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Four Tops | Tunes + Guitar Lessons

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Four Tops: 44 Years of Classic Soul Without Changing a Member

The Four Tops helped define the sound of ’60s Motown—and then just kept going.

Remarkably, the group remained a four-piece vocal outfit with no personnel changes for 44 years. As one of the first acts signed to Berry Gordy’s Motown label, they became a key part of its early success in Detroit, recording numerous albums, releasing hit singles, and even singing backing vocals on other artists’ sessions.

Their two biggest tunes, I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) and Reach Out I’ll Be There, were released a year apart in the mid-’60s, soon after they signed to the label. Both songs remain staples on radio, DJ playlists, and Motown/Soul band setlists to this day.

Although later singles like Bernadette and Ain’t No Woman found some success, they didn’t reach the same heights. A noteworthy collaboration came in the ’70s with The Supremes (after Diana Ross had departed), resulting in three joint albums, including The Magnificent 7. Their standout track from this era was a powerful version of River Deep – Mountain High, originally by Tina Turner and Phil Spector.

While their chart-topping days faded after the ’60s, the Four Tops continued touring and performing, armed with a catalogue of classic material that ensured packed live shows for decades.

Post-Glory Days: The Four Tops Just Kept Going

These days, in the covers band world, the biggest productions—those that graduate from weddings to theatre shows—often blend multiple Motown acts into one big performance. With several singers, a full horn section, and a four-piece band, these touring tribute acts impersonate The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, and of course, the Four Tops. I know of several that tour the country each year doing just that.

But I digress—the Four Tops, with or without The Supremes or Berry Gordy, simply kept going no matter what they faced. Incredibly, they even avoided the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. Pan Am Flight 103, which crashed and killed everyone on board and several people on the ground in the Scottish town of Lockerbie, was a flight they were meant to be on—only a delayed recording session saved them.

In 1997, founding member Lawrence Payton died of liver cancer, turning the Four Tops into a trio for a year before they recruited a new member for the first time in their history—and carried on once again.

Astonishingly, there is still a Four Tops group touring to this day, with one original member remaining. In 2023, they celebrated their 70th anniversary.