The Box Tops
Encyclopedia
The Box Tops were a Memphis
rock
group of the second half of the 1960s. They are best known for the hits "The Letter," "Neon Rainbow
," "Soul Deep," "I Met Her in Church," and "Cry Like A Baby," and are considered a major blue-eyed soul
group of the period. They performed a mixture of current soul music
songs by artists such as James and Bobby Purify and Clifford Curry
, pop tunes such as "A Whiter Shade of Pale
" by Keith Reid
, Gary Brooker
and Matthew Fisher
of Procol Harum
, and songs written by their producers, Dan Penn
, Spooner Oldham
, and Chips Moman
. Vocalist Alex Chilton
went on to front the powerpop band Big Star and to launch a career as a solo artist, during which he occasionally performed songs he had sung with the Box Tops.
The Box Tops' music combined elements of soul music and light pop. Their records are prime examples of the styles made popular by Moman and Penn at American Sound Studio
in Memphis. Many of their lesser known Top 40 hits are considered minor classics; these include "Neon Rainbow
"; "Sweet Cream Ladies, Forward March"; and "I Met Her in Church." As rock critic Lester Bangs
wrote in a review of the group's Super Hits album, "A song like 'Soul Deep' is obvious enough, a patented commercial sound, yet within these strictures it communicates with a depth and sincerity of feeling that holds the attention and brings you back often."
The Devilles leaped to further local prominence when they won a weekly Battle of the Bands contest at Memphis's T. Walker Lewis YMCA
, finally beating Bobby and the Originals, who had won the previous nineteen weeks. One member of the Originals was Terry Manning
, who would later serve as engineer for some Box Tops recordings.
By January 1967 the group was composed of founding member Danny Smythe, along with newer arrivals John Evans (guitar, keyboards, background vocals), Alex Chilton (lead vocal, guitar), Bill Cunningham (bass guitar, keyboards, background vocal), Gary Talley (lead guitar, electric sitar
, bass, background vocal), and Larry Spillman (drums). They would soon their name to "Box Tops" to prevent confusion with another band recording at the time with the name "the Devilles".
to record Wayne Carson Thompson's song "The Letter." Though under two minutes in length, it was an international hit in mid-1967, reaching Billboard's number-one position and remaining there for four weeks. The record
, produced
by Dan Penn
, sold over four million copies and received two Grammy Award
nominations and was awarded a gold disc
. The band followed up "The Letter" with "Neon Rainbow
", another tune penned by Thompson and produced by Penn. An album called The Letter/Neon Rainbow appeared in November, 1967. The Box Tops would actually release three albums over a nine-month period from late 1967 to mid-1968. Since at least one of the original members, Larry Spillman, left the band prior to the recording sessions to accept a college baseball scholarship, some of the group's instrumental tracks were performed by session musicians like Reggie Young
, Tommy Cogbill
, Gene Chrisman, and Bobby Womack
at American Sound Studio, and by future Chilton producer Terry Manning
at Ardent Studios
. However, the actual group members performed on a number of their recordings, including "The Letter," and on all live performances.
"Cry Like a Baby" was a major hit in 1968, peaking at number two on Billboard. The song was another million selling release. It has been covered by the Hacienda Brothers
and Kim Carnes
. "I Met Her In Church" and "Choo-Choo Train" were smaller hits released later that year. Towards the end of 1968, the band switched producers, with Dan Penn being replaced by the team of Cogbill and Chips Moman
. This team was responsible for producing the band's final 1968 hit "Sweet Cream Ladies, Forward March" (which debuted on the Hot 100 on Chilton's eighteenth birthday) and all the band's future releases through 1971.
) (from The Gentrys
) and drummer Thomas Boggs (born July 16, 1947, Wynne, Arkansas, died May 5, 2008, Memphis, Tennessee) (from the Board of Directors).
In the summer of 1969, Wayne Carson Thompson's "Soul Deep" was the group's final US Top 40 entry. The follow-up single, "Turn On A Dream", peaked outside of the US Top 40, but was a #29 hit in Canada.
Cunningham left the Box Tops to return to school in August 1969 and was replaced by Harold Cloud on bass. But eventually, the group's tolerance for the disrespect and fleecing they had endured as teen musicians from managers, lawyers and promoters came to an end. According to a 2004 article in Puremusic.com by Talley, a December 1969 British tour was cancelled by the band after arriving in London to discover that instead of respecting the rider agreement, the local promoter insisted they play the tour with the opening reggae act's toy drums, public address system amplifiers (instead of proper guitar amplifiers), and a keyboard with a broken speaker.
