Four Tops facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Four Tops
The Four Tops in 1968. (L-to-R) Levi Stubbs, Renaldo "Obie" Benson, Abdul "Duke" Fakir, and Lawrence Payton
Background information
Also known as	the Four Tops, the Four Aims, the Tops
Origin	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	Soul R&B disco adult contemporary doo-wop jazz show tunes
Years active	1953–present
Labels	Chess Red Top Riverside Columbia Motown ABC-Dunhill Casablanca Arista

The Four Tops are a super famous American singing group from Detroit, Michigan. They were one of the most successful music groups in the 1960s. They helped make the Motown record label known all over the world! Their music includes styles like soul, R&B, disco, and jazz.

The group started as the Four Aims in 1953. The original members were Levi Stubbs (the lead singer), Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson, and Lawrence Payton. What's amazing is that these four friends stayed together and performed for over 40 years without anyone leaving!

The Four Tops were a big part of the "Motown Sound". This was a special kind of music that came from Motown Records. Unlike many other groups, the Four Tops had a baritone singer, Levi Stubbs, as their main voice. Most other groups at the time had tenor lead singers.

A famous songwriting team called Holland–Dozier–Holland wrote many of their biggest hits for Motown. These included two songs that reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart: "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" in 1965 and "Reach Out I'll Be There" in 1966. The group kept having hit songs into the 1970s, like "Ain't No Woman" (1973).

The Four Tops were added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. They were also put into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine said they were one of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Today, the Four Tops still perform, with Duke Fakir being the only original member left.

History of the Four Tops

How the Group Started

All four members of the group began singing together when they were students in high school in Detroit. Their friends encouraged Levi Stubbs and Abdul "Duke" Fakir from Pershing High to sing with Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton from Northern High. They performed at a birthday party and decided to stay together. They called their group the Four Aims.

With help from Lawrence Payton's cousin, Roquel Davis, the Aims signed with Chess Records in 1956. They changed their name to the Four Tops so people wouldn't confuse them with another group called the Ames Brothers.

For the next seven years, the Tops tried working with different record labels like Chess, Red Top, Riverside Records, and Columbia Records. They didn't have any hit songs yet, but they toured a lot. This helped them become great performers on stage. In 1963, Berry Gordy, Jr., who knew Roquel "Billy" Davis, asked the Tops to join his growing Motown record company.

Joining the Motown Family

When they first joined Motown, the Four Tops recorded jazz songs for Motown's jazz label. They also sang backup for other Motown artists. For example, they sang on songs by The Supremes and Martha and the Vandellas.

In 1964, Motown's main songwriting team, Holland–Dozier–Holland, had a music track ready but no lyrics. They decided to make it a pop song for the Four Tops. This became "Baby I Need Your Loving". When it came out in 1964, it reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Their next song, "Without the One You Love (Life's Not Worth While)" (1964), didn't do as well. But "Ask the Lonely" (1965) was a Top 30 pop hit and a Top 10 R&B hit.

Big Success with Motown

After their first number one hit, "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" in June 1965, the Four Tops released many more successful songs. Some of these early hits included "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).

The songwriters, Holland-Dozier-Holland, often wrote Levi Stubbs' parts in a high range. This made his singing sound urgent and powerful, like a gospel preacher. They also added female backup singers, the Andantes, to make the sound even richer.

In August 1966, the Four Tops released their biggest hit ever: "Reach Out I'll Be There". This song became number one in the U.S. and the UK. It quickly became the song everyone knew them for. Soon after, they released "Standing in the Shadows of Love", which was also a Top 10 hit. The band recorded their first live album, Four Tops Live!, in 1966.

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

The song "Bernadette" was another Top 10 hit in 1967. It was followed by "7-Rooms of Gloom" and "You Keep Running Away". The Four Tops became the most successful male Motown group in the United Kingdom. They started trying out more mainstream pop songs. They had hits with their versions of "If I Were a Carpenter" and "Walk Away Renée". These songs, along with "I'm in a Different World", were their last hits produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland. The songwriting team left Motown in 1967 after disagreements with Berry Gordy, Jr..

Later Years at Motown

After Holland-Dozier-Holland left, the group had fewer big hits. They worked with different Motown producers, but didn't have as much chart success.

