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Four Tops

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The Four Tops are an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1953 as the Four Aims. They were one of the most commercially successful American pop music groups of the 1960s and helped propel Motown Records to international fame. The group's repertoire has included aspects of soul, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, doo-wop, jazz, and show tunes. Lead singer Levi Stubbs, Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton remained together in the group for over four decades, performing until 1997 without a change in personnel. The Four Tops were among a number of groups, including the Miracles, the Marvelettes, Martha and the Vandellas, the Temptations, and the Supremes, who established the Motown Sound. They were notable for having Stubbs, a baritone, as their lead singer, whereas most other male and mixed vocal groups of the time were fronted by tenors.

Four Tops
The Four Tops in 1968 From left: Levi Stubbs, Renaldo "Obie" Benson, Abdul "Duke" Fakir, and Lawrence Payton
The Four Tops in 1968
From left: Levi Stubbs, Renaldo "Obie" Benson, Abdul "Duke" Fakir, and Lawrence Payton
Background information
Also known asThe Four Aims, the Tops
OriginDetroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres
DiscographyFour Tops discography
Years active1953–present
Labels
MembersRonnie McNeir
Lawrence Payton Jr.
Alexander Morris
Michael Brock
Past membersLevi Stubbs
Abdul "Duke" Fakir
Renaldo "Obie" Benson
Lawrence Payton
Theo Peoples
Harold Bonhart

The group was the main male vocal group for the highly successful songwriting and production team of Holland–Dozier–Holland, who crafted a stream of hit singles for Motown. These included two Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits for the Tops: "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" in 1965 and "Reach Out I'll Be There" in 1966. The group continued to have chart singles into the 1970s, including the million-seller "Ain't No Woman" (1973). The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2013 into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame Rolling Stone ranked them #79 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

On July 20, 2024, the last surviving original member, Fakir, retired.[1] He died two days later.[2]

History

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Early years

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All four members of the group began their careers together while they were high-school students in Detroit. At the insistence of their friends, Pershing High students Levi Stubbs and Abdul "Duke" Fakir performed with Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton from Northern High at a local birthday party. The quartet decided to remain together and named the group the Four Aims.[3] With the help of Payton's songwriter cousin Roquel Davis, the Aims signed to Chess Records in 1956, changing their name to the Four Tops to avoid confusion with the Ames Brothers.[3]

Over the next seven years, the Tops had unsuccessful tenures at Chess, Red Top, Riverside Records and Columbia Records.[3] Without any hit records to their name, they toured frequently, developing a polished stage presence and an experienced supper club act, as well as supporting Billy Eckstine. In 1963, Berry Gordy Jr., who had worked with Roquel "Billy" Davis as a songwriter in the late 1950s, convinced the Tops to join the roster of his growing Motown record company.[3]

Joining Motown

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During their early Motown years, the Four Tops recorded jazz standards for the company's Workshop Jazz Records label. In addition, they sang backup on Motown singles[4] by the Supremes ("Run, Run, Run", 1964), Martha and the Vandellas (on the 1966 hit "My Baby Loves Me") and others.[citation needed]

In 1964, Motown's main songwriting and production team, Holland–Dozier–Holland, created a complete instrumental track without any idea of what to do with it. They decided to craft the song as a more mainstream pop song for the Four Tops and proceeded to create "Baby I Need Your Loving" from the instrumental track.[3] On its release in mid-1964, "Baby I Need Your Loving" made it to number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.[3]

The first follow-up single, "Without the One You Love (Life's Not Worth While)" (1964), just missed both the pop and R&B Top 40 charts, but "Ask the Lonely" (1965), written and produced by Motown A&R head William "Mickey" Stevenson with Ivy Jo Hunter, was a Top 30 pop hit and a Top 10 R&B hit in early 1965.

