16 Yr Old KID Won School Contest & GOT to Record Song…Became #1 Rock Hit of 1967!—Professor of Rock

so think back what were you doing when you were 16 years of age well the singer that we featuring in today's episode was winning a local talent contest and despite having no professional experience before this he was chosen to be the lead vocalist for a record that not only hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 but it also became the second biggest single in the fiercely competitive year of 1967 one of the greatest years in rock history find out how a regular Joe like you and me became one of the most story singers of the rock era and it all started with him singing one of the shortest songs ever to top the chart and again one of the biggest hits of the 60s great story coming up next on Professor Rock hey music junkies professor of rock always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time you know if you remember the first time that you saw Adam West and Bert Ward as Batman and Robin in The Groovy Batman TV show from the 60s you're going to dig this channel of deep musical Nostalgia make sure to subscribe below right now and also check us out on patreon for even more content there an additional catalog of exclusive content there you can also become an honorary producer to help us curate this music history so even if you lived in Tennessee you probably won't recognize the name back in 1966 there was a band from Memphis called The Devils you know after the iconic Cadillac Coupe Deville car that symbolize instant social status all five members were still in their teens at the time when they came together worried about balancing homework and band rehearsals more than they did about having a hit record the Devils had only been a unit for a short time when they learned that there was already a ban in New York that had the same name so for a while they didn't have a name for their group after that setback though they were handed a fourleaf clover by a songwriter named Wayne Carson Thompson on the suggestion of his friend chips mman who owned ARS studios in Memphis Wayne gave the unbred quintet one of his compositions called the [Music] letter everything seemed to be all set up for the guys to go into ARS Studios and record the letter no problem but when they performed the song for producer Dan pen he just didn't like the sound of their lead vocalists and he ended up giving them an ultimatum come back with a new singer and I will cut the record with you otherwise no record Wayne Carson Thompson who passed away actually in 2015 he was a versatile American country musician songwriter record producer he was skilled in percussion piano guitar and base his most famous compositions include the letter neon rainbow Soul deep and of course always on my mind co-written with Mark James and Johnny Christopher always on my mind earned multiple accolades of course including Grammy awards for song of the Year and best country sng back in 1983 in 1982 it reached number one of the Billo country charts and it was named song of the Year by both the Country Music Association 1982 and 1983 and the Nashville songwriters Association International also a great cover by the Pet Shop Boys beside Willie Nelson uh his version The Academy of Country Music also honored it as single of the year in ' 82 You Were Always On My Mind now the letter is the story of a man who receives a letter from his former lover you know saying she wants him back upon receiving the news he drops everything and he flies out to see her immediately uh Wayne wrote the song after his father suggested the line give me a ticket for an airplane and he developed the song from there from that line give me a ticket for anane the song's premise revolves around the vast seemingly insurmountable distance between the speaker and his beloved he's determined to get home no matter the cost don't care how much money I got to spend got to get home to my baby again and it's clear this journey is going to take a long time to complete writes a letter back in the day right with the letter in hand perhaps tucked into the back pocket of his jeans uh he's scraping together money for that plane ticket to go see his lover so after the unpleasant task of dismissing their lead vocalist the four standing members of the former Devils Danny Smith John Evans Bill Cunningham and Gary tally uh they started their search for a new singer uh and eventually they heard some Buzz about a 16-year-old named Alex Chilton now Alex had just won a talent contest at Central High School in Memphis uh Alex shilton came from a somewhat rarified background his mother owned a respected Art Gallery his father was a jazz pianist outside his impressive showing at the local talent contest he hadn't done much else to turn any heads but that was going to change in a flashing help the death the dumb and the blind entering the studio to perform on his first recording Alex was understandably nervous his first take was delivered in a softspoken manner similar to his natural speaking style now Dan pen the producer he pulled the Young singer aside and he gave him two pieces of advice and proved to be genius so the first thing that Dan Penn told Alex shilton to do was to give the song a huskier vocal you know to put some grd into it put some relish on it and then he told him to slightly change the lyric from give me a ticket for an airplane to give me a ticket to an aerplane now Dan felt that adding that extra syllable would put Alex's vocal perfectly in strip with the melody of the [Music] songe now Wayne Thompson didn't take too kindly to the alteration of his lyric to Aeroplane airplane it was one of many disagreements that he had with Dan Penn's idea in addition to the change in the first line Wayne who also played rhythm guitar in the track he actually