Again I have to write about the passing of a true Motown legend.
Levi Stubbs - the lead singer of The Four Tops has died after a long struggle with cancer. Levi had been battling cancer since the mid-90s and this led to him having to leave the group in 2000.

Levi was 18 when he joined student friends Abdul Fakir, Renaldo Benson and Lawrence Payton in a doo-wop group. After several years on various labels with no hits but a polished live act, Berry Gordy signed them to Motown in 1963. They soon came under the artistic wing of Brian & Eddie Holland and Lamont Dozier which proved to be the perfect combination leading to a dazzling collection of recordings - BABY I NEED YOUR LOVING, ASK THE LONELY, I CAN'T HELP MYSELF, IT'S THE SAME OLD SONG, SHAKE ME WAKE ME, REACH OUT I'LL BE THERE, STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF LOVE, 7 ROOMS OF GLOOM, BERNADETTE, YESTERDAYS DREAMS, I'M IN A DIFFERENT WORLD.... stone soul classics all.

Levi was a perfectionist and at times bridled at the production line ethic at Hitsville U.S.A. He also strove to invest the lyrics with real meaning - he even consulted an Italian opera singer to get to the real emotion of BERNADETTE. A natural baritone, Holland-Dozier-Holland would write and produce Levi's vocals for a tenor voice which gave the tracks his strained, sandpapery growl that has made them unforgettable.

When Holland-Dozier-Holland quit Motown after rows with Gordy the Tops found themselves eclipsed by the Temptations in the hits stakes and it wasn't until they found a sympathetic producer with Frank Wilson in 1970 that they started charting again. However Motown's move to Los Angeles in 1972 was the sign to leave and the Tops were back where they started... moving labels with occasional hits - they even re-signed to Motown for a while - and constant touring. Their last hits were the great INDESTRUCTABLE and LOCO IN ACAPULCO in 1988. Levi also had a personal success in 1986 providing the voice of Audrey II in the film of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, one of that film's few abiding pleasures.
I was lucky enough to see the Tops in 1971 at the Albert Hall when they were promoting the single SIMPLE GAME which reached #3 in the UK Top 10 - and I've just found out it had backing vocals by The Moody Blues yet. They were fantastic and I nearly toppled out of the box when The Supremes joined them for an encore!

When I saw that he had died earlier this evening I realised I was reading through moist eyes. I guess there are some people you think will always be around.