Tom Paxton

Tom Paxton was one of the most important, popular, and enduring songwriters to emerge from the Greenwich Village folk music scene of the 1960s. He was a mainstay of the folk community, a tunesmith with a knack for topical songs who penned standards like "The Last Thing on My Mind," "I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound," and "The Marvelous Toy." Few major folk acts of the '60s and '70s didn't raid Paxton's songbook for material, and though he was less successful as a recording artist, he had a die-hard audience among folk loyalists. His way with heartfelt ballads, witty songs about fads and human failings, political commentary, and music for children helped him maintain an audience over a span of seven decades. Paxton's seminal albums of the '60s are summarized well on the 1999 collection I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound.