Tommy and Julie Paxton: Home
Welcome to Aspen, Colorado, where Tommy and Julie Paxton have been making music since the 70s. Together they are half of the Aspen Dickens Carolers, a group of singers that has been providing Christmas cheer throughout the valley and on national TV for 26 years. Scroll down the page and you will find their CD as well as a promotional video of them performing the title track. You will also find the “Merry Christmas, Aspen” CD with special guest John Denver. To listen to clips of any of the music below, go to the "music" link at the left, and to purchase, go to the "buy" link.
During the winter and summer seasons, Tommy entertains children and family groups at a weekly campfire gathering in Snowmass Village. His children's CD, S'more Songs, recently won a 2007 Children's Music Web Award and is available further down the page. He also performs as a soloist for family or corporate campfire gatherings, kids activities and events, wedding rehearsal dinners, square dances and other special occasions in Aspen and Vail. He can also be found performing as a freelance acoustic and electric bass player for all kinds of musical events throughout Colorado. Further down the page you will find a video clip of him performing one of the cuts from his kid’s CD entitled “S’more Songs.” You will also find a demo CD of some of the other songs he covers as a soloist. For a complete list of his solo repertoire, go to the bio link.
Julie directs the Aspen Dickens Carolers as well as an interfaith wedding ministry for couples wishing to get married in Aspen. Julie and Tommy often team up to provide vocal and instrumental music to compliment the ceremony.
Thanks for stopping by. Continue down this page to find the musical products that we have to offer and please go to the contact link to reach us if we can provide any musical services for your next special occasion.
"Merry Christmas, Aspen"
This is a digital remastering of the album that was originally recorded in 1984, featuring John Denver on the last four tracks. It includes a new booklet which recounts the story of the making of the record and many fond recollections of the Christmastime musical collaborations that occurred in the ‘80s between John and the Aspen vocal groups that appear on the album. Besides JD, you will hear the Aspen Community Choir doing several choruses from Handel’s Messiah and the Aspen Dickens Carolers doing a few of their Christmas favorites. On the last four songs, John is joined by the Carolers and Julie Paxton’s children’s choir for some wonderful holiday music.
“I was blown away by the difference in the sound quality of the recording! If you have the record and haven't heard it in a while, the difference will amaze you! Just wait until you hear John singing "Silent Night" on this CD! It stopped me cold, even though I have all of his recordings! "The Heart of Man's a Palace" is one you won't hear anywhere else and always gives me chills because it is so incredibly beautiful. Thank you for finally making this wonderful Christmas album available to us in CD...and just in time to give to friends for the holidays!”
Peace and joy,
Sherry Cook – Sarasota, Florida
"I have to tell you, that hearing those performances again and so clearly brought tears to my eyes. I am again very impressed by the caliber of singers that were in your different choruses, especially the children. WOW! And the precision with which they sang is a compliment to their director, Julie. Perhaps my ear has been more finely tuned by the last 17 years of singing in a choir, in addition to the new high, quality sound, but for whatever reason, I'm pleasantly amazed all over again. I have been and continue to be inspired by John Denver and the people who were lucky enough to perform with him, like you. Thanks again for making your album available to us on CD".
With Gratitude, Happy Holidays,
Carolyn Churchill - Lake Villa, IL
No Place Like Aspen
Don't even THINK of decorating your Christmas tree this year without having the Aspen Dickens Carolers and their accapella arrangements of your favorite Christmas carols playing in the background. The CD is entitled “No Place Like Aspen For the Holidays.” For the past 26 years, the Aspen Dickens Carolers, under the direction of Julie Paxton, have been bringing the sounds of Christmas to visitors and locals alike in Aspen and Snowmass Village. They have appeared on numerous television Christmas specials including Good Morning America, Portrait of America, a BBC Disney Club Christmas special, MTV’s Aspen Christmas Special, ABC’s Christmas in Aspen and John Denver’s Christmas in Aspen.
If you're in the Aspen area for Christmas, you might be interested in booking the Aspen Dickens Carolers - who are now performing as a quartet - for your holiday party. To do so, please go to the contact link. Here's a video of them performing the title cut from their CD. (There's quite a bit of promotional material on the video before they actually start singing in the final two minutes.)
S’more Songs
Here is Tommy’s children's CD, a winner of this year's Children's Music Web Award. It's a collection of his favorite songs that he performs at his weekly kid’s campfire, where the songs need to be lively, fun and interactive. Five of the songs are originals. It's appropriately entitled "S'more Songs."
“My girls love to sing with the kids on this record. They really feel part of the fun. They are so engrossed that I get a little break during the ride to school!” Janice Suter, mother of two - Austin, Texas
“My daughter listens to this CD over and over, dancing around the living room ‘til way after bedtime.” Kristin Kehle, mother of four – Aspen, Colorado
"The songs are clever, witty and musically astute." John Colson, Aspen Times
"Looking for something to give the niece or the nephew as a gift? Something decent and worthy of their growing musical awareness; something at their level, but still bangin'-enough to make them want to shake a tailfeather?Something that won't blow your rep as the cool auntie or uncle, but won't get you in trouble with the parents?
There are loads of titles for kids in the under-10 set on the market these days, some slick, most savvy, very few with that stuff that makes music memorable.
Two that do are "S'More Songs" (paxtonmusic.com) from venerable Aspen musician Tommy Paxton, and "Welcome to Ralph's World" (disneysound.com) from Ralph Covert, leader of power-popsters The Bad Examples. Paxton's is a DIY affair, while Covert gets the full-tilt Disney signature, complete with press kit, accompanying DVD and a seven-city tour.
Both are extraordinary examples of how compelling kids' songs can be if performed with passion and conviction (Paxton's "Bob, Bob, Bob"; Covert's "Peggy's Pie Parlor Polka"). For purposes of full disclosure, I played in a high-school band with Paxton and try as we might, we couldn't get him to sing. Listening to him now, it is clear that it was a major opportunity lost.
Grades: "S'More Songs": B; "Welcome to Ralph's World": B"
Joel Welin - Sarasota Herald Tribune
Here is a video of Tommy performing his song "Wake Up Jake" from the CD. The video was produced by students of the Roaring Fork School District.
If you might be interested in booking Tommy for your next special occasion, click on the music link at the left to listen to audio clips of Tommy's demo CD.