Hoyt Axton

Biography

Hoyt Wayne Axton (March 25, 1938 – October 26, 1999) 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×Joy to the World1971 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Joy to the World2:46A2Alice in Wonderland3:18A3Never Been to Spain3:26A4The Pusher5:23A5Ease Your Pain2:45B1Have a Nice Day3:02B2Indian Song3:37B3California Women2:28B4Lightnin' Bar Blues3:05B6Father Along / Old Time Religion5:39", "The Pusher", "No No Song", "Greenback Dollar×Greenback Dollar1963 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Greenback Dollar3:25A2Ashville Junction2:50A3Brisbane Ladies3:20A4Five Hundred Miles3:55A5The Balladeer2:37B6Ox Driver's Song3:30B7Peggy-O3:15B8Walkin' to Georgia2:00B9Vandy2:15B10John Henry6:54", "Della and the Dealer×Della And The Dealer1999 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Della And The Dealer2I Love To Sing3Evangelina4Big Red5Double Double Dare6Joy To The World7Never Gonna Work8South Bound9Nashville10Red, White, & Blue11Lion In The Winter12Heartbreak Hotel13Boney Fingers14I'll Be There15No No Song16Theres A Tiger In The Closet", "Never Been to Spain×Never Been to Spain1981 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksANever Been to Spain3:30BThe Pusher5:29", and "Boney Fingers×Boney Fingers1974 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksABoney Fingers3:05BBoney Fingers3:05".
He was also a prolific character actor with many film and television roles to his credit, playing a father figure in a number of films, including The Black Stallion (1979), Heart Like a Wheel (1983), and Gremlins (1984).

Early life

Born in Duncan, Oklahoma, Axton spent his preteen years in Comanche, Oklahoma, with his brother John. His mother Mae Boren Axton, a songwriter, cowrote the song "Heartbreak Hotel", which became a major hit for Elvis Presley. Some of Hoyt's own songs were later recorded by Presley. Axton's father John Thomas Axton was a naval officer stationed in Jacksonville, Florida, where the family joined him in 1949.
Axton graduated from High School in 1956 and left town after being involved in the burning of a hardware store that was started as a misguided prank.
He attended Oklahoma State University on a scholarship, where he played football, but he left to enlist in the U.S. Navy. Axton held the rank of petty officer second class and served on two ships, the USS Princeton (CV-37) and the USS Ranger (CVA-61).
Axton was a distant cousin of musician Arlo Guthrie. He was also the first cousin of David Boren, who served as governor of Oklahoma and three terms in the United States Senate and was also president of the University of Oklahoma.

