Tom Paxton
Thomas Richard Paxton (born October 31, 1937) is an American folk singer-songwriter who has had a music career spanning more than sixty years.[1] In 2009, Paxton received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.[2][3] He is a music educator as well as an advocate for folk singers to combine traditional songs with new compositions.
For other people named Thomas Paxton, see Thomas Paxton (disambiguation).
Tom Paxton
Thomas Richard Paxton
Singer-songwriter, guitarist
Guitar, vocals
1962–present
- Elektra
- Vanguard
- Rhino
- Reprise
- Flying Fish
- Rounder
- Mountain Railroad
- Sugar Hill
- Appleseed
Paxton's songs have been widely recorded, including modern standards such as "The Last Thing on My Mind", "Bottle of Wine", "Whose Garden Was This", "The Marvelous Toy", and "Ramblin' Boy". Paxton's songs have been recorded by Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, the Weavers, Judy Collins, Sandy Denny, Joan Baez, Doc Watson, Harry Belafonte, Peter, Paul and Mary, the Seekers, Marianne Faithfull, the Kingston Trio, the Chad Mitchell Trio, John Denver, Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Flatt & Scruggs, the Move, the Fireballs, Francesco Guccini and many others (see covers).
Early life[edit]
Paxton was born on October 31, 1937, in Chicago, Illinois, United States, to Burt and Esther Paxton. His father was "a chemist, mostly self-educated",[4] and as his health began to fail him, the family moved to Wickenburg, Arizona. It was here that young Paxton began riding horses at the numerous dude ranches in the area. It was also here that he was first introduced to folk music, discovering the music of Burl Ives and others.[5]
In 1948, the family moved to Bristow, Oklahoma, which Paxton considers to be his hometown. Soon after, his father died from a stroke. Paxton was about 15 when he received his first stringed instrument, a ukulele.[6] He was given a guitar by his aunt when he was sixteen, and he soon began to immerse himself in the music of Burl Ives and Harry Belafonte.[7]
In 1955, Paxton enrolled at the University of Oklahoma, where he studied in the drama school.[8] It was here that he first found other enthusiasts of folk music and discovered the music of Woody Guthrie and the Weavers. He would later note, "Woody was fearless; he'd take on any issue that got him stirred up ... and he became one of my greatest influences."[9] In college, he was in a group known as the Travellers, which sang in an off-campus coffeehouse.[10]
Personal life and family[edit]
Paxton married his wife, Midge (born Margaret Anne Cummings, February 23, 1945), in 1963. They have two daughters, Jennifer and Kate, and three grandsons. Jennifer is a history professor who has published courses for The Teaching Company.[29] Midge Paxton died June 1, 2014, after a long illness.[30]
He has described his political views in the following way: "My own politics more or less resembled Will Rogers's politics. He had said that he belonged to no organized political party — he was a Democrat ... being young and impassioned almost automatically put me over on the radical side of most issues. Being older, I find myself still more or less there, somewhat to my surprise."[31]