R.I.P.

LEVI STUBBS
(June 6, 1936 - October 17, 2008)

He was smooth, he was sexy, and he possessed one of the greatest male voices in pop and soul. Levi Stubbs of The Four Tops took good songs like "Baby, I Need Your Loving," "Shake Me, Wake Me," "Reach Out, I'll Be There" and "Standing in the Shadows of Love," and made them great: mini-operas of love, longing and loneliness.

Led by Stubbs's magnificent voice, The Four Tops were just that: masters of their field, bona fide Motown legends. Yet they never took a "star trip," and Stubbs never was tempted by solo stardom's siren call: they were together, in their original lineup, for an astonishing 44 years, until Lawrence Payton's death in 1997. In deference, the group christened themselves "The Tops" until a replacement could be found. Obie Benson died in 2005, and Stubbs was forced to retire in 2000 due to declining health; and with all due respect to Duke Fakir, the remaining member of the original quartet, once Stubbs was gone, so was the magic.

We are truly saddened by the passing of Levi Stubbs. You, sir, will always remain "tops" in our book.