Success

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After their first number 1 hit, "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" in June 1965, the Four Tops released a long series of successful hit singles.[3] Among the first wave of these hits were the Top 10 "It's the Same Old Song" (1965), "Something About You" (1965), "Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)" (1966), and "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" (1966).[3]

Holland–Dozier–Holland wrote most of Stubbs' vocals in a tenor range, near the top of his range, in order to get a sense of strained urgency in his gospel preacher-inspired leads. They also wrote additional background vocals for a female group, the Andantes, on many of the songs, to add a high end to the low-voiced harmony of the Tops. Ivy Jo Hunter's "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" (1966) was one of a few exceptions.[citation needed]

August 1966 brought the release of the Four Tops' all-time biggest hit and one of the most popular Motown songs ever. "Reach Out I'll Be There" reached number 1 on the U.S. pop and R&B charts[4] and the UK chart and soon became the Tops' signature song.[3] It was almost immediately followed by the similar-sounding "Standing in the Shadows of Love"; its depiction of heartbreak reflecting the opposite of the optimism in "Reach Out". It was another Top 10 hit for the Tops.[citation needed] The band recorded the first live album, Four Tops Live! at two dates in mid-1966 and Motown released the recording in November of that year.[5]

 
Performing at New Rochelle (New York) High School, c. 1967

The Top 10 U.S. hit "Bernadette" centered around a man's all-consuming obsession with his lover,[4] continued the Four Tops' successful run into April 1967, followed by the Top 20 hits "7-Rooms of Gloom", and "You Keep Running Away".[3] By now, the Tops were the most successful male Motown act in the United Kingdom (in the United States, they were second to the Temptations), and began experimenting with more mainstream pop hits. They scored hits with their versions of Tim Hardin's "If I Were a Carpenter" in late 1967 (mid-1968 in the U.S.) and the Left Banke's "Walk Away Renée" in early 1968.[3] These singles and the original "I'm in a Different World" were their last hits produced by Holland–Dozier–Holland, who left Motown in 1967 after disputes with Berry Gordy Jr.[3]

Late Motown period

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Without Holland–Dozier–Holland, the hits became less frequent.[3] The group worked with a wide array of Motown producers during the late 1960s, including Ivy Jo Hunter, Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson, Norman Whitfield and Johnny Bristol, without significant chart success.[citation needed]

Their first major hit in a long time came in the form of 1970's "It's All in the Game", a pop Top 30/R&B Top Ten hit produced by Frank Wilson.[3] Wilson and the Tops began working on a number of innovative tracks and albums together, echoing Whitfield's psychedelic soul work with the Temptations. Their 1970 album Still Waters Run Deep was a forerunner of the concept album. It also served as an inspiration for Marvin Gaye's 1971 classic album What's Going On, the title track of which was co-written by the Tops' Benson.[3]

In addition to their own albums, the Tops were paired with The Supremes, who had just replaced lead singer Diana Ross with Jean Terrell, for a series of albums billed under the joint title The Magnificent 7 in 1970, and The Return of the Magnificent Seven and Dynamite! in 1971.[3] While the albums themselves did not perform really well on the charts, The Magnificent Seven featured a Top 20 version of Ike & Tina Turner's "River Deep – Mountain High", produced by Ashford & Simpson.[citation needed]

The 1971 single "A Simple Game" featured backing vocals from members of The Moody Blues.[3] The song did not fare well on the U.S. charts, but reached number three on the UK chart.[citation needed]

ABC/Dunhill Records and Casablanca Records

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Motown as a company began to change during the early 1970s. Older acts such as Martha and the Vandellas and The Marvelettes were slowly moved aside or dropped to focus on newer acts, such as Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5, Rare Earth, and the now-solo Diana Ross. In addition, the company moved its operations from Detroit to Los Angeles, California, where Berry Gordy Jr. planned to break into the motion picture and television industries. In 1972, it was announced that the entire company would move west and that all its artists had to move as well. Many of the older Motown acts, already neglected by the label, opted to stay in Detroit, including The Funk Brothers studio backing band, Martha Reeves, and the Four Tops.[3]

