In Memoriam: Lloyd Thaxton
Lloyd Thaxton just passed away. He was 81. He was an extraordinary man and creative visionary. He was a dear friend.
For every teenager growing up in Los Angeles in the 60s, The Lloyd Thaxton Show was appointment television. Each afternoon from 5-6 Lloyd Thaxton hosted a live dance party show on KCOP, channel 13. If his budget was more than $4.95 a show I'd be shocked.
His set consisted of four panels (probably cardboard) with musical notes drawn on them. Kids from local high schools were invited to dance on a soundstage the size of an elevator. He won his time slot daily, trouncing the competing news broadcasts.
What made the show special was Lloyd Thaxton. Most shows like this were hosted by disc jockeys. They were content to just introduce the records and step aside while the kids did the Twist, Jerk, Fly, Popeye, Monkey, Frug, Mash Potato, Locomotion, and whatever other inane dance was the rage that minute. Lloyd was the first to realize "this was television", you had to do something visual. So he would find ways to comically present the songs, even with his paltry budget. This elf-looking redhead would lip sync, mime playing instruments, use finger puppets, don wigs, do duets with rubber masks, cut out the lips on an album cover and substitute his own - anything to make the songs fun. In many ways, Lloyd Thaxton was a local version of Ernie Kovacs, finding innovative new ways to use the new medium. For the most part he invented music videos. The only difference is music videos these days are all ambitious elaborate productions. Back then we were quite content to watch a guy sing into his hand.
Lloyd began syndicating his show and (with an inflated budget of $5.25) became a national sensation.
He also broke the color barrier. When he had James Brown as his guest a number of affiliates refused to air the segment. Lloyd promptly dropped them from his roster. Motown and R&B acts were guests frequently. Only then did other shows follow.
In later years Lloyd went behind the camera, producing such long running series as Fight Back with David Horowitz and segments for The Today Show.
There is a "Best of the Lloyd Thaxton Show" DVD. It's 90 minutes of inspired television. But it hasn't been released because they've yet to secure clearances from all the artists, many of whom owe their careers to Lloyd and the exposure his show gave them. The last several years Lloyd also kept a blog where he shared many memories and photos. You can find it here.
His signature sign off was "My name is Lloyd Thaxton" followed by the kids shouting "So what?!" But we knew better. Lloyd Thaxton was a big part of our lives. We thank him and will fondly remember him always. That's what.
You can read more from Ken at kenlevine.blogspot.com
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
I watched Lloyd's show when I was a young kid living in L.A. Then, when I was 15, Lloyd married my cousin Barbara, and he was introduced to our family. He was a funny, humble, and intelligent man with a huge heart and I feel honored to have known him.
Growing up in a small logging and mill town in rural Oregon, Lloyd Thaxton was my first exposure to the 'world without parents'. I've thought of his show fondly over the years and a year of so ago, I decided maybe "The Internets" might have some information about his life's divergence from mine.
I found his website and a few pleasant email conversations with him. He still had the same 'something' that made all of us like him.
I saw someone mention Dick Clark. Thaxton showed Clark the way.
As I remember, Lloyd was working on something with his archive of show tapes, but I can't remember specifically what he was doing.
May he be in a better place.
I am very sad to hear the news of Lloyd Thaxtons' passing. I have such fond memories of those days. We were the beginners of his show. We went to Bancroft Jr. High and after school, we would walk down Willoughby Ave to Channel 13, walk thru the chain gates and his studio (garage type) door would be open and we'd walk right in and wait for the music to start. It was like having an afternoon dance party and when they finished the show, we'd all go home, do our homework and that was our day.I remember he had a son who went to our school but there is no mention of him. I shall forever be grateful to Lloyd for giving me such wonderful memories of my youth. May you rest in peace
I didn't know his show wasn't a local Dallas show. I remember it came on after my grandmother's
"stories" and she watched it like another soap opera. "Jimmy and Mary must have broke up. She's dancin' withBobby." Long time ago.
Bless you Lloyd Thaxton, RIP, and thanks Mr. Levine for letting us know.
I remember him. And Clay Cole, Hullabaloo,Shindig, as well as Dick Clark's Where The Action Is. Those shows were incredible. A typical Shindig lineup- The Animals, Kinks , the Young Rascals, and The Yardbirds ( with Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page) we will never see the likes of the music revolution of 1962-1972 ever again.
