The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet from

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

who helped to define the city's

Motown sound Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''mot ...

of the 1960s. The group's repertoire has included

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...

, R&B, disco,

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

, doo-wop,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

, and

show tunes A show tune is a song originally written as part of the score of a work of musical theatre or musical film, especially if the piece in question has become a standard, more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context. T ...

. Founded as the Four Aims, lead singer

Levi Stubbs Levi Stubbs (born Levi Stubbles, June 6, 1936 – October 17, 2008) was an American baritone singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the R&B group the Four Tops, who released a variety of Motown hit records during the 1960s and 1970s. He h ...

, Abdul "Duke" Fakir,

Renaldo "Obie" Benson Renaldo "Obie" Benson (June 14, 1936 – July 1, 2005) was an American soul and R&B singer and songwriter. He was best known as a founding member and the bass singer of Motown group the Four Tops, which he joined in 1953 and continued to perfo ...

and

Lawrence Payton Lawrence Albert Payton (March 2, 1938 – June 20, 1997) was an American tenor, songwriter, vocal arranger, musician, and record producer for the popular Motown quartet, the Four Tops. In 1997, at 59 years old, Payton died of liver cancer. Bio ...

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 A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...

, the

Marvelettes The Marvelettes were an American girl group that achieved popularity in the early to mid-1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart (now Cowart Motley), and Georgia Dobbins, who w ...

, Martha and the Vandellas, the

Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top 1 ...

, and the

Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

, who established the

Motown Sound Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''mot ...

heard around the world during the 1960s. 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

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

s. The group was the main male vocal group for the highly successful

songwriting A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

and

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

team of

Holland–Dozier–Holland Holland–Dozier–Holland was a songwriting and production team consisting of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland. The trio wrote, arranged and produced many songs that helped define the Motown sound in the 1960s. Du ...

, 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) "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" is a 1965 hit song recorded by the Four Tops for the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, "I Can't Help Myself" is one of the most well-know ...

" in 1965 and "

Reach Out I'll Be There "Reach Out I'll Be There" (also formatted as "Reach Out (I'll Be There)") is a song recorded by the Four Tops from their fourth studio album '' Reach Out'' (1967). Written and produced by Motown's main production team, Holland–Dozier–Holland, ...

" 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 The Vocal Group Hall of Fame (VGHF) is an American-based hall of fame that honors vocal groups throughout the world in every genre of music. Headquartered in the Columbia Theatre in Sharon, Pennsylvania, it includes a theater and a museum. It was ...

in 1999. In 2004, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' 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.

History

Early years

All four members of the group began their careers together while they were high-school students in

. At the insistence of their friends, Pershing High students

and Abdul "Duke" Fakir performed with

and

from Northern High at a local

birthday party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...

. The quartet decided to remain together and named the group the Four Aims. With the help of Payton's songwriter cousin

Roquel Davis Roquel "Billy" Davis (July 11, 1932 – September 2, 2004), of Detroit, was an American songwriter, record producer, and singer. Davis was also known as a writer/producer of commercial jingles, mostly for Coca-Cola. He was also known as Tyran C ...

, the Aims signed to Chess Records in 1956, changing their name to the Four Tops to avoid confusion with the

Ames Brothers The Ames Brothers were a singing quartet, consisting of four siblings from Malden, Massachusetts, who were particularly famous in the 1950s for their traditional pop music hits. Biography The Urick brothers were born in Malden, Massachusetts. ...

. Over the next seven years, the Tops had unsuccessful tenures at Chess, Red Top,

Riverside Records Riverside Records was an American jazz record company and label. Founded by Orrin Keepnews and Bill Grauer, Jr, under his firm Bill Grauer Productions in 1953, the label played an important role in the jazz record industry for a decade. Riverside ...

and Columbia Records. Without any hit records to their name, they toured frequently, developing a polished stage presence and an experienced

supper club A supper club is a traditional dining establishment that also functions as a social club. The term may describe different establishments depending on the region, but in general, supper clubs tend to present themselves as having a high-class image ...

act, as well as supporting Billy Eckstine. In 1963,

Berry Gordy, Jr. Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record l ...

