Alex Chilton

Alex Chilton
Chilton performing with Big Star at Hyde Park, London, 2009
Background information
Birth name	William Alexander Chilton
Born	(1950-12-28)December 28, 1950 Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Died	March 17, 2010(2010-03-17) (aged 59) New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Genres	Rock and roll, power pop, proto-punk, hard rock, blue-eyed soul, indie rock
Occupation(s)	Musician, singer, songwriter, record producer
Instruments	Guitar, vocals
Years active	1966–2010
Labels	Ardent, Bar/None, Peabody Records, Big Time, Omnivore (posthumous)
Associated acts	Box Tops, Big Star, Tav Falco's Panther Burns, Terry Manning

William Alexander "Alex" Chilton (December 28, 1950 – March 17, 2010) was an American songwriter, guitarist, singer and producer, best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's early commercial success in the 1960s as a teen vocalist for The Box Tops was never repeated in later years with Big Star and in his subsequent indie music solo career on small labels, but he drew an obsessive following among indie and alternative music musicians. He is frequently cited as a seminal influence by influential rock artists and bands, some of whose testimonials appeared in the 2012 documentary Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me.

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 (Ronnie and) the Devilles, later renamed The Box Tops. The new group recorded with Chips Moman and producer/songwriter Dan Penn at American Sound Studio and Muscle Shoals' FAME Studios.

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 "Neon Rainbow" (1967), "Cry Like a Baby" (1968), "Sweet Cream Ladies, Forward March" (1969), and "Soul Deep" (1969). Aside from the hits "The Letter", "Neon Rainbow", and "Soul Deep", all written by Wayne Carson Thompson, many of 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.