Singer, songwriter and guitarist Alex Chilton died Wednesday in New Orleans at the age of 59. I was never much invested in his solo career or in his cult fave band Big Star, but I was a big fan of the group that first brought him to fame. Chilton was 16(!) when he recorded "The Letter" in 1967 as lead singer of The Box Tops. The Memphis-based band recorded several songs by the city's legendary Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham, including "Cry Like a Baby," and Penn produced their first three albums. But "The Letter" and "Cry Like a Baby" are played to death on oldies radio, so my favorite Box Tops song is "Soul Deep," which appeared on their fourth and final album. It's a great taste of Southern, blue-eyed soul.
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