Apart from Duke Fakir’s 2022 memoir, there are no substantial works of biography or criticism of the Four Tops in print. The following is a list of books in which the Tops are major or minor characters, along with some essential cultural studies and histories of Motown and Detroit. Subsequently is a list of articles which relates the Tops’ story in fragments.
Special thanks to Michaelangelo Matos.
Books
Abbott, Kingsley (ed.), Callin’ Out Around the World: A Motown Reader [esp. Michael Heatley’s “The Four Tops’ Quarter Century of Quality Soul”]. Bath Press: 2001.
Babson, Steve, Working Detroit: The Making of a Union Town. Adama Books: 1984.
Benjaminson, Peter, The Story of Motown. Grove Press: 1979.
Bjorn, Lars, with Jim Gallert, Before Motown: A History of Jazz in Detroit, 1920-1960. University of Michigan Press: 2001.
Clinton, George, Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard on You? Atria: 2014.
“Dr. Licks,” Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of the Legendary James Jamerson. Dr. Licks Publishing: 1989.
Douglas, Tony, Jackie Wilson: Lonely Teardrops. Routledge: 2006. (“let Levi Stubbs and his people win”).
Dozier, Lamont, with Scott B. Bomar, How Sweet It Is: A Songwriter’s Reflections on Music, Motown and the Mystery of the Muse. BMG: 2019.
Early, Gerald, One Nation Under a Groove: Motown and American Culture. Ecco Press: 1995 (revised 2004).
Fakir, Duke, with Kathleen McGhee-Anderson, I’ll Be There: My Life with the Four Tops. Omnibus Press: 2022.
Flory, Andrew, I Hear a Symphony: Motown and Crossover R&B. University of Michigan Press: 2017. Essential book, from Flory’s breakdown of the Eighties Motown advertising boom to his analyses of the Motown Sound.
George, Nelson, Where Did Our Love Go? The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound. University of Illinois Press: 2007 (orig. 1985).
Gordy Jr., Berry, To Be Loved: The Music, The Magic, The Memories of Motown. Warner Books: 1994. More (apparently) honest than most autobiographies of wealthy men, with a lively prose style.
Harris, Larry, with Curt Gooch and Jeff Suhs, And Party Every Day: The Inside Story of Casablanca Records. Backbeat Books: 2009.
Holland, Eddie and Brian Holland, with Dave Thompson, Come and Get These Memories: The Genius of Holland-Dozier-Holland. Omnibus Press: 2019.
Klebanow, Diana, Franklin L. Jonas and Ira M. Leonard, Urban Legacy: The Story of America’s Cities. Mentor: 1977.
LeDuff, Charlie, Detroit: An American Autopsy. Penguin: 2013.
Maraniss, David, Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story. Simon & Schuster: 2015. [“there was music everywhere…all the boys were singing….all I want to do is sing…just follow me…we knew we were not going to college”]
Marsh, Dave, The Heart of Rock ‘n’ Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Plume: 1989.
Martelle, Scott, Detroit: A Biography. Chicago Review Press: 2014.
Morse, David, Motown. November Books: 1971.
Myers, Marc, Anatomy of a Song. Grove Atlantic: 2016.
Posner, Gerald, Motown: Music, Money, Sex, and Power. Random House: 2002.
Priestly, Howard, Love Factory: The History of Holland-Dozier-Holland. New Haven Publishing: 2021.
Reeves, Martha and Mark Bego, Dancing in the Street: Confessions of a Motown Diva. Hyperion: 1994.
Singleton, Raynoma Gordy, Berry, Me, and Motown: The Untold Story. Contemporary: 1990.
Smith, Joe, Off the Record: An Oral History of Popular Music (Mitchell Fink, ed.). Warner Books: 1988.
Smith, Suzanne E., Dancing in the Street: Motown and the Cultural Politics of Detroit. Harvard University Press: 2001.
Sugrue, Thomas, The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit. Princeton University Press: 1996.
Taraborrelli, J. Randy, Motown: Hot Wax, City Cool and Solid Gold. Doubleday: 1986.
