Book - I'll Be There: My Life with the Four Tops - Duke Fakir

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Looking forward to this.

I have a Four Tops story.  Back in the mid-70's when I was in charge of the Chess Records reissue program during their time with All Platinum Records, I ran across a small (7-inch) reel bearing a "United Sound Studios" label (this was the biggest recording studio in Detroit in the 1940's and 50's) with the word "AMES" on it, no other information.  Put it up on the deck: there's a basic rhythm section and some Four Freshmen / Hi-Lo's type harmonies on an uptempo swinger ("I Wish You Would".)  Something about the way the lead singer pronounced some of his words - the penny dropped - this was a teenage Levi Stubbs fronting the Four Tops in 1955 - before settling on the Four Tops name they were called the "Four Aims".  A (presumably) white recording engineer labeling the tape probably thought of the Ames Brothers who were big then.  The Tops did get one doo-wop single released on Chess about a year later ("Could It Be You").  "I Wish You Would" finally saw release years later on a Chess Vocal Groups anothology. (Excerpt from my forthcoming book about Chess Records: The A/P Years)

Picked up a copy on the Omnibus stand at London Book Fair week b4 last, it's a good read 🙂

I'm just waiting on some signed stock coming into A Nickel and A Nail within the next few days.

3 hours ago, Windlesoul said:

I'm just waiting on some signed stock coming into A Nickel and A Nail within the next few days.

Give us a shout when you get them Mark

Omnibus Press selling signed copies at £20 a pop including postage.

I ordered mine from Omnibus Press Thursday it is been delivered today , great service from them 👍

a book/track/group related article from Adam White, can be had here

https://www.adampwhite.com/westgrandblog/four-tops

'Reach Out' – Registered

also has the below possible stage musical info

Book notes: the story of “Reach Out I’ll Be There” will be reprised next month in Duke Fakir’s memoir, entitled – what else? – I’ll Be There, and written with Kathleen McGhee-Anderson. (Duke embarked on a similar effort with author Peter Knobler some years ago, but it didn’t come to pass.) The Tops’ mightiest hit will, of course, figure in the stage musical about their life and times, also dubbed I’ll Be There. This is expected later in the year, with a prospective Broadway run preceded by a debut in Detroit....

The kindle version is now available

Which also means that those after a bit of low cost Sunday reading or wish to check before laying out  can now browse our built in kindle preview feature via the main article above