Alex Chilton

Alex Chilton (born on December 28, 1950, in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American songwriter, guitarist, singer and producer best known for his work with the pop-music bands the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's early commercial sales success in the 1960s as a teen vocalist for the Box Tops was not repeated in later years with Big Star and in his indie music solo career on small labels like Last Call Records, New Rose, Razor and Tie, Bar/None, and others, but he did draw a loyal following in the indie and alternative music fields.

Background and early career

With influences including Chet Baker, The Kinks, Velvet Underground, T. Rex, Sky Saxon, Cordell Jackson, blues, rhythm and blues, soul, rockabilly, country, jazz, and the Beatles, Alex Chilton grew up in a musical family; his father, Sidney Chilton, was a jazz musician. A local band recruited the teenager in 1966 as their lead singer after learning of the popularity of his vocal performance at a talent show at Memphis' Central High School; this band was The Devilles, later renamed Box Tops. The new group recorded with Chips Moman and producer/songwriter Dan Penn at American Sound Studio and Muscle Shoals' FAME Studios.

Related Topics:
Chet Baker - The Kinks - Velvet Underground - T. Rex - Cordell Jackson - Blues - Rhythm and blues - Soul - Rockabilly - Country - Jazz - The Beatles - 1966 - Chips Moman - American Sound Studio - Muscle Shoals' - FAME Studios

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As lead singer for the Box Tops, Chilton enjoyed at the age of 16 a number-one international hit, "The Letter." The Box Tops went on to have several other major chart hits, including "Cry Like a Baby" (1968) and "Soul Deep" (1969). The group's songs were written by Penn, Moman, Spooner Oldham and other top area songwriters, with Chilton occasionally contributing a song. By late 1969, only Chilton and guitarist Gary Talley remained from the original group, and newer additions replaced the members who had departed. The group decided to disband and pursue independent careers in February 1970.

Related Topics:
1968 - 1969 - Spooner Oldham - 1970

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Chilton then began performing as a solo artist, maintaining a working relationship with Penn for demos. During this period he began learning guitar by studying the styles of guitarists like Stax Records great Steve Cropper, recording his own material in 1970 at Ardent Studios with local musicians like Terry Manning and Richard Rosebrough, and producing a few Southern garage-blues-rock local acts. His 1970 recordings and productions from that time frame were released years later in the 1980s and 1990s on albums like Lost Decade (New Rose Records) and 1970 (Ardent Records).

Related Topics:
Stax Records - Steve Cropper - Garage - 1980s - 1990s - Ardent Records

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