Finally, in February 1970, the remaining founding members, Talley and Chilton, were ready to move on and disbanded the group. However, the Bell record label kept releasing new Box Tops singles through early 1971, using material that had already been recorded by Chilton and company. February 1970's "You Keep Tightening Up On Me" scraped onto the US Hot 100, and was a slightly bigger hit in Canada
. Two further Box Tops singles failed to chart nationally in either the US or Canada, although the original band's final single "King's Highway" (another Wayne Carson Thompson-penned track) was a regional hit in Dallas in the spring of 1971.
Information about any members of this newly-constituted version of the group is obscure, including the name of the singer (who sang in a distinctly Chilton-esque style, but was clearly not Alex Chilton). It is known that these later Box Tops records used some of the same production personnel that had produced and played on the group's earlier recordings. Willie Mitchell
's Hi Records
released two singles credited to the Box Tops, one in 1972 ("Sugar Creek Woman") and one in 1973 ("Hold On Girl"). In 1974, Tommy Cogbill co-produced one final single credited to the group, "Willobee and Dale", which appeared on the Stax
label. None of these singles charted, or received much airplay, and the Box Tops name was retired.
, and his solo trio, as well as briefly producing groups like The Cramps
. Guitarist Talley went on to work in a variety of styles as a session guitarist and songwriter in Memphis, Atlanta, and Nashville. Artists and producers he has worked with have ranged from Billy Preston, Hank Ballard
, Chips Moman, Billy Lee Riley, Billy Joe Royal
, Webb Pierce
, Waylon Jennings
, Tracy Nelson
, Willie Nelson
, and Tammy Wynette
to Sam and Dave's Sam Moore, and others. Bassist Cunningham (son of Sun Records
artist Buddy Blake Cunningham and brother of B.B. Cunningham Jr., lead vocalist for 1960s Memphis group The Hombres, of "Let it All Hang Out" Top 40 hit fame) won a spot in the White House
orchestra in Washington, D.C.
, after completing his master's degree in music. During his classical music career, he played with some of the world's best performers; at Cunningham's last public classical music performance, for instance, he performed at the White House with Itzhak Perlman
and Pinchas Zukerman
. In the 1980s, he earned an MBA and changed careers. Evans played occasionally in Memphis groups after the Box Tops, while working as a luthier
, eventually switching to a computer network administrator career. Smythe performed in Memphis soul and blues groups in the 1970s, later changing to a career in art by the 1980s, but returned to music performance in the 1990s.
There was a brief Box Tops reunion for a concert in Nashville, Tennessee at a venue called Ace of Clubs in 1989. The lineup for this show comprised: Chilton, Evans, Talley, Harold Cloud (bass) & Gene Houston (drums). At this show the group was also augmented by back up singers Tracy Nelson
, Jonell Mosser, Kim Morrison and a full horn section.
Cunningham next organized a reunion of all the band's original members, including Chilton, in 1996. Since then the group has released an album they produced themselves of new material recorded at Easley McCain Recording
, Tear Off!, and has resumed performing concerts internationally. The Tear Off! album included a new original by guitarist Talley ("Last Laugh"), a cover of Bobby Womack's "I'm in Love," a cover of Eddie Floyd
's "Big Bird" (often covered in solo concerts since the 1980s by Chilton), a cover of The Gentrys' "Keep on Dancing," and a new recording of "The Letter." Other songs on the album reflected the band members' varied soul, novelty, rock-and-roll, and country music influences. B.B. Cunningham Jr. played a guitar on the album's cover of "Trip to Bandstand," his 1959 Memphis novelty single. The album also featured horn arrangements and performances by The Memphis Horns
, who have since appeared in some of the group's live concerts. By 2000, John Evans was no longer in the band and was replaced by Nashville session man Barry Walsh. John is employed by the University of Memphis.
In 2001 the group contributed a Blondie
cover tune to a droll various artists collection of "songs you never thought you'd hear", called When Pigs Fly. Other representative selections on the album, whose organizer matched artists of one period with wittily chosen songs of a different period, included Don Ho
's treatment of Peter Gabriel
's "Shock the Monkey," Herman's Hermits
' performance of Billy Idol
's "White Wedding," and a Jackie Chan
– Ani Difranco
duet of Nat King Cole
's "Unforgettable."
