#lawrence payton

[carlwilsonappreciation]

The Beach Boys and… Martha and the Vandellas (photo published in New Musical Express on November 13, 1964) and The Four Tops (photo by Philip Gotlop).

About photo 2: "Recently, while the Beach Boys were in London, Mike Love and Carl Wilson paid a surprise visit to the Four Tops when they were rehearsing for the BBC-TV show, Pop Inn." - 16 Magazine (April 1967)

“After recording Pet Sounds, I’d come home and listen to nothing but Motown and Stax records. One day I listened to Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Was Made To Love Her’ for five hours straight.” - Carl Wilson, Billboard (February 26, 1983) "The writing [on both solo albums] is R&B influenced. It’s like when we were doing Pet Sounds, I’d go home and put on my Motown records, and the Memphis soul Stax/Volt records. I just have a really big collection of those records and have always loved that expression, that form." - Carl Wilson, PBS LateNight (1983)

[harrisonarchive]

Rest in peace, Abdul “Duke” Fakir, the last remaining founding member of The Four Tops. Sincere condolences to his loved ones. 

The Four Tops were on George’s jukebox at Kinfauns, per the Record Mirror’s January 1, 1966, issue. The songs: “Something About You” and “Darling, I Hum Our Song.” “[Brian Epstein] told us that he had seen us perform, and if you give me your top performance, I’ll guarantee that when you come back, you’ll be front page news. We did do one of our best shows and he was so happy, he was almost crying. The audience was standing in the aisles calling for more and more and he said, ‘You guys did it!’ When we came back, we were front page news and it was like that for years.” - Duke Fakir, Asbury Park Press, 2019 Referenced in the Get Back sessions: "Reach Out (I'll Be There)." And of course, there’s a shoutout to “I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch” in the Harrisong “This Song”… “[I]t’s got like that Tamla sort of line, bass line, and so it says, ‘This song could be you, could be’ — and then I’ve got, I always heard this in my mind — I got Eric Idle, who’s one of the ex-Monty Pythons, to throw in the line where he says, [parodies] ‘Could be Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch!’ [laughs] And the other voice says, ‘No, sounds more like Rescue Me!’” - George Harrison, A Personal Music Dialogue with George Harrison At 33 1/3, 1976 (x)

[helloparkerrose]

[twixnmix]

The Four Tops playing basketball in New York City, 1965.

Photos by Don Paulsen

[history105rockandrollblog]

Lecture 7: The Four Tops perform “Baby I Need Your Loving” in 1966. One of the most beloved Motown acts, The Four Tops – Levi Stubbs, Abdul “Duke” Fakir, Renaldo “Obie” Benson, and Lawrence Payton – continued scoring big hits well into the 1980s. Today, alas, the only surviving member is Abdul “Duke” Fakir (1935-  ). They were responsible for so many memorable tunes. It’s impossible NOT to love these guys.

[absolute-most]

The Four Tops (c. 1965)

[rockandrollhistory105]

Lecture 7: The Four Tops perform “Baby I Need Your Loving” in 1966. One of the most beloved Motown acts, The Four Tops – Levi Stubbs, Abdul “Duke” Fakir, Renaldo “Obie” Benson, and Lawrence Payton – continued scoring big hits well into the 1980s. Today, alas, the only surviving member is Abdul “Duke” Fakir (1935-  ). They were responsible for so many memorable tunes. It’s impossible NOT to love these guys.

[milkandheavysugar]

The Four Tops pose for a group portrait in London, circa 1965. L-R Renaldo Obie Benson, Levi Stubbs, Abdul Duke Fakir, Lawrence Payton