The Four Tops

The Four Tops
Four Tops (1967)
General information
Genre (s)	soul
founding	1953 as The Four Aims
Founding members
singing	Levi Stubbs († 2008)
singing	Renaldo Benson († 2005)
singing	Abdul fakir
singing	Lawrence Payton († 1997)
Current occupation
singing	Abdul fakir
singing	Harold "Spike" Bonhart
singing	Lewis McNeir
singing	Roquel "Rokie" Payton
former members
singing	Theo Peoples

Abdul Fakir (* 1935), the last living founding member, in 2019

The Four Tops are an African American soul singing band from Detroit . The Rolling Stone lists them at 79th of the 100 greatest musicians of all time .

history

In 1953 the group was founded by Renaldo "Obie" Benson , Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Lawrence Payton and Levi Stubbs . At that time they were still called Four Aims. In 1956 they got a recording deal from Chateau Records and recorded their first records. Soon after, they changed their name to The Four Tops to avoid confusion with the Ames Brothers . They accompanied Billy Eckstine on his tours and appeared in the opening act for Count Basie and Brook Benton , among others . They often changed record labels ; so they were briefly with Chess Records until Berry Gordy hired them in 1964 for Motown .

In October 1964, her single Baby I Need Your Loving reached the higher regions of the pop charts and even reached the top of the R&B single charts. This was followed by some hits, most of which came from the composing team Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland , including the classic Reach Out I'll Be There . After this composing team split from Motown in 1967, the style of the Four Tops changed under the direction of producer Frank Wilson towards a symphonic accompaniment. After the success wore off, the group moved to ABC Records in 1971 .

In 1972 the album Keeper of the Castle and three equally successful single hits were released. After 1973, however, the band did not bring any more hits into the Top 40. In 1981 they made a comeback with the single When She Was My Girl , which reached number 3 on the British pop charts. As a result, Motown took the four singers back under contract in 1983. On the LP Back Where I Belong again mostly songs by the team Holland, Dozier and Holland could be heard. The album, however, turned out to be a flop. Until 1988 the successes remained small. Then Arista Records released the album Indestructible , on which Aretha Franklin and Kenny G can be heard as studio guests. The title song made it into the British Top 30 and reached number 14 in Germany. With Loco in Acapulco , written by Phil Collins , the Four Tops had their final top 10 hit in 1989.

On December 21, 1988, after recording sessions in Germany, the band members had booked their trip home to the USA on board the Pan-American flight PA103, but missed the plane. Only a few hours later, this aircraft exploded due to a bomb attack in the air ( Lockerbie attack ).

In 1990 the Four Tops were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . In the years that followed, they performed frequently and were often seen on television. In 1993 they even toured the USA again. When Payton died in 1997, they existed for 45 years without a line-up.

At the end of 2007, the group gave six concerts in Germany as part of a European tour under the direction of its founding member Abdul Fakir with Theo Peoples, Lewis McNeir and Roquel "Rokie" Payton, son of founding member Lawrence Payton, in which they performed together with the Temptations occurred.