Career

After his discharge from the Navy, Axton made his way to Southern California and began singing folk songs in clubs and coffee houses. In the early 1960s, he released his first folk album, The Balladeer×The Balladeer1962 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Ox Driver's Song3:30A2Peggy-O3:15A3Walkin' to Georgia2:00A4Vandy2:15A5John Henry6:54B1Greenback Dollar3:25B2Swananoah Tunnel2:50B3One Grain of Sand2:56B4Brisbane Ladies3:20B5Darlin'3:26B6Five Hundred Miles3:55B7The Balladeer2:37 (recorded at the Troubadour), which included his song "Greenback Dollar×Greenback Dollar1963 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Greenback Dollar3:25A2Ashville Junction2:50A3Brisbane Ladies3:20A4Five Hundred Miles3:55A5The Balladeer2:37B6Ox Driver's Song3:30B7Peggy-O3:15B8Walkin' to Georgia2:00B9Vandy2:15B10John Henry6:54". It became a 1963 hit for the Kingston Trio.
Axton was backed by The Chambers Brothers for his Thunder 'N' Lightnin' album, released in 1963. It was reviewed by Billboard in the magazine's 19 January issue. The review was positive with advice to deejays to keep a watch on it.
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 early 1970s he was the warm-up act for Three Dog Night; in the mid-1970s, he produced studio covers of his own music for John Davidson and in 1975 he produced Tales from the Ozone, an album by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. He released many minor hits of his own, such as "Boney Fingers×Boney Fingers1974 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksABoney Fingers3:05BBoney Fingers3:05", "When the Morning Comes", and 1979's "Della and the Dealer×Della And The Dealer1999 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Della And The Dealer2I Love To Sing3Evangelina4Big Red5Double Double Dare6Joy To The World7Never Gonna Work8South Bound9Nashville10Red, White, & Blue11Lion In The Winter12Heartbreak Hotel13Boney Fingers14I'll Be There15No No Song16Theres A Tiger In The Closet". His vocal style featured his distinctive bass-baritone (which later deepened to near-bass) and use of characterization.
Axton first appeared on television in a David L. Wolper ABC production of The Story of a Folksinger (1963). He appeared on Hootenanny, hosted by Jack Linkletter, during this period. In 1965, he appeared in an episode of Bonanza in which he sang duets with Pernell Roberts. In 1966 he made his film debut in Smoky, co-starring Fess Parker. He gained fame in the 1970s and 1980s through his film roles, including those in The Black Stallion (1979), Liar's Moon (1982), Heart Like a Wheel (1983), and Gremlins (1984). His television appearances included McCloud (1976), The Bionic Woman (1976), WKRP in Cincinnati (1979), and Diff'rent Strokes (1984, 1985). In 1980, he sang the theme song for the short-lived series Flo, and guest-starred as himself in the episode titled "You Gotta Have Hoyt." Axton sang the jingle "The Ballad of Big Mac" for a 1969 McDonald's Big Mac television commercial, as well as "Head for the Mountains" in voiceovers for Busch beer in the 1980s. During this time he also did TV ads for Pizza Hut, Ford trucks, Levi's jeans, and a spot for FTD with Merlin Olsen in 1989. In 1991, Hoyt 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×Joy to the World1971 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Joy to the World2:46A2Alice in Wonderland3:18A3Never Been to Spain3:26A4The Pusher5:23A5Ease Your Pain2:45B1Have a Nice Day3:02B2Indian Song3:37B3California Women2:28B4Lightnin' Bar Blues3:05B6Father Along / Old Time Religion5:39" by Three Dog Night, "Never Been to Spain×Never Been to Spain1981 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksANever Been to Spain3:30BThe Pusher5:29" by both Three Dog Night and Elvis Presley, "Greenback Dollar" by The Kingston Trio, "The Pusher" and "Snowblind Friend×Snowblind Friend1977 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1You're the Hangnail in My Life2:03A2Little White Moon2:40A3Water for My Horses3:06A4Funeral of the King2:57A5I Light This Candle3:12A6Never Been to Spain2:33B1You Taught Me How to Cry3:17B2Snowblind Friend2:54B3Poncho and Lefty3:06B4Seven Come2:26B5I Don't Know Why I Love You3:23" by Steppenwolf, "No No Song" by Ringo Starr, as well as songs covered by Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, John Denver, Nina Simone, Waylon Jennings, Martha Reeves, Jonathan Edwards, Glen Campbell, Anne Murray, Patti Page, Harry Belafonte, David Clayton-Thomas, John Fullbright and Colter Wall. Axton sang duets with Linda Ronstadt on the songs "Lion in the Winter" and "When the Morning Comes", with Renee Armand on "Boney Fingers", and with Tanya Tucker on "You Taught Me How to Cry." His composition "Joy to the World", performed by Three Dog Night, held the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for six straight weeks in 1971, making it the top hit of the year. Axton named his record label Jeremiah after the bullfrog mentioned in the song.

