I was hoping I'd wake up this morning and find out that he didn't really die; RIP, Alex Chilton 1951-2010.
This is one of his earliest songwriting forays, written and recorded when he was all of 18 years old.
Not only have I been a massive fan of his work with the Box Tops, Big Star and on his own, Alex introduced me to so much great r&b (Willie Tee, Eddie Floyd, etc) and I am very thankful for that.
The voice of Alex Chilton was a national treasure; taking elements of his hometown (Memphis) and absorbing that city's soul, blues and rockabilly and distilling it through British invasion splendor this was a man that saw no color boundaries in music; the true spirit of this blog, actually. The last time I saw him perform was at the Ponderosa Stomp (was it last year or the year before- can't remember) where he was playing guitar (he was an unsung, incredible guitarist as well) in one of the backing groups, seemingly happy as can be in the shadows. You will be sorely missed, Mr Chilton.
from 1969...
THE BOX TOPS - TOGETHER
4 comments:
Thanks, Derek. I knew we could count on you for a fitting tribute. Alex Chilton is dead... long live Alex Chilton!
So sad.Big Star forever.
That was something I didn't want to hear either this morning. I have been feeling pretty bummed out this past month for other reasons. This isn't helping.. Gotta give a listen to my Box Tops and Big Star records today..
First of all, thanks you for all the great songs you post on your blog: Every morning I'm a happy man! Except today: I'm so sad I can't even listen to the box tops... Some other time. So sad, so sad.
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