Sold-out Box Tops concerts in Germany in 2003 were aired on German radio, and the group's 2005 tour schedule showed a number of American dates planned despite the group members' busy careers outside the band. The Box Tops did their last Memphis concert on May 29, 2009 at The Memphis Italian Festival.
On March 17, 2010, lead vocalist Alex Chilton died of a heart attack
.
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group of the second half of the 1960s. They are best known for the hits "The Letter," "Neon Rainbow
Neon Rainbow
"Neon Rainbow" is a song written by Wayne Carson Thompson and made famous by Memphis blue-eyed soul band The Box Tops.-About:The track is featured on The Letter/Neon Rainbow...
," "Soul Deep," "I Met Her in Church," and "Cry Like A Baby," and are considered a major blue-eyed soul
Blue-eyed soul
Blue-eyed soul is a media term that was used to describe rhythm and blues and soul music performed by white artists, with a strong pop music influence. The term was first used in the mid-1960s to describe white artists who performed soul and R&B that was similar to the music of the Motown and...
group of the period. They performed a mixture of current soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
songs by artists such as James and Bobby Purify and Clifford Curry
Clifford Curry
Clifford Curry is an American beach music and R&B singer.His career began in high school. He was the member of several groups including: The Echoes, The Five Pennies , Hollyhocks , and the Bubba Suggs Band...
, pop tunes such as "A Whiter Shade of Pale
A Whiter Shade of Pale
"A Whiter Shade of Pale" is the debut song by the British band Procol Harum, released 12 May 1967. The single reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on 8 June 1967, and stayed there for six weeks. Without much promotion, it reached #5 on the US charts, as well...
" by Keith Reid
Keith Reid
Keith Reid is a songwriter who wrote the lyrics of every Procol Harum song that is not a cover...
, Gary Brooker
Gary Brooker
Gary Brooker, MBE, is an English singer, songwriter, pianist and founder of the rock band Procol Harum. Brooker was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours on 14 June 2003, in recognition of his charitable services.-Early life:Brooker was born in...
and Matthew Fisher
Matthew Fisher
Matthew Fisher is an English organist and singer-songwriter, and was responsible for the organ sound on the 1967 single, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum.-Biography:...
of Procol Harum
Procol Harum
Procol Harum are a British rock band, formed in 1967, which contributed to the development of progressive rock, and by extension, symphonic rock. Their best-known recording is their 1967 single "A Whiter Shade of Pale"...
, and songs written by their producers, Dan Penn
Dan Penn
Dan Penn is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and sometime guitar player who co-wrote many soul hits of the 1960s including "Dark End of the Street" and "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" and "Out of Left Field" & "Cry Like A Baby"...
, Spooner Oldham
Spooner Oldham
Dewey Lindon "Spooner" Oldham is an American songwriter and session musician. An organist, he recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and at FAME Studios on such hit R&B songs as "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge, "Mustang Sally" by Wilson Pickett and "I Never Loved a Man" by Aretha...
, and Chips Moman
Chips Moman
Lincoln Wayne "Chips" Moman is an American record producer, guitarist, and songwriter. As a record producer, Moman is known for recording Elvis Presley, Bobby Womack, Carla Thomas, and Merrilee Rush, as well as guiding the career of the Box Tops in Memphis, Tennessee during the 1960s...
. Vocalist Alex Chilton
Alex Chilton
William Alexander "Alex" Chilton was an American songwriter, guitarist, singer and producer, best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star...
went on to front the powerpop band Big Star and to launch a career as a solo artist, during which he occasionally performed songs he had sung with the Box Tops.
The Box Tops' music combined elements of soul music and light pop. Their records are prime examples of the styles made popular by Moman and Penn at American Sound Studio
American Sound Studio
American Sound Studio was a recording studio located at 827 Thomas Street in Memphis, Tennessee. More than one hundred hit songs were recorded there between its founding 1967 and its closing in 1972, The music for these hits was played by the house band "The Memphis Boys", also known as the "827...
in Memphis. Many of their lesser known Top 40 hits are considered minor classics; these include "Neon Rainbow
Neon Rainbow
"Neon Rainbow" is a song written by Wayne Carson Thompson and made famous by Memphis blue-eyed soul band The Box Tops.-About:The track is featured on The Letter/Neon Rainbow...
