Big Star, Mike Mills, Jon Auer, Chris Stamey, and Pat Sansone

Big Star was truly an ambitious band, calling themselves stars from the very beginning and naming their first album #1 Record. Unfortunately their immense talent at crafting some of the catchiest and most emotive songs in rock and roll history did not become recognized until after they had disbanded.
Big Star had the ability to crank out power-pop songs as if they were the Beatles. In fact Chris Bell and Alex Chilton followed the Beatles model of songwriting as they were the two primary songwriters for the group as McCartney and Lennon were the main songwriters for the Beatles. During live performances Bell and Chilton would switch back and forth singing vocals on the songs they wrote. Although #1 Record received great critical praise, it unfortunately was a commercial failure due to a lack of wide distribution. This downturn for Big Star influenced Chris Bell to leave the band. Alex Chilton however remained with the band to write more music and tour. Due to popular bands such as R.E.M. citing Big Star as a major influence caused a revival in popularity of Big Star in the late 80’s. Big Star impressed fans in the early 90’s by reforming with Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens returning as original members. Big Star was now playing to larger audiences who vigorously embraced and respected them. Fans loved their catchy rhythms and jangly guitar sounds that they were so great at creating. Alex Chilton was well renowned for his pristine vocals and his catchy guitar playing, which incorporated tasty solos. Unfortunately the death of Alex Chilton in 2010 saw the dissolution of Big Star.
To this day Big Star’s influence can strongly be seen in the music world. Such artists as Wilco and Elliott Smith lauded their music and performed various covers of their songs. Their song “In The Street” is highly recognizable as the theme song for “That ‘70s Show”. Although Big Star is no longer a band, their music is still being performed live. Big Star’s drummer, Jody Stephens, has teamed up with such musicians as R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, Wilco’s Pat Sansone, and The dB’s Chris Stamey to go on tour and perform Big Star’s third album in its entirety. Big Star was a paramount figure in influencing what rock and roll is today and to see their style being re-imagined through other bands is a complete joy.