Biography
During their short existence, the Box Tops built a lasting name as one of the standout blue-eyed soul acts of the 1960s, despite a recorded catalog smaller and less uniform than that of the Righteous Brothers or the Rascals. They remain best known today for the chart-topping singles “The Letter” and “Cry Like a Baby,” yet they also served as the springboard for vocalist Alex Chilton, who later earned cult-hero status through the influential power-pop band Big Star. As a teenager Chilton delivered a raw, soulful vocal style that echoed the Spencer Davis Group’s Stevie Winwood. Although the group’s sound occasionally incorporated pop and psychedelic elements, their limited say over the finished recordings ultimately prompted the breakup.
Originally called the Devilles, the Memphis-based white R&B outfit featured guitarists Gary Talley and John Evans, bassist Bill Cunningham, and drummer Danny Smythe. Once local audiences embraced the band, sixteen-year-old Alex Chilton came aboard, drawing the notice of producers and songwriters Chips Moman and Dan Penn, who were seeking a white soul voice reminiscent of Winwood. To sidestep a naming conflict with another act, the musicians became the Box Tops, inked a deal with Bell Records, and began tracking material at Moman’s American Studio in Memphis. Their debut single, “The Letter,” climbed to number one in 1967, held the top spot for four weeks, and was later named Billboard’s single of the year.
With success secured, Penn tightened his grip on the sessions; afterward he frequently brought in outside players, sometimes supplanting the entire group behind Chilton or swapping out only certain members. Discouraged by the arrangement, Evans and Smythe exited in early 1968 to resume their studies and were succeeded by Rick Allen, formerly of the Gentrys, and Tom Boggs. While the follow-up “Neon Rainbow” made only modest noise, the Dan Penn–Spooner Oldham composition “Cry Like a Baby” reached number two on the pop charts in 1968. Subsequent releases “I Met Her in Church” and “Choo Choo Train” achieved lesser chartings, yet Chilton grew increasingly unhappy with the uneven quality of the songs supplied to the band across its first three albums.
By the time the Box Tops prepared their fourth and last LP, the 1969 release Dimensions, which sought a more unified sound, Penn had already stepped away. Several Chilton originals appeared on the album, among them “I Must Be the Devil,” and the group scored one final minor hit with “Soul Deep.” Cunningham soon left to attend school, accelerating the group’s dissolution. When the Bell contract lapsed in February 1970, the Box Tops formally disbanded. Chilton briefly relocated to Greenwich Village, but after finding little creative support he returned to Memphis and joined an Anglo-pop project led by his friend Chris Bell. That ensemble evolved into Big Star, a band whose mercurial power-pop legacy would come to be prized throughout underground rock history.
Originally called the Devilles, the Memphis-based white R&B outfit featured guitarists Gary Talley and John Evans, bassist Bill Cunningham, and drummer Danny Smythe. Once local audiences embraced the band, sixteen-year-old Alex Chilton came aboard, drawing the notice of producers and songwriters Chips Moman and Dan Penn, who were seeking a white soul voice reminiscent of Winwood. To sidestep a naming conflict with another act, the musicians became the Box Tops, inked a deal with Bell Records, and began tracking material at Moman’s American Studio in Memphis. Their debut single, “The Letter,” climbed to number one in 1967, held the top spot for four weeks, and was later named Billboard’s single of the year.
With success secured, Penn tightened his grip on the sessions; afterward he frequently brought in outside players, sometimes supplanting the entire group behind Chilton or swapping out only certain members. Discouraged by the arrangement, Evans and Smythe exited in early 1968 to resume their studies and were succeeded by Rick Allen, formerly of the Gentrys, and Tom Boggs. While the follow-up “Neon Rainbow” made only modest noise, the Dan Penn–Spooner Oldham composition “Cry Like a Baby” reached number two on the pop charts in 1968. Subsequent releases “I Met Her in Church” and “Choo Choo Train” achieved lesser chartings, yet Chilton grew increasingly unhappy with the uneven quality of the songs supplied to the band across its first three albums.
By the time the Box Tops prepared their fourth and last LP, the 1969 release Dimensions, which sought a more unified sound, Penn had already stepped away. Several Chilton originals appeared on the album, among them “I Must Be the Devil,” and the group scored one final minor hit with “Soul Deep.” Cunningham soon left to attend school, accelerating the group’s dissolution. When the Bell contract lapsed in February 1970, the Box Tops formally disbanded. Chilton briefly relocated to Greenwich Village, but after finding little creative support he returned to Memphis and joined an Anglo-pop project led by his friend Chris Bell. That ensemble evolved into Big Star, a band whose mercurial power-pop legacy would come to be prized throughout underground rock history.