The Box Tops

History

The Box Tops started out as a Memphis band called The Devilles. By January 1967, the lineup included founding member Danny Smythe on drums and background vocals, along with newer members John Evans on guitar, keyboards, and background vocals, Alex Chilton on lead vocals and guitar, Bill Cunningham on bass, keyboards, and background vocals, and Gary Talley on lead guitar, electric sitar, bass, and background vocals. Bill Cunningham was the son of Sun Records artist Buddy Blake Cunningham and the brother of B.B. Cunningham Jr., the lead singer of the 1960s Memphis group The Hombres.

The band changed its name to The Box Tops to avoid being confused with another group called The DeVilles of New York. Under producer Dan Penn, they recorded Wayne Carson Thompson’s song “The Letter.” Despite being less than two minutes long, the single became an international hit by September 1967, spending four weeks at number one on the Hot 100, selling over four million copies, earning a gold disc, and receiving two Grammy nominations. For the week of October 20–27, 1967, “The Letter” and The Hombres’ “Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)” held the top two spots on the WLS Silver Dollar Survey, a rare achievement involving two brothers from the same family in different top 40 acts.

The band followed with “Neon Rainbow,” another Thompson-Penn collaboration, and released the album The Letter/Neon Rainbow in November 1967. Over nine months from late 1967 to mid 1968, The Box Tops put out three albums. While session musicians like Reggie Young, Tommy Cogbill, Gene Chrisman, and Bobby Womack played on some instrumental tracks at American Sound Studio, the actual band members performed on several recordings, including “The Letter,” and on all live shows.

In January 1968, John Evans and Danny Smythe left to return to school and avoid the draft. They were replaced by bassist Rick Allen, formerly of the Gentrys, and drummer Thomas Boggs, who had played with the Board of Directors.

Other sources

The Box Tops official website provides biographies and frequently asked questions. A review by Lester Bangs of the group's LPs Super Hits, Dimensions and Non-Stop appeared in The Rolling Stone Record Review. Gary Talley's website offers a firsthand account. Danny Smythe and John Evans contributed "Box Tops: The Devilles Story" to the official site.