Big Star

Big Star was an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1971, built around the songwriting partnership of Alex Chilton and Chris Bell, alongside Jody Stephens and Andy Hummel. Though commercially overlooked in their own time, they became one of the most influential cult bands in rock history, foundational to what would later be called power pop and a touchstone for alternative and indie rock generations later.

Their debut, #1 Record, blended melodic hooks drawn from British Invasion bands with a Southern rock sensibility, and is widely regarded as their finest work. Songs like «Thirteen» and «The Ballad of El Goodo» showcased a tender, melancholic songwriting style, while later material moved toward darker, more fractured territory as the band's lineup and fortunes shifted — Bell departed after the first album, and Hummel eventually left as well, leaving Chilton and Stephens to complete the group's original run with their third album.

Despite minimal sales at the time, Big Star's records were rediscovered by musicians and critics in the years that followed, influencing acts across the power pop, jangle pop, and alternative rock spectrum. Chilton and Stephens reunited the band in the 1990s with new members, releasing In Space in 2005. Chilton died in 2010, and Hummel passed away shortly after; Stephens, the last founding member, continued to honor the band's legacy until it formally ended.