Discography

Albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)			Remarks
		DE	UK	US
1965	Four tops	-	-	US63 (27 weeks) US	Debut album on Motown
	Four Tops Second Album	-	-	US20 (35 weeks) US
1966	4 tops on top	-	UK9 (23 weeks) UK	US32 (22 weeks) US
	Four Tops Live!	-	UK4 (72 weeks) UK	US17 (43 weeks) US	Live album recorded at the Roostertail in Detroit
1967	4 tops on Broadway	-	-	US17 (15 weeks) US
	Four tops reach out	-	UK4 (34 weeks) UK	US11 (59 weeks) US
	The Four Tops Greatest Hits	-	UK1 (67 weeks) UK	US4th gold (73 weeks)US	Best of album
1968	Yesterday's Dreams	-	UK37 (1 week) UK	US91 (16 weeks) US	first album after hit authors Holland – Dozier – Holland had left Motown (one last song of the trio is still included)
1969	Four tops now!	-	-	US74 (10 weeks) US
	Soul spin	-	-	US163 (6 weeks) US
1970	Still Waters Run Deep	-	UK29 (8 weeks) UK	US21 (42 weeks) US
	Changing Times	-	-	US109 (12 weeks) US
	The Magnificent Seven	-	UK6 (11 weeks) UK	US113 (16 weeks) US	first of three albums together by the two successful Motown groups, contains ten cover songs and two new songs, Supremes & Four Tops
1971	The Return of the Magnificent Seven	-	-	US154 (6 weeks) US	the second collaboration album with new songs Supremes & Four Tops
	Four Tops Greatest Hits, Vol. 2	-	UK25 (10 weeks) UK	US106 (10 weeks) US	Best of album
1972	Dynamite	-	-	US160 (6 weeks) US	Supremes & Four Tops
	Nature Planned It	-	-	US50 (28 weeks) US
	Keeper of the Castle	-	-	US33 (31 weeks) US	first album on the ABC Dunhill label
1973	The Four Tops Story 1964-1972	-	UK35 (5 weeks) UK	-	Best of album
	The best of the 4 tops	-	UK13 (13 weeks) UK	US103 (9 weeks) US	Best of album
	Main Street People	-	-	US66 (14 weeks) US
1974	Meeting of the Minds	-	-	US118 (11 weeks) US
	Live & in concert	-	-	US92 (9 weeks) US	Live album
1975	Night Lights Harmony	-	-	US148 (5 weeks) US
1976	Catfish	-	-	US124 (8 weeks) US
1981	Tonight!	-	-	US37 (21 weeks) US	first album after switching to Casablanca Records
1985	Magic	-	-	US140 (9 weeks) US	second album after returning to Motown (first, Back Where I Belong , did not enter the charts)
1988	Indestructible	DE33 (10 weeks) DE	-	US149 (7 weeks) US	the quartet's last studio album was released by Arista
1990	Their Greatest Hits	-	UK47 (6 weeks) UK	-	Best of album
1992	The Singles Collection	-	UK11 silver (5 weeks)UK	-	compilation

More albums

• The Show Must Go On ( ABC Dunhill 1977)
• At the Top (ABC Dunhill 1978)
• Back Where I Belong ( Motown 1983)
• On More Mountain ( Casablanca 1982)
• The Best of the Four Tops ( K-tel 1982, UK:gold)
• Christmas Here with You (Motown 1995)
• Reach Out I'll Be There ( Spectrum 1997, UK:silver)
• The Ultimate Collection (Motown 1998, UK:gold)
• Lost & Found: Breaking Through (Motown 1999)

