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- A Simple Game
- ABC Records
- ABC-Dunhill
- Abdul "Duke" Fakir
- Alien Nation (film)
- Aretha Franklin
- Arista Records
- Ashford & Simpson
- Ask the Lonely
- Audrey II
- Baritone
- Bernadette (song)
- Berry Gordy, Jr.
- Billboard Hot 100
- Birthday party
- Blues & Soul
- Book Four Tops
- Cancer
- Casablanca Records
- Catfish
- Chess Records
- Columbia Records
- Concept album
- Detroit
- Detroit, Michigan
- Diana Ross
- Disco
- Don't walk away
- Doo-wop
- Dynamite!
- Four Tops
- Four Tops (album)
- Gospel music
- Grease 2
- Hard rock
- Harold Bonhart
- Ike Turner
- Jackie Wilson
- Jazz
- Jean Terrell
- Keeper of the Castle
- Lawrence Payton
- Left Banke
- Levi Stubbs
- Lockerbie
- Loco in Acapulco
- Lung cancer
- Martha Reeves
- Marvin Gaye
- Metroid (series)
- Michael Jackson
- Michigan
- Midnight Flower
- Motion picture
- Motion pictures
- Motown
- Music genre
- Musical film
- MusicBrainz
- Myspace
- NBC
- Norman Whitfield
- On Top (album)
- Otis Williams
- Pan Am Flight 103
- Pop music
- Preacher
- Psychedelic soul
- Quartet
- R&B;
- Rare Earth (band)
- Record label
- Record producer
- Renaldo Benson
- Rhythm and blues
- Riverside Records
- Rock music
- Ronnie McNeir
- Roquel Billy Davis
- Roquel Payton
- Science-fiction
- Seven Lonely Nights
- Shaft In Africa
- Showtunes
- Songwriter
- Soul music
- Spike Deleon
- Still Water (Love)
- Supper club
- Television
- Television special
- Template Four Tops
- Tenor
- The Ames Brothers
- The Andantes
- The Falcons
- The Funk Brothers
- The Jackson 5
- The Marvelettes
- The Miracles
- The Moody Blues
- The Supremes
- The Temptations
- Theo Peoples
- Tim Hardin
- Tina Turner
- Trio (music)
- UK
- Voice actor
- Walk Away Renée
- WDTW (AM)
- What's Going On
- When She Was My Girl
- Wikipedia INCITE
- WMCA
- WP Books
- Yesterday's Dreams
-
Detroit
http://wn.com/Detroit -
Detroit, Michigan
http://wn.com/Detroit_Michigan -
Lockerbie
Lockerbie () is a town in the Dumfries and Galloway region of south-western Scotland. It lies approximately 75 miles from Glasgow, and from the English border. It is a small town, with a population of just 4,009 at the 2001 census.
http://wn.com/Lockerbie -
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is a French corruption of the Ojibwe word mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake".
http://wn.com/Michigan -
Pan Am Flight 103
http://wn.com/Pan_Am_Flight_103 -
UK
http://wn.com/UK
-
Abdul "Duke" Fakir
Abdul "Duke" Fakir (born December 26, 1935; Detroit, Michigan) is best known as a member of popular Motown act the Four Tops from 1954 to the present day. Fakir, who sings first tenor, is the only surviving original member of the group.
http://wn.com/Abdul_"Duke"_Fakir -
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist commonly referred to as The Queen of Soul. Although renowned for her soul recordings, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B; and gospel music. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Franklin No. 1 on its list of The Greatest Singers of All Time.
http://wn.com/Aretha_Franklin -
Ashford & Simpson
Nickolas Ashford (born May 4, 1942, in Fairfield County, South Carolina) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946 in The Bronx, New York) are a husband and wife songwriting/production team and recording artists. They met at Harlem's White Rock Baptist Church in 1963. After having recorded unsuccessfully as a duo, they joined aspiring solo artist and former member of the Ikettes, Josie Jo Armstead, at the Scepter/Wand label where their compositions were recorded by Ronnie Milsap ("Never Had It So Good"), Maxine Brown ("One Step At A Time"), as well as the Shirelles and Chuck Jackson. Another of the trio's songs "Let's Go Get Stoned" gave Ray Charles a number one U.S. R&B; hit in 1966. That same year Ashford & Simpson joined Motown where their best-known songs included "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "You're All I Need To Get By", "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing", and "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)". As performers, Ashford and Simpson's best-known song is "Solid" (1984 US and 1985 UK). The duo was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002.
http://wn.com/Ashford_&_Simpson -
Berry Gordy, Jr.
http://wn.com/Berry_Gordy_Jr -
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. During the 1960s, she helped shape the Motown sound as lead singer of The Supremes, before leaving the group for a solo career on January 14, 1970. Since the beginning of her career with The Supremes and as a solo artist, Ross has sold more than 150 million records.
http://wn.com/Diana_Ross -
Harold Bonhart
http://wn.com/Harold_Bonhart -
Ike Turner
Isaac Wister (Ike) Turner (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, talent scout, and record producer. Considered to be one of the fathers of rock and roll, his first recording, "Rocket 88" by "Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats," in 1951, is considered by some to be the "first rock and roll song" ever. However, he is best known for his work with his then wife Tina Turner as one half of the Ike & Tina Turner revue. Spanning a career that lasted half a century, Ike's repertoire included blues, soul, rock, and funk. Alongside his former wife, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 and in 2001 was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame. Turner won two Grammy Awards. On August 5, 2010, Ike Turner got recognition in his Mississippi hometown nearly three years after his death. Clarksdale, officials and music fans gathered to unveil two markers honoring Turner and his musical legacy. The unveilings coincided with the 23rd annual Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival, dedicated this year to "Rocket 88," the 1951 Turner tune often cited as the first rock 'n' roll song.
http://wn.com/Ike_Turner -
Jackie Wilson
http://wn.com/Jackie_Wilson -
Jean Terrell
Jean Terrell (born Velma Jean Terrell, November 26, 1944 in Belzoni, Mississippi) is an American R&B; and jazz singer. She replaced Diana Ross as the lead singer of The Supremes in January 1970.
http://wn.com/Jean_Terrell -
Lawrence Payton
Lawrence Albert Payton (March 2, 1938 – June 20, 1997) was an American tenor singer, songwriter, and record producer for the popular Motown quartet, the Four Tops. Payton also created the smooth, sharp jazz/pop hamonies for the Four Tops.
http://wn.com/Lawrence_Payton -
Levi Stubbs
Levi Stubbles (June 6, 1936 – October 17, 2008), better known by the stage name Levi Stubbs, was an American baritone singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the Motown R&B; group Four Tops. He is also known as the voice of Audrey II in the musical film Little Shop of Horrors.
http://wn.com/Levi_Stubbs -
Martha Reeves
Martha Rose Reeves (born July 18, 1941 in Eufaula, Alabama) is an American R&B; and Pop singer and former politician, and was the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas. During her tenure with The Vandellas, they scored over a dozen hit singles, including "Jimmy Mack", "Dancing in the Street" and "Nowhere to Run". From 2005 until 2009, Reeves served as an elected councilwoman for the city of Detroit, Michigan.
http://wn.com/Martha_Reeves -
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gaye, Jr. (April 2, 1939April 1, 1984), better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and instrumentalist with a three-octave vocal range. Starting as a member of the doo-wop group The Moonglows in the late fifties, he ventured into a solo career after the group disbanded in 1960 signing with the Tamla subsidiary of Motown Records. After starting off as a session drummer, Gaye ranked as the label's top-selling solo artist during the sixties.
http://wn.com/Marvin_Gaye -
Michael Jackson
http://wn.com/Michael_Jackson -
Norman Whitfield
Norman Jesse Whitfield (May 12, 1940 – September 16, 2008) was an American songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Berry Gordy's Motown label during the 1960s. He was credited as being one of the creators of the Motown Sound, as well as one of the major instrumental figures in the late-60s sub-genre of psychedelic soul.
http://wn.com/Norman_Whitfield -
Otis Williams
Otis Williams (born October 30, 1941) is an American tenor singer. Nicknamed "Big Daddy", he has also acted as a sporadic songwriter and record producer. Williams co-founded the Motown vocal group The Temptations in early 1960 as The Elgins, a group in which he continues to perform. Williams is the group's only surviving original member.
http://wn.com/Otis_Williams -
Roquel Billy Davis
http://wn.com/Roquel_Billy_Davis -
The Ames Brothers
http://wn.com/The_Ames_Brothers -
Theo Peoples
Theo Peoples (born Theopolis Peoples, III on January 24, 1961 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an African-American R&B;/soul singer. The son of a preacher, he was discovered by Ron Tyson and tapped to replace Richard Street in the long-lived Motown group The Temptations in 1992.
http://wn.com/Theo_Peoples -
Tim Hardin
http://wn.com/Tim_Hardin -
Tina Turner
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have earned her the title '''The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll'''.
http://wn.com/Tina_Turner
Four Tops, The Filmography
- Motown Gold from 'The Ed Sullivan Show' (2011)
- My Music: Motown Memories (2009)
- The Four Tops: Reach Out - Definitive Performances 1965-1973 (2008)
- The Four Tops: Live at the Stardust (2006)
- From the Heart: The Four Tops 50th Anniversary & Celebration (2005)
- Motown: The Early Years (2005)
- Soulful Sixties (2004)
- Swimsuit Illustrated: On Location (2000)
- The Four Tops: 40th Anniversary Special (2000)
- Motown 30: What's Goin' On! (1990)
- Brit Awards 1989 (1989)
- Lou Rawls Presents Black Gold Hits (1988)
- Motown on Showtime: Temptations and Four Tops (1986)
- Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1986)
- America Votes the #1 Song (1986)
Karaoke:
Lyrics:
- You Keep Running Away
- Just Seven Numbers (can Straighten Out My Life)
- Standing In The Shadows Of Love
- Shake Me, Wake Me (when It's Over)
- Reach Out Ill Be There
- Its The Same Old Song
- It's All In The Game
- Indestructible
- If I Were A Carpenter
- I Can't Help Myself
- Bernadette
- Baby, I Need Your Lovin
- Ask The Lonely
- Aint No Woman (like The One I've Got)
- 7 Rooms Of Gloom
RELEASE
ALBUMS
- Baby I Need Your Loving
- I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)
- Reach Out, I'll Be There
- Standing in the Shadows of Love
- Bernadette
- Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)
- Walk Away Renee
- Still Water (Love)
- Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)
- Are You Man Enough
- When She Was My Girl
- I Believe in You and Me
- Knock on My Door
- For Your Love
- Without the One You Love
- Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)
- Stoned Soul Picnic
- Baby (You've Got What It Takes)
- River Deep, Mountain High
- Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing
- Everyday People
- It's Got to Be a Miracle (This Thing Called Love)
- A Taste of Honey
- Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music
- You Gotta Have Love in Your Heart
- I Wonder Where We're Going
- Call Me
- One More Bridge to Cross
- If You Could See Me Now
- I'll Try Not to Cry
- I'm Glad About It
- Let's Make Love Now
- I Can't Believe You Love Me
- Where Would I Be Without You Baby
- What Do I Have to Do (To Stay on the Right Side of Love)
- Reach Out, I'll Be There
- Standing in the Shadows of Love
- Bernadette
- Ask the Lonely
- Baby I Need Your Loving
- Without the One You Love (Life's Not Worthwhile)
- It's the Same Old Song
- Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
- I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)
- Something About You
- I Got a Feeling
- Walk Away Renee
- Still Water (Love)
- (It's the Way) Nature Planned It
- It's All in the Game
- You Keep Running Away
- 7-Rooms of Gloom
- Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)
- Baby I Need Your Loving
- I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)
- Something About You
- Ask the Lonely
- It's the Same Old Song
- Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)
- Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
- Reach Out I'll Be There
- Standing in the Shadows of Love
- Bernadette
- Walk Away Renee
- If I Were a Carpenter
- Love Has Gone
- Your Love Is Amazing
- I Got a Feeling
- I'll Turn to Stone
- Helpless
- 7 Rooms of Gloom
- You Keep Running Away
- I'm in a Different World
- Still Water (Love)
- Walk With Me, Talk With Me, Darling
- What You Gonna Do With Me Baby
- Just One Last Look
- Gotta Say, Gonna Tell It Like It Is
- Baby I Need Your Loving
- Without the One You Love (Life's Not Worthwhile)
- Ask the Lonely
- 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)
- Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
- Reach Out I'll Be There
- Standing in the Shadows of Love
- Bernadette
- I Got a Feeling
- 7-Rooms of Gloom
- I'll Turn to Stone
- You Keep Running Away
- Walk Away Renée
- If I Were a Carpenter
- Yesterday's Dreams
- I'm in a Different World
- What Is a Man
- Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me
- It's All in the Game
- Still Water (Love)
- River Deep-Mountain High (feat. The Supremes)
- Just Sever Numbers (Can Straighten Out My Life)
- In These Changing Times
- MacArthur Park, Part II
- Reach Out I'll Be There
- Ask the Lonely
- Baby I Need Your Loving
- Bernadette
- I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)
- It's the Same Old Song
- Loving You is Sweeter Than Ever
- River Deep, Mountain High (feat. The Supremes)
- Still Water (Love)
- Standing in the Shadows of Love
- Reach Out I'll Be There
- Standing in the Shadows of Love
- Bernadette
- Walk Away Renee
- If I Were a Carpenter
- Simple Game
- 7 - Rooms of Gloom
- Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
- You Keep Running Away
- Yesterday's Dreams
- I'm in a Different World
- What Is a Man
- Loco in Acapulco
- Indestructible
- When She Was My Girl
- It's All in the Game
- Still Water (Love)
- I Can't Help Myself
- Do What You Gotta Do
- Keeper of the Castle
- Don't Walk Away
- I Can't Help Myself
- Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
- Reach Out I'll Be There
- Bernadette
- Walk Away Renee
- Yesterday's Dreams
- Do What You Gotta Do
- It's All in the Game
- Still Water (Love)
- Simple Game
- MacArthur Park
- Cherish
- River Deep, Mountain High
- Helpless
- Ask the Lonely
- Climb Ev'ry Mountain
- I Got a Feeling
- Just Seven Numbers (Can Straighten Out My Life)
- In These Changing Times
- For Once in My Life
- Yesterday's Dreams
- Can't Seem to Get You Out of My Mind
- I'm in a Different World
- We've Got a Strong Love (On Our Side)
- By the Time I Get to Phoenix
- Remember When
- Sunny
- Never My Love
- Daydream Believer
- Once Upon a Time
- Sweetheart Tree
- Place in the Sun
- Look Out Your Window
- Barbara's Boy
- Lost in a Pool of Red
- Got to Get Your Into My Life
