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Hoyt Axton — news, coverage & facts — IJR

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". 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, playing the role of Fred Denton, the evil brother of the character played by 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. He appeared in a Pizza Hut commercial in 1985 and in a TV spot for FTD with Merlin Olsen in 1989. 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 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.

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.

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

Hoyt Axton

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Hoyt Axton

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Selected list of songs

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