Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are speaking to musician Matt Axton about his larger-than-life actor, musician, spokesman and songwriter dad, Hoyt Axton. Now if you grew up in the eighties, you would know Hoyt from Gremlins. If you grew up in the 70s, you'd know him as the songwriter to the smash hit "Joy To The World" made popular by Three Dog Night and in the sixties perhaps the hit show Bonanza. As Matt explains to us, his dad was many things to many people, a shit kicking psychedelic cowboy, a Busch beer pitchman and even Mogwai's dad. Everyone could relate to Hoyt.

We also talk about the fact that Matt is a third generation musician, as his grandmother was known as the Queen of Nashville. Mae Boren Axton, was a well-known songwriter of more than 200 songs including – get this – "Heartbreak Hotel". Now that's some serious lineage. To know that your grandmother introduced Elvis Presley to his manager, Colonel Tom Parker is just a bit of a mind fuck.

Our conversation with Matt was both melancholy and prideful. Matt was fiercely proud of his dad's legacy in country music and in film and television but he also let us know that for reasons you will hear, he has almost nothing of his father's possessions but his own memories. But he's not bitter. In fact, he's got a terrific outlook and draws on his dad's legacy to push him in his own career. Matt loves the one nighters, the travel, the live music and the recording. After all, it's in his blood. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and everyone has a story.