- Stop the World
- Nothing
- This Guy's in Love With You
- Light My Fire
- Honey
- The Look of Love
- California Dreamin'
- Baby I Need Your Loving
- Without the One You Love (Life's Not Worthwhile)
- Where Did You Go
- Ask the Lonely
- Your Love Is Amazing
- Sad Souvenirs
- Don't Turn Away
- Teahouse in China Town
- Left With a Broken Heart
- Love Has Gone
- Call on Me
- I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)
- Love Feels Like Fire
- Is There Anything That I Can Do
- Something About You
- It's the Same Old Song
- Helpless
- Just as Long as You Need Me
- Darling, I Hum Our Song
- I Like Everything About You
- Since You've Been Gone
- Stay in My Lonely Arms
- I'm Grateful
- Still Water (Love)
- Reflections
- It's All in the Game
- Everybody's Talkin'
- Love Is the Answer
- I Wish I Were Your Mirror
- Elusive Butterfly
- Bring Me Together
- L.A. (My Town)
- Still Water (Peace)
- In These Changing Times
- Just Seven Numbers (Can Straighten Out My Life)
- Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head
- Right Before My Eyes
- I Almost Had Her (but She Got Away)
- Try to Remember
- Something's Tearing at the Edges of Time
- Sing a Song of Yesterday
- The Long and Winding Road / In These Changing Times
- If I Were a Carpenter
- Standing in the Shadows of Love
- MacArthur Park
- Sweet Understanding
- Ask the Lonely
- Still Water
- Seven Rooms of Gloom
- Indestructible
- Are You Man Enough
- When She Was My Girl
- Loco in Acapulco
- Keeper of the Castle
- Baby I Need Your Loving
- Ask the Lonely
- I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)
- Reach Out I'll Be There
- Standing in the Shadows of Love
- Bernadette
- Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)
- Walk Away Renee
- If I Were a Carpenter
- Still Water (Love)
- Ain't No Woman (Like the One I Got)
- It's the Same Old Song
- What Is a Man
- It's All in the Game
- I'm in a Different World
- Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
- Seven Rooms of Gloom
- Baby I Need Your Loving
- Without the One You Love (Life's Not Worth While)
- Ask the Lonely
- I Can't Help Myself
- It's the Same Old Song
- Something About You
- Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)
- Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
- Reach Out I'll Be There
- Standing in the Shadows of Love
- Bernadette
- 7 Rooms of Gloom
- I'll Turn to Stone
- You Keep Running Away
- Walk Away Renee
- If I Were a Carpenter
- I'm a Believer
- Yesterday's Dreams
- I'm in a Different World
- What Is a Man
- Do What You Gotta Do
- Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me
- Barbara's Boy
- It's All in the Game
- Still Water (Love)
- Just Seven Numbers
- In These Changing Times
- This Can't Be Love
- On the Street Where You Live
- Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You
- Nice 'n' Easy
- Maybe Today
- Stranger on the Shore
- Young and Foolish
- Discovered
- I Left My Heart in San Francisco
- Fascinating Rhythm
- End of a Beautiful Friendship
- If My Heart Could Sing
- Can't Get Out of This Mood
- When I'm Alone I Cry
- Until I Met You
- I'm Falling for You
- Everyday I Have the Blues / Goin' to Chicago Blues
- I Could Have Danced All Night
- I'm Falling for You (live at the Apollo)
- Are You Man Enough
- Keeper of the Castle
- One Chain Don't Make No Prison
- Sweet Understanding Love
- Midnight Flower
- Strung Out for Your Love
- Just Can't Get You Out of MY Mind
- Am I My Brothers Keeper
- Catfish
- Right on Brother
- Tell Me You Love Me
- I'm Glad You Walked Into My Life
- You'll Never Find a Better Man
- Medley: Love Music/Reach Out/Standing in the Shadows of Love (live)
- Baby I Need Your Loving
- Without the One You Love (Life's Not Worth While)
- Ask The Lonely
- 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)
- I Got a Feeling
- Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
- Reach Out (I'll Be There)
- Standing In The Shadows Of Love
- Bernadette
- 7-Rooms Of Gloom
- I'll Turn to Stone
- You Keep Running Away
- Walk Away Renee
- If I Were A Carpenter
- I'm in a Different World
- Do What You Gotta Do
- It's All In the Game
- Still Water (Love)
- River Deep, Mountain High
- Simple Game
- Keeper Of The Castle
- Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)
- Ain't No Woman (Like the One I Got)
- Keeper of the Castle
- Jubilee With Soul
- Seven Lonely Nights
- Am I My Brother's Keeper
- We All Gotaa Stick Together
- Main Street People
- Meetings of the Minds
- Are You Man Enough
- Midnight Flower
- All My Love
- Sweet Understanding Love
- I Just Can't Get You Out of My Mind
- One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)
- Love Ain't Easy to Come By
- Baby I Need Your Loving
- Reach Out I'll Be There
- Love Feels Like Fire
- I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)
- I'm Grateful
- It's the Same Old Song
- Just as Long as You Need Me
- Baby I Need Your Loving
- Call on Me
- Where Did You Go
- Your Love Is Amazing
- Tea House in China Town
- Ask the Lonely
- Sad Souvenirs
- Don't Turn Away
- Love Has Gone
- Is There Anything That I Can Do
- Darling, I Hum Our Song
- Helpless
- Standing in the Shadows of Love
- The Look of Love
- Seven Rooms of Gloom
- Where Did You Go
- Sunny
- Honey
- Loving You is Sweeter Than Ever
- Daydream Believer
- I'm Grateful
- This Guy's in Love with You
- The Key
- Light My Fire
- The Key
- What Is a Man
- My Past Just Crossed My Future
- Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me
- Eleanor Rigby
- Little Green Apples
- Do What You Gotta Do
- Mac Arthur Park
- Don't Bring Back Memories
- Wish I Didn't Love You So
- Opportunity Knock (For Me)
- The Fool on the Hill
- Introduction
- It's the Same Old Song
- It's Not Unusual
- Baby I Need Your Loving
- Reach Out I'll Be There
- I'll Turn to Stone
- I Left My Heart in San Francisco
- You Can't Hurry Love
- Ask the Lonely
- Climb Ev'ry Mountain
- The Girl From Ipanema
- If I Had a Hammer
- I Can't Help Myself
- I Like Everything About You
- Knock on My Door
- For Your Love
- Without the One You Love
- Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)
- Stoned Soul Picnic
- Baby, (You've Got What It Takes)
- River Deep - Mountain High
- Ain't Nothin' Like the Real Thing
- Everyday People
- It's Got to Be a Miracle (This Thing Called Love)
- A Taste of Honey
- Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music
- Reach Out I'll Be There
- Standing in the Shadows of Love
- Bernadette
- Walk Away Renee
- If I Were a Carpenter
- Simple Game
- 7-Rooms of Gloom
- Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
- You Keep Running Away
- Yesterday's Dreams
- I'm in a Different World
- What Is a Man
- Loco in Acapulco
- Indestructible
- When She Was My Girl
- It's All in the Game
- Still Water (Love)
- I Can't Help Myself
- Do What You Gotta Do
- Keeper of the Castle
- Don't Walk Away
- Keeper of the Castle
- Are You Man Enough
- Sweet Understanding Love
- Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)
- Medley: Love Music/Reach Out, I'll Be There/Standing in the Shadows of Love
- Baby I Need Your Loving
- All My Love
- I Just Can't Get You Out of My Mind
- Seven Lonely Nights
- We All Gotta Stick Together
- Indestructible
- Change of Heart (feat. Aretha Franklin)
- If Ever a Love There Was
- The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine
- Next Time
- Loco in Acapulco
- Are You With Me
- I'm Only Wounded
- When You Dance
- Let's Jam
- River Deep - Mountain High
- If I Could Build My Whole World Around You
- You Gotta Have Love in Your Heart
- Hello Stranger
- Without the One You Love
- I'll Try Not to Cry
- Baby (You've Got What It Takes)
- Call Me
- Don't Let Me Lose This Dream
- I Can't Believe You Love Me
- Good Lovin' Ain't Easy to Come By
- One More Bridge to Cross
- Melodie
- If You Could See Me Now
- Do You Love Me Just a Little Honey
- If
- Reach Out I'll Be There
- Baby I Need Your Loving
- Bernadette
- Walk Away Renee
- 7 Rooms of Gloom
- I Can't Help Myself
- It's the Same Old Song
- Standing in the Shadow of Love
- Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
- You Keep Running Away
- If I Were a Carpenter
- Ask the Lonely
- Something About You
- Shake Me, Wake Me
- I'll Turn to Stone
- Cherish
- Baby I Need Your Loving
- Without the One You Love (Life's Not Worthwhile)
- Sad Souvenirs
- Ask the Lonely
- I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)
- Helpless
- It's the Same Old Song
- Something About You
- Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)
- Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
- Then
- Reach Out, I'll Be There
- Standing in the Shadows of Love
- I Got a Feeling
- Bernadette
- 7-Rooms of Gloom
- I'll Turn to Stone
- MacArthur Park
- Climb Every Mountain (live)
- Everybody's Talking
- For Once in My Life
- A Place in the Sun
- Reflections
- The Show Must Go On
- I Can't Live Without You
- Save It for a Rainy Day
- Runnin' From Your Love
- See the Real Me
- Love Is a Joy
- You'll Never Find a Better Man
- Candy
- Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)
- Are You Man Enough
- I Am Your Man
- Keeper of the Castle
- Love Music
- Baby I Need Your Loving
- I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)
- Midnight Flower
- One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)
- Baby I Need Your Loving
- Without the One You Love (Life's Not Worth While)
- Ask the Lonely
- I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie; Honey Bunch)
- It's the Same Old Song
- Something About You
- Baby I Need Your Loving
- Without the One You Love
- Ask the Lonely
- 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)
- Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
- Reach Out I'll Be There
- Standing in the Shadows of Love
- Bernadette
- Seven Rooms of Gloom
- I'll Turn to Stone
- You Keep Running Away
- Walk Away Renee
- If I Were a Carpenter
- Main Street People (Intro)
- I Just Can't Get You Out of My Mind
- It Won't Be the First Time
- Sweet Understanding Love
- Am I My Brother's Keeper
- Are You Man Enough
- Whenever There's Blue
- Too Little, Too Late
- Peace of Mind
- One Woman Man
- Main Street People
- Keeper of the Castle
- Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)
- Put a Little Love Away
- Turn on the Light of Your Love
- When Tonight Meets Tomorrow
- Love Music
- Remember What I Told You to Forget
- (I Think I Must Be) Dreaming
- The Good Lord Knows
- Jubilee With Soul
- Love Makes You Human
- Keeper of the Castle (reprise)
- It's Impossible
- The Bigger You Come (the Harder You Fall)
- Hello Stranger
- Love the One You're With
- Good Lovin' Ain't Easy to Come By
- Melody
- If
- If I Could Build My Whole World Around You
- Don't Let Me Lose This Dream
- Do You Love Me Just a Little, Honey
- I Am Your Man
- (It's the Way) Nature Planned It
- I'll Never Change
- She's an Understanding Woman
- I Can't Quit Your Love
- Walk With Me, Talk With Me Darling
- Medley: Hey Man/We Got to Get You a Woman
- You Gotta Forget Him, Darling
- If You Let Me
- Happy (Is a Bumpy Road)
- How Will I Forget You
- You Gotta Have Love in Your Heart
- I Wonder Where We're Going
- Call Me
- One More Bridge to Cross
- If You Could See Me Now
- I'll Try Not to Cry
- I'm Glad About It
- Let's Make Love Now
- I Can't Believe You Love Me
- Where Would I Be Without You, Baby
- What Do You Have to Do (to Stay on the Right Side of Love)
- Look Out Your Window
- Barbara's Boy
- Lost in a Pool of Red
- Got to Get You Into My Life
- Stop the World
- Nothing
- This Guy's in Love With You
- Light My Fire
- Honey
- The Look of Love
- California Dreamin'
- Still Water (Love)
- Reflections
- It's All in the Game
- Everybody's Talking
- Love Is the Answer
- I Wish I Were Your Mirror
- Elusive Butterfly
- Bring Me Together
- L.A. (My Town)
- Still Water (Peace)
- In These Changing Times
- Just Seven Numbers (Can Straighten Out My Life)
- Raindops Keep Fallin' On My Head
- Right Before My Eyes
- I Almost Had Her (But She Got Away)
- Try to Remember
- Something's Tearing at the Edge's of Time
- Sing a Song of Yesterday
- Medley: Long and Winding Road / In These Changing Times
- Yesterday's Dreams
- Can't Seem to Get You Out of My Mind
- I'm in a Different World
- We've Got a Strong Love (On Our Side)
- By the Time I Get to Phoenix
- Remember When
- Sunny
- Never My Love
- Daydream Believer
- Once Upon a Time
- The Sweetheart Tree
- A Place in the Sun
- I Got a Feeling
- Brenda
- Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
- Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)
- Until You Love Someone
- There's No Love Left
- Matchmaker, Matchmaker
- Michelle
- In the Still of the Night
- Bluesette
- Quiet Nights of Quite Stars
- Then
- I Can't Help Myself
- Love Feels Like Fire
- Is There Anything That I Can Do
- Something About You
- It's the Same Old Song
- Helpless
- Just as Long as You Need Me
- Darling, I Hum Our Song
- I Like Everything About You
- Since You've Been Gone
- Stay in My Lonely Arms
- I'm Grateful
- Yesterday's Dreams
- I'm in a Different World
- What Is a Man
- Do What You Gotta Do
- Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me
- Barbara's Boy
- It's All in the Game
- Still Water (Love)
- MacArthur Park
- Baby I Need You Loving
- Bernadette
- It's the Same Old Song
- Walk Away Renee
- Still Waters Run Deep
- Keeper of the Castle
- Something About You
- Ask the Lonely
- Still of the Night
- When She Was My Girl
- Ain't No Woman
- Always and Forever
- Medley
- Can't Help Myself
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20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Four Tops, Volume 2
- Keeper of the Castle
- Are You Man Enough
- Sweet Understanding Love
- One Chain Don't Make No Prison
- Midnight Flower
- Seven Lonely Nights
- Catfish
- When She Was My Girl
- Tonight I'm Going to Love You All Over
- I Believe in You and Me
- The Temptations and Four Tops Medley
- I Just Can't Walk Alone
- Ain't No Woman
- Keeper of the Castle
- You'll Never Find a Better Man
- Seven Lonely Nights
- Catfish
- We All Gotta Stick Together
- Candy
- See the Real Me
- Are You Man Enough
- Midnight Flower
- Running From Your Love
- Sweet Understanding Love
- I Just Can't Get You Out of My Mind
- One Chain Don't Make No Prison
- Save It for a Rainy Day
- I Can't Live Without You
- Baby I Need Your Loving
- Ask the Lonely
- I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)
- Reach Out I'll Be There
- Standing in the Shadows of Love
- Bernadette
- Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)
- Walk Away Renee
- If I Were a Carpenter
- Still Water (Love)
- Ain't No Woman (Like the One I Got)
- Introduction
- MacArthur Park
- Shake and Wake Me
- Baby I Need Your Loving
- In the Still of the Night
- Ain't No Woman Like the One I Got
- When She Was My Girl
- I've Got You Under My Skin
- Ask the Lonely
- Medley Old Songs
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Four Tops - It's The Same Old Song (1966) HQ
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:42
- Published: 03 Apr 2010
- Updated: 13 Oct 2012
HQ-Video. Four Tops - It's The Same Old Song, released 1965.