Turner, Tony with Barbara Aria, Deliver Us From Temptation: The Tragic and Shocking Story of the Temptations and Motown. Thunder’s Mouth Press: 1992.
Waller, Don, The Motown Story. Charles Scribner’s Sons: 1985.
Whitall, Susan, Fever: Little Willie John’s Fast Life, Mysterious Death and the Birth of Soul. Titan Books: 2011.
White, Adam, with Barney Ales, Motown: The Sound of Young America. Thames & Hudson: 2016. White is the equivalent, with Motown, to Nicholas Pegg with David Bowie and Mark Lewisohn with The Beatles: a bedrock reliable source.
Wilkerson, Isabel, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration. Random House: 2010.
Williams, Otis, with Patricia Romanowski, Temptations. Cooper Square Press: 2002 (1988).
Wilson, Mary, with Patricia Romanowski and Ahrgus Juilliard, Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme. St. Martin’s Press: 1986.
Articles/ Interviews/ Liner Notes
Abbey, John, “Changing Times,” Blues & Soul, No. 44, 9-22 October 1970.
—. “Levi Stubbs,” Blues & Soul, No. 150, 17 December 1974-6 January 1975.
Albert, George, “It’s No Small ‘Wonder’ Motown Still Sells Records,” Cash Box, 3 June 1982.
Alexander, Dick, “Tops and Ink Spots on Tap,” Arizona Daily Star, 22 October 1961.
Alterman, Loraine, “Drop the Tops in Britain—And the Crowds Go Wild,” Detroit Free Press, 3 March 1967.
Ashton, Anita, “Obie Benson,” Blues & Soul, No. 175, 9-22 December 1975.
“Britons Pop for Four Tops,” Associated Press, 25 February 1967.
Buchalter, Gail, “Smokey Robinson,” People, 10 March 1980. [“either in a group or a gang”]
Campbell, Mary, “Four Tops Confident of Beyond-Rock Future,” Associated Press, 13 August 1966.
—. “Four Tops Stage Revival with Hit,” Associated Press, 22 November 1981.
Considine, J.D., “Four Tops Spinning Back from Limbo,” Baltimore Sun, 16 April 1982.
Dahl, Bill and Keith Hughes (Henry Weinger, editor), track annotations for The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 4: 1964, Vol. 5: 1965, Vol. 6: 1966, Vol. 7: 1967, Vol. 8: 1968, Vol. 9: 1969, and Vol. 10: 1970.
De la Vina, Mark, “Four Tops Are Right Back with Motown Where They Belong,” Arizona Republic, 29 October 1983.
Deck, Carol, “Four Tops on The Four Tops,” KRLA Beat, 22 October 1966.
Eldridge, Royston, “Four Tops: Hammersmith Odeon, London,” Sounds, 17 October 1970.
“Four Tops Hurt as Bus, Truck Crash,” Associated Press, 23 April 1978.
“The Four Tops Nearly Boarded Lockerbie Plane, Says Duke Fakir,” BBC News, 20 October 2016.
“Four Tops Reach Out,” Beat Instrumental, May 1970.
Gaul, Emily, “Something About the Four Tops,” Goldmine, 3 March 1995.
Gavin, Martin, “Four Tops Don’t Walk Away Ever!,” New Musical Express, 6 February 1982.
George, Hunter, “Four Tops—Senior Citizens of Soul,” Miami Herald, 9 August 1974. [“seven days man”]
Gormley, Mike, “Four Tops Live Up to Their Name,” The Ottawa Journal, 22 March 1968.
Gray, Bill, “Success Stories,” Detroit Free Press, 14 October 1984.
Grigg, Mona, “Bar Gets Second Chance to Become Ballroom,” Detroit Free Press, 2 August 1984 (on the Second Chance).
Hackel, Stu, “Yesterday’s Dreams,” liner notes for Four Tops: The Ultimate Collection (Motown, 1997).
—. “Young Strong Voices,” liner notes for Lost & Found: Four Tops: Breaking Through (Motown, 1999).
