Tom Paxton (1,488 views)

[seahorse]

Tom Paxton (born October 31st, 1937)
Associated Acts: Robbins & Paxton, The Chad Mitchell Trio, Best of Friends
Years Active: 1960 - present
Vocal Range: D2 - D5

High Notes:
D5 ("Goin' to the Zoo" live I'm the Man That Built the Bridges 1962)
C♯5 ("Goin' to the Zoo" live Saturday of Folk Music 1961)
B4 ("Goin' to the Zoo" Ramblin' Boy version / Flying Whales & Peacock Tales TV show 1989)
B♭4 ("I'm No Cowboy" Facebook livestream 2020)
A4 ("The Day We Lost the America's Cup" live Bottom Line 1987, "Jesus Christ S.R.O.", "Mr. Blue" live BBC 1972)
G4 ("General Custer" live BBC 1971, "The Mayor of MacDougal Street" live The Last Roundup 2015, "Molly Bloom", "My Pony Knows the Way" live Live in the UK 2003 / The Last Roundup 2015)
F♯4 ("General Custer", "Goin' to the Zoo" Flying Whales & Peacock Tales TV show 1989 , "Jimmy Newman" live BBC 1970, "My Pony Knows the Way" Looking for the Moon version, "You Can Eat Dog Food" live Orpheum Theater 1976)
F4 ("All Clear in Harrisburg" live Capital Radio 1980, Forest Lawn", "Jesus Christ S.R.O.", "I'm No Cowboy" Facebook livestream 2020, "Mr. Blue" live BBC 1972, "My Pony Knows the Way" live Live in the UK 2003 / The Last Roundup 2015, "Teen Angel" 1961 single version)
E4 ("All Clear in Harrisburg" live Tom Paxton in Concert - Ramblin' 1981, "Be a Sport, Afghanistan", "Bishop Cody's Last Request", "Daily News" live Evanston 1970, "Forest Lawn" live BBC 1970 / Folkscene radio show 1974, "Hobo in My Mind" New Songs for Old Friends version, "I Had to Shoot That Rabbit", "The Iron Man", "Jesus Christ S.R.O." live BBC 1972, "Jimmy Newman" #6 version, "My Pony Knows the Way" Looking for the Moon version, "Mr. Blue" live BBC 1972, "Molly Bloom", "Something in My Life", "The Things I Notice Now", "Tryin' to Get Home" My Kind of Folk radio show 1968, "You Can Eat Dog Food", "You Should Have Seen Me Throw That Ball", "Your Shoes, My Shoes")
E♭4 ("Angeline Is Always Friday", "Cindy's Cryin'" #6 version, "Forest Lawn", "General Custer", "Icarus", "A Sailor's Life", "That's the Way It's Gonna Be" Chords of Fame documentary 1983)
D4 ("About the Children", "All Clear in Harrisburg", "All Night Long" live The Compleat 1971, "Angie", "Be a Sport, Afghanistan", "California", "Cindy's Cryin'" Saturday Night version, "Columbus, Georgia", "Come and Play Catch with Me", "Crazy John", "Dance in the Shadows" live BBC 1971, "Don't Forget Your Waitress" live 1979/1980, "Fred", "Gaining on Me", "General Custer", "Give to the Cause" live WBAI Benefit 1967, "Go Find a Job", "Go to Sleepy, Little Children" Folkscene radio show 1974, "Home to Me Is Anywhere You Are", "The Hooker", "The Hostage", "Hush Old Man", "I Thought You Were an Arab", "Icarus", "The Iron Man", "Let the Sunshine", "Louise", "The Love of Loving You" live Charlotte's Web 1979, "Lyndon Johnson Told the Nation", "The Marvelous Toy" live I'm the Man That Built the Bridges 1962, "Molly Bloom", "Morning Wonder", "My Little Mohee" A Folk Song Festival version, "Never No Love", "Oh, Doctor, Doctor", "Out Behind the Gypsy's", "Out of Luck", "Pastures of Plenty" live Saturday of Folk Music 1961, "Peace Will Come" live The Last Roundup 2015, "Pepperfoot" live Saturday of Folk Music 1961, "Phil", "Presbyterian Boy", "Ramblin' Boy" Adventures in Folk Music radio show 1965, "Retrospective", "Silent Night", "Something in My Life", "Talking Vietnam Potluck Blues" live The Compleat 1971, "Tryin' to Get Home" My Kind of Folk radio show 1968, "Wasn't That a Party?" New Songs for Old Friends version, "Whose Garden Was This?", "Wish I Had a Troubadour" Things I Notice Now version, "You Can Eat Dog Food" live Orpheum Theater 1976, "Your Shoes, My Shoes")