http://wn.com/Four_Tops_It's_The_Same_Old_Song_1966_HQ
The Four Tops - Baby I Need Your Loving
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:46
- Published: 09 Jun 2008
- Updated: 13 Oct 2012
Simply put it's one of the greatest songs ever written and performed. It was released n the fall of 1964 and composed by Holland Dozier Holland, and was the Four Tops first hit. It reached No.11 on the billboard charts and has now passed into folklore as classic definitive motown. Masterfully led by the great Levi Stubbs and atmospherically backed by Fakir, Payton and Benson.
http://wn.com/The_Four_Tops_Baby_I_Need_Your_Loving
Loco in Acapulco - The Four Tops
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:11
- Published: 24 Apr 2009
- Updated: 13 Oct 2012
Loco in Acapulco was a 1988 hit song by The Four Tops. It was written by Phil Collins and Lamont Dozier for the film "Buster" that also starred Phil Collins in the title role. Going loco down in Acapulco, If you stay too long. Yes you'll be going loco down in Acapulco, The magic down there is so strong. Feel the pressure, your back's against the wall. Love is gaining on you, you're just about to fall. If you're afraid to love, afraid to take a chance, You better hide your feelings, get out while you can. 'Cause you'll be going loco down in Acapulco, if you stay too long. Yes youll be going loco down in Acapulco, The magic down there is so strong. You can hear voices pleading through those warm Latin nights. Memories are lost and found, leaving broken hearts all over town. Going loco down in Acapulco, If you stay too long. Yes you'll be going loco down in Acapulco, The magic down there is so strong. You'll be pulling out your hair, drowning in despair, With a whole lot of nothing, on your way to nowhere. Your search for paradise will come to an end When you realize what a fool you've been. You'll be haunted by her face, missing her warm embrace. Memories of loving her, holding her tight every night. Was that the best part of your life? Hearing her voice soft and low, begging you to please, please don't go. Don't go! Don't go! Don't go! - You can hear voices pleading through those warm Latin nights. Memories are lost and found, leaving broken hearts all over town, all over <b>...</b>
http://wn.com/Loco_in_Acapulco_The_Four_Tops
The four tops - Reach out i´ll be there
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:03
- Published: 14 Nov 2008
- Updated: 13 Oct 2012
Buy the song @: cdon.no
http://wn.com/The_four_tops_Reach_out_i´ll_be_there
TEMPTATIONS VS. FOUR TOPS 1985
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:59
- Published: 17 Jun 2008
- Updated: 14 Oct 2012
TEMPTATIONS VS. FOUR TOPS THE MANHATTTANS,THE DRIFTERS,THE CADILLACS
http://wn.com/TEMPTATIONS_VS_FOUR_TOPS_1985
The four tops - It´s the same old song
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:47
- Published: 14 Nov 2008
- Updated: 13 Oct 2012
1965 Album: Four tops second album
http://wn.com/The_four_tops_It´s_the_same_old_song
The Four Tops - Sugar Pie Honey Bunch
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:40
- Published: 25 May 2007
- Updated: 13 Oct 2012
Only the sound. This belongs to their writters and singers and recorders and etc and etc That "video" is here solely for entertainment purposes. That's indeed one of my favorite tunes ever. When I posted this video, I thought there wouldn't be many views and I just uploaded it because I thought "this song is very cool and a bunch of people may want to see it" now I'm happy 'cause you bunch of people are a bit more than 1080000. thanks. BY THE WAY... Just a curiosity! The first time I heard it, was in Madonna's "Who's that girl" concert. She sang a few verses and I got me really willing to find the original version. So she taught me both how to like good music and to speak English! thank you too Madonna. lol Lucas.
http://wn.com/The_Four_Tops_Sugar_Pie_Honey_Bunch
Four Tops: Bernadette (live)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:45
- Published: 28 Dec 2007
- Updated: 10 Oct 2012
True legends of soul music live in concert: The Four Tops. Recorded 2004 in Miami. Including Levi Stubbs as the lead vocalist, which is a little sensation. Enjoy them and their great music. The song has not been cut. It indeed ends after 02:45.
http://wn.com/Four_Tops_Bernadette_live
The Four Tops - "When She Was My Girl" Live - 'Fridays' (1981)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:33
- Published: 03 Sep 2009
- Updated: 13 Oct 2012
A live performance by The Four Tops, of their last Billboard Hot 100 Top 20 hit, "When She Was My Girl". This performance was done live on ABC TV's late night comedy show, "Fridays", in 1981. Introduced by Fridays cast member, Bruce Mahler. Check out the exceptional performance by the brass section! Outstanding, IMO!
http://wn.com/The_Four_Tops_When_She_Was_My_Girl_Live_'Fridays'_1981
The four tops - I can't help myself - Live HQ
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:44
- Published: 26 Feb 2008
- Updated: 13 Oct 2012
classic soul
http://wn.com/The_four_tops_I_can't_help_myself_Live_HQ
The Four Tops Walk Away Renee
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:45
- Published: 18 Oct 2009
- Updated: 13 Oct 2012
Motown at it's BEST. "Walk Away Renée" is a song made popular by the band The Left Banke in 1966 (single release: July 1966, Smash Records, title printed as "Walk Away Renee"), composed by the group's then 16-year-old keyboard player Michael Brown (real name Michael Lookofsky) and Tony Sansone. Bob Calilli is also credited as a writer, though he didn't actually write any of the lyrics or music - he received credit in exchange for setting up the session in which the writing stage of the song was completed.[citation needed] The song was also a chart hit for the Motown group The Four Tops[1] in 1968. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
http://wn.com/The_Four_Tops_Walk_Away_Renee
The Temptations & The Four Tops
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:35
- Published: 01 Feb 2009
- Updated: 12 Oct 2012
The Temptations & The Four Tops At The Motown 25th
http://wn.com/The_Temptations_The_Four_Tops
The Four Tops "Still Waters Run Deep" (1970)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:09
- Published: 10 Aug 2008
- Updated: 13 Oct 2012
The Four Tops "Still Waters Run Deep" (1970)
http://wn.com/The_Four_Tops_Still_Waters_Run_Deep_1970
The Temptations Vs The Four Tops live Motown
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:55
- Published: 06 May 2009
- Updated: 13 Oct 2012
Great video of The Temptations and The Four Tops!
http://wn.com/The_Temptations_Vs_The_Four_Tops_live_Motown
The Temptations Vs The Four Tops LIVE ! ( 1985 )
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:14
- Published: 14 Jan 2009
- Updated: 01 Oct 2012
Sometimes you have to see it to believe it. This really happened on a night very special night in 1985. It was a celebration honoring the 50th anniversary of the Apollo theater.
http://wn.com/The_Temptations_Vs_The_Four_Tops_LIVE_!_1985_
The Four Tops - Are You Man Enough?
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:30
- Published: 01 Dec 2008
- Updated: 13 Oct 2012
The Four Tops' 1973 "Are You Man Enough" came out after the group left Motown Records; it appeared on the soundtrack to Shaft in Africa. My sister had this on tape when I was a kid and it still remains one of my favourite tracks.
http://wn.com/The_Four_Tops_Are_You_Man_Enough?
The four tops - Bernadette
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:03
- Published: 14 Nov 2008
- Updated: 13 Oct 2012
Released 1967 Buy the song @: cdon.no/musikk/four_tops/gold-520418
http://wn.com/The_four_tops_Bernadette
THE FOUR TOPS - I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:56
- Published: 24 Oct 2008
- Updated: 13 Oct 2012
The Four Tops - I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)
http://wn.com/THE_FOUR_TOPS_I_Can't_Help_Myself_Sugar_Pie,_Honey_Bunch
Reach Out I'll Be There...Four Tops
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:08
- Published: 31 Oct 2008
- Updated: 13 Oct 2012
Off the Cooley High soundtrack 1975
http://wn.com/Reach_Out_I'll_Be_ThereFour_Tops
THE FOUR TOPS - Reach Out (I'll Be There)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:16
- Published: 04 Jan 2012
- Updated: 13 Oct 2012
Performed at "The Ed Sullivan Show" on 16 October 1966 *********************************************************************** Now if you feel that you can't go on (can't go on) Because all of your hope is gone (all your hope is gone) And your life is filled with much confusion (much confusion) Until happiness is just an illusion (happiness is just an illusion) And your world around is crumbling down, darlin Reach out come on girl reach on out for me Reach out reach out for me I'll be there with a love that will shelter you I'll be there with a love that will see you through When you feel lost and about to give up (to give up) Cause your life just ain't good enough (just ain't good enough) And your feel the world has grown cold (has grown cold) And your drifting out all on your own (drifting out on your own) And you need a hand to hold, darlin Reach out come on girl reach out for me Reach out reach out for me I'll be there to love and comfort you And 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 I can tell the way you hang your head (hang your head) Your not in love now, now your afraid (you're afraid) And through the tears you look around (look around) But there's no piece of mind to be found (no piece of mind to be found) I know what your thinking, You're alone now, no love of your own, but darling Reach out come on girl reach out for me Reach out reach out.......... just look over your shoulder I <b>...</b>
http://wn.com/THE_FOUR_TOPS_Reach_Out_I'll_Be_There
I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) by The Four Tops with Lyrics
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:47
- Published: 26 Sep 2010
- Updated: 13 Oct 2012
I have decided to put my whole music collection on Youtube. I do not own the rights to any of the songs. #74 I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) by The Four Tops Album: Second Album Year: 1965 Written By: Lamont Dozier/Eddie Holland/Brian Holland October 12, 2010 - 102 Views January 14, 2011 - 1061 Views April 18, 2012 - 23933 Views
http://wn.com/I_Can't_Help_Myself_Sugar_Pie,_Honey_Bunch_by_The_Four_Tops_with_Lyrics
THE FOUR TOPS "Reach Out, I'll Be There" on The Ed Sullivan Show
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:00
- Published: 16 May 2010
- Updated: 11 Oct 2012
www.EdSullivan.com - Performed on "The Ed Sullivan Show" on October 16, 1966. Available on "The Very Best of The Ed Sullivan Show Volume 1" and "Rock 'N' Roll Classics" DVDs.
http://wn.com/THE_FOUR_TOPS_Reach_Out,_I'll_Be_There_on_The_Ed_Sullivan_Show
Levi Stubbs/Four Tops "Sunny"
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:28
- Published: 24 Oct 2008
- Updated: 26 Sep 2012
Cover of the Bobby Hebb hit 1968
http://wn.com/Levi_Stubbs_Four_Tops_Sunny
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| Four Tops | |
|---|---|
 The Four Tops in concert, 2007 |
|
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Four Tops, The Four Aims, The Tops |
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | Soul, R&B, doo-wop, jazz, rock, hard rock, pop |
| Years active | 1953 – present |
| Labels | Red Top Riverside Columbia Motown ABC Casablanca Arista |
| Members | |
| Abdul "Duke" Fakir Roquel Payton Ronnie McNeir Harold "Spike" Bonhart |
|
| Past members | |
| Levi Stubbs Renaldo "Obie" Benson Lawrence Payton Theo Peoples |
|
The 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' Joe Stubbs), and groupmates Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton remained together for over four decades, having gone from 1953 until 1997 without a single change in personnel.
Among a number of groups who helped define the Motown Sound of the 1960s, including The Miracles, The Marvelettes, Martha and the Vandellas, The Temptations, and The Supremes, the Four Tops were notable for having Stubbs, a baritone, as their lead singer; most groups of the time were fronted by a tenor. The group was the main male vocal group for the songwriting and production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, who crafted a stream of hit singles, including two Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits: "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" and "Reach Out I'll Be There". After Holland-Dozier-Holland left Motown in 1967, the Four Tops were assigned to a number of producers, primarily Frank Wilson. When Motown left Detroit in 1972 to move to Los Angeles, California, the Tops stayed in Detroit and moved over to ABC Records, where they continued to have charting singles into the late-1970s. Since the 1980s, the Four Tops have recorded for, at various times, Motown, Casablanca Records and Arista Records. Today, save for Indestructible (owned by Sony Music Entertainment), Universal Music Group controls the rights to their entire post-1963 catalog (through various mergers and acquisitions), as well as their 1956 single, "Could It Be You".
A change of line-up was finally forced upon the group when Lawrence Payton died on June 20, 1997. The band initially continued as a three-piece under the name The Tops,[1] before Theo Peoples (formerly of The Temptations) was recruited as the new fourth member. Peoples eventually took over the role of lead singer when Stubbs suffered a stroke in 2000 with his position assumed by Ronnie McNeir. On July 1, 2005, Benson died of lung cancer with Payton's son Roquel Payton replacing him. Levi Stubbs died on October 17, 2008. Fakir, McNeir, Payton, and Harold "Spike" Bonhart, who replaced Peoples in 2011, are still performing together as the Four Tops. Fakir is now the only surviving founding member of the original group.
Contents |
History[link]
Early years[link]
All four members of the group began their careers together while they were high school students in Detroit. At the insistence of their friends, Pershing High students Levi Stubbs and Abdul "Duke" Fakir performed with Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton from Northern High at a local birthday party. The quartet decided to remain together, and christened themselves The Four Aims. With the help of Payton's songwriter cousin Roquel Davis, The Aims signed to Chess Records in 1956, changing their name to Four Tops to avoid confusion with The Ames Brothers. Over the next seven years, The Tops endured unsuccessful tenures at Chess, Red Top, Riverside Records and Columbia Records. Without any hit records to their name, The Tops toured frequently, developing a polished stage presence and an experienced supper club act. In 1963, Berry Gordy, Jr., who had worked with Roquel Davis as a songwriter in the late-1950s, convinced The Tops to join the roster of his growing Motown record company.
Joining Motown[link]
During their early Motown years, the Four Tops recorded jazz standards for the company's Workshop label. In addition, they filled in time by singing backup on Motown singles[2] such as The Supremes' "Run, Run, Run." The Tops also did backing vocals for the group who is known as the equivalent to The Four Tops (Like The Supremes are known as the equivalent to The Temptations),[citation needed] Martha Reeves & The Vandellas on their 1966 hit "My Baby Loves Me".