—. Liner notes for Fourever (Hip-O, 2001).
Harrington, Richard, “The Four Tops’ Long-Playing Record,” Washington Post, 13 January 1982.
Higgs, Larry, “The Four Tops Still Spinning Hits After 32 Years,” Echoes-Sentinel [NJ], 7 November 1985.
Hoerburger, Rob, “Four Tops Hope to Recapture ‘Magic’,” Billboard, 20 April 1985. [“we rushed it”]
Johnson, Pete, “Four Tops Open at the Cocoanut Grove,” Los Angeles Times, 5 September 1968.
—. “Four Tops Spin Out Pop Motown Sound,” Los Angeles Times, 16 April 1966.
Kanzler, George, “Real Motown Beats British Imitators,” Sunday Star-Ledger, 13 November 1983.
King, Bill, “Motown at 25,” The Atlanta Journal, 15 May 1983.
King, Ray, “The Four Tops,” Manchester Evening News, 24 October 1980.
Kirsch, Bob, “Lambert & Potter Disclose Tops’ New Strategy Success,” Billboard, 5 May 1973.
Laing, Dave, “Lawrence Payton: Tops of the Motown Sound,” The Guardian, 23 June 1997 [obit].
Lardine, Bob, “Spinning Along Nicely,” NY Daily News, 12 February 1967.
Lassen, Kurt, “Four Tops Riding Success to Sullivan Show,” Daily Independent, 8 January 1967.
Laycock, John, “Four Tops Lose Their Spin,” The Windsor Star, 7 June 1972.
Lewis, Dan, “Four Tops Please Crowd at Copa,” The Morning Call, 26 December 1967.
Lewis, Pete, “Levi Stubbs,” Blues & Soul, No. 357, October 1992.
Lucas, Bob, “Four Tops Spin Hit Songs With Soul Messages,” Jet, 3 March 1977.
Lundy, Ronni, “Levi Stubbs’ Career Continues to Bloom,” Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 February 1987
Marsh, Dave, “The Great Levi Stubbs,” Rock and Rap Confidential, October 2008.
Maynard, Micheline, “Levi Stubbs, 72, Powerful Voice for Four Tops, Dies,” New York Times, 17 October 2008.
“Motown Announces Price Cuts,” Associated Press, 20 July 1982.
Nathan, David, liner notes for Keepers of the Castle, Their Best 1972-1978 (MCA, 1997).
Palmer, Landon, “From Freedom Dreams to Boomer Nostalgia: Licensing the Cinematic Meanings of Motown,” Journal of Popular Music Studies, Vol. 34, No. 4, 2022.
Perrone, Pierre, “Obie Benson [obit],” The Independent, 5 July 2005.
Persky, Mort, “The Supremes—3 Detroiters Who Have Captured the World,” Detroit Free Press, 24 January 1965.
Pilato, Bruce, Sound and Vision, 25 March 2016 [Fakir interview].
Radel, Cliff, “The Four Tops Are Still Singing Together After All These Years,” Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 February 1983.
Reed, Rochelle, “Four Tops Spin Thru Britain,” KRLA Beat, 31 December 1966.
Ross, Velvet Aisha Johnson, “Queen Esther: The Life of Esther Gordy Edwards and Her Contributions to the Building of Motown Records” (2017). Women’s History Theses. 28.
Salvo, Patrick and Barbara Salvo, “The Four Tops: Still Young and Rebellious After 20 Years,” Sepia, March 1974.
Sauter, Van G., “Motown Records, Man, Which Is Big, Really Big,” Detroit Free Press, 21 March 1965.
Shayne, Bob, “Motown’s Four Tops Happy and Soulful,” Los Angeles Times, 29 May 1967.
Sheff, David, “Berry Gordy: The Playboy Interview,” Playboy, August 1995.
Silva, John, liner notes for Four Tops: Anthology, CD edition (Motown, 1986).
Simons, Judith, “Praise for the Beatles,” Sydney Morning Herald, 20 November 1966.
