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Hoyt Wayne Axton (March 25, 1938 – October 26, 1999) was an American folk music singer-songwriter, and a film and television 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. As he matured, some of his songwriting efforts became well known throughout the world. Among them were "Joy to the World", "The Pusher", "No No Song", "Greenback Dollar", and "Never Been to Spain". ==Life and career== Born in Duncan, Oklahoma, Axton spent his pre-teen years in Comanche, Oklahoma, with his brother, John. His mother, Mae Boren Axton, a songwriter, 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. Axton's father, John Thomas Axton,〔http://www.filmreference.com/film/90/Hoyt-Axton.html〕 was a Naval officer stationed in Jacksonville, Florida; the family joined him there in 1949. Axton graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in 1956 and left town after Knauer's Hardware burned down on graduation night, a prank gone wrong.〔(Larry Cohen Productions: North Florida Music Hall of Fame-Axton, Hoyt )〕 Axton attended Oklahoma State for a short length of time before following his father and enlisting in the Navy. Axton served aboard the USS ''Ranger'' before pursuing a music career. After his discharge from the Navy on the West Coast, he began singing folk songs in San Francisco nightclubs. In the early 1960s he released his first folk album titled ''The Balladeer'' (recorded at the Troubadour), which included his song "Greenback Dollar", a 1963 hit for The Kingston Trio. Axton released numerous albums well into the 1980s. Axton had many minor singing hits of his own, such as "Boney Fingers", "When the Morning Comes", and 1979's "Della and the Dealer", as well as "Jealous Man" (the latter two he sang in a guest appearance on ''WKRP in Cincinnati''). His vocal style featured his distinctive bass-baritone (which later deepened to near-bass) and use of characterization. But his most lasting contributions were songs made famous by others: "Joy to the World" and "Never Been to Spain" (Three Dog Night), the previously mentioned "Greenback Dollar" (Kingston Trio), "The Pusher" and "Snowblind Friend" (Steppenwolf), "No-No Song" (Ringo Starr), and an array of others, covered by singers such as Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, BJ Thomas, John Denver, Waylon Jennings, Jonathan Edwards, and Anne Murray. Axton also sang a couple of duets with Linda Ronstadt, including "Lion in Winter" and "When the Morning Comes" (a top 40 country hit). His composition "Joy to the World", as performed by Three Dog Night, was Number 1 on the charts for six straight weeks in 1971, making it the top hit of the year. Axton was the first singer songwriter and actor all at the same time he first appeared on television in a David L. Wolper ABC production of ''The Story of a Folksinger'' (1963). He frequently appeared on ''Hootenanny'', hosted by Jack Linkletter during this period. In 1965, he appeared in an episode of ''Bonanza'', then followed with other TV roles over the years. As he matured, Axton specialized in playing good ol' boys on television and in films. 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 commercials 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. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hoyt Axton」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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