Low Notes:
A2 ("Bad Old Days", "Birds on the Table", "Cotton-Eye Joe", "Creek County", "Dance in the Shadows", "Danville Girl", "A Day in the Country", "Do You Want to Dance?", "Don't Forget Your Waitress" live 1979/1980, "Even a Gray Day", "Every Time" Ain't That News version, "Faces and Places", "Gas Line Romance", "Goin' to the Zoo" Broadside demp tape 1963, "Has Annie Been in Tonight?", "Hello Again", "High Sheriff of Hazard", "Hobo in My Mind", "The Hooker", "How Come the Sun", "Hush You Bye", "I Can't Help but Wonder Where I'm Bound" A Paxton Primer / The Very Best of versions, "I Close My Eyes", "I Had to Shoot That Rabbit", "I Thought You Were an Arab", "The Iron Man", "Jennifer's Rabbit" Morning Again bonus track version, "Jesus Christ S.R.O." live versions, "A Job of Work", "King of My Backyard", "King of the Cat Café", "The Last Thing on My Mind" Ramblin' Boy version, "Let's Pretend" Broadside demp tape 1963, "Little Lost Child", "Lucy, the Junk Dealer's Daughter", "The Marvelous Toy", "Mary Ann" live I'm the Man That Built the Bridges 1962, "Mary Got a New Job", "My Lady's a Wild Flying Dove", "My Little Mohee" Something to Sing About! version, "Outward Bound" Boat in the Water version, "Ramblin' Boy", "A Sailor's Life", "Spanish Is the Loving Tongue", "When We Were Good", "When You Shook Your Long Hair Down", "Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?", "Willie Seton")
G♯2 ("Annie's Going to Sing Her Song", "Cotton-Eye Joe" Folkscene radio show 1979, "Deep Fork River Blues" The World of Folk Music radio show 1965, "Forest Lawn", "Give to the Cause" live WBAI Benefit 1967, "Hold on to Me, Babe", "I Followed Her into the West", "Is This Any Way to Run an Airline?", "The John Birch Society Song" live Saturday of Folk Music 1961, "Leaving London" Outward Bound version, "The Meanest Man in the World" Broadside demo tape 1963, "The Name of the Game Is Stud", "Pandora's Box" New Songs from the Briarpatch version, "Peace Will Come" Your Shoes My Shoes version, "Ramblin' Boy" Broadside demo tape 1963, "The Rats" Broadside demo tape 1963, "Springhill Mine Disaster" live Saturday of Folk Music 1961, "Uncle Jack", "When Annie Took Me Home", "White Bones of Allende", "Willie Seton" Broadside demo tape 1963, "Wish I Had a Troubadour" The Compleat / Even a Gray Day versions)
G2 ("About the Children", "All Clear in Harrisburg" live Tom Paxton in Concert - Ramblin' 1981, "Angela and Bill", "Angeline Is Always Friday", "Angie", "Annie's Going to Sing Her Song" Folkscene radio show 1979, "Crazy John", "Danville Girl", "A Day in the Country" Folkscene radio show 1979, "Engelbert the Elephant", "Forest Lawn" live BBC 1970 / Orpheum Theater 1976, "Fred", "General Custer", "A Golf Ball Often Has a Mind of Its Own", "Good King Buzz", "Hold on to Me, Babe" live Charlotte's Web 1980, "Hush Old Man", "I Don't Want a Bunny Wunny", "I Followed Her into the West" live Cellar Door 1979, "I Give You the Morning", "I Happen to Like Whiskey, Sir!" Broadside demo tape 1963, "I've Got Nothing but Time", "The Iron Man", "Jennifer's Rabbit", "Katy", "The Last Thing on My Mind" Satuday Night / Even a Gray Day / The Very Best of versions, "Leaving London" The Compleat / The Very Best of versions, "Let's Pretend", "Mary Ann" Never Grow Old version, "Mrs. McGrath" Adventures in Folk Music radio show 1965, "My Daddy and Me" Folk and Baroque radio show 1975, "My Favorite Spring", "My Little Mohee" A Folk Song Festival version, "The Natural Girl for Me",  "Outlaw", "Pandora's Box" Under American Skies version, "Proud to Be Standing Where I Am", "Senior Citizen", "They Couldn't Take the Music" The Listening Room radio show 1981, "The Thought Stayed Free", "What a Friend We Have in Hoover", "Wish I Had a Troubadour" A Paxton Primer version)
F♯2 ("I Followed Her into the West" live Tonight in Person 1966, "Leaving London" The Very Best of version, , "My Daddy and Me" Something in My Life version, "Outward Bound" live The Compleat 1971, "Saturday Night", "Shenandoah", "So Much for Winning", "Sully's Pail" Ain't That News version, "You Should Have Seen Me Throw That Ball")
F2 ("All Clear in Harrisburg", "Jennifer's Rabbit" Morning Again version, "My Son John", "Outward Bound" Outward Bound / Even a Gray Day / A Paxton Primer / The Very Best of versions, "So Much for Winning" live Rutgers University 1967, "Uncle Jack")
E2 ("Don't Slay That Potato", "Even a Gray Day", "Gas Line Romance", "My Daddy and Me" Folk and Baroque radio show 1975, "So Much for Winning", "When Annie Took Me Home")
E♭2 ("The Last Love Song" Best of Friends Folk on 2 radio show 1985, "My Daddy and Me" Something in My Life version)
D2 ("When It's Gone, It's Gone")

