William Alexander "Alex" Chilton (December 28, 1950 – March 17, 2010) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, best known as the lead singer of The Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton\'s early commercial success in the 1960s as a teen vocalist for The Box Tops was never repeated in later years with Big Star and in his subsequent indie music solo career on small labels, but he drew an intense following among indie and alternative music musicians. He is frequently cited as a seminal influence by influential rock artists and bands, some of whose testimonials appeared in the 2012 documentary Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me.\n', '

Chilton grew up in a musical family; his father, Sidney Chilton, was a jazz musician. A local band recruited the teenaged Chilton in 1966 to be their lead singer after learning of the popularity of his vocal performance at a talent show at Memphis\' Central High School. This band was Ronnie and The Devilles, which was subsequently renamed The Box Tops. The group recorded with Chips Moman and producer/songwriter Dan Penn at American Sound Studio and Muscle Shoals\' FAME Studios. Chilton was Jewish.\n', '

Chilton was 16 when his first professional recording, The Box Tops\' song "The Letter", became a number-one international hit. The Box Tops went on to have several other major chart hits, including "Neon Rainbow" (1967), "Cry Like a Baby" (1968), "Sweet Cream Ladies, Forward March" (1969), and "Soul Deep" (1969). Aside from the hits "The Letter", "Neon Rainbow", and "Soul Deep", all written by Wayne Carson, many of the group\'s songs were written by Penn, Moman, Spooner Oldham, and other top area songwriters, with Chilton occasionally contributing a song. By late 1969, only Chilton and guitarist Gary Talley remained from the original group, and newer additions replaced the members who had departed. The group decided to disband and pursue independent careers in February 1970.\n', '

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