1. Hoyt Wayne Axton was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor.
18 Facts About Hoyt Axton
1. 2.
Hoyt Axton became prominent in the early 1960s, establishing himself on the West Coast as a folk singer with an earthy style and powerful voice.
3.
Hoyt Axton was a prolific character actor, with many film and television roles to his credit, often playing a father figure in a number of films, including The Black Stallion, Heart Like a Wheel, and Gremlins.
4.
Hoyt Axton's father John Thomas Hoyt Axton was a naval officer stationed in Jacksonville, Florida, where the family joined him in 1949.
5.
Hoyt Axton attended Oklahoma State University on a scholarship, where he played football, but he left to enlist in the US Navy.
6.
Hoyt Axton held the rank of petty officer second class and served on two ships, the USS Princeton and the USS Ranger.
7.
Hoyt Axton was the first cousin of David Boren, who served as governor of Oklahoma and three terms in the United States Senate and was president of the University of Oklahoma.
8.
Hoyt Axton appeared on Hootenanny, hosted by Jack Linkletter, during this period.
9.
Hoyt Axton gained fame in the 1970s and 1980s through his film roles, including those in The Black Stallion, Liar's Moon, Heart Like a Wheel, and Gremlins.
10.
Hoyt Axton sang the jingle "The Ballad of Big Mac" for a 1969 McDonald's Big Mac television commercial, as well as "Head for the Mountains" in voiceovers for Busch beer in the 1980s.
11.
Hoyt Axton appeared in a Pizza Hut commercial in 1985 and in a TV spot for FTD with Merlin Olsen in 1989.
12.
In 1991, Hoyt Axton was awarded an induction to the Walk of Western Stars in Newhall, California.
13.
Hoyt Axton named his record label Jeremiah after the bullfrog mentioned in the song.
14.
Hoyt Axton was married four times; his first three marriages ended in divorce.
15.
Hoyt Axton died at age 61 at his home in Victor, Montana, on October 26,1999, after suffering two heart attacks in two weeks.
16.
Hoyt Axton contributed songs for the films The Legend of Hillbilly John, Buster and Billie, Mitchell, and The Junkman.
17.
Hoyt Axton's voice was heard throughout and he was seen on camera doing the introduction and closing of each show in which he participated.
18.
Hoyt Axton served as the narrator for two documentaries about the Western States Endurance Race in 1982 and 1983 titled Desperate Dreams.