In 1964, Motown's main songwriting/production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland 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" from the lyric-less instrumental track. Upon its mid-1964 release, "Baby I Need Your Loving" made it to #11 on the United States Billboard pop charts. However, the song proved to be much more popular on trend-setting radio stations in key U.S. markets; Baby I Need Your Loving was a strong top 10 hit on both WMCA in New York, and WKNR in Detroit—stations watched by radio people all over the country because these stations broke new artists and songs. After the single's success The Tops were pulled away from their jazz material and began recording more material in the vein of "Baby I Need Your Loving."
The first follow-up single, "Without the One You Love (Life's Not Worth While)", missed both the pop and R&B Top 40 charts by only thirty positions. "Ask the Lonely", released early in 1965, was a Top 30 pop hit and a Top Ten R&B hit, and the from there, the Tops' fortunes began to improve.
File:Fourtops-reachout-album.jpg
The cover to the 1967 LP Reach Out.
Success[link]
After scoring their first #1 hit, the often-recorded and revived "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" in June 1965, the Four Tops began a long series of successful hit singles. Among the first wave of these hits were the Top 10 "It's the Same Old Song", "Something About You", "Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)", and "Loving You is Sweeter Than Ever". Four Tops records often represented the epitome of the Motown Sound: simple distinctive melodies and rhymes, call-and-response lyrics, and the musical contributions of The Funk Brothers. Holland-Dozier-Holland wrote most of Levi Stubbs' vocals in a tenor range, near the top of his range, in order to get a sense of strained urgency in his gospel preacher-inspired leads. In addition, H-D-H used additional background vocals from female background vocalists The Andantes on many of these songs, to add a high end to the low-voiced harmony of The Tops, with "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" being one of the few exceptions .....
August 1966 brought the release of the Four Tops' all-time biggest hit, and one of the most popular Motown songs ever: "Reach Out I'll Be There", which hit #1 on the U.S. pop charts[2] and soon became The Tops' signature song. It was almost immediately followed by the similar sounding "Standing in the Shadows of Love"; its depictions of heartbreak reflected the polar opposite of the optimism expressed in "Reach Out". It was another Top 10 hit for the Tops.
The Top 10 U.S. hit "Bernadette" centered around a man's all-consuming obsession with his lover,[2] continued the Four Tops' successful run into April 1967, followed by the Top 20 hits "7-Rooms of Gloom", and "You Keep Running Away". By now, The Tops were the most successful male Motown act in the United Kingdom (in the United States, they were second to The Temptations), and began experimenting with more mainstream pop hits. They scored hits with their versions of Tim Hardin's "If I Were A Carpenter" in late 1967 (mid-1968 in the U.S.) and the Left Banke's "Walk Away Renée" in early 1968. These singles and the original "I'm In a Different World" were their last hits produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland, who left Motown in 1967 after disputes with Berry Gordy over royalties and ownership of company shares.
File:Four-tops-still-waters-run-deep.jpg
The cover of the 1970 LP Still Waters Run Deep.
Late Motown period[link]
Without H-D-H, the quality of the Four Tops' output, like that of most of Motown, began to decline, and hits became less frequent. The group worked with a wide array of Motown producers during the late-1960s, including Ivy Hunter, Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson, Norman Whitfield, 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 work with The Temptations. Their 1970 album "Still Waters Run Deep" was an early ancestor to the concept album. 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' Obie Benson.
In addition to their own albums, The Tops were paired with The Supremes, who had just replaced lead singer Diana Ross with Jean Terrell, for a series of albums billed under the joint title The Magnificent Seven: The Magnificent Seven in 1970, and The Return of the Magnificent Seven and Dynamite! in 1971. While the albums themselves did not do well on the charts, The Magnificent Seven featured a Top 20 version of Ike & Tina Turner's "River Deep - Mountain High", produced by Ashford & Simpson.
The 1971 single "A Simple Game" featured backing vocals from members of The Moody Blues. The song did not fare well on the U.S. charts, but reached #3 on the UK charts.
File:Four-tops-keeper-castle-lp.jpg
The cover of the 1972 LP Keeper of the Castle.
ABC Records and Casablanca Records[link]
The Motown company began to change in a number of ways during the early 1970s. Older acts such as Martha and the Vandellas and The Marvelettes were being slowly shoved aside to focus on newer acts such as Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5, Rare Earth, and the now-solo Diana Ross. In addition, the company was slowly moving many of its operations from Detroit to Los Angeles, California, where Berry Gordy planned to break into the motion picture and television industries. In 1972, it was announced that the entire company would move to Los Angeles, 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 backing band, Martha Reeves, and the Four Tops.
The Tops departed Motown for ABC-Dunhill, where they were assigned to songwriter-producers Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, with The Tops' own Lawrence Payton also serving as a producer and arranger. "Keeper of the Castle" was their first pop Top 10 hit since "Bernadette" in 1967; follow-ups such as "Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)"-- (another top 10 pop hit) -- the Top 20 "Are You Man Enough" (from the movie "Shaft In Africa"), "Sweet Understanding Love", "Midnight Flower" and "One Chain Don't Make No Prison" all hit 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. By the release of "Catfish" in 1976, the hits had dried up again, and the group disappeared into obscurity in the late-1970s, though scoring another hit in the UK; "Don't walk away" in 1980. Scoring a deal with Casablanca Records in 1980, the Four Tops made a comeback in 1981 with the #1 R&B hit "When She Was My Girl", which just missed the Billboard Pop Top 10, peaking at # 11. But, once again , "When She Was My Girl" has also become a classic on the southeast Beach/Shag Club circuit
Return to Motown[link]
By 1983, The Tops had rejoined Motown, and were featured on the company's television special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever. One of the highlights of the show was a battle-of-the-bands between The Tops and The Temptations, patterned after similar competitions Berry Gordy had staged during the 1960s. Levi Stubbs and Temptation Otis Williams decided the Temptations/Tops battle would be a good one to take on the road, and both groups began a semi-regular joint tour; as of 2007, the two groups continue to play dates together.
The first of The Tops' albums under their new Motown contract was Back Where I Belong. A whole side of the album was produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland, including the R&B Top 40 single "I Just Can't Walk Away." Only one more Top album would be released by Motown, 1985's Magic. 1986's Hot Nights was canceled, as the group and the label began to quarrel on matters of marketing and musical direction. In 1987, the Four Tops decided to leave Motown again, this time for Arista Records, buying back several masters they had recorded for Hot Nights. It's not clear how many songs from Hot Nights were used for Indestructible. The 2001 box set Fourever only names Indestructible itself. Other songs that were intended for Hot Nights and appear on Fourever are the title track (released as a single), Red Hot Love and The Four Of Us (previously released outside the USA on a CD single of Loco in Acapulco).
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 cop film, Alien Nation.. The Arista contract provided a unique opportunity to pair the group's popular lead singer Levi Stubbs with fellow Arista artist, legendary R&B vocalist Aretha Franklin, who was at the height of her own 1980s hit streak. This pairing resulted in the 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 motion picture "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka."
In December 1988, The Tops had been scheduled to board Pan Am Flight 103 to return to the U.S. for Christmas after completing their European tour. However, they were late getting out of a recording session and overslept, causing them to miss the ill-fated flight which crashed in Lockerbie, Scotland, after a terrorist bomb was detonated onboard.[3][4]
In addition to their own recordings, the Four Tops also worked in the fields of television and motion pictures. The group as a whole performed a song for the 1982 film Grease 2, and Levi Stubbs performed the vocals for the man-eating plant Audrey II in the 1986 musical film Little Shop of Horrors; and the voice of the evil Mother Brain on the Nintendo-based NBC Saturday morning cartoon Captain N: The Game Master from 1989 to 1991.
Later years[link]
Since the late-1980s, the Four Tops have focused on touring and live performances, only recording one album, 1995's Christmas Here With You, released on Motown. On June 20, 1997, 59-year-old Lawrence Payton died as a result of liver cancer, after singing for 44 years with the Four Tops who, unlike many Motown groups, never had a single lineup change until then. At first, Levi Stubbs, Obie Benson, and Duke Fakir toured as a trio called The Tops. In 1998 they recruited former Temptation Theo Peoples to join the act to restore the group to a quartet. By the turn of the 19th to 20th century, Stubbs had become ill from cancer; Ronnie McNair was recruited to fill in the Lawrence Payton position, and Peoples stepped into Stubbs' shoes as lead singer (Stubbs 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, 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 the wheelchair-bound Levi Stubbs, and a memorial to Lawrence Payton, announced by Obie Benson. Benson appeared on one more PBS special and died on July 1, 2005, from lung cancer. The final PBS special, titled Motown: The Early Years, featured a message of Benson's passing following the credits. Lawrence Payton's son Roquel (real name Lawrence Payton, Jr.) replaced Benson as the new bass (Roquel could be seen in the pledge break interviews of Motown: The Early Years). Theo Peoples left the group recently as well and was replaced by Spike Deleon. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked them #79 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[5] In 2005, The Four Tops were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.[6] Two of the group's recordings have been voted Legendary Michigan Songs: the Four Top's first big hit, "Baby I Need Your Loving" in 2009, and their first # 1 hit, "I Can't Help Myself", in 2011.[7]
The Four Tops Career Awards[link]
The Four Tops have won many awards during their long and distinguished career,including the following:
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1990) [8]
- Vocal Group Hall of Fame (1999) [9]
- Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame [12]
- Grammy Hall Of Fame (Reach Out I'll Be There-1998) [13]
- Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2009-51st Annual Grammy Awards)[14]
- Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award (1997) [15]
- Billboard Magazine Top 100 Artists of All Time(#77) [16]
- 100 Greatest Artists of All Time (#79-Rolling Stone Magazine)
After similar releases in the Motown "Definitive DVD" series on The Miracles, The Temptations, The Supremes, and Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops' Motown Definitive DVD, "Reach Out," was finally released on November 11, 2008.
The Four Tops received The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award as part of the 51st Annual Grammy Awards.[18][19]
Speaking in January 2010 to noted UK soul writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning Blues & Soul, Fakir confirmed plans for the current "new" Four Tops line-up to release a new album while revealing his personal feelings about the current line-up: "To me the new group is like an extension of the family, because we've all been very close for so many years... Which makes it easier for ME, because I truly miss Lawrence, 'Obie' AND Levi - I'd be lying if I said I didn't - and not one of them could EVER be replaced. But, you know, these new guys do perform well enough for the people to still enjoy the shows and still enjoy the music. So for me it kinda makes it bittersweet. Because, at the end of the day, the legacy is still going on, and I'm very pleased that it IS!"[20]
The Four Tops sang the National Anthem before the start of game 5 for the 2011 ALCS between the Texas Rangers & Detroit Tigers on October 13, 2011 in Detroit, MI. When singing the last line of "The Star Spangled Banner", "...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".
Discography[link]
Main article: Four Tops discography
Billboard Hot 100 US and UK singles[link]
The following singles reached the top thirty of the singles charts.
| Year | Song title | US Top | US R&B | US AC | UK Top |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964: | "Baby I Need Your Loving" | 11 | - | - | - |
| 1965: | "Ask the Lonely" | 24 | 9 | - | - |
| 1965: | "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" | 1 | 1 | - | 10 |
| 1965: | "It's the Same Old Song" | 5 | 2 | - | 34 |
| 1965: | "Something About You" | 19 | 9 | - | - |
| 1966: | "Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)" | 18 | 5 | - | - |
| 1966: | "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" | 45 | 12 | - | 21 |
| 1966: | "Reach Out I'll Be There" | 1 | 1 | - | 1 |
| 1966: | "Standing in the Shadows of Love" | 6 | 2 | - | 6 |
| 1967: | "Bernadette" | 4 | 3 | - | 8 |
| 1967: | "7-Rooms of Gloom" | 14 | 10 | - | 12 |
| 1967: | "You Keep Running Away" | 19 | 7 | - | 26 |
| 1967: | "If I Were a Carpenter" | 20 | 17 | - | 7 |
| 1968: | "Walk Away Renée" | 14 | 15 | - | 3 |
| 1968: | "Yesterday's Dreams" | 49 | 31 | - | 23 |
| 1968: | "I'm In a Different World" | 51 | 23 | - | 27 |
| 1969: | "What is a Man" | 53 | - | - | 16 |
| 1969: | "Do What You Gotta Do" | - | - | - | 11 |
| 1969: | "Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me" | 45 | 25 | - | - |
| 1970: | "Still Water (Love)" | 11 | 4 | - | 10 |
| 1970: | "It's All In The Game" | 24 | 6 | 39 | 5 |
| 1971: | "River Deep - Mountain High" (The Supremes & the Four Tops) |
14 | 7 | - | 11 |
| 1971: | "Just Seven Numbers (Can Straighten Out My Life)" | 40 | 9 | - | 36 |
| 1971: | "You Gotta Have Love in Your Heart" (The Supremes & the Four Tops) |
55 | 41 | - | 25 |
| 1971: | "In These Changing Times" | 70 | 28 | - | - |
| 1971: | "MacArthur Park (part 2)" | 38 | 27 | - | - |
| 1972: | "A Simple Game" | 90 | 34 | - | 3 |
| 1972: | "(It's the Way) Nature Planned It" | 53 | 8 | - | - |
| 1972: | "Keeper of the Castle" | 10 | 7 | - | 18 |
| 1973: | "Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)" | 4 | 2 | 14 | - |
| 1973: | "Are You Man Enough" | 15 | 2 | - | - |
| 1973: | "Sweet Understanding Love" | 33 | 10 | 41 | 29 |
| 1974: | "I Just Can't Get You Out of My Mind" | 62 | 18 | - | - |
| 1974: | "One Chain Don't Make No Prison" | 41 | 3 | - | - |
| 1974: | "Midnight Flower" | 55 | 5 | - | - |
| 1975: | "Seven Lonely Nights" | 71 | 13 | - | - |
| 1975: | "We Gotta All Stick Together" | 97 | 17 | - | - |
| 1976: | "Catfish" | 71 | 7 | - | - |
| 1977: | "Feel Free" | - | 29 | - | - |
| 1981: | "When She Was My Girl" | 11 | 1 | 9 | 3 |
| 1981: | "Don't Walk Away" | - | - | - | 16 |
| 1983: | "I Just Can't Walk Away" | 71 | 36 | 18 | - |
| 1985: | "Sexy Ways" | - | 21 | - | - |
| 1988: | "Reach Out I'll Be There '88" | 11 | |||
| 1988: | "Indestructible" | 35 | 57 | 20 | 55 |
| 1988: | "Loco in Acapulco" | - | - | - | 7 |
| 1988: | "If Ever a Love There Was" (Aretha Franklin & the Four Tops) |
- | 31 | 26 | - |
Albums[link]
- Motown releases
- 1964: Four Tops (UK #2)
- 1965: Four Tops' Second Album (US #20)
- 1966: Four Tops Live! (US #17; UK #4)
- 1966: On Top (UK #9)
- 1967: Four Tops' Hits (UK #1)
- 1967: Reach Out (US #14; UK #6)
- 1968: Yesterday's Dreams
- 1968: Four Tops' Greatest Hits (UK #1)
- 1969: The Four Tops Now
- 1969: Soul Spin
- 1970: Still Waters Run Deep (US #21)
- 1970: Changing Times
- 1970: The Magnificent 7 (with The Supremes)
- 1971: The Return of the Magnificent Seven (with The Supremes)
- 1971: Dynamite (with the Supremes)
- 1971: Mac Arthur Park
- 1972: Nature Planned It
- ABC releases
- 1972: Keeper of the Castle (US #33)
- 1973: Main Street People
- 1974: Meeting the Minds
- 1974: Live & in Concert
- 1975: Night Lights Harmony
- 1976: Catfish
- 1977: The Show Must Go On
- 1978: At The Top
- Casablanca releases
- 1981: Tonight! (US #37)
- 1982: One More Mountain
- Motown releases
- 1983: Back where I belong
- 1985: Magic
- 1986: Hot Nights (unreleased)
- 1999: Lost & Found: Breaking Through
- Arista releases
- 1988: Indestructible
DVDs[link]
- The Four Tops Reach Out: Definitive DVD Motown/Universal (2008)
- The Four Tops: From the Heart: The 50th Anniversary Concert
- The Four Tops: Live at The MGM Grand: 40th Anniversary Special (1996)
- The Four Tops: (semi- documentary /concert rehearsal- recorded live for French TV,1971) 2004.