, 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 Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

record company.

Joining Motown

During their early Motown years, the Four Tops recorded

standards for the company's Workshop Jazz Records label. In addition, they sang backup on Motown singles by the

(" Run, Run, Run", 1964), Martha and the Vandellas (on the 1966 hit " My Baby Loves Me") and others. In 1964, Motown's main songwriting and production team,

, 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 "Baby I Need Your Loving" is a 1964 hit single recorded by the Four Tops for the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song was the group's first Motown single and their first pop Top ...

" from the instrumental track. On its release in mid-1964, "Baby I Need Your Loving" made it to number 11 on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

. The first follow-up single, "

Without the One You Love (Life's Not Worth While) "Without the One You Love (Life's Not Worth While)" is a song written by Holland–Dozier–Holland and released as a single in 1964 by the Motown singing group The Four Tops as the second single from their self-titled debut album, '' Four Top ...

" (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 William "Mickey" Stevenson (born January 4, 1937) is an American former songwriter and record producer for the Motown group of labels from the early days of Berry Gordy's company until 1967. Life and career He was born William Stevenson and, a ...

with Ivy Jo Hunter, was a Top 30 pop hit and a Top 10 R&B hit in early 1965.

Success

After their first number 1 hit, "

I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" is a 1965 hit song recorded by the Four Tops for the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, "I Can't Help Myself" is one of the most well-know ...

" in June 1965, the Four Tops released a long series of successful hit singles. Among the first wave of these hits were the Top 10 "

It's the Same Old Song "It's the Same Old Song" was recorded by the Four Tops for the Motown label. It was released in 1965 as the second single from their second album. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song is tod ...

" (1965), " Something About You" (1965), "

Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over) "Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)" is a song recorded by the American quartet Four Tops for their third studio album, '' On Top'' (1966). It was released in February 1966 as a 7" vinyl single through Motown records. It was written and produced ...

" (1966), and "

Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" is a 1966 song written by Ivy Jo Hunter and Stevie Wonder. It was performed by the Four Tops via the Motown label. In addition to co-writing the song, Wonder also instrumentally contributed drums to the trac ...

" (1966). Holland-Dozier-Holland wrote most of

's vocals in a tenor range, near the top of his range, in order to get a sense of strained urgency in his

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach components such as ...

-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 "

" (1966) was one of a few exceptions. August 1966 brought the release of the Four Tops' all-time biggest hit and one of the most popular Motown songs ever. "

" reached number 1 on the U.S. pop and R&B charts and the UK chart and soon became the Tops' signature song. It was almost immediately followed by the similar-sounding "

Standing in the Shadows of Love "Standing in the Shadows of Love" is a 1966 hit single recorded by the Four Tops for the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song is one of the most well-known Motown tunes of the ...

"; its depiction of heartbreak reflecting the opposite of the optimism in "Reach Out". It was another Top 10 hit for the Tops. FourTops1967

The Top 10 U.S. hit "

Bernadette Bernadette is a French name, a female form of the name Bernard, which means "brave bear". Notable persons with the name include: People * Bernadette (singer) (born 1959), Dutch singer * Bernadette Allen (born 1956), American foreign service of ...

" centered around a man's all-consuming obsession with his lover, continued the Four Tops' successful run into April 1967, followed by the Top 20 hits " 7-Rooms of Gloom", and "

You Keep Running Away "You Keep Running Away" is a Holland-Dozier-Holland composition originally recorded in 1967 by the Four Tops. The song appears on their 1971 LP Four Tops Greatest Hits Vol. 2. ''Billboard'' described the single as a "solid easy heat rocker th ...

". By now, the Tops were the most successful male Motown act in the United Kingdom (in the United States, they were second to the

), and began experimenting with more mainstream pop hits. They scored hits with their versions of

Tim Hardin James Timothy Hardin (December 23, 1941 – December 29, 1980) was an American folk and blues musician and composer. As well as releasing his own material, several of his songs, including " If I Were a Carpenter" and "Reason to Believe", beca ...