Their next major hit came in 1970 with "It's All in the Game". This song was a Top 30 pop hit and a Top Ten R&B hit. The Tops also worked on some new and interesting albums. Their 1970 album Still Waters Run Deep was an early example of a concept album. It even inspired Marvin Gaye's famous album What's Going On.

The Tops also teamed up with The Supremes (who had a new lead singer, Jean Terrell). They released a series of albums together, like The Magnificent 7 in 1970. This album included a Top 20 version of "River Deep - Mountain High".

Moving to Other Labels

Motown Records started to change in the early 1970s. The company moved from Detroit to Los Angeles, California. Many older Motown artists, including the Four Tops, decided to stay in Detroit.

The Tops left Motown and signed with ABC-Dunhill Records. Their first song on this label, "Keeper of the Castle" (1972), was a Top 10 pop hit. Other hits followed, like the million-selling "Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)" (1973). This was their third number one R&B hit. They also had a Top 20 hit with "Are You Man Enough" (1973), which was from the movie Shaft in Africa.

After 1976, their major hits slowed down. The group then signed with Casablanca Records. In 1981, they made a comeback with the number one R&B hit "When She Was My Girl". This song almost made it to the pop Top 10. In 1982, their song "Back to School Again" was in the movie Grease 2.

Back to Motown and Beyond

By 1983, the Tops rejoined Motown. They were part of the 1983 television special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever. A highlight of the show was a singing battle between the Four Tops and The Temptations. This led to both groups touring together often.

The Four Tops released two more albums with Motown: Back Where I Belong (1983) and Magic (1985). In July 1985, the group performed at the Live Aid concert, singing five of their hit songs.

In 1987, the group signed with Arista Records. The song "Indestructible" (1988) was their last Top 40 hit. Another song, "Loco in Acapulco", written by Phil Collins, became a Top 10 hit in the UK. They also sang with Aretha Franklin on the song "If Ever a Love There Was".

In December 1988, the group was supposed to fly home for Christmas on Pan Am Flight 103. This flight was tragically destroyed by a bomb. Luckily, the Four Tops missed the flight because they were still filming a TV show in Britain. They took a later flight instead.

Recent Years and Changes

From the late 1980s, the Four Tops mostly focused on touring and live shows. They released one more album, Christmas Here with You, in 1995. On June 20, 1997, Lawrence Payton passed away from liver cancer. He had sung with the Four Tops for 44 years. This was the first time the group's lineup had ever changed!

At first, Levi Stubbs, Renaldo "Obie" Benson, and Abdul "Duke" Fakir performed as a trio. In 1998, they asked Theo Peoples (who used to be in the Temptations) to join. This made them a quartet again. Later, Levi Stubbs became ill. Ronnie McNeir joined the group, and Theo Peoples became the lead singer. Levi Stubbs passed away on October 17, 2008.

The group appeared in several TV specials, including "Motown 45". They also had a 50th-anniversary concert that showed Levi Stubbs in a wheelchair and remembered Lawrence Payton. Renaldo "Obie" Benson passed away on July 1, 2005, from lung cancer.

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

The Four Tops sang the National Anthem before a baseball game in Detroit in 2011. They were also inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2013.

The Four Tops in 2022

Four Tops Awards

The Four Tops have won many awards for their amazing music, including:

• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1990)
• Vocal Group Hall of Fame (1999)
• Hollywood Walk of Fame (1997)
• Grammy Hall of Fame (for "Reach Out I'll Be There" in 1998 and "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" in 2018)
• Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2009)
• Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award (1997)
• Billboard magazine Top 100 Artists of All Time (#77)
• R&B Music Hall of Fame Induction (2013)
• 100 Greatest Artists of All Time (#79-Rolling Stone)
• Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame

Group Members

Current Members

• Abdul "Duke" Fakir (1953–present)
• Ronnie McNeir (1999–present)
• Lawrence Payton Jr. (2005–present)
• Alexander Morris (2018–present)

Former Members

• Levi Stubbs (1953–2000, 2004; died 2008)
• Renaldo "Obie" Benson (1953–2005; his death)
• Lawrence Payton (1953–1997; his death)
• Theo Peoples (1998–2010)
• Harold "Spike" Bonhart (2010–2018)

Timeline of Members

Discography

Studio albums

See also

• List of best-selling music artists