"; "Sweet Cream Ladies, Forward March"; and "I Met Her in Church." As rock critic Lester Bangs
Lester Bangs
Leslie Conway "Lester" Bangs was an American music journalist, author and musician. He wrote for Creem and Rolling Stone magazines, and was known for his leading influence in rock 'n' roll criticism....
wrote in a review of the group's Super Hits album, "A song like 'Soul Deep' is obvious enough, a patented commercial sound, yet within these strictures it communicates with a depth and sincerity of feeling that holds the attention and brings you back often."
Foundation and early years as "The Devilles" (1963-67)
The Box Tops began as the Devilles, who had started playing in Memphis in 1963. As the band's personnel changed from time to time, so did the band name on occasion, which at one point became "Ronnie and the Devilles" and then later changed back to "the Devilles".The Devilles leaped to further local prominence when they won a weekly Battle of the Bands contest at Memphis's T. Walker Lewis YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
, finally beating Bobby and the Originals, who had won the previous nineteen weeks. One member of the Originals was Terry Manning
Terry Manning
Terry Manning is a music producer, songwriter, photographer and recording engineer known for work in rock, rhythm and blues, and pop music genres....
, who would later serve as engineer for some Box Tops recordings.
By January 1967 the group was composed of founding member Danny Smythe, along with newer arrivals John Evans (guitar, keyboards, background vocals), Alex Chilton (lead vocal, guitar), Bill Cunningham (bass guitar, keyboards, background vocal), Gary Talley (lead guitar, electric sitar
Electric sitar
An electric sitar is a kind of electric guitar designed to mimic the sound of the traditional Indian instrument, the sitar. Depending on the manufacturer and model, these instruments bear varying degrees of resemblance to the traditional sitar...
, bass, background vocal), and Larry Spillman (drums). They would soon their name to "Box Tops" to prevent confusion with another band recording at the time with the name "the Devilles".
"The Letter" and international success (1967-68)
As the Box Tops, they entered the studio under the guidance of producer Dan PennDan Penn
Dan Penn is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and sometime guitar player who co-wrote many soul hits of the 1960s including "Dark End of the Street" and "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" and "Out of Left Field" & "Cry Like A Baby"...
to record Wayne Carson Thompson's song "The Letter." Though under two minutes in length, it was an international hit in mid-1967, reaching Billboard's number-one position and remaining there for four weeks. The record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Dan Penn
Dan Penn
Dan Penn is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and sometime guitar player who co-wrote many soul hits of the 1960s including "Dark End of the Street" and "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" and "Out of Left Field" & "Cry Like A Baby"...
, sold over four million copies and received two Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. The band followed up "The Letter" with "Neon Rainbow
Neon Rainbow
"Neon Rainbow" is a song written by Wayne Carson Thompson and made famous by Memphis blue-eyed soul band The Box Tops.-About:The track is featured on The Letter/Neon Rainbow...
", another tune penned by Thompson and produced by Penn. An album called The Letter/Neon Rainbow appeared in November, 1967. The Box Tops would actually release three albums over a nine-month period from late 1967 to mid-1968. Since at least one of the original members, Larry Spillman, left the band prior to the recording sessions to accept a college baseball scholarship, some of the group's instrumental tracks were performed by session musicians like Reggie Young
Reggie Young
Reggie Young was lead guitarist in the American Sound Studios Band , and is a leading session musician. He played on various recordings with artists such as Elvis Presley, B.J. Thomas, John Prine, Dusty Springfield, J.J...
, Tommy Cogbill
Tommy Cogbill
Thomas Clark Cogbill, and known as Tommy Cogbill was an American bassist and record producer.Tommy Cogbill was born in Johnson Grove, Tennessee. He was a highly sought-after session and studio musician who appeared on many now-classic recordings of the 1960s and 1970s, especially those recorded in...
, Gene Chrisman, and Bobby Womack
Bobby Womack
Robert Dwayne "Bobby" Womack is an American singer-songwriter and musician. An active recording artist since the early 1960s where he started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group The Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's career has spanned more than 40...
at American Sound Studio, and by future Chilton producer Terry Manning
Terry Manning
Terry Manning is a music producer, songwriter, photographer and recording engineer known for work in rock, rhythm and blues, and pop music genres....
at Ardent Studios
Ardent Studios
Ardent Studios is a recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee. Ardent Records/Ardent Music is the in-house label.- History :Ardent Studios was founded by John Fry and was initially a studio in his family's garage, where he recorded his first Ardent Records 45's. In 1966 the operation moved...
. However, the actual group members performed on a number of their recordings, including "The Letter," and on all live performances.
"Cry Like a Baby" was a major hit in 1968, peaking at number two on Billboard. The song was another million selling release. It has been covered by the Hacienda Brothers
Hacienda Brothers
The Hacienda Brothers is the name of an alternative country band composed of Chris Gaffney, Dave Gonzalez, Dave Berzansky, Dale Daniel, and Hank Maninger. They have been described as "the finest country-rock band since the Flying Burrito Brothers in their prime," and were called "the best country...
and Kim Carnes
Kim Carnes
Kim Carnes is an American singer-songwriter. She is a two-time Grammy Award winner noted for her distinctive raspy vocal style. Some people have called her "The Female Rod Stewart" due to her raspy voice....
. "I Met Her In Church" and "Choo-Choo Train" were smaller hits released later that year. Towards the end of 1968, the band switched producers, with Dan Penn being replaced by the team of Cogbill and Chips Moman
Chips Moman
Lincoln Wayne "Chips" Moman is an American record producer, guitarist, and songwriter. As a record producer, Moman is known for recording Elvis Presley, Bobby Womack, Carla Thomas, and Merrilee Rush, as well as guiding the career of the Box Tops in Memphis, Tennessee during the 1960s...
. This team was responsible for producing the band's final 1968 hit "Sweet Cream Ladies, Forward March" (which debuted on the Hot 100 on Chilton's eighteenth birthday) and all the band's future releases through 1971.
Personnel changes, and winding down (1968-70)
By January 1968, John Evans and Danny Smythe returned to school, thereby avoiding the draft. They were replaced by bassist Rick Allen (born January 28, 1946, Little Rock, ArkansasArkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
) (from The Gentrys
The Gentrys
The Gentrys were an American band of the 1960s and early 1970s best known for their 1965 hit "Keep on Dancing"...
) and drummer Thomas Boggs (born July 16, 1947, Wynne, Arkansas, died May 5, 2008, Memphis, Tennessee) (from the Board of Directors).
In the summer of 1969, Wayne Carson Thompson's "Soul Deep" was the group's final US Top 40 entry. The follow-up single, "Turn On A Dream", peaked outside of the US Top 40, but was a #29 hit in Canada.
Cunningham left the Box Tops to return to school in August 1969 and was replaced by Harold Cloud on bass. But eventually, the group's tolerance for the disrespect and fleecing they had endured as teen musicians from managers, lawyers and promoters came to an end. According to a 2004 article in Puremusic.com by Talley, a December 1969 British tour was cancelled by the band after arriving in London to discover that instead of respecting the rider agreement, the local promoter insisted they play the tour with the opening reggae act's toy drums, public address system amplifiers (instead of proper guitar amplifiers), and a keyboard with a broken speaker.
Finally, in February 1970, the remaining founding members, Talley and Chilton, were ready to move on and disbanded the group. However, the Bell record label kept releasing new Box Tops singles through early 1971, using material that had already been recorded by Chilton and company. February 1970's "You Keep Tightening Up On Me" scraped onto the US Hot 100, and was a slightly bigger hit in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Two further Box Tops singles failed to chart nationally in either the US or Canada, although the original band's final single "King's Highway" (another Wayne Carson Thompson-penned track) was a regional hit in Dallas in the spring of 1971.
"The Box Tops" brand name continues (1972-74)
The Box Tops name (which was under the control of a management company) still had a certain amount of cachet and sales potential in the early 1970s - so, lacking original band members, beginning in 1972 new studio groups were assembled to record new Box Tops material in Memphis.Information about any members of this newly-constituted version of the group is obscure, including the name of the singer (who sang in a distinctly Chilton-esque style, but was clearly not Alex Chilton). It is known that these later Box Tops records used some of the same production personnel that had produced and played on the group's earlier recordings. Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell is the name of:*Willie Mitchell , , musician and record producer*Willie Mitchell , MLB player*Willie Mitchell , NHL player...
's Hi Records
Hi Records
Hi Records was a Memphis soul and rockabilly label started in 1957 by singer Ray Harris, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch , and three silent partners, including Cuoghi's lawyer, Nick Pesce....
released two singles credited to the Box Tops, one in 1972 ("Sugar Creek Woman") and one in 1973 ("Hold On Girl"). In 1974, Tommy Cogbill co-produced one final single credited to the group, "Willobee and Dale", which appeared on the Stax
Stax
Stax can refer to:* StAX, Streaming API for XML. An API for reading and writing XML in Java.* Stax Earspeakers, a Japanese brand of electrostatic earspeakers* Stax Records, an American record company...
label. None of these singles charted, or received much airplay, and the Box Tops name was retired.
Post-Box Tops careers
Each of the original members went on to work in the music industry in subsequent years after leaving the Box Tops. Chilton's career path included work performing with Big Star, Tav Falco's Panther BurnsTav Falco's Panther Burns
Tav Falco's Panther Burns, sometimes shortened to Panther Burns, is a rock band originally from Memphis, Tennessee, United States, led by Tav Falco...
, and his solo trio, as well as briefly producing groups like The Cramps
The Cramps
The Cramps were an American rock band, formed in 1976 and active until 2009. The band split after the death of lead singer Lux Interior. Their line-up rotated much over their existence, with the husband and wife duo of Interior and lead guitarist Poison Ivy the only permanent members...
. Guitarist Talley went on to work in a variety of styles as a session guitarist and songwriter in Memphis, Atlanta, and Nashville. Artists and producers he has worked with have ranged from Billy Preston, Hank Ballard
Hank Ballard
Hank Ballard , born John Henry Kendricks, was a rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, the lead vocalist of Hank Ballard and The Midnighters and one of the first proto-rock 'n' roll artists to emerge in the early 1950s...
, Chips Moman, Billy Lee Riley, Billy Joe Royal
Billy Joe Royal
Billy Joe Royal is an American singer.-Biography:Born in Valdosta and raised in Marietta in 1942, Royal became a local star at Savannah, Georgia's Bamboo Ranch in the 1950s and 1960s...
, Webb Pierce
Webb Pierce
Webb Michael Pierce was one of the most popular American honky tonk vocalists of the 1950s, charting more number one hits than any other country artist during the decade. His biggest hit was "In The Jailhouse Now," which charted for 37 weeks in 1955, 21 of them at number one...
, Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
, Tracy Nelson
Tracy Nelson (singer)
-Youth in Wisconsin:Nelson was born and grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. There she first learned about R&B music from WLAC radio in Nashville. In her teens, Nelson sang folk music in coffeehouses and with a group called The Fuller's Wood Singers and was lead singer in a band called The Fabulous...
, Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
, and Tammy Wynette
Tammy Wynette
Virginia Wynette Pugh, known professionally as Tammy Wynette , was an American country music singer-songwriter and one of the genre's best-known artists and biggest-selling female vocalists....
to Sam and Dave's Sam Moore, and others. Bassist Cunningham (son of Sun Records
Sun Records
Sun Records is a record label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27, 1952.Founded by Sam Phillips, Sun Records was known for giving notable musicians such as Elvis Presley , Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash...
artist Buddy Blake Cunningham and brother of B.B. Cunningham Jr., lead vocalist for 1960s Memphis group The Hombres, of "Let it All Hang Out" Top 40 hit fame) won a spot in the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
orchestra in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, after completing his master's degree in music. During his classical music career, he played with some of the world's best performers; at Cunningham's last public classical music performance, for instance, he performed at the White House with Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman is an Israeli-born violinist, conductor, and instructor of master classes. He is regarded as one of the pre-eminent violinists of the 20th and early-21st centuries.-Early life:...
and Pinchas Zukerman
Pinchas Zukerman
Pinchas Zukerman is a world-renowned violinist, violist, and conductor. He is considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th and 21st centuries, and his ongoing 45-year career has seen him perform with the world's best-known orchestras and record over 100 works...
. In the 1980s, he earned an MBA and changed careers. Evans played occasionally in Memphis groups after the Box Tops, while working as a luthier
Luthier
A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...
, eventually switching to a computer network administrator career. Smythe performed in Memphis soul and blues groups in the 1970s, later changing to a career in art by the 1980s, but returned to music performance in the 1990s.
Reunions (1989-2010)
Tracy Nelson (singer)
-Youth in Wisconsin:Nelson was born and grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. There she first learned about R&B music from WLAC radio in Nashville. In her teens, Nelson sang folk music in coffeehouses and with a group called The Fuller's Wood Singers and was lead singer in a band called The Fabulous...
, Jonell Mosser, Kim Morrison and a full horn section.
Cunningham next organized a reunion of all the band's original members, including Chilton, in 1996. Since then the group has released an album they produced themselves of new material recorded at Easley McCain Recording
Easley McCain Recording
Easley McCain Recording is an American recording studio, based in Memphis, Tennessee, notable for recording musicians such as Tav Falco's Panther Burns, Grifters, Pavement, Sonic Youth, Come, White Stripes, Townes Van Zandt, Pezz, Jeff Buckley, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Guided by Voices, Lydia...
, Tear Off!, and has resumed performing concerts internationally. The Tear Off! album included a new original by guitarist Talley ("Last Laugh"), a cover of Bobby Womack's "I'm in Love," a cover of Eddie Floyd
Eddie Floyd
Eddie Lee Floyd is an American soul/R&B singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s and the song "Knock on Wood".-Biography:...
's "Big Bird" (often covered in solo concerts since the 1980s by Chilton), a cover of The Gentrys' "Keep on Dancing," and a new recording of "The Letter." Other songs on the album reflected the band members' varied soul, novelty, rock-and-roll, and country music influences. B.B. Cunningham Jr. played a guitar on the album's cover of "Trip to Bandstand," his 1959 Memphis novelty single. The album also featured horn arrangements and performances by The Memphis Horns
The Memphis Horns
The Memphis Horns are an American horn section made famous by their many appearances on Stax Records. They have been called "arguably the greatest soul horn section ever." Originally a sextet, the Memphis Horns gradually slimmed down to a duo, Wayne Jackson on trumpet and Andrew Love on tenor...
, who have since appeared in some of the group's live concerts. By 2000, John Evans was no longer in the band and was replaced by Nashville session man Barry Walsh. John is employed by the University of Memphis.
In 2001 the group contributed a Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
cover tune to a droll various artists collection of "songs you never thought you'd hear", called When Pigs Fly. Other representative selections on the album, whose organizer matched artists of one period with wittily chosen songs of a different period, included Don Ho
Don Ho
Donald Tai Loy "Don" Ho was a Hawaiian and traditional pop musician, singer and entertainer.-Life and career:Ho, of Chinese, Hawaiian, Portuguese, Dutch, and German descent, was born in the small Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako, but he grew up in Kāneohe on the windward side of the island of Oahu...
's treatment of Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
's "Shock the Monkey," Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits are an English beat band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. The group's record producer, Mickie Most , emphasized a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers...
' performance of Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
's "White Wedding," and a Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
– Ani Difranco
Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, poet, and songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums, and is widely considered a feminist icon.-Biography:...
duet of Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
's "Unforgettable."
Sold-out Box Tops concerts in Germany in 2003 were aired on German radio, and the group's 2005 tour schedule showed a number of American dates planned despite the group members' busy careers outside the band. The Box Tops did their last Memphis concert on May 29, 2009 at The Memphis Italian Festival.
On March 17, 2010, lead vocalist Alex Chilton died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
.