The Tops departed Motown for ABC-Dunhill, where they were assigned to writer-producers Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter and the label's head of A&R, Steve Barri as producer, with The Tops' own Lawrence Payton later also serving as a producer and writer. He also took over lead vocal duties on several tracks.[citation needed]

The group's first release on the label, "Keeper of the Castle" (1972) was their first pop Top 10 hit since "Bernadette" in 1967. Follow-ups included the 1973 million-selling "Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)", also a top 10 pop hit and their third R&B number 1, and the Top 20 hit, "Are You Man Enough" (1973), (from the 1973 movie Shaft in Africa).[3] "Sweet Understanding Love" (1973); "Midnight Flower (1974); and "One Chain Don't Make No Prison" (1974) all reached the R&B Top 10 between 1972 and 1974. Two ABC/Dunhill singles, 1974's "I Just Can't Get You Out of My Mind" and 1975's "Seven Lonely Nights" have become popular tunes in the southeast Beach/Shag Club Dance circuit.[citation needed]

After the release of "Catfish" (a top 10 R&B hit) in 1976, the major hits started to dry up and the Tops left ABC after an album recorded in Philadelphia with the MFSB musicians resulted in only minor chart success in 1978. The group disappeared from the recording scene until the early 1980s.[3] Signing a deal with Casablanca Records, the Tops made a comeback in 1981 with the number 1 R&B hit "When She Was My Girl".[3] Produced by David Wolfert, it just missed the Billboard pop Top 10, peaking at number 11. The group also scored a UK Top 10 hit with the song and had another hit there with the follow-up, "Don't Walk Away". In 1982, their song "Back to School Again" appeared in both the movie Grease 2 and its soundtrack.[citation needed]

Return to Motown

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By 1983, The Tops had rejoined Motown,[3] where their former ABC-Dunhill producer, Barri was vice-president of A&R. They were featured on the company's 1983 television special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, taking part in one of the highlights of the show—a battle of the bands between The Tops and The Temptations, patterned after similar competitions Berry Gordy Jr. had staged during the 1960s.[3] Stubbs and Temptation Otis Williams decided the Temptations/Tops battle would be a good one to take on the road, and both groups began semi-regular joint tours.[citation needed]

The first of The Tops' albums under their new Motown contract was Back Where I Belong (1983).[3] A whole side of the album was produced by the Holland–Dozier–Holland production team, including the R&B Top 40 single "I Just Can't Walk Away".[3] Only one more Tops album would be released by Motown, Magic in 1985. The lead single from that album, "Sexy Ways", was almost a Top 20 R&B hit, peaking at number 21 in mid-1985. In July of that year, the group performed at the Live Aid concert, singing five of their hit songs.[citation needed]

The group re-entered the studio in 1986 with producer Wolfert, who had previously produced them in many non-Motown releases.[6] Despite working on the release for several months[7] and issuing the single "Hot Nights" in July,[8] the sessions did not result in a new album and the group signed to Arista Records in 1987.[9] The title track of 1988's Indestructible was the group's final Top 40 hit, reaching No. 35.[3] It was also featured in the 1988 science-fiction cop film Alien Nation. Another track, "Loco in Acapulco", written and produced by British pop musician Phil Collins and former Motown composer-producer Lamont Dozier, climbed into the UK Top 10 and made number 7 in early 1989.[3] The Arista contract provided an opportunity to pair Levi Stubbs with fellow Arista artist, another R&B vocalist from Detroit, Aretha Franklin, who was at the height of her own 1980s hit streak. This pairing resulted in the 1988 song "If Ever a Love There Was", which became a popular R&B and Adult Contemporary hit, as well as being featured on the soundtrack of the 1988 motion picture I'm Gonna Git You Sucka.[citation needed]

