At 19, Larry Axon wasn’t looking for a calling—he was just looking for a cigarette. But when he stumbled onto a neighbor strumming an acoustic guitar, something clicked. “The sound reached the deepest part of my soul,” he recalls. That moment, unplanned and ordinary, lit a fire that’s been burning ever since. Despite friends doubting his dream and a diagnosis of dyspraxia—a motor skill disorder that makes coordination difficult—Axon threw himself into music. He borrowed an old Martin guitar, braved hecklers at open mics, and slowly carved a path through Kansas City coffeehouses and bar gigs. “People yelled, ‘You suck!’ but I kept playing,” he says. “I had to.”
His music sits somewhere between blues-rock, indie gospel, and classic singer-songwriter confessionalism. Think Santana’s fluid leads, Clapton’s soul, and the raw edges of Dylan’s gravel. But Axon isn’t trying to imitate. His sound is his own—gritty, spiritual, and stripped of pretense. “I love simple, clean lines,” he explains, a philosophy that shapes both his songwriting and guitar work. It’s not mainstream, and it’s not exactly CCM either—but that tension is what gives it weight. His tracks carry a quiet urgency, blending faith and real-life fatigue in equal parts.
Balancing art with real life hasn’t been easy. Axon cares full-time for his wife, who has disabilities. That responsibility shapes everything—from when he can write to how often he can tour. “I have to keep my priorities straight,” he says. It’s a reality that grounds him, but doesn’t stop him. Instead, it deepens the intentionality behind each note. His journey isn’t flashy—it’s a slow burn fueled by purpose, patience, and a deep love for the craft.
Performance is where it all comes alive. “I never lose the thrill,” he says, describing that surge of electricity when an audience locks in. Whether it’s a local stage or a studio session, Axon puts in the hours. Over 1,000, in fact—he taught himself Logic Pro from scratch, logging long nights and turning raw ideas into finished work. He’s just as proud of the tracks he’s produced for others as he is of his own. And that loyal corner of the internet—his SoundCloud followers, gig regulars, and supporters from AirGigs—keeps showing up.
These days, Axon is focused on writing new songs and pushing his sound further—particularly into faith-driven spaces that don’t fit the clean edges of traditional Christian music. “I want to bring guitar-driven, Christ-centered music to new places,” he says. His current project? A batch of original material that leans into his bluesy roots and spiritual themes without sacrificing grit. “I just want to keep creating,” he adds. “That’s the dream.”
Looking back, Axon wishes someone had told him sooner: You can do this. Now, he’s the one passing that message on. His story is living proof that music doesn’t need polish to be powerful. It just needs heart. Stream Larry Axon’s work on SoundCloud, or better yet—see him live. You’ll hear every setback, every late-night practice session, every hard-earned chord. And if you’re lucky, you’ll leave reminded that persistence, faith, and a well-worn guitar can still cut through the noise.
