Today is the 62nd birthday of Levi Stubbs (born Levi Stubbles), lead singer
of the Four Tops, the hit-making Motown quartet that enjoyed R&B/pop
hits in the '60s, '70s and '80s.
Stubbs formed the Four Aims in
Detroit in 1956 with Renaldo
"Obie" Benson, Abdul "Duke" Fakir and
Lawrence Payton, all on harmony vocals. After signing with Chess
Records, the group changed its name to the Four Tops. They cut a number
of unsuccessful singles before teaming with Berry Gordy Jr., the
founder of Motown, in 1964.
Motown's leading production and writing
team, Holland-Dozier-Holland, began writing for the Four Tops, and they
enjoyed a string of soul hits beginning with 1964's "Baby I Need Your
Loving." Other major hits for the group included such perennials as
1965's "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" and "Same Old
Song" and 1967's "Standing In The Shadows of Love" and "Seven Rooms of
Gloom." The Four Tops became world famous for Stubbs' gruff vocals and
their expert choreography.
But after 1967, Holland-Dozier-Holland formed their own record label and
were unavailable to the Tops. The Four Tops carried on by covering
others' hits, such as Tim Hardin's "If I Were a Carpenter," but their
popularity was on the wane. In the '70s, they hit it big on the pop
charts with the #4 "Ain't No Woman Like the One I Got" and the #10
"Keeper Of The Castle," but their other records -- such as "Just Seven
Numbers" and "Sweet Understanding Love" -- made big splashes only with
R&B
fans.
The Tops were back briefly in 1981 with the #11 pop hit "When She
Was My Girl." Although the group returned to Motown for a while and
teamed with other record companies such as Arista, they never enjoyed
another smash. But the Four Tops are a big "oldies" concert-draw with
their original lineup intact -- a rarity among the successful groups of
Motown's heyday. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame in 1990 and into the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People's Image Hall of Fame in 1992.
Other birthdays: Gary U.S. Bonds, 59; Shorty Beck (Shocking Blue), 50;
Chris Isaak, 42; Steve Vai, 38; and Tom Araya (Slayer), 37.
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