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Auction to Benefit Alex Chilton Family

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Bid on Autographed St. Blues Guitar From the Big Star Concert & Tribute to the Late Alex Chilton

On a beautiful night this past Spring in Memphis, many friends, family, and fans gathered for the season opening of Memphis' historic Overton Park Shell, now called Levitt Shell. This special kickoff concert was the highly anticipated homecoming performance of Memphis' beloved sons, Big Band All-Stars. Only the most beloved son, Alex Chilton, had passed away very unexpectedly two months earlier on St. Patricks day in New Orleans, leaving many heavy hearts as another of the great ones left us. Chilton was a prolific songwriter and musician, and his years with Big Star produced 4 studio albums, 3 of which have been listed in Rolling Stone's Greatest 500 Albums of All Time.

Alex had been scheduled to play a concert with Big Star at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas on March 20; the show instead took place as a tribute to Chilton, with guests Curt Kirkwood, Chris Stamey, M. Ward, Mike Mills, John Doe, Sondre Lerche, Chuck Prophet, Evan Dando and original member Andy Hummel joining the other members of Big Star. When it came time to honor the date back in Memphis at the Shell, many of the same legendary performers and friends got back together with some new faces to pay one last tribute to the man, the band, and the city that changed the lives of so many.

The current Big Star lineup that night consisted of original member Jody Stephens, with Ken Stringfellow, and Jon Auer. They were joined throughout the night by special guests Mike Mills of R.E.M., Brendan Benson of Raconteurs, Sondre Lerche, Amy Speace, Susan Marshall, Jimmy Stephens (Jody's brother), and John Davis of Superdrag. A supportive crowd of 2,000 sprawled on the grassy lawn at Levitt Shell, were unperturbed by the onset of rain an hour into the concert. Backstage, St. Blues Guitars of Memphis had all the performers sign a Bluesmaster guitar to auction later to raise money for Alex Chilton's wife, Laura.

Please show your support of Alex Chilton's music, his family, Big Star, and the power of Memphis music by bidding on this one of a kind guitar from that very special night. Even raising the bid by a dollar helps to show your support, and after the 60 day window is over and someone has won the bid, all the money for the guitar will be donated to the surviving family of Alex.

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