's " If I Were a Carpenter" in late 1967 (mid-1968 in the U.S.) and

the Left Banke The Left Banke was an American baroque pop band, formed in New York City in 1965. They are best remembered for their two U.S. hit singles, " Walk Away Renée" and "Pretty Ballerina". The band often used what the music press referred to as "baroq ...

's "

Walk Away Renée "Walk Away Renée" is a song written by Michael Brown, Bob Calilli, and Tony Sansone for the band the Left Banke, released as a single in July 1966. Steve Martin Caro is featured on lead vocals. It spent 13 weeks on the US charts, with a top s ...

" in early 1968. These singles and the original "

I'm in a Different World "I'm In a Different World" is a song written and produced by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Edward Holland Jr. ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' described the single as a "smooth swinger that moves and grooves throughout" which "should fast p ...

" were their last hits produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland, who left Motown in 1967 after disputes with

Late Motown period

Without Holland-Dozier-Holland, the hits became less frequent. The group worked with a wide array of Motown producers during the late 1960s, including Ivy Jo Hunter,

Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting-production team and recording duo of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carolina, ...

Norman Whitfield Norman Jesse Whitfield (May 12, 1940 – September 16, 2008) was an American songwriter and producer, who worked with Berry Gordy's Motown labels during the 1960s. allmusic Biography/ref> He has been credited as one of the creators of the Mo ...

and Johnny Bristol, without significant chart success. 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. Wilson and the Tops began working on a number of innovative tracks and albums together, echoing Whitfield's

psychedelic soul Psychedelic soul (originally called black rock or conflated with psychedelic funk) is a music genre that emerged in the late 1960s and saw Black soul musicians embrace elements of psychedelic rock, including its production techniques, instrument ...

work with the

. Their 1970 album ''

Still Waters Run Deep Still waters run deep is a proverb of Latin origin now commonly taken to mean that a placid exterior hides a passionate or subtle nature. Formerly it also carried the warning that silent people are dangerous, as in Suffolk's comment on a fellow lo ...

'' was a forerunner of the

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

. 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'

. In addition to their own albums, the Tops were paired with

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

, who had just replaced lead singer Diana Ross with

Jean Terrell Velma Jean Terrell (born November 26, 1944) is an American R&B and jazz singer. She replaced Diana Ross as the lead singer of The Supremes in January 1970. Biography Early life and career She is the sister of the former WBA heavyweight box ...

, for a series of albums billed under the joint title '' The Magnificent 7'' in 1970, and ''

The Return of the Magnificent Seven ''The Return of the Magnificent Seven'' is the second collaborative album between Motown label-mates The Supremes and Four Tops, released in 1971. The production only featured two covers compared to their first album together, '' The Magnificent ...

'' and '' Dynamite!'' in 1971. Whilst the albums themselves did not perform really well on the charts, ''The Magnificent Seven'' featured a Top 20 version of

Ike Ike or IKE may refer to: People * Ike (given name), a list of people with the name or nickname * Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II and President of the United States Surname ...

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...

's "

River Deep - Mountain High A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

", produced by

Ashford & Simpson Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting-production team and recording duo of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carolina, ...

. The 1971 single "

A Simple Game "A Simple Game" is a 1968 song by the progressive rock band the Moody Blues. Written and sung by Mike Pinder, it was released as a non-album B-side to "Ride My See-Saw", a track from the album ''In Search of the Lost Chord''. The song was produce ...

" featured backing vocals from members of

The Moody Blues The Moody Blues were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964, initially consisting of keyboardist Mike Pinder, multi-instrumentalist Ray Thomas, guitarist Denny Laine, drummer Graeme Edge and bassist Clint Warwick. The g ...

. The song did not fare well on the U.S. charts, but reached number three on the UK chart.

ABC/Dunhill Records and Casablanca Records

Motown as a company began to change during the early 1970s. Older acts such as Martha and the Vandellas and

The Marvelettes The Marvelettes were an American girl group that achieved popularity in the early to mid-1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart (now Cowart Motley), and Georgia Dobbins, who wa ...

were slowly moved aside or dropped to focus on newer acts, such as

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

and

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

, Rare Earth, and the now-solo Diana Ross. In addition, the company moved its operations from Detroit to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, where

planned to break into the

motion picture A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

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 The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

studio backing band,

Martha Reeves Martha Rose Reeves (born July 18, 1941) is an American R&B and pop singer. She is the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas which scored over a dozen hit singles, including " Come and Get These Memories", " Nowhere to R ...

, and the Four Tops. The Tops departed Motown for

ABC-Dunhill ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels bef ...

, where they were assigned to writer-producers

Dennis Lambert Dennis Earle Lambert (born 1947 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. Career Lambert began his music career in 1960 when he signed to Capitol Records as a recording artist. By the mid-1960s, he was w ...

and Brian Potter and the label's head of A&R,

Steve Barri Steve Barri (born Steven Barry Lipkin in Brooklyn, New York on February 23, 1942) is an American songwriter and record producer. Career Early in his career, Barri was a staff writer with Dunhill Records. He produced such huge hits as " Dizzy" ...

as producer, with The Tops' own

later also serving as a producer and writer. He also took over lead vocal duties on several tracks. The group's first release on the label, "

Keeper of the Castle ''Keeper of the Castle'' is an album by R&B group the Four Tops, released in 1972. The title track peaked at No. 18 on the UK Singles Chart. Critical reception Robert Christgau wrote that with "superschlockers" Steve Barri, Dennis Lambert, and ...

" (1972) was their first pop Top 10 hit since "

" 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 ''Shaft in Africa'' is a 1973 American blaxploitation film directed by John Guillermin, and the third film of the '' Shaft'' series, starring Richard Roundtree as John Shaft. Stirling Silliphant wrote the screenplay. The film's budget was $1.5 m ...

''). " 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. After the release of "

Catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive ...

" (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 MFSB, officially standing for "Mother Father Sister Brother", was a pool of more than 30 studio musicians based at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios. They worked closely with the production team of Gamble and Huff and producer/arranger Thom ...

musicians resulted in only minor chart success in 1978. The group disappeared from the recording scene until the early 1980s. Signing a deal with

Casablanca Records Casablanca Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Republic Records. Under its founder Neil Bogart, Casablanca was most successful during the disco era of the mid to late 1970s. The label current ...

, the Tops made a comeback in 1981 with the number 1 R&B hit " When She Was My Girl". 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 ''Grease 2'' is a 1982 American musical romantic comedy film and the sequel to the 1978 film ''Grease'', adapted from the 1971 musical of the same name by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Originally titled ''More Grease'', the film was produced ...

'' and its

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

Return to Motown

By 1983, The Tops had rejoined Motown, where their former ABC-Dunhill producer, Barri was vice-president of A&R. They were featured on the company's 1983

television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...

'' 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 The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

, patterned after similar competitions

had staged during the 1960s.

and Temptation

Otis Williams Otis Williams (born Otis Miles Jr.; October 30, 1941) is an American baritone singer.Ribowsky, Mark (2010). ''Ain't Too Proud to Beg: The Troubled Lives and Endearing Soul of the Temptations''. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 7–9 He is o ...

decided the Temptations/Tops battle would be a good one to take on the road, and both groups began semi-regular joint tours. The first of The Tops' albums under their new Motown contract was ''Back Where I Belong'' (1983). 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". 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. The title track of 1988's ''Indestructible'' was the group's final Top 40 hit, reaching No. 35. It was also featured in the 1988

science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univers ...

cop film ''

Alien Nation ''Alien Nation'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Rockne S. O'Bannon (later known for '' Farscape''), comprising film, television, and other media productions about alien refugees living on Earth. The series began with ...

''. Another track, "

Loco in Acapulco "Loco in Acapulco" is a song by the Four Tops, released as a single in 1988. It was written and produced by Phil Collins (who played drums on the track) and Lamont Dozier (one third of the group's legendary Motown long-time songwriting team, Holla ...

