Hoyt Axton | |
|---|---|
 Hoyt Axton on July 4, 1976 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Hoyt Wayne Axton (1938-03-25)March 25, 1938 Duncan, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Origin | Comanche, Oklahoma |
| Died | October 26, 1999(1999-10-26) (aged 61) Victor, Montana, U.S. |
| Genres | Country,folk,blues,rock |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1962–1999 |
| Labels | A&M Records,Brylen Records,Vee Jay Records |
| Website | Official website |
Hoyt Wayne Axton (March 25, 1938 – October 26, 1999)[1] was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He became prominent in the early 1960s, establishing himself on the West Coast as a folk singer with an earthy style and powerful voice. Among his best-known songs are "Joy to the World", "The Pusher", "No No Song", "Greenback Dollar", "Della and the Dealer", "Never Been to Spain", and "Boney Fingers".[2]
He was also a prolific character actor, with many film and television roles to his credit, often playing a father figure in a number of films, includingThe Black Stallion (1979),Heart Like a Wheel (1983), andGremlins (1984).
Born inDuncan, Oklahoma, Axton spent his preteen years inComanche, Oklahoma, with his brother John.[3] His motherMae Boren Axton, a songwriter, cowrote the song "Heartbreak Hotel", which became a major hit forElvis Presley.[4] Some of Hoyt's own songs were later recorded by Presley. Axton's father John Thomas Axton[5] was a naval officer stationed inJacksonville, Florida, where the family joined him in 1949.
Axton graduated fromRobert E. Lee High School in 1956 and left town after a hardware store was destroyed by fire on graduation night following a misguided prank.[6]
He attendedOklahoma State University on a scholarship,[4] where he played football, but he left to enlist in theU.S. Navy. Axton held the rank ofpetty officer second class and served on two ships, theUSSPrinceton (CV-37) and theUSSRanger(CVA-61).[2]
Axton was a cousin of musicianArlo Guthrie. He was also the first cousin ofDavid Boren, who served as governor of Oklahoma and three terms in theUnited States Senate and was also president of theUniversity of Oklahoma.[7]
After his discharge from the Navy, Axton began singing folk songs in coffee houses and nightclubs in Southern California. In the early 1960s, he released his first folk album,The Balladeer (recorded atthe Troubadour), which included his song "Greenback Dollar". It became a 1963 hit forthe Kingston Trio.[2]
Axton released numerous albums throughout the 1960s and 1970s through Vee-Jay, Capitol, A&M, MCA and other labels, and on his own Jeremiah Records, which he founded in 1978. In the mid-1970s, he produced studio covers of his own music forJohn Davidson, and also producedTales from the Ozone, a 1975 album byCommander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. He released many minor hits of his own, such as "Boney Fingers", "When the Morning Comes", and 1979's "Della and the Dealer".[4] His vocal style featured his distinctive bass-baritone (which later deepened to near-bass) and use ofcharacterization.
Axton first appeared on television in aDavid L. Wolper ABC production ofThe Story of a Folksinger (1963). He appeared onHootenanny, hosted byJack Linkletter, during this period. In 1965, he appeared in an episode ofBonanza[4] in which he sangduets withPernell Roberts. In 1966, he made his film debut inSmoky, playing the role of Fred Denton, the evil brother of the character played byFess Parker. He gained fame in the 1970s and 1980s through his film roles, including those inThe Black Stallion (1979),Liar's Moon (1982),Heart Like a Wheel (1983), andGremlins (1984). His television appearances includedMcCloud (1976),The Bionic Woman (1976),WKRP in Cincinnati (1979), andDiff'rent Strokes (1984, 1985). In 1980, he sang the theme song for the short-lived seriesFlo, and guest-starred as himself in the episode titled "You Gotta Have Hoyt". Axton sang the jingle "The Ballad of Big Mac" for a 1969McDonald'sBig Mac television commercial, as well as "Head for the Mountains" in voiceovers forBusch beer in the 1980s. He appeared in aPizza Hut commercial in 1985 and in a TV spot forFTD withMerlin Olsen in 1989.[citation needed] In 1991, Axton was awarded an induction to the Walk of Western Stars in Newhall, California.
