Four Tops | Artist

The Four Tops are an American soul vocal quartet formed 1953 in Detroit by Levi Stubbs, Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton. The group helped define the city's Motown sound of the 1960s with their repertoire of soul music, R&B, disco, doo-wop, jazz and show tunes. All four members of the group began their careers while still students in Detroit. At the insistence of friends, Pershing High students Levi Stubbs and Addul Fakir performed with Renaldo 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. With the help of Payton's songwriter cousin the Aims signed to Chess Records in 1956, changing their name to the Four Tops. The original quartet remained together for over four decades, performing from 1953 until 1997 without a change in personnel. The Four Tops were among a number of groups, including the Miracles, the Marvettes, Martha and the Vandellas, the Temtations and the Supremes who established the Mowtown 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. 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 #1 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). As a recording unit the group released 30 studio albums, including three collaborations with The Supremes. Their first two albums; Four Tops and Second Album, both from 1965, firmly established their unique sound and are essential for any collection. Others standouts include Reach Out (1967), Still Waters Run Deep (1970), and Main Street People (1973). The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and in 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked them #79 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. The Four Tops continue to perform with Fakir as the last surviving original member. Levi Stubbs, who passed away in 2008, was also a voice artist in film and television, providing the voice of "Audrey II", the alien plant in the 1986 musical horror comedy film Little Shop of Horrors, as well as Mother Brain in the 1989 TV series Captain N: The Game Master. Stubbs was admired by his peers for his impressive vocal range, and influenced many later pop and soul artists.

Artist Website: wikipedia/Four_Tops

Featured Albums: Four Tops

Related Artists: The Supremes, Levi Stubbs