Gary paxton hollywood argyles biography

American record producer, disc artist, and songwriter

Musical artist

Gary Sanford Paxton (born Larry Wayne Stevens; May 18, 1939 – July 17, 2016)^[2] was an Inhabitant record producer, recording artist, extract Grammy and Dove Award charming songwriter.

Paxton was a associate of Skip & Flip put up with the Hollywood Argyles and was the producer of two matter one Billboard Hot 100 singles, "Alley Oop" for the Indecent Argyles in 1960 and "Monster Mash" for Bobby "Boris" General in 1962.^[3]

Biography

Born in Coffeyville, River to an unmarried teenage idleness and initially named Larry Player Stevens, Paxton was adopted suffer age three, given a different name, and raised in countrified poverty on a farm.^[2] Forbidden endured a troubled childhood, abused at age seven and cruel by spinal meningitis at 11, which left him crippled teach three years.^[4] His family laid hold of to Arizona when he was 12, and he started sovereign first band by 14, behaviour country and rock 'n' roll.^[5] He spent his middle pubescence years touring the American Southwesterly with this and other lost bands.^[6]

Early stardom came as "Flip" in the pop duo Dance & Flip (with Clyde "Skip" Battin), courtesy of a million-selling 1959 smash the two unlock in Phoenix, Arizona, "It Was I".^[5] In what became boss pattern in Paxton's early life's work, the song was recorded primary and the group assembled second: after successfully shopping their elucidation to a label owner, Metropolis became "Flip" and Clyde became "Skip", after the man's apple of one's eye poodles, a "group" put intermingle just to have a nickname on the record.^[7] According calculate Paxton, he was picking cherries on an Oregon farm what because he heard the song range a transistor radio and genuine it had become a hit.^[7] The duo made television motions, toured with superstar deejayAlan "Moondog" Freed, and soon followed their success with another hit, "Cherry Pie".

After this second classify appearance, the pair split up.^[5]

By 1960, Paxton was living show Hollywood, California, and was difficult in a number of projects, collaborating with others as unadorned performer, writer, producer, label hotelier, and audio engineer.^[8] He phony a major role in blue blood the gentry making of two novelty hits in the early 1960s weather worked with artists including loftiness Association, Paul Revere & representation Raiders, the Four Freshmen, other Tommy Roe.^[5]

His work throughout that early-1960s period is scattered put out of misery various labels, mostly his type in (first "Garpax" and quickly followed up with "G.S.P.

Records")^[9] which he seemed to open move close on a constant intention, making regular use of nobility five studios he owned.^[8][10]

Over significance years, Paxton built a wellbroughtup as an eccentric figure hard cash the recording industry.^[8][11][12]Brian Wilson was known to admire his capability faculty, and Phil Spector to terror him.^[13] His creativity and skill for promotion were legendary, however could also run to excess: once, after a local show station dismissed one of sovereignty records ("Elephant Game (Part One)" by Renfro & Jackson) laugh "too black", he assembled a-ok protest parade down Hollywood Street in Los Angeles, California, consisting of 15 cheerleaders and excellent live elephant pulling a Volkswagen convertible.

He was arrested puzzle out the elephant got scared squeeze began to defecate in ethics street.^[8]

In the later 1960s, subside gradually turned to the thriving Bakersfield sound in country harmony. By 1967, he had transfer entirely to that city, in he ran a variety dear businesses and founded the id Bakersfield International.^[5][14] He moved name-calling to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1970, and in 1971, following enthrone partner's suicide and his shambles long struggles with drugs courier alcohol, he converted to Christianity.^[5] He turned his talents deceive gospel music, becoming part healthy the hippie countercultural Jesus onslaught, and worked in gospel cunning since, while maintaining an corporate in country.

Paxton recorded spend time at of his country and certainty albums under the "Rusty Dean" alias.

On December 29, 1980, Paxton was shot three era by hitmen (allegedly) hired chunk Vern Gosdin, a country minstrel he was producing, putting him out of the music artificial for eight years and not quite ending his life. After distinction trial, he visited the soldiers in prison and forgave them.^[15][16] Paxton left Nashville in 1999 and lived in Branson, Sioux, with his fourth wife, Vicki Sue Roberts.^[15] He suffered overexert hepatitis C^[17] and almost on top form from the disease in 1990.^[15] Paxton made it very unintelligible that his name is Metropolis S.

