Alex Chilton, former leader of Big Star (pictured left, Chilton in foreground), is set to re-unite ’60s white soul sensations THE BOX TOPS for a tour of the USA.
The Box Tops’ venture will be the first major outing for the band since the late ’60s, although they have appeared at occasional one-off revival shows, reports US website Allstar.
Formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1967 with a line-up of Chilton on guitar and vocals, John Evans (organ), Gary Talley (guitar), Bill Cunningham (bass, piano) and Danny Smythe (drums), The Box Tops propelled Chilton into pop stardom at the tender age of 16 thanks to massive pop/rock hits like ‘The Letter’ (a US Number 1 in 1967) and ‘Cry Like A Baby’ (a US Number 2 in 1968).
Through his subsequent central part in the seminal Big Star (1972-1978), Chilton has been publically hero-worshipped for his virtual invention of power-pop by a legion of contemporary UK artists including Teenage Fanclub, Jesus & Mary Chain and Primal Scream’s Bobbie Gillespie.
Alex Chilton’s career has been somewhat erratic and underwhelming for the past two decades, however, as he wrestled with lifestyle distractions and private demons set in place by his early exposure to top level pop success.
The US Box Tops’ concert dates are: Oshkosh Riverside Park, Wisconsin (August 13), Columbia Township Auditorium, South Carolina (September 4), Atlanta Civic Center Theatre (5), Virginia Salem Civic Centre (27), Richmond Eastern Kentucky University (28), Biloxi Boomtown Casino, Mississippi (October 9 & 10).
There is currently no word on any Box Tops’ appearances in the UK or Europe.