Alex Chilton missing

(UPDATED 09/05: CHILTON WAS FOUND AND SAFE)
Legendary lead singer and songwriter Alex Chilton (Big Star, The Box Tops)is missing.

The New Orleans resident apparently lent his car to some people trying to get out of town, boarded up his home near the French Quarter, and hasn't been in touch with his family since Monday.

The hope his he made it to the French Quarter where they're evacuating folks out, but the fact that nobody's heard from him all this while fills me with dread...

Play it: Essential: Alex Chilton

Glorious Noise boards on Alex
Yahoo Group Message board for Alex Chilton
NOLA.com (Everything New Orleans) on Alex Chilton

Bill Cunningham (Box Tops) wonders what other New Orleans artists might be unaccounted for, including Allen Toussaint, The Nevilles, Irma Thomas, Chuck Carbo, Clarence Henry, Frankie Ford, Harold Battiste, Cosimo Matassa and more:

We need troops, supplies and evacuations now; we need immediate action from the federal government to save lives. Besides letting down the people of New Orleans who are dying and in misery, the United States also stands to lose a major part of its cultural heritage by the loss of many artists and cultural icons currently trapped in that great city.

UPDATE: The Nevilles got out and are in a hotel in Memphis, Allen Toussaint was one of the 25,000 refugees stuck in the Superdome for the past few days, and Irma Thomas made it to Gonzales, Louisiana, staying with her husband's aunt.

Here's a site with info on all missing and found New Orleans musicians.

UPDATE: It appears Alex is probably fine. He was seen at a bar on Wednesday but not since. He doesn't have his phone numbers memorized apparently, so it may be awhile until there's word from him.

tags: playlist, music, alex chilton, big star, box tops