Smith, Alan, “Four Top a Week: Easy-Going Abdul Fakir,” NME, 20 May 1967.
—. “Four Top a Week: How I Got Out of The Ghetto by Renaldo Benson,” NME, 13 May 1967.
—. “Four Top a Week: Lawrence Payton, the Quiet One,” NME, 6 May 1967.
—. “Four Top a Week: Levi the Leader,” NME, 27 May 1967.
—. “Four Tops Kept Trying and Won!,” NME, 26 August 1966.
—. “Four Tops, The Merseys, Madeline Bell, Remo Four: Royal Albert Hall,” NME, 4 September 1967.
—. “NME Chart News Woke Up The Four Tops In Record Time!,” NME, 21 October 1966.
—. “Supremes, Tops Aren’t Puppets of Motown,” NME, 17 July 1971.
—. “Tamla Keeps Hits Rolling,” NME, 25 March 1967.
Styne, Jule, liner notes for Four Tops on Broadway (Motown, 1967).
Szekely, Susan, “Teen Talk: The Four Tops,” (syndicated column), 21 November 1966.
“They Want a Record that Tops the Charts,” The Spokesman Review, 9 April 1986.
Thurston, Chuck, “Mellow Fellows at the Palace,” Detroit Free Press, 7 June 1972.
—. “Motown Exiting City a Little at a Time,” Detroit Free Press, 9 June 1972.
“Topsy-Turvy Four Tops Back in Bristol,” [Bristol, UK] Evening Post, 6 March 1982.
“Twenty Years Later the Four Tops Are Still Together and Still Making Hit Records,” [no-byline syndicated article], Baltimore Sun, 9 August 1974.
Wachs, Mark, “This Generation: Group’s Theory of Pop,” (syndicated column), The Journal News, 4 October 1967.
—. “This Generation: Start Slower, Last Longer,” (syndicated column), The Herald Statesman, 4 October 1967.
Warren, Doug, “The Four Tops Still Ride High,” Miami Herald, 1 February 1982.
Welch, Chris, “Four Tops Plan a Motown Choir,” Melody Maker, 4 February 1967.
Whitall, Susan, “At Motown, His Voice Was Tops,” Detroit News, 18 October 2008.
White, Adam, “Gordy Speaks: The Billboard Interview,” Billboard, 5 November 1994.
—. “A Motown Timeline: 1980,” West Grand Blog, 4 April 2025.
—. “A Motown Timeline: 1981,” West Grand Blog, 10 November 2023.
—. “A Motown Timeline: 1987,” West Grand Blog, 9 August 2024.
Williams, Michaela, “The Motown Sound,” Chicago Daily News, 25 September 1965.
Wilson, Earl, “The 4 Tops Like to Help Slum Kids,” Detroit Free Press, 31 October 1966.
Wilson, Edmund, “Detroit Motors,” The New Republic, 25 March 1931.
Wood, Sharon, “Four Tops,” Blues & Soul, No. 132, 9-22 April 1974.
Zablit, Jocelyne, “Club Gets Third Chance, as Chic Disco,” Detroit Free Press, 11 April 1985.
Zarbo, Joshua Andrew, “James Jamerson: From Jazz Bassist to Popular Music Icon.” Masters dissertation, Texas State University, 14 May 2014.
Zink, Jack, “Fakir, Four Tops Hope to Spin Back to Heights,” Ft. Lauderdale News, 13 July 1975.
—. “Four Tops Electrifying in Bachelor’s III Review,” Ft. Lauderdale News, 12 July 1975.
Blogs/ Websites/ Podcasts
Carlin, Marcello, “The Four Tops: Greatest Hits,” Then Play Long, 19 August 2009.
Duke Fakir’s DF4Ever Radio (podcasts, 2012-2013).
Ewing, Tom, “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” Popular, 7 February 2006.
Hickey, Andrew, A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs, Episode 132: “I Can’t Help Myself” (8 September 2021).
Motown Junkies (utterly essential; a work of dedication and love.)
64 Quartets 