Alex Chilton, singer and guitarist with influential bands the Box Tops and Big Star, has died aged 59. Chilton is reported to have suffered heart problems in New Orleans yesterday, where he was admitted to hospital. A family friend, John Fry, confirmed the musician’s death, saying his passing was “just a sudden and unexpected event”. Chilton was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1950. He went on to join his first band, the Box Tops, in his teens and scored a number one hit, The Letter, when he was just 16. The band enjoyed commercial success until its dissolution in 1970, when Chilton branched out as a solo artist. By 1971, he had formed power-pop group Big Star with Chris Bell, Andy Hummel and Jody Stephens. The band were critically acclaimed and their troubled third album, Third/Sister Lovers, is now regarded as a cult classic. However, mainstream success eluded the band, which broke up in 1974. Big Star reformed in the early 1990s and had reportedly been due to play SXSW in Austin, Texas, in the coming week. Fry, owner of Memphis-based Ardent Studios, paid tribute to Chilton, saying: “Alex was an amazingly talented person, not just as a musician and vocalist and a songwriter, but he was intelligent and well read and interested in a wide number of music genres.” Chilton is survived by his wife, Laura, and his son, Timothy.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Alex Chilton Sadly Gets His Last Ticket
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