After completing their European tour in December 1988, the group was scheduled to return to the U.S. for Christmas on the ill-fated Pan Am Flight 103, which was destroyed over Lockerbie, Scotland, after a terrorist bomb was detonated on board.[10][11] The group missed the flight due to a last-minute invite and prolonged filming of their performance at the British television show Top of the Pops; they instead took a later British Airways flight.[citation needed]

Later years

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From the late 1980s, the Four Tops focused on touring and live performances. The group made guest appearances on labelmate Aretha Franklin's 1989 release Through the Storm and the 1992 Grover Washington Jr. album Next Exit, but they recorded only one album, returning again to Motown for 1995's Christmas Here with You. On June 20, 1997, 59-year-old Lawrence Payton died as a result of liver cancer, after singing for 44 years with the Four Tops who, unlike many other Motown groups, never had a single lineup change until then.[12] At first, Stubbs, Benson and Fakir toured as a trio called The Tops. In 1998, they recruited former member of the Temptations Theo Peoples to restore the group to a quartet. By the turn of the century, Stubbs had become ill from cancer; Ronnie McNeir was recruited to fill the Lawrence Payton position and Peoples stepped into Stubbs' shoes as lead singer. Stubbs died on October 17, 2008, at his home in Detroit.[13]

The group was featured in several television specials during this time, including Motown 45, and several by PBS, including a 50th-anniversary concert dedicated to the group (available on DVD). The concert featured a brief appearance of Stubbs using a wheelchair, and a memorial to Payton announced by Benson. Benson appeared on one more PBS special and died on July 1, 2005 from lung cancer. He was replaced by Lawrence Payton, Jr. The final PBS special, titled Motown: The Early Years, featured a message of Benson's passing following the credits.[citation needed]

 
The Four Tops in 2022

The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked them #79 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[14] The Four Tops were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2005.[15]

The Four Tops sang the National Anthem before the start of game 5 for the 2011 baseball American League Championship Series (ALCS) between the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers on October 13, 2011, in Detroit, Michigan. When singing the last line of "The Star-Spangled Banner", "... and the home of the brave", they quickly sang the words "Ain't No Country Like the One I Got", before singing the last word, "brave". The Four Tops were honored with an induction into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame at the Inaugural ceremony held at Cleveland State University's Waetejen Auditorium on Saturday August 17, 2013.[citation needed]

The Four Tops career awards

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The Four Tops have won many awards, including the following:

Personnel

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Current members

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  • Ronnie McNeir – second tenor vocals (1999–present)
  • Lawrence Payton Jr. – bass-baritone vocals (2005–present)
  • Alexander Morris – lead vocals (2018–present)[30]
  • Michael Brock – first tenor vocals (2024–present)

Former members

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  • Levi Stubbs – lead vocals (1953–2000, 2004; died 2008)
  • Abdul "Duke" Fakir – first tenor vocals (1953–2024; retired, died 2024)
  • Renaldo "Obie" Benson – bass-baritone vocals (1953–2005; died 2005)
  • Lawrence Payton, Sr. – second tenor vocals (1953–1997; died 1997)
  • Theo Peoples – second tenor vocals (1998–1999), lead vocals (1998–2010)
  • Harold "Spike" Bonhart – lead vocals (2010–2018)

Timeline

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Discography

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Main article: Four Tops discography