See also[link]
 |
Book: Four Tops |
| Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print. | |
References[link]
- ^ Obituary: Levi Stubbs, The Guardian, October 17 2008
- ^ a b c Show 50 - The Soul Reformation: Phase three, soul music at the summit. [Part 6] : UNT Digital Library
- ^ "Silver State News Service: Lockerbie Anniversary". Silver State News. http://www.silverstatenews.com/lockerbie.htm.
- ^ "'The Frost Blog: Lockerbie Tragedy". The Frost Blog. http://www.martinfrost.ws/htmlfiles/locherbie1.html.
- ^ "The Immortals: The First Fifty". Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939214/the_immortals_the_first_fifty.
- ^ Four Tops. Michigan Rock and Roll Legends. Retrieved on 2012-05-13.
- ^ Legendary Michigan Songs. Michigan Rock and Roll Legends. Retrieved on 2012-05-13.
- ^ http://rockhall.com/inductees/the-four-tops/bio/
- ^ http://www.vocalgroup.org/inductees/the_four_tops.html
- ^ http://www.walkoffame.com/the-four-tops
- ^ http://projects.accessatlanta.com/gallery/view/entertainment/hollywood-walk-fame/38.html
- ^ http://www.michiganrockandrolllegends.com/mrrl-hall-of-fame/74-four-tops
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Grammy_Hall_of_Fame_Award_recipients_Q%E2%80%93Z
- ^ http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20081222/ENT04/107060016
- ^ http://www.rhythm-n-blues.org/awards.php?year=1997
- ^ http://www.listal.com/list/billboard-hot-100-alltime-top
- ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-artists-of-all-time-19691231/the-four-tops-19691231
- ^ Entertainment | Four Tops to get lifetime Grammy. BBC News (2008-12-22). Retrieved on 2012-05-13.
- ^ Ann, By. (2008-12-22) Grammys To Honor Autry, Four Tops, Martin. Billboard.biz. Retrieved on 2012-05-13.
- ^ Abdul 'Duke' Fakir/The Four Tops interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' February 2010
External links[link]
- 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)
- History of Rock article
- The Four Tops on Myspace
- The Four Tops discography at MusicBrainz
- Four Tops, The Ed Sullivan Show
- Ronnie McNeir 2012 Interview at Soulinterviews.com.
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| The Four Seasons | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The 4 Seasons The 4 Seasons featuring the "sound" of Frankie Valli Frankie Valli and The 4 Seasons |
| Origin | Belleville, New Jersey |
| Genres | Rock, pop |
| Years active | 1960–present |
| Labels | Gone, Vee-Jay, Philips, Mowest, Warner Bros., MCA, Curb |
| Associated acts | The Four Lovers, The Wonder Who?, Frankie Valli |
| Members | |
| Frankie Valli | |
| Past members | |
| Tommy DeVito Bob Gaudio Nick Massi (ne Macioci) Charles Calello Joe Long (ne LaBracio) Bob Grimm John Stefan Gary Volpe Al Ruzicka Joseph Steffanelli Demetri Callas Clay Jordan Billy DeLoach Paul Wilson Lee Shapiro Gerry Polci Don Ciccone John Paiva Robby Robinson Jerry Corbetta Rex Robinson Larry Lingle Lynn Hamman Chuck Wilson Robin Swenson Howard Laravea Tim Stone Zoro Fino Roverato Adrian Baker Tommy Alvarado Warren Hamm Rich Callaci Steve Gregory Keith Hubacher Matt Baldoni Gary Melvin |
|
The Four Seasons is an American rock and pop band who became internationally successful in the mid-1960s. The Vocal Group Hall of Fame has stated that the group was the most popular rock band before The Beatles.[1] Since 1970, they have been known off and on as Frankie Valli & The 4 Seasons, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, or simply The Four Seasons.
In 1960, the group known as The Four Lovers evolved into The Four Seasons, with Frankie Valli as the lead singer, Bob Gaudio (formerly of The Royal Teens) on keyboards and tenor vocals, Tommy DeVito on lead guitar and baritone vocals, and Nick Massi on bass guitar and bass vocals.
The legal name of the organization is the Four Seasons Partnership, formed by Gaudio and Valli after a failed audition in 1960. While singers, producers, and musicians have come and gone, Gaudio and Valli remain the group's constant (with each owning fifty percent of the act and its assets, including virtually all of its recording catalog).[2][3] Gaudio no longer plays live, leaving Valli the only member of the group from its inception that is currently touring.[4]
The Four Seasons (group members 1960–1965) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990,[5] and it joined the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999.[1] They are one of the best-selling musical groups of all time, having sold 175 million records worldwide.[4][6]
Contents |
History[link]
Before the Four Seasons[link]
Frankie Valli's first commercial release was "My Mother's Eyes" (as Frankie Valley) in 1953. The following year, he, along with Tommy DeVito, formed the Variatones (with Hank Majewski, rhythm guitar, Frank Cattone, accordion, and Billy Thompson, drums),[7] which between 1954 and 1956, performed and recorded under a variety of names before settling on the name The Four Lovers.[8][9] The same year, the quartet released their first record, "You're the Apple of My Eye", which appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, peaking at #62.[10] Five additional Four Lovers singles (on RCA Victor) were released over the next year, with virtually no sales, airplay, or jukebox play. In 1957, the group's seventh single (this time on Epic) had a similar lack of success.[11]
From 1956 until 1960, the group stayed together, performing in clubs and lounges as The Four Lovers and recording on various record labels with various names: Frankie Tyler, Frankie Valley, Frankie Valley and the Travelers, Frankie Valle and the Romans, The Village Voices, and The Topics are some of the 18 "stage names" used individually or collectively by the members of the group.
In 1958, the group started working with producer Bob Crewe, primarily with session work (Crewe wrote "I Go Ape", which Valli recorded with the intention of releasing it as a "solo" single). Later that year, the Four Lovers were performing in Baltimore on the same stage as The Royal Teens, who were riding the wave of success of "Short Shorts", a song co-written by then-15-year-old Bob Gaudio, who was also the Royal Teens' guitarist.
The next year, Gaudio replaced Nick DeVito in the lineup, with Gaudio doubling as both keyboardist and guitarist, and Charles Calello replaced Majewski on bass (Calello would soon return as the group's arranger). In 1960, Calello left and was replaced by Nick Massi.
Despite the change of personnel, the fortunes of The Four Lovers did not change in the beginning of 1960, when they failed an audition for a lounge at a Union Township, Union County, New Jersey bowling establishment. According to Gaudio, "We figured we'll come out of this with something. So we took the name of the bowling alley. It was called the Four Seasons." Despite the last few years of frustration of the Four Lovers, this proved to be the turning point of the group: on a handshake between keyboardist/composer Bob Gaudio and lead singer Frankie Valli, the Four Seasons Partnership was formed.
The rise of the Four Seasons[link]
The Four Seasons released their first single in 1961 ("Bermuda"/"Spanish Lace" on Gone Records). The single did not chart. The group began working with producer Bob Crewe as background vocalists, and sometimes leads under different group names, for his productions on his own Topix label. Bob Gaudio eventually wrote a song that, after some discussion between Crewe and Gaudio, was titled "Sherry". The song was recorded and Crewe, along with members of the group, went about soliciting labels to release the record. It was Frankie Valli who spoke with Randy Wood, West coast sales manager for Vee Jay (not the founder of Dot Records) who, in turn, suggested the release of "Sherry" to the decision makers at Vee Jay. "Sherry" made enough of an impression that Crewe was able to sign a deal between his production company and Vee Jay for its release. At the time, The 4 Seasons were signed, as artists, to Crewe's production company. They were the first white artists to sign with Vee-Jay.[12]
In 1962, the group released their first album, featuring the single "Sherry", which was not only their first charted hit but also their first number-one song. Under the guidance of producer/songwriter Bob Crewe, The Four Seasons followed up "Sherry" with several million-selling hits, including "Big Girls Don't Cry" (their second #1 hit), "Walk Like a Man" (their third #1), "Candy Girl", "Ain't That a Shame", and several others. In addition, they released a Christmas album in December 1962 and charted with a unique rendition of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town".
From 1962 to early 1964, only the Beach Boys matched the Four Seasons in record sales in the United States, and their first three Vee-Jay non-holiday single releases marked the first time that a rock band hit #1 on the Billboard singles charts with three consecutive entries (ignoring their version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town").
From Vee-Jay to Philips[link]
Despite the group's success, Vee-Jay Records was in financial distress. Vee-Jay had released several early Beatles singles in America. When The Beatles became wildly popular, Vee-Jay was swamped with orders (Vee-Jay shipped more than two million Beatles records in a single month). The huge demands of mass production, the cash flow problems involved, and, the loss of The Beatles when Trans-Global (a firm licensed by EMI to distribute its products) canceled Vee-Jay's contract on August 3, 1963, due to non-payment of royalties, found Vee-Jay hard pressed to stay afloat. Vee Jay continued to produce one Beatles album (in various forms) in defiance of the cancellation. After over a year of legal negotiations, Capitol Records was finally able to stop Vee-Jay effective October 15, 1964.[13] While the label went through internal turmoil with The Beatles and Capitol Records, a royalty dispute between Vee-Jay and The 4 Seasons headed to court. In January 1964, after several successful albums and lack of money from Vee-Jay, The 4 Seasons left Vee-Jay Records and moved to Philips Records, then a division of Mercury Records.[14] In the 1965 settlement of the lawsuit, Vee-Jay retained release rights for all material the group recorded for the label. Vee-Jay exercised those rights liberally over the following year. The group was obligated to deliver one final album to Vee-Jay, which they did in the form of a "faux" live LP. When Vee-Jay was declared bankrupt in 1966, The 4 Seasons' Vee-Jay catalog reverted to the band and the tracks were reissued by Philips.[15]
The change of label did not diminish the popularity of The Four Seasons in 1964, nor did the onslaught of the British Invasion and Beatlemania. In fact, The Four Seasons are the only act to have a Hot 100 #1 hit before, during, and after the years that the Beatles had their Hot 100 #1 hits. However, "Dawn (Go Away)" (recorded for Atlantic Records, but never released by them), was kept from the #1 spot on the Hot 100 by no fewer than three Beatles singles in the March 21, 1964, edition (two weeks later, the top 5 slots were filled by Beatles singles).
In a two-record set dubbed The Beatles vs. the Four Seasons: The International Battle of the Century! Vee-Jay created an elaborate two disc package that the purchaser could use to write on and score individual recordings by their favorite artist. The discs were reissues of the albums Introducing... The Beatles and Golden Hits of the Four Seasons, featuring each original album's label, title and catalog number. Today, this album package is a collector's item.
One group, several acts[link]
Nick Massi left The 4 Seasons in September 1965. The group's arranger, Charles Calello (a former member of The Four Lovers), stepped in as a temporary replacement. A few months later, Joe Long was permanently hired. Joe became the mainstay on bass and backing vocals until 1975. In the meantime, The 4 Seasons released recordings under a variety of names, including The Valli Boys, The Wonder Who?, and Frankie Valli (every Valli "solo" recording from 1965 to "My Eyes Adored You" in 1975 had the same production team as The Four Seasons that were recorded at the same time - his first post-1950s single without The Four Seasons was 1975's "Swearin' to God").
More Top 20 singles credited to The Four Seasons followed in 1965, 1966, and 1967, including "Let's Hang On!", "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" (as the Wonder Who?), "Working My Way Back to You", "Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'bout Me)", "I've Got You Under My Skin", "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (released under Valli's name as a "solo" single), "Beggin'", "Tell It to the Rain", "C'mon Marianne", and "I Make a Fool of Myself" (Frankie Valli "solo"). "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" was the group's last top 40 hit for seven years (reaching #24), just after Valli's last "solo" hit of the 1960s, the #29 "To Give (The Reason I Live)".
The end of the '60s and a change to Motown[link]
By 1969 the group's popularity had deteriorated as public interest moved towards rock with a harder edge, deeper soul music, and music with more socially conscious lyrics. The group's last single on Philips, "Patch of Blue," featured the group's name as "Frankie Valli & the 4 Seasons," but the change in billing did not alter the act's lack of success in 1970.
After leaving Philips, The 4 Seasons recorded a one-off single for the Warner Brothers label in England. This single was never released in the USA. The two songs were "Sleeping Man", the A-Side, and "Whatever You Say", the B-Side. It was, for this single, that they began to note the group name as The Four Seasons, dropping the numeric '4' for the alpha characters 'Four'.
Following that single, the group signed to Motown with disastrous results. The first LP, Chameleon, failed to sell after it was released by Motown subsidiary label MoWest Records in 1971. A Frankie Valli "solo" single from 1971 ("Love Isn't Here" on Motown) and three Four Seasons singles ("Walk On, Don't Look Back" on MoWest in 1972, "How Come" and "Hickory" on Motown in 1973) sank without a trace. A recording that was destined to reach the upper parts of the UK Singles Chart, "The Night", was not commercially released as a single by Motown in the United States after promotional copies (showing the artist as Frankie Valli) were distributed in 1971.