Personal life

Axton was married four times; his first three marriages ended in divorce. He had five children. One of his children, Matt Axton, is a musician.
Axton struggled with cocaine addiction and several of his songs, including "The Pusher", "Snowblind Friend×Snowblind Friend1977 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1You're the Hangnail in My Life2:03A2Little White Moon2:40A3Water for My Horses3:06A4Funeral of the King2:57A5I Light This Candle3:12A6Never Been to Spain2:33B1You Taught Me How to Cry3:17B2Snowblind Friend2:54B3Poncho and Lefty3:06B4Seven Come2:26B5I Don't Know Why I Love You3:23", and "No No Song", partly reflect his experiences with the drug. In his later years he was a proponent of medical marijuana use; he and his wife Deborah were arrested in February 1997 at their Montana home for possession of 500 g (1.1 lb) of marijuana. His wife later explained she offered Axton marijuana to relieve his pain and stress following his 1995 stroke. They were fined and received deferred sentences. Axton never fully recovered from his stroke, and he used a wheelchair for the remainder of his life.

Death and tributes

Hoyt Axton died at age 61 at his home in Victor, Montana, on October 26, 1999, after suffering two heart attacks in two weeks.
On November 1, 2007, Hoyt and his mother Mae Boren Axton were inducted posthumously into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in Muskogee, Oklahoma.

Film

Smoky (1966) – Fred Denton
The Black Stallion (1979) – Alec's father
Skinflint: A Country Christmas Carol (1979, TV Movie) – Cyrus Flint
Cloud Dancer (1980) – Brad's mechanic
Liar's Moon (1982) – Cecil Duncan
The Junkman (1982) – Himself / Cap. Gibbs / Rev. Jim Beam (voice)
Endangered Species (1982) – Ben Morgan
The Black Stallion Returns (1983) – Narrator (voice)
Heart Like a Wheel (1983) – Tex Roque
Deadline Auto Theft (1983) – Captain Gibbs
Fred C. Dobbs Goes to Hollywood (1983)
Gremlins (1984) – Randall Peltzer
Woody Guthrie: Hard Travelin' (1984, Documentary) - Himself
Act of Vengeance (1986, TV Movie) – Silous Huddleston
Dallas: The Early Years (1986, TV Movie) – Aaron Southworth
Retribution (1987) – Lt. Ashley
Christmas Comes to Willow Creek (1987, TV Movie) – Al Bensinger
Guilty of Innocence: The Lenell Geter Story (1987, TV Movie) - Charlie Hartford
Dixie Lanes (1988) – Clarence Laidlaw
Desperado: Avalanche at Devil's Ridge (1988, TV Movie) - Sheriff Ben Tree
Disorganized Crime (1989) – Sheriff Henault
We're No Angels (1989) – Father Levesque
Buried Alive (1990, TV Movie) – Sheriff Sam Eberly
Gypsy Angels (1990) - bit part
Harmony Cats (1992) – Bill Stratton
Space Case (1992) - Charlie
Season of Change (1994) – Big Upton
Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long (1995, TV Movie) – Huey P. Long, Sr.
Number One Fan (1995) – Lt. Joe Halsey
King Cobra (1999) – Mayor Ed Biddle
Several songs for the 1977 film Outlaw Blues were composed by Axton and sung by Peter Fonda.
Axton also contributed songs for the films The Legend of Hillbilly John (1972), Buster and Billie (1974), Mitchell (1975), and The Junkman (1982).