", written and produced by British pop musician

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...

and former Motown composer-producer

Lamont Dozier Lamont Herbert Dozier (; June 16, 1941 – August 8, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He co-wrote and produced 14 US ''Billboard'' number-one hits and four number ones in the UK. Career Doz ...

, climbed into the UK Top 10 and made number 7 in early 1989. The Arista contract provided an opportunity to pair

with fellow Arista artist, another R&B vocalist from Detroit,

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

, 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 ''I'm Gonna Git You Sucka'' is a 1988 American blaxploitation parody film written, directed by, and starring Keenen Ivory Wayans in his directorial debut. Featured in the film are several noteworthy African-American actors who were part of the ...

''. In December 1988, the group was scheduled to return to the U.S for Christmas on Pan Am Flight 103 (a disaster known as the Lockerbie bombing) after completing their European tour. A prolonged recording session and a performance at the British television show ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

'' caused them to oversleep and miss the ill-fated flight which crashed in

Lockerbie Lockerbie (, gd, Locarbaidh) is a small town in Dumfries and Galloway, south-western Scotland. It is about from Glasgow, and from the border with England. The United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 Census recorded its population as 4,009. The town ...

, Scotland, after a terrorist bomb was detonated on board. They left London on a later

British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a populati ...

flight.

Later years

From the late 1980s, the Four Tops focused on touring and live performances. They recorded only one album, returning again to Motown for 1995's ''Christmas Here with You''. On June 20, 1997, 59-year-old

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. At first,

, and Abdul "Duke" Fakir toured as a trio called ''The Tops''. In 1998, they recruited former member of the

Theo Peoples Theo Peoples (born Theoplis Peoples, III on January 24, 1961 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American R&B and soul singer. Biography His first recordings with the Temptations were released in the box set ''Emperors of Soul'' (1994) where he sang ...

to restore the group to a quartet. By the turn of the century, Stubbs had become ill from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

; Ronnie McNeir was recruited to fill the Lawrence Payton position and Theo Peoples stepped into Stubbs' shoes as lead singer. Stubbs later died on October 17, 2008 at his home in Detroit. The group was featured in several television specials during this time, including ''Motown 45'', and several by

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

, including a 50th-anniversary concert dedicated to the group (available on DVD). The concert turned out to be bittersweet; it featured a brief appearance of Levi Stubbs using a wheelchair, and a memorial to Lawrence Payton, announced by Renaldo "Obie" Benson. Benson appeared on one more

special and died on July 1, 2005, from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

. The final PBS special, titled ''Motown: The Early Years'', featured a message of Benson's passing following the credits. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and into the

in 1999. In 2004, ''

'' ranked them #79 on their list of th
100 Greatest Artists of All Time
The Four Tops were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2005. 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 &

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

on October 13, 2011 in Detroit, MI. When singing the last line of "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...

", "... 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 R&B Music Hall of Fame at the Inaugural ceremony held at Cleveland State University's Waetejen Auditorium on Saturday August 17, 2013. The Four Tops were among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

The Four Tops career awards

The Four Tops have won many awards, including the following: * Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1990) *

(1999) *

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

(1997) *

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

(Reach Out I'll Be There-1998)("I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch-2018) * Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2009-''51st Annual Grammy Awards'') *

Rhythm and Blues Foundation The Rhythm and Blues Foundation is an independent American nonprofit organization dedicated to the historical and cultural preservation of rhythm and blues music. The idea for the foundation came in 1987 during discussions about royalties with en ...

''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'') * Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2003) * Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame * Grammy Lifetime Achievement AwardAnn, By. (2008-12-22
Grammys To Honor Autry, Four Tops, Martin
. Billboard.biz. Retrieved on 2012-05-13. In early 2018, The Four Tops' 1965 #1 Pop Hit, "

" became their second song to be inducted into ''The Grammy Hall of Fame''.

