Biography
Formed for only a short time, the Box Tops built a name during the 1960s as one of the era's standout blue-eyed soul acts, although their body of recordings proved less extensive or steady than those left by the Righteous Brothers or the Rascals. Their place in music history rests equally on the major successes "The Letter" and "Cry Like a Baby" and on their role as the first major showcase for vocalist Alex Chilton, who later earned cult status in rock through the pioneering power pop band Big Star. While still a teenager, Chilton sang with a raw Memphis soul intensity that echoed the American counterpart to Stevie Winwood of the Spencer Davis Group. The group's output also incorporated pop and psychedelic accents, yet the members' limited say in shaping the material ultimately triggered the split.
The ensemble started out as the Devilles, a white R&B outfit whose original lineup included guitarists Gary Talley and John Evans, bassist Bill Cunningham, and drummer Danny Smythe. Once local crowds responded strongly, teenage singer Alex Chilton came aboard, and the Devilles soon drew the interest of songwriters and producers Chips Moman and Dan Penn, who sought a white soul voice in the mold of Stevie Winwood. To sidestep overlap with another act sharing the same name, the musicians adopted the Box Tops moniker, inked a deal with Bell Records, and commenced sessions at Moman's American Studio in Memphis. Their debut single, "The Letter," climbed swiftly to the summit of the charts in 1967, holding the number-one spot for four weeks and ranking as Billboard magazine's top single of that year. Chilton had reached just 16 years old when the track broke. Penn responded to the hit by tightening his grip on subsequent recordings, frequently bringing in session players who sometimes supplanted the entire group behind Chilton or replaced only selected members. Discouraged by the arrangement, Evans and Smythe exited early in 1968 to resume their studies and were succeeded by Rick Allen, formerly of the Gentrys, and Tom Boggs.
Although the follow-up "Neon Rainbow" failed to match the earlier impact, the Box Tops scored another major success in 1968 with the Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham composition "Cry Like a Baby," which reached number two on the pop charts. Lesser hits such as "I Met Her in Church" and "Choo Choo Train" appeared afterward, yet Chilton grew increasingly unhappy with the uneven quality of songs supplied to the band, a problem evident across the three albums issued through 1968. He also resented Penn's firm refusal to let him record his own original material. By the time the Box Tops prepared their fourth and last album, the 1969 release Dimensions, which aimed for greater overall cohesion, Penn had stepped away to pursue other work. Several Chilton originals found their way onto Dimensions, among them "I Must Be the Devil," and the group notched one final modest hit with "Soul Deep." Cunningham soon left to return to school as well, and the Box Tops began to unravel. Their contract lapsed in February 1970, prompting an official breakup; Chilton relocated briefly to Greenwich Village. Finding little of the creative welcome he had anticipated, he returned to Memphis and joined an Anglo-pop project led by his friend Chris Bell. That collaboration evolved into Big Star, a band whose mercurial history has made it one of the most admired names in power pop and underground rock & roll.
The ensemble started out as the Devilles, a white R&B outfit whose original lineup included guitarists Gary Talley and John Evans, bassist Bill Cunningham, and drummer Danny Smythe. Once local crowds responded strongly, teenage singer Alex Chilton came aboard, and the Devilles soon drew the interest of songwriters and producers Chips Moman and Dan Penn, who sought a white soul voice in the mold of Stevie Winwood. To sidestep overlap with another act sharing the same name, the musicians adopted the Box Tops moniker, inked a deal with Bell Records, and commenced sessions at Moman's American Studio in Memphis. Their debut single, "The Letter," climbed swiftly to the summit of the charts in 1967, holding the number-one spot for four weeks and ranking as Billboard magazine's top single of that year. Chilton had reached just 16 years old when the track broke. Penn responded to the hit by tightening his grip on subsequent recordings, frequently bringing in session players who sometimes supplanted the entire group behind Chilton or replaced only selected members. Discouraged by the arrangement, Evans and Smythe exited early in 1968 to resume their studies and were succeeded by Rick Allen, formerly of the Gentrys, and Tom Boggs.
Although the follow-up "Neon Rainbow" failed to match the earlier impact, the Box Tops scored another major success in 1968 with the Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham composition "Cry Like a Baby," which reached number two on the pop charts. Lesser hits such as "I Met Her in Church" and "Choo Choo Train" appeared afterward, yet Chilton grew increasingly unhappy with the uneven quality of songs supplied to the band, a problem evident across the three albums issued through 1968. He also resented Penn's firm refusal to let him record his own original material. By the time the Box Tops prepared their fourth and last album, the 1969 release Dimensions, which aimed for greater overall cohesion, Penn had stepped away to pursue other work. Several Chilton originals found their way onto Dimensions, among them "I Must Be the Devil," and the group notched one final modest hit with "Soul Deep." Cunningham soon left to return to school as well, and the Box Tops began to unravel. Their contract lapsed in February 1970, prompting an official breakup; Chilton relocated briefly to Greenwich Village. Finding little of the creative welcome he had anticipated, he returned to Memphis and joined an Anglo-pop project led by his friend Chris Bell. That collaboration evolved into Big Star, a band whose mercurial history has made it one of the most admired names in power pop and underground rock & roll.
Albums