Television

The Story of a Folksinger (TV special, 1963) - himself
Hootenanny (1964) – musical guest
Bonanza (1965, Season 6, Episode 27: "Dead and Gone") – Howard Mead
Iron Horse (1966, Season 1, Episode 4: "Right of Way Through Paradise") – Slash Birney
I Dream of Jeannie (1966, season 2, episode 7: "Fastest Gun in the East") – Bull
The Midnight Special (1973) - musical guest
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1975) - musical guest
The Hoyt Axton Country Western Boogie Woogie Gospel Rock and Roll Show (1975) – himself - NBC TV special featuring Linda Ronstadt, Arlo Guthrie, Ringo Starr and others
The Bionic Woman (1976, season 2, episode 18: "The Road to Nashville") – Buck Buckley
Dinah! (1976) - musical guest
McCloud (1977, season 7, episode 44: "The Moscow Connection") – Johnny Starbuck
Hee Haw (1977) - musical guest
Dick Clark's Live Wednesday (1978) - musical guest
Flying High (1978, season 1, episode 14: "Great Expectations") - himself
Hee Haw Honeys (1979) - musical guest
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1979) - musical guest
WKRP in Cincinnati (1979, season 1, episode 19: "I Do, I Do...For Now") – T.J. Watson
Austin City Limits (1979, season 4, episode 411) - musical guest
The Dukes of Hazzard (1981, season 3, episode 47: "Good Neighbors Duke") - himself, musical guest
Flo (1981, weason 2, episode 26: "You Gotta Have Hoyt") - himself
Barbara Mandrell & the Mandrell Sisters (1981, season 2) - musical guest
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1982, season 1, episode 3: "Challenges" and episode 8: "Rodeo") – Cooper Johnson
The Rousters (1983–1984) – Cactus Jack Slade
Diff'rent Strokes (1984, season 7, episode 154: "Sam's Father", and episode 166: "A Camping We Will Go") – Wes McKinney
Domestic Life (1984, season 1, episode 5: "Harold, Can You Spare $4,000?") – Rip Steele
Faerie Tale Theatre (1984, Season 3, Episode 9: "Goldilocks and the Three Bears") – Forest Ranger
Cover Up (1984, season 1, episode 3: "Death in Vogue") - John Cody
Glitter (1985, season 1, episode 13: "The Runaway") - Christie's father
The Steel Collar Man (1985, series pilot) - Red
Trapper John, M.D. (1985, season 7, episode 133: "Game of Hearts: Part 1", and episode 134: "Game of Hearts: Part 2") - Jack Dearborne
Murder, She Wrote (1988, season 5, episode 93: "Coal Miner's Slaughter") – Sheriff Tate
Midnight Caller (1990, season 2, episode 30: "Kid Salinas") – Ralston Cash Dollar
Growing Pains (1990, season 5, episode 118: "Where There's a Will") – Claver Jackson
Doorways (1993, series pilot) - Jake Mitchell
In the 1980s and 1990s, Axton also contributed his distinctive voice to a number of documentary features. He served as the narrator for two documentaries about the Western States Endurance Race in 1982 and 1983, titled Desperate Dreams. In 1991, he narrated the VHS documentary Railfair '91 and the following year, he narrated The Alaska Highway: 1942-1992, produced by public television station KAKM of Anchorage and shown nationally on PBS. In the mid-1990s, Axton was chosen to host and narrate the profile series Life and Times on The Nashville Network.

Selected list of songs

Among Axton's best-known compositions (or co-writing credits) are:

