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| Hoyt Axton | |
| General Information | |
| Birth Name: | Hoyt Wayne Axton |
| Born: | March 25, 1938 |
| Birthplace: | Duncan, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died: | October 26, 1999 (aged 61) |
| Deathplace: | Victor, Montana, U.S. |
| Career Information | |
| Occupation: | Actor, voice actor, Country/Folk music singer/songwriter |
| Years active: | 1960–1999 |
| Appeared on/in (or involved with): |
Dallas:The Early Years (1986 TV movie) |
| Appeared as: | Aaron Southworth, Miss Ellie's father |
Country/folk music singer-songwriter Hoyt Axton (born Hoyt Wayne Axton March 25, 1938-died October 26, 1999), also a veteran film and television character actor, appeared as Aaron Southworth, the founder of the Southfork Ranch and the father of Miss Ellie Ewing in the 1986 CBS-TV movie
Life and career[]
Born in Duncan, Oklahoma, Hoyt was raised in nearby Comanche, Oklahoma. His mother, Mae Boren Axton, had her own spot in popular culture history and co-wrote the classic rock 'n' roll song "Heartbreak Hotel", which became the first major hit for Elvis Presley. Some of Hoyt's own songs were also later recorded by Elvis. Hoyt served in the US Navy aboard the USS Princeton (LPH-5), before pursuing a music career.
He began singing folk songs in San Francisco nightclubs in 1958. He became prominent in the early 1960s, establishing himself on the West Coast as a folk singer with an earthy style and powerful baritone voice. As he matured, some of his songwriting efforts became well known throughout the world. During this time, he released a folksy album titled Greenback Dollar (recorded at the legendary Troubadour), whose title song became a 1963 hit for The Kingston Trio. In the early 1970s, Axton composed "Joy To The World" and "Never Been To Spain" for Three Dog Night. These songs reached #1 and #5 respectively, on Top 40 charts. Axton released numerous albums well into the 1980s, changing somewhat with the times but always retaining an honest, down-home and fairly "country" approach to his music.
Acting career[]
His face became well known in the 1970s and 1980s through many TV and film appearances, such as in the movies Gremlins (1984) and The Black Stallion (1979). He sang the jingle "Head For the Mountains" in the Busch beer TV commercial ads in the 1980s (and also "The Ballad of Big Mac", touting McDonald's Big Mac onscreen in a 1969 commercial he filmed for the hamburger franchise). In 1985 he did a commercial for Pizza Hut.
Death[]
Axton died of a heart attack in Victor, Montana, on October 26, 1999, at the age of 61,[1] after suffering a severe heart attack two weeks earlier.[2]
References[]
- ↑ Hinckley, David. "[http://articles.nydailynews.com/1999-10-27/news/18115330_1_greenback-dollar-hoyt- axton-boney-fingers Songwriter Hoyt Axton Dead At 61 In Montana]", New York Daily News, October 27, 1999. Retrieved on September 3, 2011.
- ↑ Burke, Brad (October 27, 1999). Axton, Hoyt Wayne (1938-1999). Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved on 2011 September 3.
