The Box Tops

The Box Tops scored a No. 1 smash with "The Letter," which became the biggest seller of 1967. Almost unbelievably, the gruff blue-eyed soul vocals are by Alex Chilton, who was all of 16 at the time (did he gargle sand and smoke unfiltereds all day?). The album's other hit, "Neon Rainbow," is a fantastic tune that still gets plenty of oldies airplay, while Southern soul rockers like "People Make the World" and "I Pray for Rain" deserved more love.