FOUR TOPS
Through thick and thin, the friends-for-life who called themselves Four Tops were fiercely loyal to one another. Lawrence Payton, Renaldo Benson (known since childhood as "Obie"), Abdul Fakir (just call him "Duke") and Levi Stubbles (the most famous of the four as Levi Stubbs) could have gone the way of other struggling vocal groups considering the lack of career momentum realized during their first decade. As it turned out, they stayed together 43 years until 1997, when Payton's premature death forced the remaining three to continue for a time as The Tops. All four were born and raised in Detroit; Payton and Benson attended Northern High School while Stubbs and Fakir were close friends at Pershing High, about five miles away. During this ... MORE ››
