Obit: Alex Chilton has died - 17 March 2010

Subject: Obit: Alex Chilton has died
From: Mary Katherine
Date: 17 Mar 10 - 09:18 PM

According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, he died in New Orleans today.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/mar/17/memphis-musician-alex-chilton-dies/?cid=Facebook?cid=Facebook

Subject: RE: Obit: Alex Chilton has died
From: evansakes
Date: 18 Mar 10 - 07:37 AM

Loved the Box Tops and Big Star.

Saw him solo at the old Mean Fiddler in the mid 80's.....some memorable gigs and can there be a better adolescent pop song than Thirteen ?

Subject: RE: Obit: Alex Chilton has died
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 18 Mar 10 - 10:59 AM

In 1969, my then-girlfriend Patti and her friend Carol were visiting my pal Paul and me at our apartment. They left in Patti's car about 12:30. As they did, a mysterious car that had been idling with its lights off squealed off after them. I was very concerned, more concerned than Paul I'm sure, because I got in my car and followed to Patti's house to make sure she got home. I didnt see her car in the drive, and when I knocked at the door, her Dad answered.
I watched his face turn red with anger as I described the situation.

As I drove back toward home depressed, concerned, and angry, there in the parking lot of a Village Inn, was Patti's car. I stormed in to find her and Carol eating breakfast with Alex Chilton and the Box Tops, who had played a show in Louisville earlier that night. Enraged, I glared at the poor Box Tops, who all looked about 5 foot 3 and had on matching suits, and berated Patti and Carol for dawdling on their way home.

Anyway, that's my personal bond with Alex Chilton. I saw him for the second time in St Louis in 2007 at a concert on the riverfront where he covered the Box Tops hits and several Big Star tunes, sounding great. I'm very sorry to hear the news. He was a terrific songwriter.

Subject: RE: Obit: Alex Chilton has died
From: fat B****rd
Date: 18 Mar 10 - 04:53 PM

Apart from The Letter, I always liked 'Cry LIke A baby' RIP Mr. Chilton

Subject: RE: Obit: Alex Chilton has died
From: katlaughing
Date: 18 Mar 10 - 05:39 PM

I loved both of those songs, but really knew nothing about him. Heard a good piece about him on Fresh Air. She is going to play an old interview with him tomorrow on NPR. Sad to know he is gone.

kat

Subject: RE: Obit: Alex Chilton has died
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Mar 10 - 01:04 PM

It was an interesting interview. Audio from today's program is pending but should be up later today.

I liked that song, but I didn't follow his career or even know who he was. But it was interesting to hear the interview, and I am again astonished at all of the interviews that Terry has conducted over the years. So often she can pull up an old one when the news of a death is reported.

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Alex Chilton has died
From: katlaughing
Date: 19 Mar 10 - 01:32 PM

Ya beat me to it, SRS. She is amazing, isn't she? I was really struck with his calm and measured responses and what sounded like a content life. It seemed obvious his success, even behind the scenes, never went to his head. I can't believe he was only sixteen when he sang The Letter!

Here's the blurb from Fresh Air:

March 19, 2010

Musician Alex Chilton died on March 17 from an apparent heart attack in New Orleans. He was 59. Chilton's music, with his '60s band the Box Tops, his '70s group Big Star and his solo work later, was fiercely beloved by a small audience. His albums sold relatively few copies, but his influence echoed in many bands that followed.

Chilton was a teenager when the Box Tops released their hits "The Letter" and "Cry Like a Baby." After that group disbanded in 1970, Chilton began recording as a solo artist in New York City. A year later, he returned to Memphis and joined the power-pop group Big Star. Though the group was never as commercially successful as the Big Tops, Big Star acquired a cult following in the 1980s, particularly among other musicians; as NPR's Neda Ulaby noted yesterday, "he was worshiped by a generation of rock stars, including REM, Wilco and The Replacements."

In a May 29, 1991 interview on Fresh Air, Chilton explained when he realized that Big Star was having an impact on other singer-songwriters.

"In the late '70s, I spent some time in New York and it seemed like everybody I ran into there claimed to be a fan of the Big Star albums," he said. "So it was around then so I began to see even though we hadn't sold any records or made any money out of the albums, that they were still some kind of success."

Chilton said that it didn't matter to him that he wasn't more commercially successful or sought after as a musician.

"It seems to me that the world is full of great musicians who don't have any record companies interested in them. It seems to me that the record companies are interested in bands of teenage guys — you know, with long hair and playing heavy metal music or whatever the next trend will be," Chilton said. "I'm not really so concerned about it. I've got my sort of scene going and carved out a little niche, however little it is in the music business and I manage to play as many gigs as I want every year and make money doing that — and make a little money here and there making records — and it's okay with me."

Subject: RE: Obit: Alex Chilton has died
From: katlaughing
Date: 21 Mar 10 - 08:14 PM

ARTICLE

about how he was honoured at the music fest in Austin.

Subject: RE: Obit: Alex Chilton has died
From: open mike
Date: 22 Mar 10 - 12:08 PM

not jsut any oled music fest, the wildly popular South by South West
SXSW fest, where his band was to appear, well, they did appear, with a musical memorial to him. thanks for the link, Kat. (from the article:)

AUSTIN, Texas (Billboard) - Alex Chilton, who died of a heart attack Wednesday, three days before the scheduled performance of his band Big Star at the South By Southwest music conference, was memorialized at the Austin event by colleagues, friends and admirers, with words and, most important, with music.

Subject: RE: Obit: Alex Chilton has died - 17 March 2010
From: PoppaGator
Date: 22 Mar 10 - 05:24 PM

I remember a lot of local press coverage when Alex moved to New Orelans years ago. It was during a (long) period while we were raising young children and not going out at night to hear live music, so I was doing a lot more reading about the local music scene than actually experiencing any performances.

I don't believe he played many live gigs anyway; however often he may have played out, I missed 'em all. And now, there'll be no more chances.

Like most folks, I'll always remember him best for his early pop hits. What an amazing singer! The only other performer I can think of who was ever able to put forth such powerful soul vocals as a young teenager is the great Stevie Winwood.