Big Star
According to many critics, Big Star is the first band in America to have a cult following. After his band The Box Tops disbanded, Alex Chilton formed Big Star in 1971 with Jody Stephens, Chris Bell, and Andy Hummel. Although they recorded their music at Ardent Studios on the Ardent label, Stax was in charge of distribution of their first two albums. Unfortunately, the releases coincided with Stax’s major distribution problems, so the band never achieved great commercial success. Critics, however, praised Big Star from every corner of the globe. Bands like R.E.M. and The Replacements cite Big Star as their main influence.