In late 1973 and early 1974, The Four Seasons recorded eight songs for a planned sophomore Motown album, which the company refused to release to the public. Later in 1974, the record label and The Four Seasons parted ways. On behalf of the Four Seasons Partnership, Valli initially tried to purchase the entire collection of master recordings the group made for Motown; upon hearing the amount needed to buy them all, he arranged to purchase one recording for $4000 (US): "My Eyes Adored You".
Valli took the tape to Private Stock Records owner and founder Larry Uttal, who, after repeated listenings of the Four Seasons recording, wanted to release it as a Frankie Valli "solo" single. While the group remained unsigned in the later part of 1974, Valli had a new label — and a new solo career.
Renaissance[link]
While the hits for the Four Seasons had dried up in the first half of the 1970s, the group never lost its popularity as a performing act. Longtime member Joe Long stayed in the group until 1975. The new lineup boasted two new lead singers in Don Ciccone (formerly of The Critters) and Gerry Polci, who eased the singing load on an ailing Frankie Valli (who was gradually losing his hearing due to otosclerosis; eventually, surgery restored most of his hearing).
As "My Eyes Adored You" climbed the Hot 100 singles chart in early 1975, Valli and Gaudio managed to get The Four Seasons signed with Warner Bros. Records as the disco era dawned. At the same time, Uttal was persuaded to release The Four Seasons Story, a two-record compilation of the group's biggest hit singles from 1962 to 1970. It quickly became a gold record, selling over one million copies before the RIAA started awarding platinum records for million-selling albums.
In 1975, record sales exploded for both Valli and the Four Seasons as both acts had million-selling singles in the United States ("My Eyes Adored You" hit #1 on the Hot 100 for Valli in March, "Who Loves You" peaked at #3 in November for the group). In the United Kingdom, Tamla Motown released "The Night" as a single and saw it reach the #7 position on the UK Singles Chart. My Eyes Adored You was also a Top 10 hit in the United Kingdom in February of that year.
Valli had his first truly solo hit in the summer of 1975 (all of his prior "solo" hits were in fact Four Seasons productions) when the Bob Crewe-produced "Swearin' to God" followed "My Eyes Adored You" into the upper reaches of the Hot 100, peaking at the #6 position and capitalizing on the growing disco craze. The song was released in three forms: the eight-minute album version, the ten-minute extended 12-inch single version, and the three-minute single version.
The album Who Loves You became a surprise million-seller for the group, as it was the first Four Seasons album to prominently feature lead vocals by anyone other than Valli ('Sorry' on 'Half & Half' had featured Gaudio, DeVito and Long minus Valli, while 'Wall Street Village Day' on 'Genuine Imitation Life Gazette' featured Valli on just a couple of 'bridge' section lead vocal lines). Gerry Polci did about half of the lead vocals, sharing them with Valli and one lead by Ciccone ('Slip Away'). The title song had Valli doing the lead on the verses, but none of the trademark falsettos in the chorus. It was a Top 10 British hit in November 1975, relaunching their career there. "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" had Polci singing lead on the verses, Ciccone featured on specific sections, and Valli doing lead vocals only on the two 'Bridge' sections and backup vocals on the chorus. "Silver Star" had Polci doing all the lead vocals, with Valli absent from the recording.
The Four Seasons opened 1976 atop the Billboard chart with their fifth #1 single, "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)", co-written by Bob Gaudio and his future wife Judy Parker. The single also hit number one in the United Kingdom. Although the group also scored minor chart placements with "Silver Star" (#38), "Down the Hall" (#65 in 1977) both sung by Polci, and "Spend the Night in Love" (#91 in 1980) which again featured Polci as main Lead vocalist and Valli singing the bridge section and contributing to backup group vocals, "December, 1963" marked the end of the Seasons' hit-making run. Both singles were hits in the United Kingdom, with Silver Star making the Top 10. (A dance remix version of "December 1963" returned them briefly to the upper reaches of the Billboard singles charts almost two decades later.)
After disco[link]
The success of Who Loves You increased the popularity of the Four Seasons as a touring group and reignited recording unit, but when 1977's Helicon album was released by Warner Bros., the climate was changing again, both for the group and for Valli. The new record yielded only one USA single, "Down the Hall", which limped onto the Hot 100. In the UK they had chart hits with both 'Down The Hall' & 'Rhapsody' (with verses sung by Don Ciccone & Valli appearing to notable effect only as lead voice over group harmonies on the chorus). At the same time, Valli's string of solo hits had come to an end as he parted ways with Private Stock Records. 'Helicon' saw Polci and Ciccone heavily featured as lead vocalists, Valli, besides his co-lead chorus vocal on 'Rhapsody' and some backing vocals, only taking a brief 'bridge lead vocal' on two songs that were largely sung by Polci, though on 'New York Street Song (No Easy Way)', Valli also clearly stands out over the group harmonies on two notable a cappella sections. Plus Valli took one solo lead vocal role on the album's concluding song, the brief Gaudio-Parker penned 'I Believe in You'.
Excluding Valli's 1978 "Grease" single, which hit #1 while the motion picture of the same name became the highest-grossing musical in cinematic history, the last Top 40 hit for the group was behind them. Both Valli and the group released singles and albums on an occasional basis, but after "Grease", only a remixed version of their biggest seller, "December 1963" would visit the upper half of the Hot 100 (in 1994).
In January 1981 Warners released; 'Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons Reunited Live', Produced by Bob Gaudio, it was a double album of concert recordings which included the two studio recordings "Spend The Night in Love" and "Heaven Must Have Sent You (Here in The Night)" sung by Valli. The latter became a UK single but failed to chart, while the former was released as a single in America, inching its way into the Hot 100.
In 1984, a long-awaited collaboration between the Four Seasons and the Beach Boys, "East Meets West" was released on FBI Records, owned by the Four Seasons Partnership. The record did not sell well. It only appeared to feature Valli from The Four Seasons group, but most of the surviving Beach Boys, including even Brian Wilson, took a solo vocal part.
Even after the rise and fall of the group's sales in the disco era, The Four Seasons, in one version or another (the group became a sextet as Jerry Corbetta, formerly of Sugarloaf, joined the lineup), continued to be a popular touring act, with Valli being the only constant in the midst of a fluctuating lineup. Although Gaudio is still officially part of the group (he and Valli are still equal partners in the Four Seasons Partnership), he now restricts his activities to writing, producing, and the occasional studio work.
In August 1985, MCA Records released the group album, Streetfighter which yielded two singles in the title track and "Book Of Love," the latter a post-disco style revamp of The Monotones' 1958 era recording.
In September 1992, a group album was released entitled Hope + Glory on the MCA/Curb label.
The latest edition of The Four Seasons, including Valli, conducted a North American tour in the latter half of 2007. Incidental to this tour, the massive 3CD + 1DVD box set "...Jersey Beat... The Music Of Frankie Valli & The 4 Seasons" was released in mid-2007, marketed as the most comprehensive collection of Four Seasons music yet. The album title "Jersey Beat" is a play on Jersey Boys, a wildly successful Broadway musical about The Four Seasons.
In 2008, The Four Seasons' "Beggin'" was revived not by one but by two acts. Pilooski made an electro remix of that song, while rap act Madcon used it as the basis of their song "Beggin'". The latter went to number 5 in the UK charts and was a hit across Europe. The song was featured in a TV commercial for adidas shoes entitled "Celebrate Originality". The Adidas commercial is a popular hit on YouTube and features a house party with famous celebrities such as David Beckham, Russel Simmons, Kevin Garnett, Missy Elliott, Katy Perry, and Mark Gonzales.[16]
Also known as ...[link]
From 1956 until "My Eyes Adored You" in 1975, records which the Four Seasons recorded had the following artist credit (a sampling):
Pre-1960[link]
Frank Valley
Variatones
Frankie Nolan
Frankie Tyler
Frankie Vally
Frankie Valley
Frankie Valley and the Travelers
Frankie Valle and the Romans
The Village Voices
Billy Dixon and the Tropics
The Topics
The Topix
The Four Lovers
Frankie Love and the Four Lovers
Eric Anthony
1960 and after[link]
The Four Seasons
Hal Miller and the Rays
Sheriff Ramb
Johnny Halo featuring The Four Seasons
The 4 Seasons
The Wonder Who?
Frankie Valli
The Valli Boys
Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons
Frankie Valli and The New Seasons
U.S. discography[link]
U.S. studio albums[link]
This is not a complete list of album releases. These recordings have been reissued on a variety of labels, some of which are noted here. This does not include Frankie Valli solo albums, except for his first solo release.
| Date of release | Title | Billboard peak[17][18] | Label | Catalog Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1962 | Sherry & 11 Others | 6 | Vee-Jay | LP-1053 (Mono) / SR-1053 (Stereo) |
| December 1962 | The 4 Seasons Greetings | 13 | LP/SR-1055 | |
| February 1963 | Big Girls Don't Cry and Twelve others... | 8 | LP/SR-1056 | |
| June 1963 | The 4 Seasons sing Ain't That A Shame and 11 others | 47 | LP/SR-1059 | |
| February 1964 | Born To Wander--Tender and soulful ballads (folk-flavored) | 84 | Philips | 200-129 (Mono) / 600-129 (Stereo) |
| March 1964 | Dawn (Go Away) And 11 Other Great Songs | 6 | 200-124 / 600-124 | |
| July 1964 | Rag Doll Featuring Rag Doll and Ronnie and 10 Other Brand New Hit Songs | 7 | 200-146 / 600-146 | |
| March 1965 | The 4 Seasons entertain you | 77 | 200-164 / 600-164 | |
| November 1965 | The 4 Seasons sing Big Hits by Burt Bacharach... Hal David... Bob Dylan... | 106 | 200-193 / 600-193 | |
| November 1965 | All New Recorded Live • On Stage With The Four Seasons
(Studio album with audience overdubs) |
- | Vee-Jay | VJS-1154 |
| January 1966 | Working My Way Back To You And More Great New Hits | 50 | Philips | 200-201 / 600-201 |
| May 1967 | New Gold Hits | 37 | 200-243 / 600-243 | |
| June 1967 | The 4 Seasons Present frankie valli solo | 34 | 200-247 / 600-247 | |
| February 1969 | The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette | 85 | 600-290 | |
| April 1970 | Half & Half
(alternating recordings by a solo Frankie Valli, and then, The 4 Seasons; first up Frankie Valli) |
190 | 600-341 | |
| May 1972 | Chameleon | - | MoWest | MW108L |
| November 1975 | Who Loves You | 38 | Warner Bros. | BS 2900 |
| April 1977 | Helicon | 168 | BS 3016 | |
| August 1985 | Streetfighter | - | Curb | 5632 |
| September 1992 | Hope + Glory | - | D2-77546 |
Compilation and live albums[link]
|
|
Selected U.S. singles[link]
Main article: The Four Seasons discography
US peak chart position on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart follows the name. Frankie Valli "solo" singles are also omitted but can be found here. Only singles that reached a position of #30 or higher on the Hot 100 are listed here.
|
|
Music videos[link]
[edit] Jersey Boys
See also: Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys, a musical play based on the lives of The Four Seasons and directed by Des McAnuff (The Who's Tommy, 700 Sundays), premiered at his La Jolla Playhouse and opened on November 6, 2005, to generally positive reviews and subsequently won multiple Tony Awards after its move to Broadway.
The original cast included John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli, Daniel Reichard as Bob Gaudio, Christian Hoff as Tommy DeVito, and J. Robert Spencer as Nick Massi. The play portrays the history of The Four Seasons in four parts, with each part narrated by a different member of the band and supposedly reflecting that band member's perspective on the band's history. The author of the book of the play, Rick Elice, interviewed Valli, Gaudio, and DeVito in writing the play, and pieced together Nick Massi's point of view based on those interviews (Massi died before the play was written). The Broadway production won four 2006 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Actor (for John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli), Best Featured Actor (for Christian Hoff as Tommy DeVito), and Best Lighting Design.
There are currently three U.S. productions of Jersey Boys running outside New York. The first opened at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco on December 10, 2006, leaving that venue for the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles on May 3, 2007. (This company is currently touring the United States.)[19] The second opened in San Francisco on May 4, 2007, closed on September 30 of that year, and opened on October 6 at the LaSalle Bank Theatre (recently renamed the Bank of America Theatre) in Chicago, Illinois for an open-ended run, but will be ending on January 10, 2010.[20] Currently showing is the Las Vegas-bound company at the new Palazzo Hotel. It previewed at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco[21][22] and then debuted at Palazzo in April 2008.[23][24]
Another completely new production opened at the Prince Edward Theatre, London in February 2008.[25][26] A production in Melbourne, Australia was launched in June 2009,[27] which moved to Sydney, Australia in September 2010.[28]
Jersey Boys is also running at the Toronto Centre for the Arts in Toronto.[29] and the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, US.[30][31]
Jersey Boys started a limited run at The National Theatre in Washington, D.C. on November 10, 2011.[32] Opening night cast included Joseph Leo Bwarie as Frankie, Preston Truman Boyd as Bobby, John Gardner as Tommy, and Michael Lomenda as Nick.
The Four Seasons also appear as younger versions of themselves as supporting characters in Beef and Blake: The Movie.
Four Seasons 2008[link]
Frankie Valli continues to tour the United States with a group of new, young men as The Four Seasons. They consist of Todd Fournier, Brian Brigham, Brandon Brigham, and Landon Beard (Altar Boyz). The group provides Frankie backup with their vocal harmonies.
References[link]
- ^ a b The Four Seasons. By Richie Unterberger. Vocal Group Hall of Fame: Main Website. Accessed June 9, 2009.
- ^ Bronson, Fred. The Billboard Book of Number One Hits, 3rd edition (Billboard Books, 1992) ISBN 0-8230-8298-9
- ^ Sasfy, Joe. Liner notes to Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons: 1962-1967 (Warner Special Products, 1987: Time-Life Music The Rock 'N' Era 2RNR-15)
- ^ a b Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. Rolling Stone Magazine. Accessed June 9, 2009.
- ^ The Four Seasons. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Main Website. Accessed June 9, 2009.
- ^ Cote, David (2007). Jersey Boys: The Story of Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons. Broadway Books. ISBN 978-0-7679-2843-4.
- ^ Walter Gollender,Bim Bam Boom No. 8 (December 1972)
- ^ Fred Bronson. The Billboard Book of Number One Hits, 3rd edition (Billboard Books, 1992) ISBN 0-8230-8298-9
- ^ Joe Sasfy. Liner notes to Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons: 1962-1967 (Warner Special Products, 1987: Time-Life Music The Rock 'N' Era 2RNR-15)
- ^ Whitburn, Joel. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1993, Billboard Publications 1994 ISBN 0-89820-105-5
- ^ Umphred, Neil. Goldmine's Rock'n'Roll 45RPM Record Price Guide (3rd edition), Krause Publications 1994 ISBN 0-87341-287-7
- ^ Template:Goldmine, Issue 60, May 1981
- ^ . http://books.google.com/books?id=7IkIAQAAMAAJ&q=gareth+how+they+became+the+beatles&dq=gareth+how+they+became+the+beatles&hl=en&ei=O480TsYzx9SIAsXMgLAI&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA.
