The box tops

The box tops
General information
Genre (s)	Pop , blue-eyed soul
founding	1967, 1996
resolution	1969
Website	www.boxtops.com
Founding members
Vocals , guitar	Alex Chilton (1967–1970; 1996–2010) †
Vocals, bass, keyboard	Bill Cunningham (1967–1969; from 1996)
Keyboard, guitar, vocals	John Evans (1967–1968; 1996–1999)
Drums , vocals	Danny Smythe (1967–1968; from 1996)
Lead guitar, vocals	Gary Talley (1967–1970; from 1996)

The Box Tops was a pop group from Memphis , Tennessee in the second half of the 1960s . The formation became known among other things through the hits The Letter , Cry Like a Baby and Soul Deep . The Letter was a number one hit on the American charts in 1967 . The title was later successfully covered by Joe Cocker . The lead singer of the Box Tops was Alex Chilton , who died on March 17, 2010 at the age of 59, presumably of a heart attack.

Career

Record label of the single The Letter

The history of the box tops begins in Memphis in 1963 . At that time the group was still called The Devilles . At this time the members and the name changed several times. In order to avoid confusion with any other band, the final name The Box Tops was chosen in 1967.

The song The Letter , written by Wayne Carson Thompson , was an international hit and was nominated for two Grammys . Like all of the group's titles, it was created in Chips Moman's American Recording Studios in Memphis and belongs to the category of blue-eyed soul .

Discography

Studio albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)	Remarks
		US
1967	The Letter / Neon Rainbow	US87 (15 weeks) US	First published: November 1967 Producer: Dan Penn
1968	Cry like a baby	US59 (19 weeks) US	First published: April 1968 Producer: Dan Penn
1969	Dimensions	US77 (11 weeks) US	First published: August 1969 Producers: Chips Moman , Tommy Cogbill

More studio albums

• 1968: Non Stop
• 1998: Tear Off!

Compilations

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)	Remarks
		US
1968	The Box Tops Super Hits	US45 (26 weeks) US	First published: November 1968

More compilations

• 1976: The Best of the Box Tops
• 1982: Greatest Hits
• 1987: The Ultimate Box Tops
• 1988: The Best of the Box Tops (feat. Alex Chilton )
• 1989: The Box Tops
• 1995: The Best of the Box Tops
• 1996: The Best of the Box Tops: Soul Deep
• 2003: The Letter
• 2013: Playlist: The Very Best of the Box Tops

Singles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)						Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US	R&B
1967	The Letter The Letter / Neon Rainbow	DE5 (12 weeks) DE	AT9 (12 weeks) AT	-	UK5 (12 weeks) UK	US1 gold (16 weeks)US	R&B30 (11 weeks) R&B	First published: July 1967 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Number 372 on the Rolling Stone 500 (2011 list) Author: Wayne Carson Thompson
	Neon Rainbow The Letter / Neon Rainbow	-	-	-	-	US24 (9 weeks) US	-	First published: October 1967 Author: Wayne Carson Thompson
1968	Cry Like a Baby Cry Like a Baby	DE14 (8 weeks) DE	-	-	UK15 (12 weeks) UK	US2 gold (15 weeks)US	-	First published: February 1968 Authors: Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham
	Choo Choo Train Non Stop	-	-	CH6 (8 weeks) CH	-	US26 (8 weeks) US	-	First published: May 1968 Authors: Donnie Fritts , Eddie Hinton
	I Met Her in Church Non Stop	-	-	CH6 (8 weeks) CH	-	US37 (6 weeks) US	-	First published: August 1968 Authors: Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham
	Sweet Cream Ladies, Forward March Dimensions	-	-	-	-	US28 (15 weeks) US	-	First published: December 1968 Authors: Bobby Weinstein, Jon Stroll
1969	I Shall Be Released Dimensions	-	-	-	-	US67 (5 weeks) US	-	First published: April 1969 Author: Bob Dylan Original: The Band , 1968
	Soul Deep Dimensions	-	-	-	UK22 (9 weeks) UK	US18 (14 weeks) US	-	First published: June 1969 Author: Wayne Carson Thompson
	Turn On a Dream The Box Tops Super Hits	-	-	-	-	US58 (7 weeks) US	-	First published: September 1969 Author: Mark James
1970	You Keep Tightening Up on Me	-	-	-	-	US92 (2 weeks) US	-	First published: March 1970 Author: Wayne Thompson

gray hatching : no chart data available for this year

More singles

• 1969: Sandman (release: January)
• 1969: Sweet Cream Ladies (release: January)
• 1970: Let Me Go (release: October)
• 1971: King's Highway (release: March)
• 1972: Sugar Creek Woman (release: November)
• 1973: Angel (release: May)
• 1974: Willobee and Dale (release: February)

swell

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Chart sources: Singles UK US1 US2
2. ↑ ^{a b c} gold / platinum database US
3. ↑ RS500 (list 2011)

Web links

• The Box Tops at Allmusic (English)
• The Box Tops at Discogs (English)