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Podcast: What the Riff Next Gen
Episode: 1967 - September: The Four Tops ”Reach Out”
Description: One of the groups that defined the Motown sound was the Detroit Quartet known as The Four Tops. The group originally called themselves the Four Aims, but changed the name to avoid confusion with the Ames Brothers. The group was composed of Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson, Lawrence Payton, and lead singer Levi Stubbs, four boys who met at Pershing High School and would remain in the same lineup as the Four Tops from 1953 through 1997.
The quartet signed to Chess Records in 1956, but did not experience success with that label. In fact they would not find sig...