- ^ Billboard - Google Books. Books.google.com. 1964-01-18. http://books.google.com/books?id=I0UEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA6&dq=%22vee-jay%22+%2B+%22four+seasons%22+%2B+crewe+%2B+%22philips+records%22&hl=en&ei=aio9TPbyCYzungfFnajeDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22vee-jay%22%20%2B%20%22four%20seasons%22%20%2B%20crewe%20%2B%20%22philips%20records%22&f=false. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
- ^ Billboard - Google Books. Books.google.com. 1966-08-13. http://books.google.com/books?id=AhEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA7&dq=%22vee-jay%22+%2B+auction&hl=en&ei=TCk9TPTKF9GKnQelzv3dDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
- ^ YouTube[dead link]
- ^ "The Four Seasons". AllMusic. 2007-11-08. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-four-seasons-p12974/charts-awards. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
- ^ "Frankie Valli". AllMusic. 1934-05-03. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/frankie-valli-p5738/charts-awards. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
- ^ "Jersey Boys National Tour · Jersey Boys Blog". Jerseyboysblog.com. http://jerseyboysblog.com/?cat=30. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
- ^ "Jersey Boys San Francisco/Chicago Company · Jersey Boys Blog". Jerseyboysblog.com. http://jerseyboysblog.com/?cat=38. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
- ^ "Jersey Boys SF Holiday Engagement · Jersey Boys Blog". Jerseyboysblog.com. http://jerseyboysblog.com/?cat=39. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
- ^ "Jersey Boys - Official Ticket Site of Broadway in San Francisco". Shnsf.com. http://shnsf.com/shows/show.asp?key=18&subkey=509. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
- ^ "Jersey Boys Las Vegas · Jersey Boys Blog". Jerseyboysblog.com. http://jerseyboysblog.com/?cat=33. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
- ^ "ReviewJournal.com - Living - Musical 'Jersey Boys' coming to Palazzo". Lvrj.com. 2007-05-02. http://www.lvrj.com/living/7289631.html. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
- ^ "Jersey Boys - The Story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons". Jerseyboyslondon.com. http://www.jerseyboyslondon.com/jerseyboys.asp. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
- ^ "Jersey Boys London · Jersey Boys Blog". Jerseyboysblog.com. http://jerseyboysblog.com/?cat=35. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
- ^ "Let's hear it for the Jersey Boys". The Age (Melbourne). January 29, 2008. http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/lets-hear-it-for-the-jersey-boys/2008/01/28/1201369041880.html.
- ^ "The Story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons". Jersey Boys Australia. http://www.jerseyboysaustralia.com.au/. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
- ^ "Jersey Boys Toronto". Jerseyboysinfo.com. http://www.jerseyboysinfo.com/tour/toronto.htm. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
- ^ "Jersery Boys". Theater Of The Stars. 2009-06-21. http://www.theaterofthestars.com/jerseyBoys.htm. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "No mention of Jersey Boys here". Nationaltheatre.org. http://www.nationaltheatre.org/. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
External links[link]
|
Book: The Four Seasons |
| Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print. | |
- Genuine Imitation Life Gazette Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons fan site.
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame page on The Four Seasons
- 'The Four Seasons' Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page.
- The Four Seasons.com fan site
- "Jersey Boys", the Broadway Musical based on the life of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons
- The Jersey Boys Blog Dedicated to Jersey Boys
- The Four Seasons In The UK Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons UK Enthusiasts and Historical Society site.
- 'chameleon' Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons UK Enthusiasts and Historical Society research blog.
- The Four Seasons interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969).[2]
- The Four Seasons on The Ed Sullivan Show
http://wn.com/The_Four_Seasons_(band)
Related pages:
http://fr.wn.com/The Four Seasons
http://nl.wn.com/The Four Seasons (groep)
http://pt.wn.com/The Four Seasons
http://de.wn.com/The Four Seasons
http://it.wn.com/The Four Seasons (gruppo musicale)
http://cs.wn.com/The Four Seasons
http://pl.wn.com/The Four Seasons
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Seasons_(band)
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is about Ed Sullivan, the person. For his TV show, see The Ed Sullivan Show.
For other people named Edward Sullivan, see Edward Sullivan (disambiguation).
| Ed Sullivan | |
|---|---|
 Sullivan in 1955 |
|
| Born | Edward Vincent Sullivan (1901-09-28)September 28, 1901 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 13, 1974(1974-10-13) (aged 73) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Television host Writer |
| Years active | 1932–1973 |
| Spouse | Sylvia (m. 1930–1973) |
Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was broadcast from 1948 to 1971 (a total of 23 years), which made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S. broadcast history.[1]
In 1996, Ed Sullivan was ranked #50 on TV Guide's "50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time".[2]
Contents |
Early life and career[link]
Sullivan was born in New York City, New York, the son of Elizabeth F. (née Smith) and Peter Arthur Sullivan, a customs house employee.[3] He was of Irish descent.[4] A former boxer, Sullivan began his media work as a newspaper sportswriter for The New York Evening Graphic.[5] When Walter Winchell, one of the original gossip columnists and the most powerful entertainment reporter of his day, left the newspaper for the Hearst syndicate, Sullivan took over as theatre columnist. His theatre column was later carried in The New York Daily News. His column, 'Little Old New York', concentrated on Broadway shows and gossip, as Winchell's had and, like Winchell, he also did show business news broadcasts on radio. Again echoing Winchell, Sullivan took on yet another medium in 1933 by writing and starring in the film Mr. Broadway, which has him guiding the audience around New York nightspots to meet entertainers and celebrities. Sullivan soon became a powerful starmaker in the entertainment world himself, becoming one of Winchell's main rivals, setting the El Morocco nightclub in New York as his unofficial headquarters against Winchell's seat of power at the nearby Stork Club. Sullivan continued writing for The News throughout his broadcasting career and his popularity long outlived that of Winchell.
Television[link]
In 1948, the CBS network hired Sullivan to do a weekly Sunday night TV variety show, Toast of the Town, which later became The Ed Sullivan Show. Debuting in June 1948, the show was broadcast from CBS Studio 50, at 1697 Broadway (at 53rd Street) in New York City, which in 1967 was renamed the Ed Sullivan Theater (and is now the home of The Late Show with David Letterman).[6]
Television critics gave the new show and its host poor reviews.[7] Harriet Van Horne alleged that "he got where he is not by having a personality, but by having no personality." (The host wrote to the critic, "Dear Miss Van Horne: You bitch. Sincerely, Ed Sullivan."[8]) Sullivan had little acting ability; in 1967, 20 years after his show's debut, Time magazine asked "What exactly is Ed Sullivan's talent?"[8] His mannerisms on camera were so awkward that some viewers believed the host suffered from Bell's palsy.[8] Time in 1955 stated that Sullivan resembled
a cigar-store Indian, the Cardiff Giant and a stone-faced monument just off the boat from Easter Island. He moves like a sleepwalker; his smile is that of a man sucking a lemon; his speech is frequently lost in a thicket of syntax; his eyes pop from their sockets or sink so deep in their bags that they seem to be peering up at the camera from the bottom of twin wells.[7]
The magazine concluded, however, that "Yet, instead of frightening children, Ed Sullivan charms the whole family."[7] Sullivan appeared to the audience as an average guy who brought the great acts of show business to their home televisions. ("Ed Sullivan will last", comedian Fred Allen said, "as long as someone else has talent",[7] and frequent guest Alan King said "Ed does nothing, but he does it better than anyone else in television."[8]) He had a newspaperman's instinct for what the public wanted, and programmed his variety hours with remarkable balance. There was something for everyone.[7] A typical show would feature a vaudeville act (acrobats, jugglers, magicians, etc.), one or two popular comedians, a singing star, a hot jukebox favorite, a figure from the legitimate theater, and for the kids, a visit with puppet "Topo Gigio, the little Italian mouse." The bill was often international in scope, with many European performers augmenting the American artists.[8]
Sullivan had a healthy sense of humor about himself and permitted—even encouraged—impersonators such as John Byner, Frank Gorshin, Rich Little and especially Will Jordan to imitate him on his show. Johnny Carson also did a fair impression, and even Joan Rivers imitated Sullivan's unique posture. The impressionists exaggerated his stiffness, raised shoulders, and nasal tenor phrasing, along with some of his commonly used introductions, such as "And now, right here on our stage...", "For all you youngsters out there...", and "a really big shew" (his pronunciation of the word "show"). Will Jordan portrayed Sullivan in the films I Wanna Hold Your Hand, The Buddy Holly Story, The Doors, Mr. Saturday Night, Down with Love, and in the 1979 TV movie Elvis.[9]
In 1963, Ed Sullivan appeared as himself in the film Bye Bye Birdie.
Sullivan, the starmaker[link]
In the 1950s and 1960s, Sullivan was a respected starmaker because of the number of performers that became household names after appearing on the show. He had a knack for identifying and promoting top talent and paid a great deal of money to secure that talent for his show.
When Elvis Presley became popular, Sullivan was wary of the singer's bad-boy style and said that he would never invite Presley on his program. However, Presley became too big a name to ignore, and Sullivan scheduled him to appear on September 8, 1956. In August, however, Sullivan was injured in an automobile accident that occurred near his country home in Southbury, Connecticut. Sullivan had to take a medical leave from the series and missed the Elvis Presley show. Charles Laughton wound up introducing Presley on the Sullivan hour.[10] After Sullivan got to know Presley personally, he made amends by telling his audience, "This is a real decent, fine boy."[11]
Sullivan's failure to scoop the TV industry with Presley made him determined to get the next big sensation first. In 1964, he achieved that with the first live American appearance of The Beatles, on February 9, 1964, the most-watched program in TV history to that point and still one of the most-watched programs of all time.[12] The Beatles appeared three more times on the Sullivan show in person, and submitted filmed performances later. Sullivan struck up such a rapport with the Beatles that he agreed to introduce them at their momentous Shea Stadium concert on August 15, 1965. The Dave Clark Five, heavily promoted as having a "cleaner" image than the Beatles, made 13 appearances on the Sullivan show, more than any other UK group.
Unlike many shows of the time, Sullivan asked that most musical acts perform their music live, rather than lip-synching to their recordings. Some of these performances have recently been issued on CD.[13] Examination of performances show that exceptions were made, as when a microphone could not be placed close enough to a performer for technical reasons. An example was B.J. Thomas' 1969 performance of "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", in which actual water was sprinkled on him as a special effect. In 1969, Sullivan presented the Jackson 5 with their first single "I Want You Back", which ousted the B. J. Thomas song from the top spot of Billboard's pop charts.
Sullivan appreciated African American talent. He paid for the funeral of dancer Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson out of his own pocket. He also defied pressure to exclude African American musicians from appearing on his show. One of Sullivan's favorite and most frequent acts was The Supremes, who appeared 17 times on the show, helping to pave the way for other Motown acts to appear on the show such as The Temptations, The Four Tops, and Martha and the Vandellas.
At a time when television had not yet embraced country and Western music, Sullivan was adamant about featuring Nashville performers on his program. This insistence paved the way for shows such as Hee Haw and variety shows hosted by country singers like Johnny Cash and Glen Campbell.
The act that appeared most frequently through the show's run was the Canadian comedy duo of Wayne & Shuster, making 67 appearances between 1958 and 1969.
Sullivan also appeared as himself on other television programs, including an April 1958 episode of the Howard Duff and Ida Lupino CBS sitcom, Mr. Adams and Eve. On September 14, 1958 Sullivan appeared on What's My Line? as a mystery guest, and showed his comedic side by donning a rubber mask. In 1961, Sullivan was asked by CBS to fill in for an ailing Red Skelton on The Red Skelton Show. Sullivan took Skelton's roles in the various comedy sketches; Skelton's hobo character "Freddie the Freeloader" was renamed "Eddie the Freeloader."
Personality[link]
There was another side to Sullivan: he could be very quick to take offense if he felt he had been crossed, and could hold a grudge for a long time. This could sometimes be seen as a part of his TV personality. Jackie Mason, Bo Diddley, Buddy Holly, and The Doors became intimately familiar with Sullivan's negative side.
On November 20, 1955, Bo Diddley was asked by Sullivan to sing Tennessee Ernie Ford's hit "Sixteen Tons". Diddley sensed the choice of song would end his career then and there, and instead sang his #1 hit "Bo Diddley". He was banned from the show.
Buddy Holly and the Crickets had first appeared on the Sullivan show in 1957, singing two songs and making a favorable impression on Sullivan. He invited the band to make another appearance in January 1958. Sullivan thought their record hit "Oh, Boy!" was too raucous and ordered Holly to substitute another song. Holly had already told his hometown friends in Texas that he would be singing "Oh, Boy!" for them, and told Sullivan as much. Sullivan was unaccustomed to having his instructions disobeyed. When the band was summoned to the rehearsal stage on short notice, only Holly was in their dressing room. Sullivan said, "I guess The Crickets are not too excited to be on The Ed Sullivan Show," to which Holly, still annoyed by Sullivan's attitude, replied, "I hope they're damn more excited than I am." Sullivan, already bothered by the choice of songs, was now even angrier. He cut the Crickets' act from two songs to one, and when introducing them mispronounced Holly's name, so it came out vaguely as "Buddy Hollett." In addition, Sullivan saw to it that the microphone for Holly's electric guitar was turned off. Holly tried to compensate by singing as loudly as he could. The band was received so well that Sullivan was forced to invite them back for a third appearance. Holly's response was that Sullivan did not have enough money. Footage of the performance survives; photographs taken that day show Sullivan looking angry and Holly smirking and perhaps ignoring Sullivan.
In 1963, Bob Dylan was set to appear on the show, but network censors rejected the song he wanted to perform, "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues", as potentially libelous to the John Birch Society. Refusing to perform a different song, Dylan walked off the set at dress rehearsal. Sullivan, who had approved the song at a previous rehearsal, backed Dylan's decision. The incident resulted in accusations against the network of engaging in censorship. This was not the first incident of apparent network censorship on Sullivan's show. In 1956, Sullivan flew to Europe and was able to film an interview with Ingrid Bergman, Yul Brynner, and Helen Hayes on the set of the film Anastasia. When he arrived home, Sullivan learned he would not be able to air the Bergman material from it.[10]
Jackie Mason was banned from the series in October 1964 (the ban was removed a year and a half later, and Mason made his final appearance on the show). During a taping of Mason's monologue Sullivan, off camera, gestured that Mason should wrap things up, as the show was suddenly shown live following an abbreviated address by President Lyndon Johnson, which was expected to preempt the entire show.[14] The nervous Mason told the audience, "I'm getting two fingers here!" and made his own frantic hand gesture: "Here's a finger for you!" Videotapes of the incident are inconclusive as to whether Mason's upswept hand was intended to be an indecent gesture, but Sullivan's body language immediately afterward made it clear that he was convinced of it, despite Mason's panic-stricken denials later.[15] Sullivan later invited Mason back for a return engagement, but the notoriety of the "finger" incident lingered with the studio audience.