"Greenback Dollar×Greenback Dollar1963 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Greenback Dollar3:25A2Ashville Junction2:50A3Brisbane Ladies3:20A4Five Hundred Miles3:55A5The Balladeer2:37B6Ox Driver's Song3:30B7Peggy-O3:15B8Walkin' to Georgia2:00B9Vandy2:15B10John Henry6:54" - covered by the Kingston Trio, Bobby Darin, Barry McGuire, Trini Lopez, and many others
"The Pusher" - covered by Steppenwolf on their debut album in 1968; this version was also used in the soundtrack of the 1969 film Easy Rider. Nina Simone recorded the song in 1971; also covered by Blind Melon, Isla Grant, Helix, The Flaming Lips and Slash
"Have a Nice Day" (1971) - covered by Bing Crosby and John Davidson
"Less Than The Song×Less Than the Song1973 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Sweet Misery3:20A2Less Than the Song3:00A3Sweet Fantasy3:07A4Days Are Short3:47A5Mary Makes Magic3:24A6Peacemaker3:00B1Nothin' to Lose3:02B2Oklahoma Song2:17B3Mexico City Hangover3:16B4Hungry Man2:43B5Somebody Turned On the Light2:58B6Blue Prelude1:47" (1972) - covered by Joan Baez, John Davidson and Patti Page
"Lion In The Winter" (1974) - duet with Linda Ronstadt; covered by Faan Rousseau Family Band, Isla Grant and Guthrie Girls
"Southbound×Southbound1975 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracksA1I Love to Sing2:00A2Southbound2:27A3Lion in the Winter3:20A4Blind Fiddler2:25A5Pride of Man3:15A6Greensleeves3:45A7No No Song2:30B1Nashville3:35B2Speed Trap (Out of State Cars)2:25B3Roll Your Own2:08B4Whiskey2:12B5In a Young Girl's Mind3:25B6Sometimes It's Easy1:56" (1975) - covered by Three Dog Night and Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen
"No No Song" (1975) - became a number three hit for Ringo Starr in March 1975
"Never Been to Spain×Never Been to Spain1981 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksANever Been to Spain3:30BThe Pusher5:29" - covered by Three Dog Night, Waylon Jennings, Elvis Presley, Cher, Ike & Tina Turner, The Swon Brothers, and others
"Joy to the World×Joy to the World1971 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Joy to the World2:46A2Alice in Wonderland3:18A3Never Been to Spain3:26A4The Pusher5:23A5Ease Your Pain2:45B1Have a Nice Day3:02B2Indian Song3:37B3California Women2:28B4Lightnin' Bar Blues3:05B6Father Along / Old Time Religion5:39" - Three Dog Night hit from 1971 that spent six weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart; covered by Little Richard and Matt Axton
"Snowblind Friend×Snowblind Friend1977 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1You're the Hangnail in My Life2:03A2Little White Moon2:40A3Water for My Horses3:06A4Funeral of the King2:57A5I Light This Candle3:12A6Never Been to Spain2:33B1You Taught Me How to Cry3:17B2Snowblind Friend2:54B3Poncho and Lefty3:06B4Seven Come2:26B5I Don't Know Why I Love You3:23" (1971) - covered by Steppenwolf, David Allan Coe, and Chestnut Station
"Lightning Bar Blues" (1973) - covered by Commander Cody, Brownsville Station, Linda Ronstadt, Arlo Guthrie and Hanoi Rocks
"Sweet Misery" (1974) - covered by John Denver, Martha Reeves, and Matt Axton
"Sweet Fantasy" (1974) - covered by Glen Campbell and David Clayton-Thomas
"Mary Makes Magic" (1973) - covered by Harry Belafonte
"Ease Your Pain" (1971) - covered by Bobby Whitlock, Anne Murray, Glenn Yarbrough and Jackie DeShannon
"When the Morning Comes" (1974) - duet with Linda Ronstadt
"You Taught Me How to Cry" (1977) - duet with Tanya Tucker; covered by Matt Axton
"Boney Fingers×Boney Fingers1974 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksABoney Fingers3:05BBoney Fingers3:05" (1974) - duet with Renee Armand
"Jealous Man" (1976) - performed on WKRP in Cincinnati; covered by John Fullbright
"Della and the Dealer×Della And The Dealer1999 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Della And The Dealer2I Love To Sing3Evangelina4Big Red5Double Double Dare6Joy To The World7Never Gonna Work8South Bound9Nashville10Red, White, & Blue11Lion In The Winter12Heartbreak Hotel13Boney Fingers14I'll Be There15No No Song16Theres A Tiger In The Closet" (1979) - also performed on WKRP; reached the top 20 of the Billboard country chart in the U.S. and the top 50 of the British pop chart
"Evangelina" (1974) - co-written by Kenneth Higginbotham; covered by Arlo Guthrie, Albert Lee, Jonathan Edwards, Colter Wall and others
"Flash of Fire" (1976) - co-written by Cathy Smith
"Gypsy Moth" (1976) - covered by Freddie White and Nathaniel Rateliff
"In a Young Girl's Mind" (1975) - covered by Johnny Cash