The best rock music era. So glad I was young then. I sadly agree with you, wsblake.
yes yes lloyd thaxton. the lip sync. it was black and white broadcast as i remember. he was enough to creat compitition like 9th street west an so, but he was not in color. i will pay good money for his recordings.
there are some available on his website, I believe.
I remember Thaxton. What a character. I didn't know he'd worked on some of those later shows. He was truly an innovator & pioneer.
It has always been great to have music on network television. Ed Sullivan had so many great acts, Elvis, Beatles, Dave Clark Five, etc. The local shows from Baltimore and Philadelphia. Later on, Midnight Special 1972 to 1981. Then along came MTV on cable and the way the acts looked became more important than their talent. Music became a visual medium.
RIP
I have fond memories of the Lloyd Thaxton Show. I remember seeing The Supremes and simply loving it.
And the production may have been downmarket but it was engaging nonetheless.
Before MTV, there was Dick Clark, Hullabaloo, Where the Action Is and The Lloyd Thaxton Show!
"Baby, baby, Where Did Our Love Go!"
rest in peace, lloyd thaxton. i'm sorry, didn't know he passed away, so thanks for your column today, ken. it wasn't too long ago - just a few months - that i had tracked down his website.
i loved thaxton - i only got to see the syndicated version, however, and i'm not sure if i saw it in n.c. or in florida, now that i think about it. with his name "lloyd thaxton" i initially thought he was a british import, like many british imports from that day. i do recall he was pretty funny and came off very hip, more so than dick clark had previously. and the kids dressed very cool on that show - just like we all tried to do at the time. thaxton himself was THE best dresser of them all - very skinny guy, too.
one thing i will argue with you here, ken, is there were a few others who were dabbling in "music videos" at the time or earlier. in south florida our local "dick clark" had an afternoon show that consisted of "music videos" with local teens lip synching to popular songs (doing it seriously), AND artists doing the same (steve alaimo, also paul revere and the raiders, to name a few) this was always done outdoors, on location, videotaped in miami/miami beach.
i just think it was the logical way local dance shows were turning - also, the beatles did music vids for ed sullivan in lieu of appearing
I totally remember him and his show. I lived in LA then. What sticks with me the most is the special clap the kids in the audience used. I still use it from time to time today, and taught it to my own kids. It's a clap, and then a little "flip" of alternating hands afterward. Good times. God speed, Mr. Thaxton.
all due respect, the kids did that on dick clark's night time show he had for a short time. brought to you by "beechnut spearmint gum" - i remember bobby darin on that show lip synching to "splish splash" white bathrobe over his clothes, standing in a bathtub on stage. it was clark's "ed sullivan" type of show - kids sat in the audience, chewing the sponsor's product, and did the little clap/hand flip you speak of...this had to be around 1960 or thereabouts. they did a few other variations of the clapping thing, too, clap, and then motion twice to the beat with one hand, clap, and motion twice with the other hand, clap. at least that's what i recall. hard to explain and uh, i can't believe i'm writing this down....LOL.
Gosh, I'm old! I actually remember it because my older sister and her friends watched it. Being the pesky little sister, I had to watch it, too!
I remember it too altho too young to be interested. Didn't know it got syndicated.
Ah yes I remember when LOCAL television was really something, and those other teen dance shows-9th St. West-with that Kam dishing high school gossip-Michael Blodgett on the Groovy show from the beach and wasn't Shebang with Casey Kasem originally local-they always had the same kids dancing one called Famous.-I watched that from the time I got outta school to dinnertime. Interesting that it lasted till recently (the 80's?) the last one was MV3 with Richard Blade and a coupla teens and it died with with advent of MTV and cable.
I use to watch Thaxton's show when it was syndicated. I still remember Roger Miller doing a new song live, and forgetting the lyrics to "King of the Road".
I remember his syndicated show on in the afternoon in the Philly market, mid to late sixties. He was brash, playful and, I thought at the time, very entertaining...RIP, Lloyd.
I remember Thaxton's show (I was in elementary school at the time in Orange County, CA). It was a kind of a junior league American Bandstand. I didn't even know he was still alive.
The more of these passings in the music world I read the older I feel.
I am sorry to hear of Mr. Thaxton's death. I started reading both of your blogs during the writer's strike and wondered why he hadn't posted lately. I hope they use his pic of May 5th in Bora Bora for his obit.
We will miss you Mr. Thaxton.
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
