Levi Stubbs (born Levi Stubbles, June 6, 1936 – October 17, 2008) was an American baritone singer, widely known as the lead vocalist of the R&B group the Four Tops, that released a variety of Motown hit records during the 1960s and 1970s. He was noted for his powerful, emotional, and dramatic singing style. In 1990, Stubbs was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Four Tops.

Stubbs was also a voice artist in film and television, and provided the voice of "Audrey II", the alien plant in the 1986 musical horror comedy film Little Shop of Horrors (an adaption of the stage musical of the same name), as well as Mother Brain in the 1989 TV series Captain N: The Game Master. Stubbs was admired by his peers for his impressive vocal range and influenced many later pop and soul artists, such as Daryl Hall of Hall and Oates.

Early life and music career

left|thumb|Stubbs performing at [[New Rochelle High School in 1966]]

Born in 1936 in Detroit, Michigan, Stubbs had a brother, Joe, who later became a member of 100 Proof (Aged in Soul), The Falcons, The Contours and The Originals. His cousin was Jackie Wilson. Stubbs attended Detroit Pershing High School, where he met Abdul "Duke" Fakir. He began his professional singing career with friends Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton, forming a singing group called the Four Aims in 1954.

Two years later, after signing with Chess Records, the group changed their name to the Four Tops. The name change was meant to avoid confusion with the then-popular Ames Brothers. and he also turned down several offers for a solo career, out of loyalty to his bandmates. Stubbs' final performance with the Four Tops was at the group's "50th Anniversary Concert" on July 28, 2004, at the Detroit Opera House. According to AllMusic'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". War band member Lonnie Jordan later told Billboard.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." Stubbs is interred at Detroit's historic Woodlawn Cemetery.

Cultural references

Stubbs features in Billy Bragg's 1986 song "Levi Stubbs' Tears", about a woman whose Four Tops cassette brings her comfort through difficult times.

Filmography

Film

{| class="wikitable"

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! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes

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| 1986 || Little Shop of Horrors || Audrey II; Black Resident||Voice; credited as Levi Stubbs of The Four Tops

|}

Television

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes

|-

| 1989–1991 || Captain N: The Game Master || rowspan="2"|Mother Brain || Voice; credited as Levi Stubbs Jr. (final appearance)

|}

Soundtrack

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Year !! Artist/Writer !! Song !! Film

|-

| 1986 || Howard Ashman & Alan Menken || "Feed Me (Git It)"<br>"Suppertime"<br>"Mean Green Mother from Outer Space" || Little Shop of Horrors

|-

| 2003 || Lamont Dozier, Brian & Eddie Holland || "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" || Queer as Folk

|}

References

  • Levi Stubbs interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' October 1992
  • Obituary in Los Angeles Times
  • Obituary in The New York Times
  • Obituary on NPR Music