Hoyt Axton

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", "The Pusher", "No No Song", "Greenback Dollar", "Della and the Dealer", "Never Been to Spain", and "Boney Fingers".

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, 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 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.

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 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 supplied his 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

Greenback Dollar

Thunder'n Lightnin'''

Surrey

Exodus 1969

Columbia

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

MCA

A&M Free Sailin

MCA 1979

1980

1981

1982

1984

Global 1990

DPI 1996

Youngheart Music 1998 The A&M Years

A&M

Singles Year Single Chart Positions Album US Country US 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" (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 Wheel1991"Oh I'm a Good Old Rebel"—————Songs of the Civil War"Yellow Rose of Texas"—————

Music videos Year Video 1990 "Heartbreak Hotel"

Year Video 1990 "Mountain Right"

Selected list of songs Among Axton's best-known compositions (or co-writing credits) are: "Greenback Dollar" - 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" (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 number three 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) - 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" (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