Big Star | Artist

Founding member Chris Bell died in 1978 at the age of 27, tragically joining that illustrious group of brilliant yet ill-fated artists known as the "27 Club"

Big Star was an American rock band formed 1971 in Memphis, Tennessee by Alex Chilton (vocals, guitar), Chris Bell (vocals, guitar), Jody Stephens (drums), and Andy Hummel (bass). They have been described as the "quintessential American power pop band", and "one of the most mythic and influential cult acts in all of rock & roll". The band's musical style initially drew influence from 1960s pop acts such as the Beatles and the Byrds, producing a style that foreshadowed the alternative rock of the 1980s and 1990s. The group broke up in early 1975, but reorganized 18 years later with a new lineup, including new vocalist and guitarist Ken Stringfellow, following a reunion concert at the University of Missouri. Prior to Big Star forming, Alex Chilton was a teenage pop star with his previous band The Box Tops, who scored a No. 1 hit with the song "The Letter" when Chilton was only 16. After leaving the Box Tops, he recorded a solo studio album, and was offered the role of lead vocalist for Blood, Sweat & Tears, but turned down the offer as "too commercial". Chilton had known Chris Bell for some time: Both lived in Memphis, and Chilton joined Bell's band Icewater. They adopted the name "Big Star" from a grocery store they often visited for snacks during recording sessions. It had a logo consisting of a five-pointed star enclosing the words "Big Star" which the band used as its logo but without the word "Star" to avoid infringing copyright. Although all four members contributed to songwriting and vocals by the band, Chilton and Bell dominated as a duo intentionally modeled on their idols John Lennon and Paul McCartney. #1 Record was released in June 1972 and quickly received strong reviews. Billboard went as far as to say, "Every cut could be a single". Rolling Stone judged the album "exceptionally good", while Cashbox stated, "This album is one of those red-letter days when everything falls together as a total sound", and called it "an important record that should go to the top with proper handling." However the band's label Stax Records proved unable to either promote or distribute the record with any degree of success. In November 1972, Bell quit the band due to personal in-fighting and frustration caused by the album's commercial failure. Chris Bell died in December 1978 when his sports car hit a light pole. His excellent solo album I am the Cosmos was issued posthumously in 1992. The three remaining members of Big Star eventually carried on, later adding Ken Stringfellow to the lineup. Despite their lack of commercial success, Big Star has been described by critics as "the quintessential American Power Pop band". The band's first Three studio albums: #1 Record (1972), Radio City (1974) and 3rd (1978), are all classics. Also recommended is the 2018 archival release Live at Lafayette's Music Room-Memphis, TN recorded in 1973. Chilton, Bell and Stringfellow also all released excellent solo albums after Big Star. The band acquired a cult following in the 1980s when new acts began to acknowledge the early material's significance. R.E.M.'s Peter Buck admitted, "We've sort of flirted with greatness, but we've yet to make a record as good as Revolver or Highway 61 Revisited or Exile on Main Street or Big Star's Third."

Artist Website: wikipedia/Big_Star

Featured Albums: Big Star

Related Artists: Alex Chilton, Chris Bell, Ken Stringfellow

Collections: 27 Forever