THE BOX TOPS
While four Memphis high school grads with their own band were well aware of the need for a strong lead vocalist, they probably wouldn't have consciously chosen a tenth-grader from Central High School to take the lead spot. But this guy they found had a sound too compellingly peculiar to pass on; after singing in a talent contest, he'd suddenly developed a female student-fan following and his mature-for-his-age voice sounded nothing like any frontman from any hitmaking mid-1960s rock or soul group, locally or anywhere else. The Devilles, circa 1966, revered the "newly improved" Cadillac Coupe de Ville and, after some lineup shuffling, comprised guitar/keyboard player John Evans, lead guitarist Gary Talley, bassist Bill Cunningham and drummer Danny Smythe ... MORE ››
