The Box Tops

Time to take a trip back to a time where jukebox's where relevant. The early Sixties in America brought a new wave of music to the masses. Music was simpler and there were so many groups that flew under the radar. The Box Tops were a blue-eyed soul/psychedelic rock back that came from Memphis TN. Perhaps best known for their hit "The Letter" and Guitarist/Vocalist Alex Chilton, the band had a steady career through the Sixties before calling it a day in the early Seventies.

The Box Tops sound came from a mix of Soul, Light Rock and some elements of psych rock. Led by Alex Chilton the band scored an early hit with "The Letter". They kept the success going through the end of the Sixties with other hits like "Cry Like A Baby", "Soul Deep" and their take on the Procol Harum classic, "A Whiter Shade Of Pale". The great thing about "The Letter" is that it's short and sweet. It clocks in at a hair under two minutes, yet was a big success. Proving sometimes you don't need a four minute pop hit in order to be successful. By The end of the decade the band was done, yet legal troubles allowed the band to continue under the same name with different members for a few years. Alex Chilton went on to play in Big Star and his solo trio in addition to producing band like The Cramps for a short time. In the mid '90s the band reunited and continued to tour and release new material up until Chilton's sudden passing of a heart attack in 2010. While widely forgotten, The Box Tops were a great group of the time and worthy of a jukebox spin today. So get familiar with the band with 1987's release, 'The Ultimate Box Tops'.

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