Some notes about the singer of the original version of
The Letter.
At the time, many people assumed the singer was about 40 years old. And black. He was 16.
His name is Alex Chilton. His father was a jazz trumpeter and his mother was a classically trained musician. They immersed their four children in music, both recorded and live, often hosting jam sessions at home.
Alex was later part of a power pop band called Big Star that didn't find commercial success, but was influential musically.
From his 2010
Rolling Stone obituary:
Quote:Big Star only released three studio albums, but what three incredible albums they were: 1972's #1 Record, 1974's Radio City and 1978's dark but beautiful Third/Sister Lovers all placed on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and their classic tracks "Thirteen" and "September Gurls" both made the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
While they only lasted a few years, Big Star's impact continues to reverberate decades later. R.E.M. and the Replacements both named Big Star and Alex Chilton as major influences, and the Replacements' Pleased to Meet Me features a song titled "Alex Chilton." Chilton became a cult musical icon, and artists as diverse as Beck, Wilco, Elliott Smith, R.E.M., Cheap Trick, Jeff Buckley, Garbage, Bat For Lashes and Whiskeytown have covered Big Star's songs.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/b...9-20100317
NYT arts blog at the time of his death:
Quote:While Big Star is regularly categorized as power pop for its obvious Beatles touches, its music also had Memphis twang and soul. Mr. Chilton’s songs used subtle musical twists that only added to the yearning and stubbornness in his songs: starting in one key but suddenly sliding into another, deliberately making tempos and meters fluctuate. They were the kind of songs other songwriters admire.
LA Times:
Quote:(The band's) cult status grew past the point that Chilton himself thought was reasonable.
"There are only three or four of the tunes, like 'In the Street' and 'When My Baby's Beside Me,' that still work for me," Chilton said in 1995. "I think in general Big Star is overrated."
This is from 1974.
Line from
The Replacements "Alex Chilton:"
I never travel far, without a little Big Star
After his death there was a book and documentary. The author was a woman who began working on the book before his death. She met him when he was working as a dishwasher in New Orleans.
Some footage from the documentary.
Big Star experienced a resurgence and they were slated to perform at SXSW the week of his death. It became a tribute show to him.
