The Box Tops--The Letter (1967)

     The Box Tops had 7 top 40 singles in just a little over two years, and three of them made the top 20. However, for most listeners, the song that mattered was the first hit. Written by Wayne Thompson, it was the first time the Box Tops had been in a studio before. It was also producer Dan Penn's first song that he total production control over. It was led by the voice of 16 year old Alex Chilton, who's bad experiences with management, lawyers and promoters  throughout this period effected his entire career. In spite of all of this, the group had a series of great singles that defined blue eyed soul.