More On Levi Stubbs, the Four Tops & the Music Industry

I picked this video off a blog I regularly read, Inside Music Media, by long time radio industry insider, Jerry Del Colliano. Jerry writes

"When I heard that Levi Stubbs, the phenomenal lead singer of the Motown group The Four Tops died Friday I had all the usual reactions someone in this industry would have.

And a few more.

Stubbs, the handsome rough voiced baritone, was a special part of a very special group.

And I'm not just talking about singing talent.

This was a man who was loved and who loved the business as well as his fellow group members. He turned down chances to star in the movies deciding instead to remain with the group -- a special guy in an entertainment industry populated by divas.

I have a point to make about the music industry and radio that I think you will relate to.

My friend Brian Pastoria sent me this 50th anniversary tribute to The Four Tops by Aretha Franklin at the Detroit Opera House. Stubbs was hobbled by cancer and a stroke but he showed up on stage in a wheelchair with the Tops and one last survivor Abdul "Duke" Fakir and a microphone. Take time to watch it. I promise you will not have a dry eye."

Standing in the Shadow of The Four Tops

Four Tops singer Levi Stubbs dies

The greats are falling. Last week it was Paul Newman. This week, Levi Stubbs. What a voice! What a group! What memories I have of their music intertwined in my high school and college years. I was lucky enough to see them perform in Anaheim at a theatre in the round. We sat right next to the stage and they travelled up and down the aisles singing to the audience. Levi was the most powerful singer in the group and his was the signature voice for most of their songs. I remember how handsome he was. It was a thrill. Those were the days when every song tied me to an event in my life. They all mattered.

I think I'm gonna go find my 33's and play 'em and remember.