Born in Duncan, Oklahoma, on this day (March 28) in 1938 was Hoyt Axton, whose expansive songwriting catalog produced hits for artists like Three Dog Night, Steppenwolf, and the Beatles’ Ringo Starr. With his deep, near-bass baritone, Axton also scored minor hits as a performer, including 1979’s “Della and the Dealer” and “When the Morning Comes”. He also landed roles in a number of films throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including Gremlins (1984).
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Hoyt Axton’s Mother Wrote One of the Greatest Blues-Rock Hits of All Time
Growing up in Jacksonville, Florida, Hoyt Axton learned classical piano and guitar as a child, writing his own songs by age 15. Those songwriting chops likely came from his mother, Mae Boren Axton. Hailed by the music industry as “the Queen Mother of Nashville”, Mae co-wrote Elvis Presley’s 1956 single “Heartbreak Hotel”. She later went on to work with genre legends like Reba McEntire, Mel Tillis, and Willie Nelson.
After graduating from Robert E. Lee High School in 1956, Axton attended Oklahoma State University on a football scholarship. However, he dropped out of college to join the U.S. Navy, attaining the rank of petty officer second class. Following his discharge from the military, Axton began performing folk songs in coffeehouses and clubs in San Francisco and Los Angeles. In 1962, he released his debut album, The Balladeer.
Finding His Own Songwriting Success
Releasing multiple albums throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Axton is best known for writing hits for other artists. Rock band Three Dog Night took his song “Joy to the World” to the top of the Hot 100 in the early 1970s. (In fact, Axton later named his own label, Jeremiah Records—founded in 1978—after the song’s famous bullfrog.
[RELATED: 7 Songs You Didn’t Know Hoyt Axton Wrote for Other Artists]
Additionally, rock band Steppenwolf recorded Axton’s song “The Pusher” for their self-titled 1968 album. “The Pusher” grew in popularity thanks to its appearance in the 1969 film Easy Rider, starring Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson, and Dennis Hopper.
Hoyt Axton made his film debut in the 1966 Western Smoky, kicking off a string of character actor roles in movies like The Black Stallion (1979) and Heart Like a Wheel (1983.) Perhaps his most recognizable role came in the 1984 comedy-horror Gremlins, in which he starred as struggling inventor Randall Peltzer.
Hoyt Axton died at his home in Victor, Montana, on Oct. 26, 1999, after suffering two heart attacks in as as many weeks. He was 61 years old.
Featured image by Michael Jones/Fairfax Media via Getty Images
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