The Box Tops were an American
rock band, formed in
Memphis in 1963. They are best known for the hits "
The Letter", "
Cry Like a Baby", and "Soul Deep" and are considered a major
blue-eyed soul group of the period. They performed a mixture of current
soul music songs by artists such as
James & Bobby Purify and
Clifford Curry, pop tunes such as "
A Whiter Shade of Pale" by
Keith Reid,
Gary Brooker and
Matthew Fisher of
Procol Harum, and songs written by their producers,
Dan Penn,
Spooner Oldham, and
Chips Moman. Vocalist
Alex Chilton went on to front the
power pop band
Big Star and to launch a career as a solo artist, during which he occasionally performed songs he had sung with the Box Tops.