Music / Film & TV
Levi Stubbs
1936–2008 · singer, voice actor
Lifelong Detroiter and lead voice of the Four Tops, formed with Pershing High School friends, who sang “Reach Out I'll Be There” and is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan- Died
Detroit, Michigan
aged 72- Birth name
- Levi Stubbles
- Detroit years
- 1936–2008
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Levi Stubbs was born in Detroit in 1936 and spent most of his life in the city. At Pershing High School on the northeast side he met Abdul “Duke” Fakir, and with Renaldo “Obie” Benson and Lawrence Payton they formed the group that became the Four Tops. For a decade they worked the supper-club circuit before signing with Motown in 1963. Paired with the Holland–Dozier–Holland writing team, Stubbs's urgent, dramatic baritone carried “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “I Can't Help Myself” and “Reach Out I'll Be There.” Out of loyalty he refused separate billing and turned down solo offers, and the original quartet stayed together for more than four decades. Film audiences know his voice as Audrey II, the man-eating plant in Little Shop of Horrors (1986). His last show with the group was the Four Tops' 50th-anniversary concert at the Detroit Opera House in 2004. He died at home in Detroit in 2008 and is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery.
Highlights
- Met Duke Fakir at Detroit's Pershing High School
- Lead singer of the Four Tops, signed to Motown in 1963
- “Reach Out I'll Be There” (1966) reached No. 1
- Voice of Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Four Tops, 1990
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 5
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Studied here · early 1950s
Pershing High School
Northeast-side public high school where he met Duke Fakir, the start of the Four Tops.
Recorded here · 1963–1972
Motown Museum
Motown's Detroit studio, where the Four Tops recorded their Holland–Dozier–Holland hits. Now the Motown Museum.
Performed here · 2004
Detroit Opera House
Scene of his final performance, the Four Tops' 50th-anniversary concert on July 28, 2004.
Related place · 2008
Greater Grace Temple
Northwest Detroit megachurch where his memorial service was held on October 27, 2008.
Buried here · 2008–
Woodlawn Cemetery
Detroit's historic Woodward Avenue cemetery, where he is interred.