specific stylistic focus, that’s not something a band like this could ever adhere to, given their eclecticism and their love of folk, country, New Orleans R&B, jazz, funk, etc.

“No, the blues is a pretty wide spectrum,” says Payne. “There’s Delta blues, Chicago blues, jazzy blues, rocking blues. We’ll be exploring a lot of the different possibilities of the blues. It’ll be pretty varied.”

Kevin Ransom, a free-lance writer and critic who covers music for AnnArbor.com, has written about Little Feat for the Ann Arbor News / AnnArbor.com on several occasions. He can be reached at KevinRansom10@aol.com.

Little Feat performing live in upstate New York last month: