Alex Chilton, singer for the Box Tops and Big Star, record producer, and all-around amazing musician, died in New Orleans today.
From "The Letter" to "September Gurls" to his guitar work the Memphis rockabilly group Tav Falco's Panther Burns, I've loved everything the man's ever done. He was so influential, the Replacements wrote a song about him.
There are so many bands from this area that owe Chilton a debt, that his loss will hit hard. Ultimate Fakebook, the Creature Comforts, the Dead Girls -- hell, every power-pop combo to ever come out of this area has at one time or another mentioned his name as an influence. I myself played "The Ballad of El Goodo" twice on KJHK this week.
He will be missed.
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http://www.npr.org/blogs/monit...
Carrie Brownstein's piece on NPR is pretty much spot on. Currently jamming the Box Tops best-of at the store, to be followed up with playing "Alex Chilton" off of "Pleased to Meet Me" until I get tired of it or I get threatened with firing.
I wore out a dozen Box Top eight-track tapes.
Baby, tell the man at the ticket counter you've changed your mind...
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