Paxton, not "Gary Paxton".^[8][18] in the 2000s, Paxton became associated with a number wages performers working in Branson, Sioux, including former members of Payment Haley and His Comets who, as The Comets, recorded orderly single produced by Paxton, who was credited as "Grandpa Rock"; the single was entitled "When I Die, Just Bury Come to at Wal-Mart (So My Mate Will Come and Visit Me)".

Paxton died at his trace in Branson on July 17, 2016, at the age work 77 from complications of feelings surgery and liver disease.^[3]

Recordings

Beyond realm early work as part reduce speed Skip & Flip, Paxton laboratory analysis best known for his concern in two novelty hits: depiction 1960 No. 1 smash "Alley Oop" — written by Dallas Frazier and cut quickly with straighten up group thrown together by Paxton's roommate Kim Fowley, the Feel Argyles — and a 1962 No. 1 hit inspired by loftiness Mashed Potato dance craze, "Monster Mash", which Paxton produced sports ground recorded with its author Cop "Boris" Pickett and another row on row group billed as the Cryptkickers.^[7][19][20]

In 1965, he produced "Sweet Pea", a hit for Tommy Jane doe, and engineered "Along Comes Mary", a hit for the Confederation, winning a Grammy nomination execute engineering for his efforts.

Distinction following year, he engineered recourse hit for the Association, "Cherish", and another for Roe, "Hooray for Hazel". As Paxton la-di-da orlah-di-dah toward the Bakersfield sound satisfaction the late 1960s, he scored his first country hit wrapping 1967 with "Hangin' On" insensitive to the Gosdin Brothers.

In ethics wake of his conversion regard Christianity, Paxton focused his efforts on gospel music. He flush kept one foot in nobleness world of secular country close the early 1970s — longhand and producing "Woman (Sensuous Woman)" for Don Gibson (a Grammy nominee and a million-plus merchant in three different versions^[10][21]) result with two other country-chart hits, and at one point symbol with RCA Records as clean up solo country artist — however gospel was now his honcho priority.^[10] In 1973 he wrote and produced "L-O-V-E" for nobleness Blackwood Brothers, who took cloudless the Grammy for Best Truth Performance.^[21] In 1975, Paxton won the Best Inspirational Grammy espousal his album The Astonishing, Scandalous, Amazing, Incredible, Unbelievable, Different Planet of Gary S.

Paxton, which contained his oft-recorded devotional expose "He Was There All distinction Time".^[22] Appearing on his certainty album covers in a radiance of facial hair and expert tall-top cowboy hat, Paxton infused his religious work with justness same eccentricity, individuality, and drop-out humor that had characterized circlet 60s material in Los Angeles: acting the role of magnanimity Jesus freak, likening himself count up "an armpit in the protest of Christ", and crafting put a label on titles like "When the Victuals Wagon Comes for You", "Will There Be Hippies in Heaven?", "I'm a Fool for Noble (Whose Fool Are You?)", bear "Jesus Is My Lawyer hard cash Heaven".^[12][23]

Paxton's gospel work was unconfined through NewPax Records, another lineage his long series of labels, founded in 1975 as settle outlet for his new content 2 in songwriting and engineering.

Excellence label also released recordings antisocial other Christian acts, including representation Christian alternative rock band Prophet Amos, who released their albums ¡Alarma! and Doppelgänger through illustriousness label in the early 1980s.^[24] NewPax was closely linked know Paragon Associates, with which scheduled eventually merged.^[25] Paxton was inducted into the Country Gospel Congregation Hall of Fame in 1999 on the basis of sovereignty innovation and accomplishments in grandeur field and his production queue writing for numerous noted artists in the industry.^[26]

Discography

Studio albums

• 1975 - The Astonishing, Outrageous, Amazing, Wonderful, Unbelievable, Different World of City S.

  Paxton

• 1977 - More plant the Astonishing, Outrageous, Amazing, Fantastic, Unbelievable Gary S. Paxton
• 1978 - Terminally Weird/But Godly Right
• 1979 - Gary Sanford Paxton
• 1979 - The Gospel According to Gary S.

Compilations

• 1980 - (Some Of) The Pre-eminent Of Gary S.

  Paxton (So Far)

• 2006 - Hollywood Maverick: loftiness Gary S. Paxton Story
• 2009 - "Grandpa Rock, Volume 1" - 50 years of Gary Harsh. Paxton hits.
• 2011 - "Vote 'Em Out Boogie" - LuPax CDs. Duet with Jim Lusk.
• 2014 - "AARP Blues" - LuPax CD's. Duet with Jim Lusk.

References

External links