Hoyt Wayne Axton (March 25, 1938 – October 26, 1999)
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 Robert E. Lee High School in 1956 and left town after a hardware store was destroyed by fire on graduation night following a misguided prank.
He attended Oklahoma State University on a scholarship,
Axton was a 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 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 at the Troubadour), which included his song "Greenback Dollar". It became a 1963 hit for the Kingston Trio.
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 for John Davidson and also produced Tales from the Ozone, a 1975 album by Commander 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".
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
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 and Elvis Presley, "Greenback Dollar" for the Kingston Trio, "The Pusher" and "Snowblind Friend" for Steppenwolf, "No No Song" for Ringo Starr, and songs covered by singers such as Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, John Denver, Nina Simone, Waylon Jennings, Martha Reeves, Jonathan Edwards, Glen Campbell, Anne Murray, Harry Belafonte, David Clayton-Thomas, 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, reached number one on the Billboard 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.
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", and "No No Song", partly reflect his experiences with the drug.
Death
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, Axton and his mother Mae Boren Axton were inducted posthumously into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
Filmography
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
-
(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
-
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
-
(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.
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, and Ringo Starr
-
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
-
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
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Murder, She Wrote (1988, season 5, episode 93: "Coal Miner's Slaughter") – Sheriff Tate
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Midnight Caller (1990, season 2, episode 30: "Kid Salinas") – Ralston Cash Dollar
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Growing Pains (1990, season 5, episode 118: "Where There's a Will") – Claver Jackson
-
Doorways (1993, series pilot) - Jake Mitchell
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 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, about the history of the Alaska Highway that was 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, 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.
Discography
Albums
|
|
|
| 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 | — | — | — | A&M |
Singles
|
|
|
| 1963 | "Greenback Dollar" | — | — | — | — | — | Greenback Dollar |
| 1967 | "San Fernando" | — | — | — | — | — | single only |
| 1973 | "Sweet Misery" | — | — | — | — | — | Less Than the Song |
| 1974 | "When the Morning Comes" (with Linda Ronstadt) | 10 | 54 | 1 | 72 | 20 | Life Machine |
"Boney Fingers" | 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" | — | — | — | — | — |
Music videos
|
| 1990
! scope="row" | "Heartbreak Hotel" |
|
| 1990
! scope="row" | "Mountain Right" |
Selected list of songs
Among Axton's best-known compositions (or co-writing credits) are:
-
"Greenback Dollar" - cover version 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" (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" (1975) - covered by Three Dog Night and Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen
-
"No No Song" (1975) - became a #3 hit for Ringo Starr in March 1975
-
"Never Been to Spain" - covered by Three Dog Night, Waylon Jennings, Elvis Presley, Cher, and Ike & Tina Turner, and others
-
"Joy to the World" - 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" (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) - cover version 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" (1974) - duet with Renee Armand
-
"Jealous Man" (1976) - performed on WKRP in Cincinnati; covered by John Fullbright
-
"Della and the Dealer" (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
Further reading
External links