didn't like the way that Alex shilton sang his song even though Dan pen loved it so let's pause for a second so we can talk about our sponsor I get excited to talk about magic spoon because I'm such a big serial lover I get 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frustration the jet sound doesn't make sense Wayne went on to say that he clearly thought that pen had lost his mind despite the opposition from Wayne and from Studio manager chip mman the airplane sound effect stayed on the record strategically placed in the songs Kota now what set the recording session for the letter apart was not just how well written Wayne Carson's song was but also that it marked the first session that was fully overseen by danamp pen at just 26 years of age pen was a songwriter with an extraordinary knack for capturing the Timeless truths of Soul music you know both Dan pan and Alex Chilton were unique talents and it's likely that on some level they recognized this quality in each other creating a partnership that truly soared when the group recorded the letter they hadn't yet settled on a name now their manager Roy Max suggested the mailboxes to tie in with the song's title you know kind of gimmicky however another member proposed let's have a contest where everyone can send in 50 cents and a box stop a box stop was typically cut out and mailed in for breakfast cereal promotions of course this inspired producer Dan Penn to dub this band The Box Tops that's where it came from very cool the letter was released in August of 1967 and within just 6 weeks it reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 where it stayed for 4 weeks the song was a massive hit it sold over 4 million copies and it became the second biggest single of 1967 one of the most competitive years in irq history now ultimately the letter became one of the stand out hits of the 60s really like many great records from that era every element from the arrangement to the vocals to the instrumentation it was just perfect perfectly in place the letter had a big effect on US soldiers that were serving in Vietnam at the time the soldiers depended on letters from home especially from a wife or a girlfriend to give them you know an emotional lift to get through the misery of being thousands of miles away and the uncertainty of War uh with their lives constantly under enemy [Music] fire the letter by the Box Tops it was nominated for two awards at the 10th Annual Grammy Awards in 1968 best contemporary group performance and best performance by a vocal group now at 1 minute and 58 seconds the letter by the Box Tops was the last number one hit to be under 2 minutes long that is until 2019 when L Nas X's Oldtown Road top the billboard pop survey and that one was 1 minute 53 seconds no comment on that one so from October 20th to October 27th 1967 the letter and the ombres let it out let it all hang out held the top two spots on the wam silver dollar survey a rare occurrence were both of the top two songs featured members from the same family the Cunningham Brothers each in a different top 40 band Bill Cunningham the basis keyboardist and backup vocalist for the Box Tops and BB Cunningham Jr who was the lead singer for the ombr both hailing from the birthplace of Blues and rock and roll good old Memphis Tennessee shade nobody knows what it's all about it's too much man let it all hang out and the box top scored a massive International smash with the letter but after that their Spotlight slowly dimmed most of the recordings that followed their debut album The Letter SL neon rainbow including the number two gold single cry like a baby and the critically acclaimed 1969 album Dimensions featured Alex Chilton backed by the American Studio house [Music] band producer chips mman preferred to using his own musicians an ace team that included guitarist Reggie young and drummer Jean Chrisman these guys backed hits for Neil Diamond and Wilson picket Elvis Presley and many many others boxtops member John Evans he expressed his disillusionment to writer Rob Gordon about being styed by chips mman and the management group that controlled the Box stops he said put yourself in my place a 19-year-old kid finally gets a chance to do something he wanted to do for years it ends up being number one in the country for an entire year does it even seem reasonable much less fair that we can't play on our own records and of [Music] quote now keep in mind that Alex shilon was also just a teenager His stunning debut performance on the letter captured the attention of many other bands looking for a lead vocalist at that time for example Alex was one of the top three candidates to replace Al Cooper as the lead singer for Blood Sweat and Tears uh him along with Steven Steels and the man who eventually won the job David Clayton Thomas who is the Catalyst behind their leap to multiplatinum status in 1969 Pony the spinning wheel following the success of the letter Alex's parents allowed him to quit High School where he was kind of struggling you know so that he could uh be with the the Box Tops full-time and pursue a career in the music business although his vocals were featured on the Box Tops records Alex was cheated out of money and was at the mercy of unfair deals and Crooks with no artistic control whatsoever just like the other four original members of The Box Tops they had to deal with that as well a year after the Box Tops officially dissolved in 1970 Alex formed bigar bigar originated in Memphis Tennessee featuring a core lineup of Alex Chilton on vocals and guitar Chris Bell on vocals guitar Jody Stevens on drums and Andy Hummel on base they are praised as a quintessential American powerp band and are regarded as one of the most legendary and influential cult acts in Rock and Roll History uh their music in the initial phase