Singles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks / months, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks / months, awards, notes)				Remarks
		DE	AT	UK	US
1964	Baby I Need Your Loving Four Tops	-	-	-	US11 (12 weeks) US	Authors: Holland – Dozier – Holland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame , No. 390 in the Rolling Stone 500 , No. 8 in the BMI Songs of the Century
	Without the One You Love (Life's Not Worth While) Four Tops	-	-	-	US43 (5 weeks) US	Authors: Holland – Dozier – Holland
1965	Ask the Lonely Four Tops	-	-	-	US24 (8 weeks) US	Authors: Ivory Joe Hunter , Mickey Stevenson
	I Can't Help Myself Four Tops Second Album	-	-	UK23 gold (9 weeks)UK	US1 (14 weeks) US	Authors: Holland – Dozier – Holland Place 415 of the Rolling Stone 500
	It's the Same Old Song Four Tops Second Album	-	-	UK34 (8 weeks) UK	US5 (9 weeks) US	Authors: Holland – Dozier – Holland
	Ain't that love	-	-	-	US93 (1 week) US	Re-release of a 1960 Columbia single
	Something About You Four Tops Second Album	-	-	-	US19 (7 weeks) US	Authors: Holland – Dozier – Holland
1966	Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over) 4 Tops on Top	-	-	-	US18 (9 weeks) US	Authors: Holland – Dozier – Holland
	Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever 4 Tops on Top	-	-	UK21 (12 weeks) UK	US45 (8 weeks) US	Authors: Stevie Wonder , Ivory Joe Hunter
	Reach Out I'll Be There Four Tops Reach Out	DE13 (1½ months) DE	-	UK1 silver (16 weeks)UK	US1 gold (15 weeks)US	Authors: Holland – Dozier – Holland Grammy Hall of Fame , Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 206th place in the Rolling Stone 500
	Standing in the Shadows of Love Four Tops Reach Out	DE29 (½ month) DE	-	UK6 (8 weeks) UK	US6 (10 weeks) US	Authors: Holland – Dozier – Holland Place 464 of the Rolling Stone 500
1967	Bernadette Four Tops Reach Out	-	-	UK8 (10 weeks) UK	US4 (10 weeks) US	Authors: Holland – Dozier – Holland
	Seven Rooms of Gloom Four Tops Reach Out	-	-	UK12 (9 weeks) UK	US14 (8 weeks) US	Authors: Holland – Dozier – Holland
	I'll Turn to Stone Four Tops Reach Out	-	-	-	US76 (5 weeks) US	Authors: Holland – Dozier – Holland B-side of Seven Rooms of Gloom
	You keep running away	-	-	UK26 (7 weeks) UK	US19 (8 weeks) US	Authors: Holland – Dozier – Holland
1968	Walk Away Renee Four Tops Reach Out	DE31 (½ month) DE	-	UK3 (11 weeks) UK	US14 (8 weeks) US	Original: The Left Banke (1966)
	If I Were a Carpenter Four Tops Reach Out	DE34 (1½ months) DE	-	UK7 (11 weeks) UK	US20 (10 weeks) US	Author: Tim Hardin , 1966 hit with Bobby Darin
	Yesterday's Dreams Yesterday’s Dreams	-	-	UK23 (15 weeks) UK	US49 (6 weeks) US	Authors: Ivory Joe Hunter, Pam Sawyer, Vernon Bullock, Jack Goga
	I'm in a Different World Yesterday’s Dreams	-	-	UK27 (13 weeks) UK	US51 (6 weeks) US	the last single that Holland – Dozier – Holland wrote at Motown for the Four Tops
1969	What Is a Man Four Tops Now!	-	-	UK16 (11 weeks) UK	US53 (7 weeks) US	Producer & Co-Writer: Johnny Bristol
	Do What You Gotta Do Four Tops Now!	-	-	UK11 (11 weeks) UK	-	Original: Johnny Rivers (1967), Author: Jimmy Webb
	Don't Let Him Take Your Love from Me Four Tops Now!	-	-	-	US45 (7 weeks) US	Authors: Barrett Strong , Norman Whitfield
1970	I can't help myself	-	-	UK10 (11 weeks) UK	-	Republication
	It's All in the Game Still Waters Run Deep	-	-	UK5 (16 weeks) UK	US24 (13 weeks) US	Music: Charles Dawes , Text: Carl Sigman (1951) 1958 a US number one hit for Tommy Edwards
	Still Water (Love) Still Waters Run Deep	-	-	UK10 (12 weeks) UK	US11 (14 weeks) US	Authors: Frank Wilson, Smokey Robinson
	River Deep - Mountain High The Magnificent Seven	-	-	UK11 (10 weeks) UK	US14 (10 weeks) US	Authors: Phil Spector , Jeff Barry , Ellie Greenwich Original: Ike & Tina Turner (1966) with the Supremes
1971	Just Seven Numbers (Can Straighten Out My Life) Changing Times	-	-	UK36 (5 weeks) UK	US40 (8 weeks) US	Authors: Gloria Jones , Pam Sawyer
	You Gotta Have Love in Your Heart The Return of the Magnificent Seven	-	-	UK25 (10 weeks) UK	US55 (5 weeks) US	with the supremes
	In These Changing Times Changing Times	-	-	-	US70 (4 weeks) US
	MacArthur Park (Part II) Four Tops Now!	-	-	-	US38 (8 weeks) US	Author: Jimmy Webb A hit for Richard Harris in 1968 and again for Donna Summer in 1978
1972	A simple game	-	-	UK3 (11 weeks) UK	US90 (3 weeks) US	Original: The Moody Blues (1968)
	Bernadette	-	-	UK23 (7 weeks) UK	-	Republication
	Walk with Me, Talk with Me, Darling Nature Planned It	-	-	UK32 (6 weeks) UK	-
	(It's the Way) Nature Planned It Nature Planned It	-	-	-	US53 (9 weeks) US
	Keeper of the Castle Keeper of the Castle	-	-	UK18 (9 weeks) UK	US10 (12 weeks) US	the first single on the ABC Dunhill label after separating from Motown Authors: Dennis Lambert, Brian Potter
1973	Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got) Keeper of the Castle	-	-	-	US4th gold (15 weeks)US	Authors: Dennis Lambert, Brian Potter
	Are You Man Enough Main Street People	-	-	-	US15 (13 weeks) US	Authors: Dennis Lambert, Brian Potter Film: Shaft in Africa
	Sweet Understanding Love Main Street People	-	-	UK29 (10 weeks) UK	US33 (9 weeks) US
1974	I Just Can't Get You Out of My Mind Main Street People	-	-	-	US62 (8 weeks) US	Authors: Dennis Lambert, Brian Potter
	One Chain Don't Make No Prison Meeting of the Minds	-	-	-	US41 (8 weeks) US	Authors: Dennis Lambert, Brian Potter
	Midnight Flower Meeting of the Minds	-	-	-	US55 (7 weeks) US
1975	Seven Lonely Nights Night Lights Harmony	-	-	-	US71 (4 weeks) US
	We All Gotta Stick Together Night Lights Harmony	-	-	-	US97 (1 week) US
1976	Catfish Catfish	-	-	-	US71 (6 weeks) US
1981	When She Was My Girl Tonight!	-	-	UK3 silver (10 weeks)UK	US11 (22 weeks) US	Authors: Larry Gottlieb, Marc Blatte
	Don't Walk Away Tonight!	DE37 (9 weeks) DE	-	UK16 (11 weeks) UK	-	Author: Jerry Knight
1982	Tonight I'm Gonna Love You All Over Tonight!	-	-	UK43 (4 weeks) UK	-
	Back to School Again (Soundtrack)	-	-	UK62 (2 weeks) UK	US71 (7 weeks) US	Film: Grease 2 Authors: Howard Greenfield , Louis St. Louis
	Sad Hearts One More Mountain	-	-	-	US84 (3 weeks) US	Authors: Larry Gottlieb, Marc Blatte
1983	I Just Can't Walk Away Back Where I Belong	-	-	-	US71 (9 weeks) US	the single meant a return to Motown and the songwriting trio Holland-Dozier-Holland
1988	Reach Out I'll Be There	-	-	UK11 (9 weeks) UK	-	Remix
	Indestructible Indestructible	DE14 (17 weeks) DE	AT22 (½ month) AT	UK30 (7 weeks) UK	US35 (11 weeks) US	Authors: Bobby Sandstrom, Michael Price in the USA used by NBC in the Olympic coverage in Great Britain the original version was only published in February 1989 feat. Smokey Robinson
	Indestructible (UK mix, featuring Smokey Robinson)	-	-	UK55 (4 weeks) UK	-	Released in UK only
	Loco in Acapulco Indestructible	DE23 (16 weeks) DE	-	UK7th silver (13 weeks)UK	-	Authors: Phil Collins , Lamont Dozier

