Duke Fakir details the Four Tops musical bond in new book

The Four Tops first sang together at a high school party in Detroit and their musical bond would carry them to the top of the charts

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The story of the Four Tops, the famous Motown harmony group, began at a high school graduation party in Detroit, when four young men were hoping to impress the girls with an impromptu performance.

That night in 1954, when Abdul “Duke” Fakir, Levi Stubbs, Renaldo “Obie” Benton and Lawrence Payton sung together for the first time, was the start of a lifelong brotherhood. Now that musical history will be laid out in a memoir called “I’ll Be There: My Life With The Four Tops” coming out on May 5 by Fakir, the last surviving member of the Four Tops.

“We came together in such beautiful harmony that we’d never rehearsed,” said Fakir. “The voices were a perfect blend from first tenor to the second tenor to baritone bass. And we had one of the greatest lead singers in Detroit and it just happened just like that.”

Over their career, the Four Tops grew from a vocal quartet (originally called the Four Aims) scraping by gig-to-gig, traveling the country, to the top of the charts, with hits like “I Can’t Help Myself,” “Baby I Need Your Loving,” and “Reach Out, I’ll Be There.” Their harmonies helped define the Motown sound of R&B and soul, but the Four Tops went beyond genre, often throwing in jazz and American standards in their shows. They would be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and earn a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy.