left to right: Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson,
Levi Stubbs, and Lawrence Payton.
The Four Tops are an American vocal group who came to fame as part of Motown's classic stable of artists in 1960s, originally made up of Levi Stubbs, Renaldo "Obie" Benson, Abdul "Duke" Fakir, and Lawrence Payton. They are notable for their longevity, having been active since 1953, and the stability of their lineup, with the original members performing together until 1997, when Payton passed away.
They got their start touring supper clubs and working as an opening act to more established artists. Once they got signed onto the Motown label, they were used mainly as backup singers and tasked with singing covers of jazz standards. It wasn't until the legendary Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team composed an instrumental track that they didn't know what to do with that the Four Tops got their chance to shine. The track became "Baby, I Need Your Loving", which established the basis of their trademark pop/R&B sound led by Levi Stubbs' powerful baritone, a rarity at the time.note
This was soon followed by a number of commercial hits, including "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)", "It's the Same Old Song", "Something About You", "Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)", and "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever". However, they found themselves struggling to continue this success by the 1970s and an attempt to create a Supergroup with The Supremes as the Magnificent Seven resulted in tepid reception.
What followed was a string of label changes and limited chart success, although they were always held in high esteem and cast as tongue-in-cheek rivals to fellow Motown artists The Temptations for battles of the groups in televised Motown specials. By 1980s, the Four Tops shifted focus on touring and performing and slowed their album output.
In 1997, Lawrence Payton passed away due to liver cancer, and the remaining members carried on as The Tops for a short while before recruiting former Temptation Theo Peoples in their first lineup change in 44 years. Since then, Levi Stubbs and Obie Benson also passed away, leaving Duke Fakir as the only original member of the group. On July 22, 2024, Duke Fakir – the last surviving original Tops member – passed away from heart failure at the age of 88 (Fakir, who had been touring with the group until a month prior to his death, had named Michael Brock as his successor).
Stubbs is also remembered for voicing the Man-Eating Plant Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors.
Principal Members (Founding members in bold; Current Members in italic):
- Renaldo “Obie” Benson: bass (1953-2005; d.2005)
- Abdul “Duke” Fakir: first tenor (1953-2024; d.2024)
- Lawrence Payton: second tenor (1953-1997; d.1997)
- Levi Stubbs: baritone (1953-2000; d.2008)
- Theo Peoples: second tenor/baritone (1998-2010, 2025-present)
- Ronnie McNeir: second tenor (2000-present)
- Roquel Payton: bass (2005-present)
- Harold “Spike” Bonhart: baritone (2010-2018)
- Alexander Morris: baritone (2018-2025)
- Michael Brock: first tenor (2024-present)
I Can’t Help Myself, I Love These Tropes and Nobody Else!:
- Last Note Nightmare: The Four Tops' 1995 holiday album Christmas Here With You is innocuous until the last track, a musical version of the poem 'Twas The Night Before Christmas, where Levi Stubbs does the narration in full Audrey II mode. It has more of a First Note Nightmare effect, too. The song before, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", ends innocently and happy... and then "'Twas the night" starts with: HOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO! MERRY CHRISTMAS! FEEEEEEED ME!!! The song itself ends with an eerie echo on the last syllable sung by the Tops.
- Large Ham: Levi Stubbs could be a perfectly subdued singer, but he could also declaim and emote like there was no tomorrow. He basically shouts his way through "Reach Out I'll Be There", "Bernadette" and "7 Rooms of Gloom". Which made him a natural for the role of Audrey II.
- Lifesaving Misfortune: The original lineup was supposed to be on the Pan Am Flight 108 that was bombed over Lockerbie, Scotland in December 1988, but a last-minute invite and prolonged filming of an episode of Top of the Pops saved them.
- Long-Runner Line-up: One of the most famous examples in popular music, with the original lineup lasting from 1953 until Lawrence Payton’s death in 1997, giving them 44 years.
- Lyrical Cold Open: "Standing In The Shadow Of Love".
- One-Woman Song: "Bernadette".
- Revolving Door Band: Averted. Despite losing all but one original member before Duke Fakir's death in 2024, the group’s lineup has actually been rather stable, with two of the replacements having been in the group for fifteen to twenty years as of 2020. Even the one who left was there for thirteen years, and his successor for nearly a decade now.
- "Sesame Street" Cred: The group made an appearance on Sesame Street, where they sing about crossing the street safely
and then about waiting at the bus stop. - Signature Move: They're known for a waggling dance where they move their torsos from side to side, often accompanied by a sidestep across the stage.
- Silly Love Songs: As a staple of Motown, this is a given.
- Take My Hand!: The entire message of "Reach Out (I'll Be There)". The singer is assuring the girl in question that, no matter how bad things get, all she has to do is reach out, because...I'll be there to love and comfort you.
I'll be there to cherish and care for you.
I'll be there to always see you through.
I'll be there to love and comfort you. - True Companions: The original lineup were considered one of the most loyal bands ever. Unlike a lot of their contemporaries, none of them ever left the band for personal fame or engaged in any public or private mudslinging of their bandmates, they continued to perform with each other throughout several decades and although the four original members have all since passed away (with Abdul "Duke" Fakir being the last surviving member until his death in 2024), they embodied the true spirit of brothers.