gray hatching : no chart data available for this year

More singles

• If Only I Had Known (Grady 1956)
• Could It Be You? ( Chess 1956)
• Pennies from Heaven ( Riverside 1962)
• I'm Glad You Walked into My Life (ABC Dunhill 1976)
• Let Me Set You Free (Casablanca 1982)
• I Believe in You and Me (Casablanca 1983)
• If Ever a Love There Was (with Aretha Franklin , Arista 1988)
• Change of Heart (Arista 1989)

swell

1. ↑ 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Rolling Stone , December 2, 2010, accessed August 8, 2017 . 
2. ↑ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Four Tops in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
3. ↑ ^{a b} Chart sources: Germany Austria UK USA
4. ↑ Sources for awards: UK US
5. ^ The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll , Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
6. ↑ BMI Announces Top 100 Songs of the Century , BMI , December 13, 1999

literature

• Stambler, Irwin: The Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock And Soul . 3rd revised edition, New York City, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989, pp. 237 f. - ISBN 0-312-02573-4 .
• Warner, Jay: The Billboard Book of American Singing Groups. A History 1940–1990 . New York City / New York: Billboard Books, 1992, pp. 388-390.
• US singles: Joel Whitburn : Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2006 . Billboard Books, New York 2007, ISBN 0-89820-172-1 . / US albums: Joel Whitburn : Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2006 . Billboard Books, New York 2006, ISBN 0-89820-172-1 .
• UK Singles / Albums: British Hit Singles & Albums . 18th edition. Guinness World Records Limited, 2005, ISBN 978-1-904994-00-8 .

Web links

Commons : Four Tops  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• The Four Tops at Allmusic (English)
• The Four Tops at Discogs (English)