Alex Chilton

Alex Chilton (b. December 28, 1950, in Memphis) is an American songwriter, guitarist, singer and producer.

Chilton first came on the scene in 1967 as lead singer of the Box Tops, with the hit "The Letter"; they went on to have several other hits, including "Cry Like a Baby" (1968). Feeling increasingly powerless in the Box Tops, who were essentially the brainchild of producer and songwriter Dan Penn, he left the group in 1969 and began performing as a solo artist.

After a period in New York City, during which he worked on his guitar technique and singing style, in 1971 he formed Big Star with his friend Chris Bell. Since that time he has performed both as a solo artist and in the reformed Big Star and Box Tops. He released an influential single, "Bangkok" b/w "Can't Seem to Make You Mine," during the era of punk rock, and in 1979 an album, Like Flies on Sherbert, produced by Jim Dickinson, which featured covers of songs by artists as disparate as the Carter Family, Ernest Tubb and K. C. and the Sunshine Band, along with several originals. After a period of semi-retirement in the early 1980s, he recorded a brief collection of songs entitled Feudalist Tarts, which featured his versions of songs by Carla Thomas, Slim Harpo and Willie Tee. Touring and recording as a solo artist in the mid-'80s, he became renowned for his eclectic taste in cover versions, his guitar work, and his laconic stage presence. His solo albums include High Priest (1987), A Man Called Destruction (1995) and Live in Anvers (2004). He also played guitar with a neo-rockabilly band, Tav Falco and the Panther Burns.

Among Chilton's songs is "In the Street," which (in an altered and shortened version recorded by Cheap Trick) became the theme song for That '70s Show. His compositions have been recorded by many artists, including This Mortal Coil, Jeff Buckley, Yo La Tengo and His Name Is Alive.

His producing credits include The Cramps' Songs the Lord Taught Us.

The Replacements' song "Alex Chilton" imagines a world in which "children by the million sing for Alex Chilton when he comes 'round."

Selected discography

• Like Flies on Sherbert (1979)
• Bach's Bottom (1981)
• Feudalist Tarts (1985)
• No Sex (1986)
• High Priest (1987)
• Black List (1989)
• 19 Years: A Collection of Alex Chilton (1991)
• Clichés (1994)
• A Man Called Destruction (1995)
• 1970 (1996)
• Loose Shoes and Tight Pussy (2000)
• Live in Anvers (2004)