Rick Levy, current member of The Box Tops lineup, also has worked with such acts as Jay & The Techniques, Herman’s Hermits, Tommy Roe, and Freddy Cannon among others.
Emily Wells: Rick, you’re a current member of The Box Tops, and you also manage them. How long have you been involved? Can you tell us more about your role with the band, and what you do for and with them?
Ricky Levy: [Been involved] Long time… Met Gary Talley, original founder [of The Box Tops] in Nashville in ’96, while doing a TV show with Jay & the Techniques… Met them all in Memphis when they were recording. I ended up managing them (not performing) from ’96 until 2010, when singer Alex Chilton passed away. During that time, I was also tour manager/bandleader for Herman’s Hermits, Tommy Roe, Jay & Techniques and others. Was a busy time.
Emily Wells: What is your favorite Box Tops song? What is your favorite song to perform when on tour?
Ricky Levy: I love “Cry Like A Baby” with the electric sitar that Gary plays so brilliantly. Of course “The Letter” is one of the most iconic songs of The ’60s… It was voted # 26 in the 100 greatest songs of all time by USA Today. So playing that live is always a thrill. But we have lots of great soul tunes–including some I sing–in The Box Tops show. Gary and Bill Cunningham, other founder, and myself all sing lead on songs.
Emily Wells: The Happy Together Tour is one of my favorite touring shows. What is it like being involved with that act?
Ricky Levy: It was a great tour in 2017. All the artists are friends, and got along great. Of course it was the last year that Howard Kaylan of The Turtles performed on HT [Happy Together Tour]. He is such a genius in terms of timing and delivery… And his vocals… Well just amazing. The long bus rides got boring… But that’s part of the game. For the The Box Tops, since we had just regrouped in late 2015, it was a perfect way to reintroduce the band to fans all over the USA. We ended up doing a TV show in Hamburg, Germany in 2018, and getting inducted into the Memphis Music Hall Of Fame November 1 (my birthday) 2018… I got a birthday kiss from Priscilla Presley–Elvis’ wife.
Emily Wells: What is your musical background? How did you decide to make music a career?
Ricky Levy: I played piano, accordion, as a kid–not well–but fell into guitar around 11, or so. Had a great teacher in Allentown, PA–a jazz guitarist–who taught me how to use the whole neck of guitar. At 12, I played folk guitar behind my sister, who was three years older. But like so many, I saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan when I was 14, and decided to form a band. My first band, The Limits, is still around. We have reunions every few years, and all our recordings have been licensed to the LA label, Cleopatra Records, and are doing nicely. I loved playing, and still do. And will do it “’til I drop”.
Emily Wells: Do you like being on tour, on the road? What is your favorite part? What is your least favorite part?
Ricky Levy: Love being on the road… New places… New fans… Old friends… Love being in hotels, and having soundcheck, and playing a great show of course. Don’t much like airplane travel anymore: cramped, bad connections, and long hours. But that’s part of the deal.
Emily Wells: What is your favorite venue? What is your favorite city to travel to?
Ricky Levy: Too many venues [to choose]… Of course one of the best gigs was when Tommy Roe and I went to Liverpool to headline International Beatle Week at the famed Cavern On Matthew Street: it’s a replica exact of the original, which was torn down. Also loved when we played Hong Kong years ago–exotic place. It’s thrilling to play big venues, even stadiums. But honestly, I prefer intimate venues, where we are up close and sweaty with the audience (when COVID is not an issue lol), like Rams Head, City Winery, etc.
Emily Wells: What other musical acts have you been involved with? Tell us more about the rest of your musical career.
Ricky Levy: First ’60s act I played with was Jay & the Techniques–great pop soul act–from my hometown, Allentown, PA. From there it branched out to backing literally dozens and dozens of artists… Of course, I spent three years as Peter Noone’s bandleader, and many years doing same with Tommy Roe. But over years, some acts include The Tokens, Freddy Cannon, Barbara Lewis, Merrilee Rush, Classics IV, The Drifters, The Coasters–it really is too long to count. Many, many have become good friends.
Emily Wells: What is your favorite fan experience?
Ricky Levy: HA! Tears ago in Chattanooga, TN, with Jay & Techniques, I was playing a club on stage, and this beautiful brunette kept flirting… Well it’s “The South,” they are bold–she came up on stage, and we literally swapped shirts in the middle of a set! I got the better of the deal, LOL. That’s enough details for this interview.
Emily Wells: Do you have a musical icon who really inspired you?
Ricky Levy: Too many… Otis Redding, Ray Charles, James Brown, BB King… Many blues artists. The Beatles–but I’m a bigger Stones fan.
Emily Wells: What is your favorite thing to do when you’re not involved with music?
Ricky Levy: Yoga, swimming, biking, taking my dog, Maddie, to the beach… I am blessed to live in St Augustine, Fl. And have a condo just a couple minutes’ walk to beach and ocean. Been a refuge during Covid.
Emily Wells: Do you have a cool or funny story in your life you’d like to share?
Ricky Levy: One of my fave stories: we were playing at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, backing a number of acts and doing a soundcheck–suddenly I heard a second guitar playing… And looked over to see James Burton, who was with Jerry Lee Lewis at the time! I froze… But he said, “keep going, man!” So we jammed for twenty minutes. A few months later, I was with Tommy Roe in Shreveport, LA, and after show we went to James club, and jammed until the wee hours.
Emily Wells: What is something about you that people do not know that may surprise them?
Ricky Levy: Lots… I was a single dad, pretty much raising my son, Jonah. He’s now a world renowned special FX makeup artist based in Atlanta. I also taught elementary school for a few years in the ’80’s. I’m still involved with mentoring. I became a teacher of Transcendental Meditation in the ’70’s… And still practice TM twice daily. Many know that I am also a professional pottery maker, and now author, as my memoir, High The The Mid ’60s, was released December 2018. Its available on my website, ricklevy.com, and through Amazon in print, digital, and audio.