Drew inspiration from 60s pop groups like The Beatles and the birds shaping a sound that anticipated the alternative rock movements of the 80s and the 90s now despite their breakup in 1974 after releasing only three LPS big star left behind a seminal body of work uh that profoundly influenced bands emerging in subsequent decades I mean there's re teenage fan club the Posies The Replacements just to name a [Music] few throughout his career after the demise of the Box Tops Alex Chilton enjoyed performing in unconventional venues and settings Alex renounced career advice and opted not to have a manager showing little interest in fame or recognition at all during his solo performances he often disregarded crowd favorites instead choosing to play whatever he felt like in the moments On Any Given night his set could range from Jazz to Poker or it could be entirely composed of cover songs showcasing his unpredictable nature he prioritized his own enjoyment over public opinion Alex's musical style was a paradox blending rawness with refined Arrangements that featured expansive choruses and lyrics that resonated deeply with his fans now while his songs didn't achieve mainstream chart success man they definitely for strong emotional connections with listeners artists like The Replacements front man Paul Westerberg one of the greatest songwriters of all time he admired Alex's Independence for Westerberg Alex was a hero best exemplified by the song that he wrote titled Alex Chilton one of the best songs of the 80s Alex shilon by The Replacements it originally began as a demo titled George from Outer Space lyrics were referencing Replacements Ro George Lewis but Westerberg later revised the lyrics as a tribute to chilon who was experiencing Resurgence and popularity within the college Rock scene in the late 80s man Paul Westerberg crafted A melodic Sing songy Pop Style track that was reminiscing of big star incorporating a chord sequence that reflected the influence that Chilton's music had on this crazy artist the tracks chorus I'm in love with that song that stem from westerberg's first encounter with Alex where he awkwardly expressed admiration for a specific big star track watch the sunrise but in his nervousness he forgot its [Music] [Applause] title so the line checking is stashed by the trash at St Mark's Place that was inspired by a lunch meeting with Alex involving Westerberg and The Replacements manager Peter Jasperson [Music] [Applause] man Alex shilton like I said it's one of my favorite songs of the 80s by one of my all-time favorite bands the mats let me know if you'd like to see an episode on big star or The Replacements in the [Music] future now the original members of The Box Tops including Alex Chilton reunited in 1996 to record a new album and a subsequent tour there were some isolated shows that featured at least two of the members but that was it then in 20 0 during a busy week of live shows Alex Chilton complained of having chest pains for a few weeks but he didn't seek any medical attention he died of a heart attack at just 59 years of age Danny Smite who was the drummer and background vocalist for the Box Tops he passed away in 2016 guitarist John Evans left the music business in 2000 to further his Endeavors in the computer industry the multi-instrumentalists Bill Cunningham and Gary T still team up as the Box Tops on the oldie circuit such as the annual Happy Together Tour on behalf of all five founding members Bill Gary and John accepted the induction of the Box Tops into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in [Music] 2018 in 1997 Wayne Carson Thompson was inducted into the Nashville songwriters Hall of Fame uh he passed away on July 20th 2015 at the age of 72 Wayne's lyricism has stood the test of time because of its emotional power he wrote songs about the intensity of Human Relationships the letter was certainly one of his Finest Hours a song that began with a simple line from his father that progress into a song about Hope and the restoration of love and [Music] happiness you you think about it back in 1967 when Wayne wrote this eternal pop classic there was no internet there were no cell phones no social media platform for instant communication with someone no matter how far away even making a longdistance phone call was an ordeal back then yet Wayne's composition it evokes something deep and desperate in all of us wondering about the past and what could have been or looking into the future and dreaming of what life will bring us the letter is a metaphor of an answered prayer now that my prayer has been answered give me a ticket to an airplane so I can get leave from the misery and get to that happy place as fast as humanly possible thanks so much for watching leave us a comment about Alex shilton about the Box stops and the letter what are your memories of this song What do what do you think should I do an episode on The Replacements for Big Star let's have a great discussion below about this song I think it's such a classic if you like our content we invite you to be a part of our community fulltime click on the red button to subscribe until next time three chords and the truth my friends [Music]

Channel: Professor of Rock

Views: 88,975

Keywords: professor of rock, professor of rock 60s, behind the music, vinyl story, classic albums, song story, 60s, 60s greatest hits, 60s music, 60s hits, 60s nostalgia, rock band, sixties, rock, pop, classic rock, professor of rock the box tops, the box tops, the boxtops, the box tops documentary, the letter, the letter song, pop rock, blue eyed soul, 1967, the devilles, Alex Hilton, story of the letter, soul, power pop, the replacements, big star, 60s classic rock, one hit wonder

Id: 0stux0UCnEc

Length: 20min 26sec (1226 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 20 2024