Personnel

Current members

* Abdul “Duke” Fakir (1953-present) * Ronnie McNeir (1999-present) * Lawrence Payton Jr. (2005-present) * Alexander Morris (2019-present)

Former members

(1953-2000, 2004) (d. 2008) * Renaldo “Obie” Benson (1953-2005) (d. 2005) *

(1953-1997) (d. 1997) *

(1998-2010) * Harold Bonhart (2010-2018)

Discography

Albums

;

releases: * 1965: '' Four Tops'' (US #63; UK #2) * 1965: '' Four Tops' Second Album'' (US #20) * 1966: ''Four Tops Live!'' (US #17; UK #4) * 1966: '' On Top'' (US #32; UK #9) * 1967: '' Four Tops' Greatest Hits'' (US #4; UK #1) * 1967: '' Reach Out'' (US #11; UK #6) * 1967: ''Four Tops on Broadway'' (US #79) * 1968: ''Yesterday's Dreams'' (US #91) * 1969: ''Four Tops Now!'' (US #74) * 1969: ''Soul Spin'' (US #163) * 1970: ''

'' (US #21) * 1970: ''Changing Times'' (US #109) * 1970: '' The Magnificent 7'' (with

) (US #113; UK #6) * 1971: ''

'' (with The Supremes) (US #154) * 1971: ''

Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germa ...

'' (with the Supremes) (US #160) * 1971: ''Mac Arthur Park'' * 1972: '' Nature Planned It'' (US #50) * 1973: ''The Best of the 4 Tops'' (US #103) ;

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

releases: * 1972: ''

'' (US #33) * 1973: '' Main Street People'' (US #66) * 1974: ''Meeting of the Minds'' (US #118) * 1974: ''Live & in Concert'' (US #92) * 1975: ''Night Lights Harmony'' (US #148) * 1976: ''Catfish'' (US #124) * 1977: ''The Show Must Go On'' * 1978: ''At the Top'' ;

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

releases: * 1981: ''Tonight!'' (US #37) * 1982: ''One More Mountain'' ;

releases: * 1983: ''Back Where I Belong'' * 1985: ''

Magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

'' (US #140) * 1986: ''Hot Nights'' (unreleased) ; Arista releases: * 1988: ''Indestructible'' (US #149) ;

releases: * 1995: ''Christmas Here with You'' ;

Prism Leisure Prism Leisure Corporation Plc was a distribution and publishing company that primarily focused on reissues and compilations, often at low prices. The company was located in Enfield, Middlesex, United Kingdom, History The company was founded in ...

releases: * 2000: ''The Four Tops Collection'' (recorded live at the MGM grand 1996)

U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and UK singles

The following singles reached the top 30 of the U.S. and UK singles charts.

DVDs

* The Four Tops: ''Live at the MGM Grand: 40th Anniversary Special'' (1996) * The Four Tops: ''The Four Tops'' (semi-documentary/concert rehearsal, recorded live for French TV in 1971) (2004) * The Four Tops: ''From the Heart: The 50th Anniversary Concert'' (2006) * The Four Tops: ''Reach Out: Definitive Performances 1965-1973'' (2008), Motown/Universal

References

External links

Four Tops biography by John Bush, discography and album reviews, credits & releases
at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Four Tops discography, album releases & credits
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

Four Tops filmography
on

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

Four Tops Broadway musical productions
at the

Internet Broadway Database The Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It was conceived and created by Karen Hauser in 1996 and is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade assoc ...

Four Tops discography
at

MusicBrainz MusicBrainz is a MetaBrainz project that aims to create a collaborative music database that is similar to the freedb project. MusicBrainz was founded in response to the restrictions placed on the Compact Disc Database (CDDB), a database for so ...

Four Tops albums to be listened
as stream on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

Vocal Group Hall of Fame page on the Four Tops

Levi Stubbs/The Four Tops interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' October 1992 (republished November 2008)

Four Tops
on MySpace
Four Tops appearances on ''The Ed Sullivan Show''

Ronnie McNeir 2012 Interview at Soulinterviews.com.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Four Tops, The Musical groups established in 1953 Musical groups from Detroit African-American musical groups American soul musical groups Motown artists Northern soul musicians ABC Records artists Dunhill Records artists Chess Records artists Vocal quartets Columbia Records artists Casablanca Records artists Arista Records artists 1953 establishments in Michigan