(437) MAE BOREN AXTON: THE QUEEN MOTHER OF NASHVILLE and PROLIFIC SONGWRITER

MAE AXTON wrote over 200 songs, and 14 charted, but she will go down in music history and Elvis Presley history because she was the person who with Tommy Durden co-wrote "Heartbreak Hotel," perhaps the song Elvis is most famous for.  When Elvis had a hit with "Heartbreak Hotel" he had a hit on more than one chart.  It hit on Country, Pop, and R and B. 

As many songwriters have been known to do, Mae was out to sell her own song to the person she wanted to record it.  She personally presented the song to Elvis in Nashville in 1955 at a country music convention.  The video below is probably the January 1956 session with the Blue Moon Boys and session guitarist Chet Atkins.

Through the years Mae placed songs with many country music greats from Johnny Tillotson to Willie Nelson.

MAE AXTON : BLACKCAT ROCKABILLY UK SITE : By Colin Kilgour
MAE AXTON : OKLAHOMA : Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame in 1985

WILLIE NELSON MY HEROS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN COWBOYS

As I mentioned early in this blog, Elvis and I grew up loving cowboys, especially Lash LaRue. We grew up in a part of the United States that had experienced the Trail of Tears, and real cowboys and indian wars, but our imaginations at play were more triggered by what we heard on radio and television.

That Elvis would star in Westerns or take a role in "Flaming Star," a movie that he played a "half-breed," in makes complete sense to me.

Now, as a little variation here, we're posting Willie Nelson singing his song "My Heros Have Always Been Cowboys." Take a pause and enjoy it with us!