Here’s a great video of my dad Hoyt Axton & Linda Ronstadt singing “Lion in the Winter” on The Smothers Brothers Show in 1975. “Lion in the Winter” appeared on my dad’s album ‘Southbound’ earlier that year as a duet with Linda Ronstadt. As a single it reached #57 on the US Country chart while the album as a whole made it to #27. Also in 1975, Linda appeared on my dad’s TV special “The Hoyt Axton Country Western Boogie Woogie Gospel Rock and Roll Show” where they performed “Lion in the Winter” to

Happy Tribute Tuesday! Today’s video is a clip from my dad Hoyt Axton’s first guest appearance on the TV show “Diff’rent Strokes” in 1984. In this episode, he plays Sam’s father, a country musician who comes to visit. At first he asks Sam to come stay with him for a while but eventually he realizes that he is better off with his mom. At the end of the episode they perform the song “Smile As You Go By” together, which is a nod to my dad’s very first TV role on the show “Bonanza” in 1967, where he

Here’s my dad Hoyt Axton on the TV show “Diff’rent Strokes” in 1984. He guest starred on this episode, & another one later the same season, as Sam’s (Danny Cooksey) real dad, a touring country musician named Wes. This appearance was one of my dad’s better known roles & many people know him from the show, even though he was only a guest star. In this episode he duets the song “Smile As You Go By” with Sam, which he also memorably sang in the 1969 episode of “Bonzana” with Pernell Roberts & before

My dad Hoyt Axton singing “Endless Road” with Pernell Roberts on the TV show “Bonanza” in 1965! This was his very first guest starring role on TV! He played Howard Meade, a hard luck, ramblin’ cowboy who gets stopped trying to rob some folks & gets thrown in jail. But Adam Cartwright (Pernell Roberts) is so taken by Howard’s singing & guitar playing that he decides to give him another chance…which may have been a mistake. This role was just the first of many guest starring roles my dad would hav

Here’s my dad Hoyt Axton playing “Wild Bull Rider” in Orlando, FL in 1988. The performance was taped for a TV show called “Church Street Station.” My mom Donna Roberts Axton is on piano. This song came out in 1979 on his album ‘A Rusty Old Halo’ which also featured the songs “A Rusty Old Halo”, “Della & the Dealer”, & “Evangelina.” My mom’s piano playing is featured on the album as well. They got married the year after it was released in 1980. This was one of his most commercially successful alb