Studio albums

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rizik, Chris (July 20, 2024). "Duke Fakir retires as last original Four Tops member; Michael Brock to join". soultracks.com. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  2. ^ "Abdul 'Duke' Fakir, last of the original Four Tops, is dead at 88". AP News. July 22, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa Larkin, Colin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 91/3. ISBN 0-85112-733-9.
  4. ^ a b c Gilliland, John. "Show 50 – The Soul Reformation: Phase three, soul music at the summit. [Part 6]". Pop Chronicles. KRLA, Pasadena, California. Archived from the original on July 1, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2018 – via University of North Texas Libraries, Digital Library.
  5. ^ "Four Tops Live! – The Four Tops – Classic Motown". Motown. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  6. ^ George, Nelson (January 25, 1986). "The Rhythm and the Blues". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 4. p. 41. ISSN 0006-2510.
  7. ^ George, Nelson (January 25, 1986). "The Rhythm and the Blues". Black. Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 24. p. 28. ISSN 0006-2510.
  8. ^ Grein, Paul (July 5, 1986). "July's Releases Bring Fireworks". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 27. p. 4. ISSN 0006-2510.
  9. ^ "People Are Talking About...". Jet. Vol. 72, no. 6. May 4, 1987. p. 59. ISSN 0021-5996.
  10. ^ "Silver State News Service: Lockerbie Anniversary". Silver State News. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  11. ^ "'The Frost Blog: Lockerbie Tragedy". The Frost Blog. Archived from the original on May 19, 2011.
  12. ^ "Lawrence Payton; Member of Four Tops". LA Times. June 21, 1997. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  13. ^ Valentine, Penny (October 17, 2008). "Obituary: Levi Stubbs", The Guardian. Archived 2017-02-02 at the Wayback Machine.
  14. ^ "The Immortals: The First Fifty". Rolling Stone. No. 946. Archived from the original on June 25, 2008.
  15. ^ a b "Michigan Rock and Roll Legends – FOUR TOPS". Michiganrockandrolllegends.com.
  16. ^ The Four Tops Biography | The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Archived 2012-07-13 at the Wayback Machine. Rockhall.com. Retrieved on 2012-11-10.
  17. ^ The Four Tops – Inductees – The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation Archived 2007-03-11 at the Wayback Machine. Vocalgroup.org. Retrieved on 2012-11-10.
  18. ^ The Four Tops | Hollywood Walk of Fame Archived 2013-11-03 at the Wayback Machine. Walkoffame.com. Retrieved on 2012-11-10.
  19. ^ Gallery | Hollywood Walk of Fame recipients | Photo 38 | accessatlanta.com Archived 2012-01-25 at the Wayback Machine. Projects.accessatlanta.com. Retrieved on 2012-11-10.
  20. ^ List of Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Q–Z – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. En.wikipedia.org. Retrieved on 2012-11-10.
  21. ^ "GRAMMY Awards: Here Are the 2018 GRAMMY Hall of Fame Inductees". 1077theend.com. January 16, 2018. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  22. ^ Four Tops to receive a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award | The Detroit News Archived 2013-11-04 at the Wayback Machine. detroitnews.com (2008-12-22). Retrieved on 2012-11-10.
  23. ^ Rhythm & Blues Foundation – Preserving America’s Soul Archived 2012-05-10 at the Wayback Machine. Rhythm-n-blues.org. Retrieved on 2012-11-10.
  24. ^ Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists list Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine. Listal.com (2008-09-12). Retrieved on 2012-11-10.
  25. ^ R&B Music Hall of Fame – Inaugural Induction Ceremony at Waetejen Auditorium, Cleveland Ohio Archived 2013-09-06 at the Wayback Machine. wksu.org. Retrieved on 2013-03-09.
  26. ^ 100 Greatest Artists: The Four Tops Archived 2012-08-19 at the Wayback Machine. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2012-12-28.
  27. ^ "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. June 21, 2008. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  28. ^ Entertainment | Four Tops to get lifetime Grammy Archived 2008-12-25 at the Wayback Machine. BBC News (2008-12-22). Retrieved on 2012-05-13.
  29. ^ Donahue, Ann. (2008-12-22) Grammys To Honor Autry, Four Tops, Martin Archived 2009-02-03 at the Wayback Machine. Billboard.biz. Retrieved on 2012-05-13.
  30. ^ Jacobs, Julia (June 11, 2024). "Four Tops Singer Sues Hospital Over Being Put in Restraints". The New York Times. ISSN 1553-8095. OCLC 1645522. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
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