SPOILER: Click to show

{Questionable Notes}B♭4 ("Goin' to the Zoo" ^[3] Children's Songbook / The Very Best of versions)
F♯4: ("You Can Eat Dog Food" ^[3] live Bottom Line 1976)
E4: ("Jones Boy" ^[1] Satuday Night version)
F♯2 ("Silent Night" ^[2])
E2 ("When You Shook Your Long Hair Down" ^[1])

..................................................
•[1] marks yelps and short trills in high range or anacrusis and short dips in low range.
•[2] marks notes of questionable identity that cannot be confirmed to be the singer in question.
•[3] marks non-melodic notes that don't have a significant enough pitch to warrant inclusion.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Album & Live Ranges}Strange Rain (1961): B2 - F4
Saturday of Folk Music (1961): G♯2 - D4 - C♯5
I'm the Man that Build the Bridges (1962): A2 - D4 - D5
Broadside Demo Tapes (1963): G2 - C♯4 - B4
Ramblin' Boy (1964): A2 - C♯4 - B4
Ain't That News (1965): G2 - D4
Outward Bound (1966): F2 - C♯4
WBAI/Rutgers Concerts (1967): F2 - D4
Something to Sing About! (1968): F♯2 - C4
Morning Again (1968): E2 - D4
My Kind of Folk (1968): G2 - E4
The Things I Notice Now (1969): G2 - E4
#6 (1970): F2 - F4 - G4
The Compleat Tom Paxton (1971): F2 - F4
How Come the Sun (1971): G2 - E4 - F♯4
Peace Will Come (1972): F♯2 - F4 - A4
New Songs for Old Friends (1973): E2 - D4 - E4
Children's Songbook (1974): G2 - D4 - B♭4
Something in My Life (1975): E♭2 - D4 - E4
The Camera and the Song (1976): G2 - D4
Saturday Night (1976): G2 - D4 - E4
New Songs from the Briarpatch (1977): G♯2 - C♯4 - E4
Heroes (1978): A2 - D4
Up & Up (1979): G2 - D4
The Paxton Report (1980): E2 - E4
...TBC...

..................................................
• Blue denotes clear falsetto notes.
• Italics denote non-melodic and spoken notes.
• Boldface denotes notes that are considered impressive in relation to this person's vocal capabilities.
• Underlines denote obscured and background notes.

[BAZanine]

Nice thread! I'd be willing to buy that C♯5 as a melodic D5 tbh! 

[seahorse]

Nov 27, 2023 22:52:45 GMT BAZanine said:

Nice thread! I'd be willing to buy that C♯5 as a melodic D5 tbh! 

Thanks BAZ!! I just listened again and I think you're right. That's a D5 and it could be counted as melodic! 

