HOYT AXTON: SINGER/SONGWRITER/TV PERSONALITY

If you know me well, you know my alma mater is The University of Texas at Austin.  Therefore, you'll also know that I'm hesitant to like anything to do with Oklahoma.  Now, there are a couple of exceptions.  For example, if you're reading this and you're from Oklahoma, I like you very much. 

The second exception is a cool dude named Hoyt Axton.  

Hoyt Axton (1938-1999)

Most people will refer to the late Hoyt Axton as a country and folk singer/songwriter.  Granted, there are some elements of truth to that, especially when you listen to his underrated solo records.  However, his most famous songs, which were recorded by different artists, are straight-ahead classic rock and roll! Here's a couple examples:

I'm willing to bet that you didn't know Hoyt Axton wrote these outstanding and famous rock songs!

Awesome, right? 

You know what Steppenwolf and Three Dog Night sound like.  But what does Hoyt Axton sound like? Well, as I said before, it's the country/folk variety with maybe a hint of blues.  He doesn't have a great voice (he's certainly competent) but when he softens his voice and adds a touch of rasp, as he does on "Grizzly Bear" and "Gypsy Woman" for example, he actually sounds a lot like Tom Waits.  His lyrics aren't like poetry, rather they're more like sketches of scenes and characters.  So, let's have a listen:

Axton was also a somewhat prominent TV personality and character actor. He appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, I Dream of Jeannie and Diffrent Strokes, to name a few. Before dying of a heart attack in 1999, he was actually arrested when police found about 500 grams of marijuana in his home! Hoyt Axton was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2007.

ETTA BAKER WITH TAJ MAHAL

Etta Baker With Taj Mahal

I have a rule of thumb.  If someone is over 90 years old and they make an album, you have an obligation to listen to it.  It's sort of a respecting your elders thing.  This can be a daunting task if the albums by your great grandmother who still listens to music on a Victrola.  If the album is by a 91 year-old named Etta Baker, however,  it's nothing but a pleasure.  Such is the case on this underrated 2004 acoustic-blues collaboration Etta Baker With Taj Mahal, which features two aging blues guitar legends doing what they do best.

At the time of this recording the collective ages of Etta Baker and Taj Mahal equaled a whopping 153 years.  The two artists obviously didn't set out to make a career defining masterpiece on this effort.  Rather (I hate to stereotype old people but...) it sounds like an impromptu jam on one of their front porches;  a break between bridge and ice tea.  

The record is a hodgepodge that serves multiple purposes.  Of its 19 songs, six are the expected collaboration between Taj and Etta, six are slightly older solo recordings by Etta and the rest are the 1956 recordings which showcased a 43 year-old Etta Baker making her debut with passion, precision and a whole lot of joy.  It makes for a perfect introduction to this wonderful and treasured guitar player who sadly passed away in 2006 at age 93.  What a record—perfect for your break between bridge and ice tea (or any other fine parlor room occasion.)  

Etta Baker With Taj Mahal

LEE MICHAELS

Lee Michaels

Given that there are so many masterpieces from the '60s and '70s, it's hard to call Lee Michael's 1969 self-titled album essential.  Certainly, any serious music listener looking to expand his or her historical music perspective should check out the essential albums by The Beatles, The Byrds, The Doors, Santana, Big Brother and Holding Company, Bob Dylan and so, so, so many others first.  If "tier one" is made up of those gold and platinum gems, Lee Michaels is certainly in "tier two."  It's a very good—possibly brilliant—album, and if it had had one top 10 hit, it probably would have the same sort of time-tested name recognition as other albums from the era.

No, there isn't a single hit on this album.  But Lee Michaels, has some spectacular elements, which reveal themselves on side one.

Side one is made up of one long track—a nearly 21 minute suite of rare soul songs performed on three instruments: vocals, hammond organ and drums.  The first two instruments are played with remarkable virutosity by Lee Michaels, who proves to be one helluva talent.  Bartholomew "Frosty" Smith is on drum duty and his extended drum solo on this medley makes it surprisingly haunting.  For those who are lucky enough to discover this album, this is a real treat.  All Music Guide reviewer Matthew Greenwald has described this track as "one of the finest sides of Los Angeles rock & roll."  100% accurate.

Side Two is nearly as good as side one.  By far the most impressive moment is "Who Could Want More?" a slice of New Orleans style R&B, which is not quite unlike Donovan's "Season of The Witch"—another classic from the period.  The only thing missing here is a Stephen Stills guitar solo (like the one from 1968's Super Session—you'll like that one, too).  Another great moment is on "Want My Baby," which has an unmistakable resemblance to The Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down."  On the other hand, Michaels' covers of "Heighty Ho" and "Stormy Monday" are simply great performances, showcasing his organ and vocal pipes more than his songwriting craftsmanship.

Lee Michaels would later record two hits on his fifth album—the appropriately titled fifth—but Lee Michaels is and always will be his magnum opus.  Hell, it would be any artist's magnum opus.  For those who like their rock n' roll bluesy, soulful and psychedelic, Lee Michaels delivers the goods and more.  Much, much more.

Lee Michaels 

And here are two of Michael's best known songs recorded in 1971. 

And, oh yeah, I think I mentioned you'd like this album, too.  Here it is. You're welcome. ;)