Levi Stubbs
Stubbs performing in 1967
Background information
Born	Levi Stubbles (1936-06-06)June 6, 1936 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Died	October 17, 2008(2008-10-17) (aged 72) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	R&B,soul
Occupations	Singer, actor
Years active	1953–2000, 2004
Labels	Motown

Levi Stubbs (bornLevi Stubbles, June 6, 1936 – October 17, 2008) was anAmericanbaritone singer, widely known as the lead vocalist of theR&B group theFour Tops, that released a variety ofMotownhit records during the 1960s and 1970s. He was noted for his powerful, emotional, and dramatic singing style. In 1990, Stubbs was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Four Tops.

Stubbs was also avoice artist in film and television, and provided the voice of "Audrey II", thealien plant in the 1986musicalhorror comedy filmLittle Shop of Horrors (an adaption of thestage musical of the same name), as well asMother Brain in the 1989 TV seriesCaptain N: The Game Master. Stubbs was admired by his peers for his impressive vocal range, and influenced many laterpop andsoul artists, such asDaryl Hall ofHall and Oates.^[1]

Stubbs was born and spent much of his life inDetroit, Michigan. He had five children with his wife Clineice Stubbs, to whom he was married for almost 50 years. His last performance was at the Four Tops' "50th Anniversary Concert" on July 28, 2004, at theDetroit Opera House.^[1]

Born in 1936 inDetroit, Michigan, Stubbs had a brother,Joe, who later became a member of100 Proof (Aged in Soul),The Falcons,The Contours andThe Originals. His cousin wasJackie Wilson.^[2] Stubbs attendedDetroit Pershing High School, where he metAbdul "Duke" Fakir.^[3] He began his professional singing career with friends Fakir,Renaldo "Obie" Benson andLawrence Payton, forming a singing group called the Four Aims in 1954.^[4]

Two years later, after signing withChess Records, the group changed their name to the Four Tops. The name change was meant to avoid confusion with the then-popularAmes Brothers.^[4] The Four Tops began as a supper-club act before signing toMotown Records in 1963. By the end of the decade, they had over a dozenhits. The most popular of their hits (all of which featured Stubbs on lead vocals) include "Ask the Lonely", "Baby I Need Your Loving", "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)", "It's the Same Old Song", "I'll Turn to Stone", "Reach Out I'll Be There", "Standing in the Shadows of Love", "Bernadette", "Still Water (Love)", "Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)", as well as the late hit "Loco In Acapulco".

Despite being the most prominent member of the group, Stubbs refused to have separate billing (in contrast to other Motown acts such asSmokey Robinson and the Miracles andDiana Ross and the Supremes),^[5] and he also turned down several offers for a solo career, out of loyalty to his bandmates.^[5] Stubbs and the other Tops remained a team until Lawrence Payton died in 1997, at which pointTheo Peoples took his place. The Four Tops were inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and theNational Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2013. They have sold over 50 million records worldwide.^[4]

During the band's long career it was signed to theMotown,ABC Dunhill,Arista andCasablanca record labels, and Stubbs' vocals influenced many laterpop andsoul artists, such asDaryl Hall ofHall and Oates. Hall has remarked that Stubbs' "unique" style rendered the Four Tops' material "timeless". Other musical peers expressing admiration for the Four Tops' work includeLonnie Jordan ofWar andSmokey Robinson ofThe Miracles, among many others.^[1]

In 2000, Theo Peoples replaced Stubbs as lead singer after Stubbs suffered a stroke, with Ronnie McNeir taking the place that Lawrence Payton originally held. Renaldo Benson died on July 1, 2005, leaving Duke Fakir as the only surviving member of the Four Tops' original lineup until his death in July 2024.^[6] Stubbs' final performance with the Four Tops was at the group's "50th Anniversary Concert" on July 28, 2004, at theDetroit Opera House.^[1]

Stubbs provided the voice of the carnivorous plant Audrey II in the 1986 film version of themusicalLittle Shop of Horrors, in which he sang the Oscar-nominated "Mean Green Mother from Outer Space". He also was the voice ofMother Brain in the animated TV seriesCaptain N: The Game Master (1989).^[3]

Stubbs also guest-starred in a number of TV shows as himself.Berry Gordy offered him the role of Louis McKay in the 1972 filmLady Sings the Blues, which would have starred him oppositeDiana Ross asBillie Holiday. Stubbs turned the role down, however, once again not wishing to overshadow the other members of the Four Tops.^[5]

Stubbs has been regarded by some as one of the quintessential malesoul singers.^[7][8] According toAllMusic's Ed Hogan, Stubbs had a "pleading urgency in his voice that perfectly captured the longing anxiousness of the songs written by the producing trio of Holland-Dozier-Holland".^[9]War band memberLonnie Jordan later toldBillboard.com he felt "blessed" to meet Stubbs, and thought that the Four Tops singer's "voice was so good he was just, like, from another planet."^[1]

Stubbs and his wife Clineice were married (for 48 years) from 1960 until his death in 2008. The couple had five children along with 11 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.^[2]

Stubbs was diagnosed withcancer in 1995, and after suffering a stroke in 2000, he was no longer able to tour with the Four Tops. He died in his sleep on October 17, 2008, at his home in Detroit.^[1] A memorial service for Stubbs was held at the Greater Grace Temple in Detroit on October 27. Many of Stubbs' friends from the music industry attended includingBerry Gordy,Martha Reeves,Brian Holland,Ali-Ollie Woodson andDennis Edwards.Detroit City Council member JoAnn Watson, along with Martha Reeves, presented a resolution naming Stubbs' birthday "Levi Stubbs Day" in Detroit.^[10] Stubbs is interred at Detroit's historicWoodlawn Cemetery.^[11]

Stubbs features inBilly Bragg's 1986 song "Levi Stubbs' Tears", about a woman whose Four Tops cassette brings her comfort through difficult times.^[12]

• Levi Stubbs atFind a Grave
• Levi Stubbs atIMDb
• Levi Stubbs interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' October 1992
• Levi Stubbs discography atMusicBrainz
• Obituary inLos Angeles Times
• Obituary inThe New York Times
• Obituary onNPR Music

• 1936 births
• 2008 deaths
• 20th-century African-American male singers
• 20th-century African-American male actors
• 20th-century American male actors
• 20th-century American male singers
• 20th-century American singers
• 21st-century African-American male singers
• 21st-century African-American male actors
• 21st-century American male actors
• 21st-century American male singers
• 21st-century American singers
• American baritones
• American male film actors
• American male television actors
• American male voice actors
• American rhythm and blues singers
• American soul singers
• Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit)
• Deaths from cancer in Michigan
• Four Tops members
• Male actors from Detroit
• Motown artists
• Pershing High School alumni
• Singers from Detroit
• The Midnighters members

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