Four Tops
Lead singer Levi Stubbs, along with backing vocalists 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.[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] 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] 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.[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.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.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.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.[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.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.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] According to Duke Fakir, 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.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.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.
Levi StubbsRenaldo "Obie" BensonAbdul "Duke" FakirLawrence PaytonDetroit, MichiganFour Tops discographyRiversideColumbiaMotownABC-DunhillCasablancaAristaRonnie McNeirAlexander MorrisDetroitMichiganpop musicMotown Recordsadult contemporarydoo-wopshow tunesthe Miraclesthe MarvelettesMartha and the Vandellasthe Temptationsthe SupremesMotown soundbaritonetenorsproductionHolland–Dozier–HollandBillboard Hot 100I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)Reach Out I'll Be ThereAin't No WomanRock and Roll Hall of FameVocal Group Hall of FameNational Rhythm & Blues Hall of FameRolling Stonebirthday partyRoquel DavisChess RecordsAmes BrothersRiverside RecordsColumbia Recordssupper clubBilly EckstineBerry Gordy Jr.Roquel "Billy" DavisWorkshop Jazz RecordsSupremesRun, Run, RunMy Baby Loves MeBaby I Need Your LovingWithout the One You Love (Life's Not Worth While)Ask the LonelyWilliam "Mickey" StevensonIvy Jo HunterI Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)It's the Same Old SongSomething About YouShake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)Loving You Is Sweeter Than EvergospelpreacherAndantesStanding in the Shadows of LoveFour Tops Live!Bernadette7-Rooms of GloomYou Keep Running AwayTemptationsTim HardinIf I Were a Carpenterthe Left BankeWalk Away RenéeI'm in a Different WorldNickolas Ashford & Valerie SimpsonNorman WhitfieldJohnny BristolIt's All in the GameFrank Wilsonpsychedelic soulStill Waters Run DeepMarvin GayeWhat's Going Ontitle track of whichDiana RossJean TerrellThe Magnificent 7The Return of the Magnificent SevenDynamite!Tina TurnerRiver Deep – Mountain HighAshford & SimpsonA Simple GameMoody BluesMichael JacksonThe Jackson 5Rare EarthLos Angelesmotion picturetelevisionThe Funk BrothersMartha ReevesDennis LambertBrian PotterSteve BarriKeeper of the CastleAin't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)Are You Man EnoughShaft in AfricaSweet Understanding LoveCatfishCasablanca RecordsWhen She Was My GirlGrease 2soundtracktelevision specialOtis WilliamsBack Where I BelongLive AidArista RecordsIndestructiblescience-fictionAlien Nation