Description

One of the best--and most underrated--singer/songwriters to come out of the 1960s folk boom, Tom Paxton wrote love songs and topical satires with equal fluency. A contemporary of Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs, he helped create the template for protest songs. Eventually, like most of his contemporaries, he drifted into electrified folk-rock. Later, Paxton carved out a second career as a children's songwriter and author, but that shouldn't diminish his reputation among adults; over the years his songs have been covered by everyone from the Move to Nanci Griffith, Dolly Parton, and Gram Parsons.

Biography

b. 31 October 1937, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Paxton's interest in folk music developed as a student at the University of Oklahoma. In 1960 he moved to New York and became one of several aspiring performers to frequent the city's Greenwich Village coffee house circuit. Paxton made his professional debut at the Gaslight, the renowned folk haunt that also issued the singer's first album. Two topical song publications, Sing Out! and Broadside, began publishing his original compositions which bore a debt to the traditional approach of Pete Seeger and Bob Gibson. Paxton also auditioned to join the Chad Mitchell Trio, but although he failed, the group enjoyed a 1963 hit with "The Marvellous Toy', one of his early songs. The following year Paxton was signed to Elektra Records for whom he recorded his best known work. Ramblin" Boy indicated the diversity which marked his recorded career and contained several highly popular performances including "The Last Thing On My Mind", "Goin' To The Zoo" and "I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound". Subsequent releases continued this mixture of romanticism, protest and children's songs, while "Lyndon Johnson Told The Nation" (Ain't That News) and "Talking Vietnam Pot Luck Blues" (Morning Again) revealed a talent for satire and social comment. The Things I Notice Now and #6 enhanced Paxton's reputation as a mature and complex songwriter, yet he remained better known for such simpler compositions as "Jennifer's Rabbit" and "Leaving London".
Paxton left Elektra during the early 70s and although subsequent recordings proved less popular, he commanded a loyal following, particularly in the UK, where he was briefly domiciled. How Come The Sun (1971) was the first of three albums recorded during this period and although his work became less prolific, Paxton was still capable of incisive, evocative songwriting, such as "The Hostage", a track from Peace Will Come which chronicled the massacre at Attica State Prison. This powerful composition was also recorded by Judy Collins. Paxton has latterly concentrated on writing songs and books for children. Although he was never fêted in the manner of his early contemporaries Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs and Eric Andersen, his work reveals a thoughtful, perceptive craftsmanship.
DISCOGRAPHY: I'm The Man That Built The Bridges (Gaslight 1962)**, Ramblin' Boy (Elektra 1964)****, Ain't That News (Elektra 1965)***, Outward Bound (Elektra 1966)***, Morning Again (Elektra 1967)***, The Things I Notice Now (Elektra 1968)****, #6 (Elektra 1970)***, How Come The Sun (Reprise 1971)***, Peace Will Come (Reprise 1972)***, New Songs For Old Friends (Reprise 1973)***, Children's Song Book (Bradleys 1974)**, Something In My Life (Private Stock 1975)***, Saturday Night (MAM 1976)***, New Songs From The Briarpatch (Vanguard 1977)***, Heroes (Vanguard 1978)***, Up & Up (Mountain Railroad 1979)***, The Paxton Report (Mountain Railroad 1980)***, Bulletin (Hogeye 1983)***, Even A Gray Day (Flying Fish 1983)***, The Marvellous Toy And Other Gallimaufry (Flying Fish 1984)***, One Million Lawyers And Other Disasters (Flying Fish 1985)***, And Loving You (Flying Fish 1986)***, Balloon-Alloon-Alloon (Sony Kids 1987)***, Politics Live (Flying Fish 1988)**, It Ain't Easy (Flying Fish 1991)***, A Child's Christmas (Sony Kids 1992)***, Peanut Butter Pie (Sony Kids 1992)***, Suzy Is A Rocker (Sony Kids 1992)***, Wearing The Time (Sugar Hill 1994)***, Live For The Record (Sugar Hill 1996)***, A Car Full Of Songs (Sony Kids 1997)***, Goin' To The Zoo (Rounder 1997)***, I've Got A Yo-Yo (Rounder 1997)***, Live In Concert (Strange Fruit 1998)***, Fun Animal Songs (Delta 1999)***, Fun Food Songs (Delta 1999)***, A Car Full Of Fun Songs (Delta 1999)***, Live From Mountain Stage (Blue Plate 2001)***, with Anne Hills Under American Skies (Appleseed/Koch 2001)***, Looking For The Moon (Appleseeed 2002)***.
COMPILATIONS: The Compleat Tom Paxton (Elektra 1970)***, A Paxton Primer (Pax 1986)***, The Very Best Of Tom Paxton (Flying Fish 1988)***, Storyteller (Start 1989)***, I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound: The Best Of Tom Paxton (Rhino 1999)****, Best Of The Vanguard Years (Vanguard 2000)***.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Englebert The Elephant, Tom Paxton and Steven Kellogg. Belling The Cat And Other Aesop's Fables, Tom Paxton and Robert Rayevsky. The Story Of The Tooth Fairy, Tom Paxton. Going To The Zoo, Tom Paxton.

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