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The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet from Detroit, Michigan. They were one of the most commercially successful American pop music groups of the 1960s and helped propel the Motown label to international fame. The group's repertoire has included aspects of soul, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, doo-wop, jazz, and show tunes.
Sep 22, 2018 · The Four Tops were a vocal quartet from Detroit, Michigan, composed of Levi Stubbs, Abdul “Duke” Fakir, Renaldo “Obie” Benson, and Lawrence Payton, who were instrumental in defining Motown’s distinct sound during the 1960s. The quartet was one of the longest-lived lineups of the era; they went over 40 … Read MoreThe Four Tops (1953-2005)
- A Little About Me
- Original and Later Lineups
- The Four Tops’ Band History
- The Four Tops Discography
- Four Tops
- Four Tops Second Album
- On Top
- Reach Out
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Final Word About The Four Tops
Before diving into The Four Tops, you might wonder why I have the credentials to talk about this groundbreaking band. For starters, I have been a music writer for over seven years and have listened to just about every genre in music history. Thanks to my dad, I have also been listening to “oldies” since I was a little kid. I basically grew up with ...
Original Lineup:
1. Levi Stubbs (1953-2000, 2004) 2. Abdul “Duke” Fakir (1953-present) 3. Renaldo “Obie” Benson (1953-2005) 4. Lawrence Payton (1953-1997) 5. Additional Members: 6. Theo Peoples (1998-2010) 7. Harold Bonhart (2010-2018)
Current Members:
1. Abdul “Duke” Fakir (1953-present) 2. Ronnie McNeir (1999-present) 3. Lawrence Payton Jr. (2005-present) 4. Alexander Morris (2019-present)
Early Days
The Four Topsbegan their careers as high school students in Detroit. To really pinpoint the start of the band was when Levi Stubbs and Abdul Fakir performed with Renaldo Benson and Lawrence Payton at a birthday party. The quartet decided that they put on such a good show together that they would pursue a career as a band, naming themselves The Four Aims. Payton’s cousin, Roquel Davis, was a songwriter and helped the group get signed to Chess Records in 1956. However, there was some confusion...
Joining the Motown Records
When The Four Tops originally signed on with Motown Records, they weren’t playing the genre we all know and love of them. Instead, they were recording jazz songs under Motown Record’s sister company, Workshop Jazz Records. They also got to do backing vocals for The Supremes, including the song “Run, Run, Run.” Another track they did backing vocals on was for Martha and the Vandellas on the song “My Baby Loves Me.” In 1964, the band finally got their opportunity to shine. Motown Records’ main...
Reaching Fame
1965 was the magical year for the band as they released hit after hit throughout the year, including the number one hit “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch).” From there, they released the hits “It’s the Same Old Song,” Something About You,” “Shake Me, Wake Me (When It’s Over),” and “Loving You is Sweeter Than Ever.” In 1966, the band saw their biggest success with the release of the song, “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” which catapulted the band into the limelight and also gave them thei...
Motown releases
1. 1965:Four Tops 2. 1965:Four Tops’ Second Album 3. 1966:Four Tops Live! 4. 1966:On Top 5. 1967:Four Tops’ Greatest Hits 6. 1967:Reach Out 7. 1967:Four Tops on Broadway 8. 1968:Yesterday’s Dreams 9. 1969:Four Tops Now! 10. 1969:Soul Spin 11. 1970:Still Waters Run Deep 12. 1970:Changing Times 13. 1970:The Magnificent 7 (with The Supremes) 14. 1971:The Return of the Magnificent Seven (with The Supremes) 15. 1971:Dynamite (with The Supremes) 16. 1971: Mac Arthur Park 17. 1972:Nature Planned It...
ABC releases
1. 1972:Keeper of the Castle 2. 1973:Main Street People 3. 1974:Meeting of the Minds 4. 1974:Live & in Concert 5. 1975:Night Lights Harmony 6. 1976:Catfish 7. 1977:The Show Must Go On 8. 1978: At the Top
Casablanca releases
1. 1981:Tonight! 2. 1982:One More Mountain
Four Tops was the self-titled debut album from the band, and it was written and produced by Motown’s all-star writing and producing team Holland-Dozier-Holland. This album came after a long time spent trying to get into the public eye and pinpoints when the bad truly found its identity. Before this album, The Four Tops went by The Four Aims, which ...
After the success of the self-titled Four Tops album, Four Tops Second Album also received a ton of success. It reached number three on Billboard’s Black Albums chart and number 20 on the Billboard 200 chart. The band really came into their own on this album. They now had a following and discovered the recipe for success as they finally achieved a ...
It’s amazing that The Four Tops achieved so much success so quickly as their premiere self-titled album was only released a year ago, and their second successful album came out immediately after that. On Top also achieved commercial success by reaching number 32 on the Billboard 200 chart and reaching number nine on the U.K. charts. The band was st...
If any other album showcases the pinnacle of The Four Tops’ success, this is it. Reach Out is widely known as the band’s most successful album as it hit number 11 on Billboard Top L.P.s and peaked at number four in the U.K. Reach Out also had a whooping six singles, including “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” “Standing in the Shadows of Love,” “Bernadette...
Question: What genre do The Four Tops play? Answer:Many know The Four Tops to be part of the Motown era, but Motown was a record label at the time, not necessarily a genre. The Four Tops paved the way in Soul R&B Pop. They were one of the most popular acts at the time as they had a whooping seven top 10 hits (two of which rose to number one on the ...
There’s no mistaking that The Four Tops really paved the way for many soul and R&B artists. Their dedication to the music and to each other is really that of inspiration in itself. It is so uncommon that a band goes 44 years without a single lineup change, and the only reason they even changed their lineup is because of deaths in the band. There re...
The Four Tops are a Detroit-based American singing group who contributed to the development of the Motown sound in the 1960s. Soul music, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, doo-wop, jazz, and show tunes have all been featured in the group’s past performances. Lead vocalist Levi Stubbs, Abdul “Duke” Fakir, Renaldo “Obie” Benson, and ...
Duke Fakir. Abdul Kareem " Duke " Fakir (December 26, 1935 – July 22, 2024) was an American singer. He co-founded the Motown quartet the Four Tops and performed in an ensemble under that name from 1953 until shortly before his death. He was the group's last surviving original member.
The Four Tops (often billed by Motown as 'Four Tops') are an American vocal quartet, whose repertoire has included doo-wop, jazz, soul music, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, hard rock, and showtunes. Founded in Detroit, Michigan as The Four Aims, lead singer Levi Stubbs (born Levi Stubbles, a cousin of Jackie Wilson and brother of The Falcons ...
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Four Tops. The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet that rose to the top of pop and R & B charts with such number-one hits as "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" and "Reach Out I'll Be There." The group was the main male vocal group for the Motown songwriting and production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, who crafted the Four Tops ...