When The Byrds performed on December 12, 1965, David Crosby got into a shouting match with the show's director. They were never asked to return.[16][17]
On January 15, 1967 The Rolling Stones were told to change the chorus of "Let's Spend the Night Together" to "Let's spend some time together". Lead singer Mick Jagger complied, but deliberately called attention to this censorship by rolling his eyes and mugging when he uttered the new words.[18] Shortly, after the performance, the Stones went backstage, and came back on stage, dressed in Nazi uniforms with swastikas, which caused an angry Sullivan to tell them to go back to their dressing rooms and change back into their performing outfits, however, the Stones left the studio and Sullivan banned the group from ever appearing on his show again.[19][Full citation needed][page needed] Nonetheless, the Stones appeared on the show one final time on November 23, 1969.[20]
The Doors were banned on September 17, 1967 after they were asked to remove the lyric "Girl, we couldn't get much higher" from their song "Light My Fire" (CBS censors believed that it was too overt a reference to drug use). The band was asked to change the lyric to "girl we couldn't get much better". Morrison sang the original lyric.[21]
Moe Howard of the Three Stooges recalled in 1975 that Sullivan had a memory problem of sorts: "Ed was a very nice man, but for a showman, quite forgetful. On our first appearance, he introduced us as the Three Ritz Brothers. He got out of it by adding, 'who look more like the Three Stooges to me'."[22] Joe DeRita, who worked with the Stooges after 1959, had commented that Sullivan had a personality "like the bottom of a bird cage."[23]
Diana Ross later recalled Sullivan's forgetfulness during the many occasions The Supremes performed on his show. In a 1995 appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman (which is filmed in Ed Sullivan Theater), Ross stated, "he could never remember our names. He called us 'the girls'." [24][25]
In a 1990 press conference Paul McCartney recalled meeting Sullivan again in the early 1970s. Sullivan apparently had no idea who McCartney was. McCartney tried to remind Sullivan that he was one of The Beatles but Sullivan obviously could not remember and, nodding and smiling, simply shook McCartney's hand and left.
Politics[link]
Sullivan, like many American entertainers, was pulled into the Cold War fervor of the late 1940s and 1950s. In 1949, Sullivan booked dancer Paul Draper to appear on Toast of the Town. However, Draper’s scheduled appearance in January 1950 was met with opposition from Hester McCullough, a woman who involved herself in the hunt for subversives. McCullough accused Draper of sympathizing with the communist party, and although Draper denied the accusation, McCullough demanded that Sullivan’s lead sponsor, the Ford Motor Company, cancel Draper’s appearance. Despite McCullough’s protest, Draper was a guest on Toast of the Town, as was originally scheduled. After the program was broadcast, Ford received over a thousand angry letters and telegraphs in response to Draper’s appearance. Consequently, Sullivan was obligated to write a letter of apology to Ford’s advertising agency, Kenyon & Eckhardt, promising to never again move forward with such a controversial guest. Meanwhile, Draper was forced to move to Europe to earn a living.[26]
Another guest who never appeared on the show because of the controversy surrounding him was legendary African-American singer-actor Paul Robeson, who, at the time of the Draper incident, was undergoing his own troubles with the industry's hunt for supposed Communist sympathizers.
After the Draper incident, Sullivan began to work closely with Theodore Kirkpatrick of the anti-communist Counterattack newsletter. Sullivan would check with Kirkpatrick if a potential guest had some "explaining to do" about his politics. Sullivan wrote in his June 21, 1950 New York Daily News column that "Kirkpatrick has sat in my living room on several occasions and listened attentively to performers eager to secure a certification of loyalty."[27] Jerome Robbins, in his PBS American Experience biography, claimed that he was forced to capitulate to the House Un-American Activities Committee, identifying eight Communist sympathizers and disgracing himself among his fellow artists, allegedly because Sullivan threatened to reveal Robbins's homosexuality to the public.
Later years and death[link]
In the fall of 1965, CBS began televising the weekly programs in color. Although the Sullivan show was seen live in the Central and Eastern time zones, it was taped for airing in the Pacific and Mountain time zones. Most of the taped programs (as well as some early kinescopes) were preserved, and excerpts have been released on home video.
By 1971, the show's ratings had plummeted. In an effort to refresh their lineup, CBS cancelled the program along with some of its other longtime shows. Sullivan was angered by this so greatly that he refused to do a final show, although he remained with the network in various other capacities and hosted a 25th anniversary special in 1973.
In early September 1974, X-rays revealed that Sullivan had advanced esophageal cancer. Only his family was told, however, and as the doctors gave Sullivan very little time, the family chose to keep the diagnosis from him. Sullivan, still believing his ailment to be yet another complication from a long-standing battle with ulcers, died five weeks later, on October 13, 1974, at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital.[28] His funeral was attended by 3,000 at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York on a cold, rainy day. Sullivan is interred in a crypt at the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.
Personal life[link]
Sullivan was engaged to champion swimmer Sybil Bauer, but she died of cancer in 1927 at the age of 23.[29] He was married to the former Sylvia Weinstein from April 28, 1930, until her death on March 16, 1973. They had one daughter, Betty Sullivan (who married the Ed Sullivan Show's producer, Bob Precht). Sullivan was in the habit of calling Sylvia after every program to get her immediate critique.
Sullivan has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6101 Hollywood Blvd.
References[link]
- ^ Ed Sullivan Bio on EdSullivan.com
- ^ "Special Collectors' Issue: 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time". TV Guide (December 14–20). 1996.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ Yagoda, Ben (1981), "The True Story of Bernarr Macfadden," American Heritage 33(1), December, 1981; reference used for this article was the online version,Ben Yagoda (December 1981). "The True Story of Bernarr Macfadden: Lives and Loves of the Father of the Confession Magazine". American Heritage. http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1981/1/1981_1_22.shtml. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
- ^ The Ed Sullivan Theater at EdSullivan.com
- ^ a b c d e "Big As All Outdoors" Time, 17 October 1955.
- ^ a b c d e "Plenty of Nothing" Time, 13 October 1967.
- ^ Will Jordan at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ a b Merwin, Gregory (May 1957). Fifty Million People Can't Be Wrong. TV-Radio Mirror. pp. 32–33. http://www.otrr.org/FILES/Magz_pdf/TV_Radio_Mirror/TV%20Radio%20Mirror%205705.pdf. Retrieved 12 February 2012. (PDF)
- ^ Elvis Presley on The Ed Sullivan Show at EdSullivan.com
- ^ The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show on EdSullivan.com
- ^ www.amazon.com
- ^ http://emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/vince-calandra
- ^ CBS special, The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show
- ^ http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2105166789756539416&q=the+ed+sullivan+show+byrds&ei=e2NwSLuhCYSSrgLNvPylBw&hl=en
- ^ The Byrds on The Ed Sullivan Show at EdSullivan.com
- ^ The video of this performance can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uewUcr-BYo
- ^ "Dick Clark's 25 Years of Rock and Roll" (1981)
- ^ The Rolling Stones on The Ed Sullivan Show at EdSullivan.com
- ^ The Doors on Ed Sullivan at EdSullivan.com
- ^ Howard, Moe. (1977, rev. 1979) Moe Howard and the Three Stooges, p. 165; Citadel Press. ISBN 978-0-8065-0723-1.
- ^ Lenburg, Jeff; Howard Maurer, Joan; Lenburg, Greg; (1982). The Three Stooges Scrapbook, Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-0946-5
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMeZCg98_2U&feature=related
- ^ The Supremes on The Ed Sullivan Show at EdSullivan.com
- ^ Barnouw, E. (1990). Tube of plenty : the evolution of American television / Erik Barnouw. New York : Oxford University Press, 1990.
- ^ Tube of Plenty, Eric Barnouw, Oxford University Press, 1990
- ^ "Ed Sullivan Dies Of Cancer At Age 72". Associated Press. October 14, 1974. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tiAtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hqQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=628,4719415&dq=ed+sullivan+dead&hl=en. Retrieved 2010-09-18. "... the Great Stone Face whose "really big shew" entertained millions of American television viewers on Sunday nights for more than two ..."
- ^ Sisson, Richard; Zacher, Christian K.; Cayton, Andrew R. L. (2007). The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia. Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press. p. 901. ISBN 0-253-34886-2. http://books.google.com/books?id=n3Xn7jMx1RYC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA901#v=onepage&q&f=false.
Further reading[link]
- Leonard, John, The Ed Sullivan Age, American Heritage, May/June 1997, Volume 48, Issue 3
- Nachman, Gerald, Ed Sullivan, December 18, 2006.
- Maguire, James, Impresario: The Life and Times of Ed Sullivan, Billboard Books, 2006
- Bowles, Jerry, A Thousand Sundays: The Story of the Ed Sullivan Show, Putnam, 1980
- Barthelme, Donald, "And Now Let's Hear It for the Ed Sullivan Show!" in Guilty Pleasures, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1974
External links[link]
- The Official Ed Sullivan Show Website
- Ed Sullivan at the Internet Movie Database
- Ed Sullivan at TVGuide.com
- Overview of Ed Sullivan's life
- The Ed Sullivan Show – Rock 'n' Roll Classics
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sullivan, Ed |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | American entertainment writer and television host |
| Date of birth | September 28, 1901 |
| Place of birth | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Date of death | October 13, 1974 |
| Place of death | New York City, New York, U.S. |
http://wn.com/Ed_Sullivan
Related pages:
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http://nl.wn.com/Ed Sullivan
http://pt.wn.com/Ed Sullivan
http://de.wn.com/Ed Sullivan
http://it.wn.com/Ed Sullivan
http://pl.wn.com/Ed Sullivan
http://cs.wn.com/Ed Sullivan
http://es.wn.com/Ed Sullivan
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Sullivan
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
| Levi Stubbs | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Levi Stubbles |
| Born | (1936-06-06)June 6, 1936 |
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | October 17, 2008(2008-10-17) (aged 72) |
| Genres | R&B/soul |
| Occupations | Singer, actor |
| Years active | 1954–2008 |
| Labels | Motown |
| Associated acts | The Four Tops |
Levi Stubbles (June 6, 1936 – October 17, 2008), better known by the stage name Levi Stubbs, was an American baritone singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the Motown R&B group Four Tops. He was also a voice artist, portraying villainous characters in films and animated television series, most famously having provided the voice of the alien plant Audrey II in the musical horror film Little Shop of Horrors, and Mother Brain in Captain N: The Game Master.
Contents |
Career[link]
Born in Detroit in 1936, Levi Stubbs began his professional singing career with friends Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton, forming a singing group called The Four Aims in 1954.[1] Two years later, after having signed with Chess Records, the group changed their name to the Four Tops. The name change was meant to avoid confusion with the then-popular Ames Brothers.[1] The Four Tops began as a supper-club act before signing to Motown Records in 1963. By the end of the decade, the Four Tops had over a dozen hits. The most popular of their hits (all of which featured Stubbs on lead vocals) include "Baby I Need Your Loving", "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)", "It's the Same Old Song", "Reach Out I'll Be There", "Standing in the Shadows of Love", "Bernadette", "Still Water (Love)", "Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)" as well as the late hit "Loco In Acapulco". Although Stubbs was a natural baritone, most Four Tops' hits were written in a tenor range to give the lead vocals a sense of urgency.
-
Stubbs performing at New Rochelle High School, November 1966.
Despite being the most prominent member of the group, Stubbs refused to have separate billing (in contrast to other Motown acts such as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and Diana Ross and the Supremes),[2] and he also turned down several offers for a solo career, out of loyalty to his bandmates.[2] Stubbs and the other Tops remained a team until Payton died in 1997, at which point Theo Peoples took his place. The Four Tops were elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and have sold over 50 million records worldwide.[1] In 2000, Theo Peoples replaced Stubbs as lead singer after Stubbs suffered a stroke, with Ronnie McNeir taking the place that Payton originally held. Benson died on July 1, 2005, leaving Duke Fakir as the only surviving member of The Four Tops' original lineup.
Although not an actor, Stubbs provided the voice of the carnivorous plant Audrey II in the 1986 movie version of the musical Little Shop of Horrors to much acclaim from fans of the film, and the voice of Mother Brain in the animated TV series Captain N: The Game Master (1989).[3] Stubbs also guest starred in a number of TV shows as himself. Berry Gordy offered him the role of Louis McKay in the 1972 film Lady Sings the Blues, opposite Diana Ross as Billie Holiday, but Stubbs turned it down, once again not wishing to overshadow the other members of the Four Tops.[2]
The Billy Bragg album Talking with the Taxman about Poetry includes a song titled, "Levi Stubbs' Tears".
Personal life[link]
Levi Stubbs and his wife Clineice were married from 1960 until his death. He had five children. He was diagnosed with cancer, in 1995, and later he was no longer able to tour with the group after a stroke. Stubbs died in his sleep on October 17, 2008, at his home in Detroit.[4] Like the majority of Detroit celebrities, Stubbs is interred at Detroit's historic Woodlawn Cemetery across from the Michigan State Fairgrounds.
His brother, Joe Stubbs, was a member of 100 Proof Aged In Soul, The Falcons, The Contours and The Originals and one of his cousins was Jackie Wilson.[5]
References[link]
- ^ a b c "Stars mourn Four Tops star Stubbs"
- ^ a b c Jones, Steve (October 19, 2008). "The Four Tops' Levi Stubbs dies at 72". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2008-10-17-stubbs-obit_N.htm. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
- ^ Maynard, Micheline (October 17, 2008). "Levi Stubbs, 72, Powerful Voice for Four Tops, Dies". The New York Times
- ^ Four Tops Vocalist Levi Stubbs Dies At 72
- ^ USA Today
External links[link]
- Levi Stubbs at Find a Grave
- Levi Stubbs at the Internet Movie Database
- Levi Stubbs interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' October 1992
- Levi Stubbs discography at MusicBrainz
- Obituary in Los Angeles Times
- Obituary in The New York Times
- Obituary on NPR Music
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Stubbs, Levi |
| Alternative names | Stubbles, Levi |
| Short description | Singer, actor |
| Date of birth | 1936-6-6 |
| Place of birth | Detroit, Michigan, USA |
| Date of death | 2008-10-17 |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Levi_Stubbs
Related pages:
http://nl.wn.com/Levi Stubbs
http://de.wn.com/Levi Stubbs
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levi_Stubbs
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