Band member history
| 1967–1968 |
|
|---|---|
| 1968–1969 |
Alex Chilton William Alexander "Alex" Chilton was an American songwriter, guitarist, singer and producer, best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star... - guitar Electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... , lead vocals Electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... , vocals Bill Cunningham (musician) Bill Cunningham is the original bass guitarist / keyboardist for the Box Tops.... - bass Bass guitar The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... , vocals Drum kit A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... , vocals Keyboard instrument A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... , vocals |
| 1969–1970 |
Alex Chilton William Alexander "Alex" Chilton was an American songwriter, guitarist, singer and producer, best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star... - guitar Electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... , lead vocals Electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... , vocals Bass guitar The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... Drum kit A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... , vocals Keyboard instrument A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... , vocals |
| 1972–1974 |
An unknown line-up records two singles for Hi, and one for Stax. |
| 1989 | one-off reunion
|
| 1996–1999 |
Alex Chilton William Alexander "Alex" Chilton was an American songwriter, guitarist, singer and producer, best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star... - guitar Electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... , lead vocals Electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... , vocals Bill Cunningham (musician) Bill Cunningham is the original bass guitarist / keyboardist for the Box Tops.... - bass Bass guitar The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... , vocals Drum kit A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... , vocals Keyboard instrument A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... , vocals |
| 2000–2010 |
Alex Chilton William Alexander "Alex" Chilton was an American songwriter, guitarist, singer and producer, best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star... - guitar Electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... , lead vocals Electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... , vocals Bill Cunningham (musician) Bill Cunningham is the original bass guitarist / keyboardist for the Box Tops.... - bass Bass guitar The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... , vocals Drum kit A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... , vocals |
Singles
| US Release Date | Label & Cat No. | Chart Positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cashbox | US Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
Australia | Canada | UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
||||
| July 1967 | The Letter / Happy Times | Mala 565 | #1 | #1 | #4 | #1 | #5 | The Letter/Neon Rainbow The Letter/Neon Rainbow The Letter/Neon Rainbow is an album by American blue-eyed soul band Box Tops, released in 1967. Following "The Letter" reaching number one on the singles charts, The Letter/Neon Rainbow was quickly assembled for a follow up... |
| October 1967 | Neon Rainbow Neon Rainbow "Neon Rainbow" is a song written by Wayne Carson Thompson and made famous by Memphis blue-eyed soul band The Box Tops.-About:The track is featured on The Letter/Neon Rainbow... / Everything I Am |
Mala 580 | #24 | #24 | #30 | #17 | failed to chart | |
| February 1968 | Cry Like A Baby / The Door You Closed To Me | Mala 593 | #2 | #2 | #46 | #3 | #15 | Cry Like A Baby |
| May 1968 | Choo Choo Train / Fields of Clover | Mala 12005 | #17 | #26 | #96 | #18 | Non-Stop | |
| August 1968 | I Met Her in Church / People Gonna Talk | Mala 12017 | #41 | #37 | #32 | #27 | ||
| November 1968 | Sweet Cream Ladies, Forward March / I See Only Sunshine | Mala 12035 | #29 | #28 | #82 | #16 | Dimensions | |
| March 1969 | I Shall Be Released / I Must Be The Devil | Mala 12038 | #72 | #67 | #51 | |||
| June 1969 | Soul Deep / (The) Happy Song | Mala 12040 | #13 | #18 | #7 | #9 | #22 | |
| September 1969 | Turn On A Dream / Together | Mala 12042 | #36 | #58 | #29 | Non-LP singles | ||
| February 1970 | You Keep Tightening Up On Me / Come On Honey | Bell 865 | #74 | #92 | #68 | |||
| August 1970 | Let Me Go / Got To Hold On To You | Bell 923 | ||||||
| March 1971 | King's Highway / Since I've Been Gone | Bell 981 | ||||||
| 1972 | Sugar Creek Woman / It's All Over | Hi 2228 | ||||||
| 1973 | Hold On Girl / Angel | Hi 2242 | ||||||
| February 1974 | Willobee And Dale / It's Gonna Be O.K. | Stax 0199 |
Original studio albums
- The Letter/Neon RainbowThe Letter/Neon RainbowThe Letter/Neon Rainbow is an album by American blue-eyed soul band Box Tops, released in 1967. Following "The Letter" reaching number one on the singles charts, The Letter/Neon Rainbow was quickly assembled for a follow up...
(November, 1967) - US #82 - Cry Like a Baby (April, 1968) - US #59
- Non-Stop (July, 1968)
- Dimensions (September, 1969) - US #77
- Tear Off! (1998)
Compilation albums
- Super Hits (December, 1968) - US #45
- The Box Tops' Greatest Hits (1982)
- The Ultimate Box Tops (1987)
- The Best of the Box Tops — Soul Deep (1996)
External links
- Official band site, discography, and tour dates
- Box Tops page at Last Call Records
- Box Tops catalogue entry at Last Call Records
- Classic Bands
Sound samples
- Soul Deep clips at Puremusic Audio Clips 20
- [ Tear Off! clips at Allmusic.com]
- When Pigs Fly artist profiles and sound clips; includes one Box Tops sound clip
Video
- PUNKCAST#76 live @ World Trade Center Plaza, New York - July 17, 2001. (RealPlayerRealPlayerRealPlayer is a cross-platform media player by RealNetworks that plays a number of multimedia formats including MP3, MPEG-4, QuickTime, Windows Media, and multiple versions of proprietary RealAudio and RealVideo formats.-History:...
)