I'm hesitating on whether counting the G4 in "General Custer" live from BBC 1971 as melodic or not. The note sounds melodic with the background D major chord but to my ears more like a yell than a melody line. 

TBH notewatching on Paxton has been a pain in the ass for me because for over 60 years he's always been massively prolific with a repertoire so freaking vast..! I didn't realize it could be so hard before I started. Only researched for less than a quarter of his career so far.

I've also adopted the Phil Ochs and John Prine threads; hopefully they will take less time than Paxton's.. 

[BAZanine]

Would you mind linking the G4? I'd be down to give my take on it.

And no worries, take your time! I know notewatching singers who were active for that long can be pretty draining, so don't burn yourself out lol.

[seahorse]

Nov 28, 2023 0:29:22 GMT BAZanine said:

Would you mind linking the G4? I'd be down to give my take on it.

And no worries, take your time! I know notewatching singers who were active for that long can be pretty draining, so don't burn yourself out lol.

Thanks!

I can't find the track on the Internet so I uploaded via Google Drive: drive.google.com/file/d/1OZAhuO1OZivEwiKq-sS9tsfiSaAhX6zX/view?usp=drive_link

[Macca]

Nov 28, 2023 1:17:35 GMT seahorse said:

Nov 28, 2023 0:29:22 GMT BAZanine said:

Would you mind linking the G4? I'd be down to give my take on it.

And no worries, take your time! I know notewatching singers who were active for that long can be pretty draining, so don't burn yourself out lol.

Thanks!

I can't find the track on the Internet so I uploaded via Google Drive: drive.google.com/file/d/1OZAhuO1OZivEwiKq-sS9tsfiSaAhX6zX/view?usp=drive_link

It says I need to request access to view it.
Edit: i requested access

[seahorse]

Nov 28, 2023 2:22:51 GMT Macca said:

Nov 28, 2023 1:17:35 GMT seahorse said:

Thanks!

I can't find the track on the Internet so I uploaded via Google Drive: drive.google.com/file/d/1OZAhuO1OZivEwiKq-sS9tsfiSaAhX6zX/view?usp=drive_link

It says I need to request access to view it.
Edit: i requested access

It was a mistake! I've set it to public access

[Macca]

The Bold F4 in I'm No Cowboy is an E4

[BAZanine]

Nov 28, 2023 1:17:35 GMT seahorse said:

Nov 28, 2023 0:29:22 GMT BAZanine said:

Would you mind linking the G4? I'd be down to give my take on it.

And no worries, take your time! I know notewatching singers who were active for that long can be pretty draining, so don't burn yourself out lol.

Thanks!

I can't find the track on the Internet so I uploaded via Google Drive: drive.google.com/file/d/1OZAhuO1OZivEwiKq-sS9tsfiSaAhX6zX/view?usp=drive_link

Hmm yeah, that G4 sounds like a pretty ambiguous case. I'd say there's definitely a case for calling it melodic if he does a lot of talk-singing a la Bob Dylan, but if it's disconnected from how he usually sings, italics could show the difference in approach. Just hearing that song I guess I'd call it melodic but I'd trust your discretion either way.

[seahorse]

Nov 28, 2023 6:32:50 GMT BAZanine said:

Nov 28, 2023 1:17:35 GMT seahorse said:

Thanks!

I can't find the track on the Internet so I uploaded via Google Drive: drive.google.com/file/d/1OZAhuO1OZivEwiKq-sS9tsfiSaAhX6zX/view?usp=drive_link

Hmm yeah, that G4 sounds like a pretty ambiguous case. I'd say there's definitely a case for calling it melodic if he does a lot of talk-singing a la Bob Dylan, but if it's disconnected from how he usually sings, italics could show the difference in approach. Just hearing that song I guess I'd call it melodic but I'd trust your discretion either way.

Thanks for checking! Yes, Paxton does quite a lot of talk-singing, though not as much as Dylan does. I think it could really go either way.

Nov 28, 2023 2:40:09 GMT Macca said:

The Bold F4 in I'm No Cowboy is an E4

I think I still do hear an F4 in the line "when you got me". I do feel it's a bit flat but I think I'd count that as an F. Also an E note in a song in C sharp major doesn't make much sense.. Thoughts?