Big Star was an American rock band from Memphis that is widely-regarded as one of the quintessential representatives of the power pop genre. Taking cues from the jangly melodicism of 1960s British Invasion pop, the band created brawny but smart rock songs full of soaring harmonies and bittersweet lyrics penned by the singing/songwriting duo of Alex Chilton and Chris Bell. Big Star released its debut LP, entitled #1 Record, in 1972. The fun-loving "In the Street" and the nostalgic melancholy of "Thirteen" showed that the band could be equally effective in both the loud and the quiet moments. 1978's Third/Sister Lovers showed off a stranger, more off-kilter side of the group and has since become somewhat of a cult favorite within the modern indie rock community. After Bell died in a car accident later that same year, Big Star went on hiatus until Chilton reformed the group with a modified lineup in 1993. Chilton himself died in 2010, officially ending the last legitimate form of the essential rock band that greatly inspired groups such as R.E.M., Wilco and The Replacements.
