Last month we reviewed a great book by Robert Gordon, It Came From Memphis. Subsequently, I got an email from my friend Gary Talley, one of the original members of the Box Tops, a group that is profiled in some detail in Gordon's book. (Check out our review of Gary's landmark video, Guitar Playing for Songwriters.)

Gary said in his email that the author had gotten some of the details of their story wrong, and that he'd appreciate the opportunity to set the record straight. Well, no more than I'd appreciate the exclusive, I replied. And, knowing I was dealing with a musician, I figured, if he actually writes anything, we'll print it.

I was very pleased when Gary sent something a few days later, and said that we could feel free to edit it, that it was probably way more than we were looking for. Not at all, I countered, we weren't going to touch it, we liked it just as it was. He mentioned that Robert Gordon had also erred on the subject of the breakup of the band, but that that was a whole different story. Well, let's not stop now, I said, let's get it all done while we're here, right? And by the end of the week, Gary's account of the demise of the Box Tops arrived, and it was very entertaining.

So here it is, a Puremusic exclusive. And for those of you who'd enjoy hearing some of their classic tunes while you read, we've included a few audio clips from Soul Deep: the Best of The Box Tops on our Listen page. 
• FG   continue to Gary Talley's rebuttal