Paxton still at heart of acoustic movement

Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2003 | 8:24 a.m.

In the 1960s Tom Paxton arrived in New York City via the U.S. Army, found himself in the heart of Greenwich Village's burgeoning folk movement and began singing his songs.

Soon after, just about everybody was singing Paxton's songs Pete Seeger, Judy Collins, Peter, Paul and Mary among them.

The infectious melodies, heartfelt lyrics and satirical stories of the topical songwriter came into the world with universal appeal. Some say there isn't a folk artist today who hasn't sung a Paxton song.

"I can't tell you how much that pleases me," Paxton said recently from his home in Alexandria, Va. "It's thrilling to hear that."

On Wednesday the legendary folk troubadour, who gave us "The Last Thing on My Mind" and "Where I'm Bound," will perform at the Las Vegas Little Theatre on Schiff Drive, for the Acoustic Routes concert series.

At age 65, Paxton is still going strong.

He recently released "Looking For the Moon," a collection of personal and socially reflective songs featuring Nanci Griffith and Anne Hill on harmony vocals. His children's CD "Your Shoes, My Shoes" received a Grammy nomination this month, the first of his 42-year career.

Considering his competition, Paxton said he doesn't expect to win. He's up against "Monsters, Inc. -- Scream Factory Favorites" and an album produced by Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer (who also produced "Your Shoes, My Shoes").

"As I told my wife, this is a good as it gets," Paxton said. Indeed. Grammy nomination aside, for Paxton it doesn't seem like it could get any better.

In four decades the lyrical social commentator has recorded dozens of albums and written several children's books.

His book, "The Honor of Your Company," was published two years ago and features lyrics to more than 80 songs, photos, memorabilia and stories.

Last year he received the ASCAP Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, and the international performer is meeting new fans wherever he goes.

Paxton attributes the appeal of his songs to their simplicity.

"I wrote the kind of songs I liked to hear," Paxton said. "I wasn't so much trying to write hit songs -- though some were and I was so happy when that happened. They were simple songs not hard to sing, choruses people could sing along with."

Titles range from "Yuppies in the Sky," "What Did You Learn in School Today?" and "Let's Go to Michael Jackson's House."

In France, his song "Bottle of Wine" is taught by many as a French folk song. While backstage in Australia two girls sang to him the chorus to "The Last Thing on My Mind" in Croatian.

"Looking for the Moon," Paxton's first solo adult album in nearly a decade, has a softer sound.

"I never set out with a theme in mind that I'm going to try to write to," Paxton said. "Themes kind of evolve. It took several years. I kept writing and throwing stuff away. It took awhile before I had enough songs I was happy with.

"I realized later that it had a ... gentle kind of quality. You never know what's next. I might turn around and write a scorcher for the next (album), something political."

Rarely is there little to write about, Paxton said. He said he'd like to see more political interest among younger artists. But he's not about to throw criticism their way.

"I'm careful about telling the younger artists about what they ought to be doing," he said. "You can really turn into an old crank."

When coming into his own, Paxton said, "I really appreciated the kind words from older performers."

Though folk music no longer holds the attention of the mainstream, Paxton said there's no danger of the songs or style losing relevancy in today's society.

"There's a steady interest in folk music," he said. "It's the kind of music that stays below the radar but never goes away."