Axton's most lasting contributions, however, were songs made famous by others: "Joy to the World" (Three Dog Night) and "Never Been to Spain" for both Three Dog Night andElvis Presley, "Greenback Dollar" for the Kingston Trio, "The Pusher" and "Snowblind Friend" forSteppenwolf, "No No Song" forRingo Starr, and songs covered by singers such asJoan Baez,Arlo Guthrie,John Denver,Nina Simone,Waylon Jennings,Martha Reeves,Jonathan Edwards,Glen Campbell,Anne Murray,Harry Belafonte,David Clayton-Thomas, andColter Wall. Axton sang duets withLinda Ronstadt on the songs "Lion in the Winter" and "When the Morning Comes", with Renee Armand on "Boney Fingers", and withTanya Tucker on "You Taught Me How to Cry." His composition "Joy to the World", performed by Three Dog Night, reached number one on theBillboard Hot 100 chart for six straight weeks in 1971, making it the top hit of the year. He named his record label Jeremiah after the bullfrog mentioned in the song.[2]
Axton was married four times; his first three marriages ended in divorce.[2] He had five children.[2] One of his children, Matt Axton, is a musician.[8]
Axton struggled withcocaine addiction, and several of his songs, including "The Pusher", "Snowblind Friend", and "No No Song", partly reflect his experiences with the drug.[2] He was a proponent ofmedical marijuana use and he and his wife Deborah were arrested in February 1997 at their Montana home for possession of about 500 g (1.1 lb) ofmarijuana. His wife later explained that she offered Axton marijuana to relieve his pain and stress following his 1995 stroke. They were fined and receiveddeferred sentences. Axton never fully recovered from his stroke, and he used a wheelchair for the remainder of his life.[citation needed]
Axton died at age 61 at his home inVictor, Montana, on October 26, 1999, after suffering two heart attacks in two weeks.[2][9][10]
On November 1, 2007, Axton and his mother Mae Boren Axton were inducted posthumously into theOklahoma Music Hall of Fame inMuskogee, Oklahoma.[11][12]
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | CAN Country | |||
| 1962 | The Balladeer | — | — | — | Horizon |
| 1963 | Greenback Dollar | — | — | — | |
| Thunder'n Lightnin' | — | — | — | ||
| Saturday's Child | — | — | — | ||
| 1964 | Hoyt Axton Explodes! | — | — | — | Vee Jay |
| Long Old Road | — | — | — | ||
| 1965 | Mr. Greenback Dollar Man | — | — | — | Surrey |
| Hoyt Axton Sings Bessie Smith | — | — | — | Exodus | |
| 1969 | My Griffin Is Gone | — | — | — | Columbia |
| 1971 | Joy to the World | — | — | — | Capitol |
| Country Anthem | — | — | — | ||
| 1973 | Less Than the Song | — | — | — | A&M |
| 1974 | Life Machine | 21 | — | — | |
| 1975 | Southbound | 27 | 188 | — | |
| 1976 | Fearless | 26 | 171 | — | |
| 1977 | Snowblind Friend | 36 | — | — | MCA |
| 1978 | Road Songs | 40 | — | — | A&M |
| Free Sailin' | 42 | — | — | MCA | |
| 1979 | A Rusty Old Halo | 27 | — | 14 | Jeremiah |
| 1980 | Where Did the Money Go? | 31 | — | — | |
| 1981 | Live! | 30 | — | — | |
| 1982 | Pistol Packin' Mama | 41 | — | — | |
| 1984 | American Dreams | — | — | — | Global |
| 1990 | Spin of the Wheel | — | — | — | DPI |
| 1996 | Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog | – | – | – | Youngheart Music |
| 1998 | The A&M Years[13] | — | — | — | A&M |
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US [14] | CAN Country | CAN | CAN AC | |||
| 1963 | "Greenback Dollar" | — | — | — | — | — | Greenback Dollar |
| 1967 | "San Fernando" | — | — | — | — | — | single only |
| 1973 | "Sweet Misery" | — | — | — | — | — | Less Than the Song |
| 1974 | "When the Morning Comes"(withLinda Ronstadt) | 10 | 54 | 1 | 72 | 20 | Life Machine |
| "Boney Fingers"(with Renee Armand)[15] | 8 | — | 8 | — | 31 | ||
| 1975 | "Nashville" | 61 | 106 | — | — | — | Southbound |
| "Speed Trap" | — | 105 | — | — | — | ||
| "Lion in the Winter"(with Linda Ronstadt) | 57 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "In a Young Girl's Mind" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976 | "Flash of Fire" | 18 | — | 9 | — | — | Fearless |
| "Evangelina" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977 | "You're the Hangnail in My Life" | 57 | — | 42 | — | — | Snowblind Friend |
| "Little White Moon" | 65 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979 | "Della and the Dealer" | 17 | — | — | — | — | A Rusty Old Halo |
| "A Rusty Old Halo" | 14 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980 | "Wild Bull Rider" | 21 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Evangelina" | 37 | — | 44 | — | — | ||
| "Boozers Are Losers (When Benders Don't End)" | — | — | — | — | — | Where Did the Money Go | |
| "Where Did the Money Go" | 80 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981 | "Flo's Yellow Rose" | 78 | — | — | — | — | single only |
| "The Devil" | 86 | — | — | — | — | Live! | |
| "(We've Got To) Win This One" | — | — | — | — | — | single only | |
| 1982 | "(When You Dance) You Do Not Tango" | — | — | — | — | — | Where Did the Money Go |
| "There Stands the Glass" | — | — | — | — | — | Pistol Packin' Mama | |
| "Pistol Packin' Mama" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983 | "Warm Storms and Wild Flowers" | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "If You're a Cowboy" | — | — | — | — | — | Spin of The Wheel | |
| 1991 | "Oh I'm a Good Old Rebel" | — | — | — | — | — | Songs of the Civil War |
| "Yellow Rose of Texas" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Year | Video |
|---|---|
| 1990 | "Heartbreak Hotel" |
| Year | Video |
|---|---|
| 1990 | "Mountain Right" |
Among Axton's best-known compositions (or co-writing credits) are:
Several songs for the 1977 filmOutlaw Blues were composed by Axton and sung byPeter Fonda.[16] Axton also contributed songs for the filmsThe Legend of Hillbilly John (1972),Buster and Billie (1974),Mitchell (1975), andThe Junkman (1982).
In the 1980s and '90s Axton also lent his distinctive voice to a number of documentary features. He served as the narrator for two documentaries about theWestern States Endurance Race in 1982 and 1983, titledDesperate Dreams. In 1991 he narrated the VHS documentaryRailfair '91, and the following year he narratedThe Alaska Highway: 1942-1992, about the history of theAlaska Highway that was produced by public television stationKAKM ofAnchorage and shown nationally onPBS. In the mid-1990s, Axton was chosen to host and narrate the profile seriesLife and Times onThe Nashville Network, in which a different country music figure was spotlighted each hour. His voice was heard throughout and he was seen on camera doing the introduction and closing of each show in which he participated.
