Your Egypt

[KayCee]

Obie Benson, a founding member of the Four Tops and a lyricist best known for the anti-war song "What's Goin' On," died Friday in Detroit after a brief battle with lung cancer. He was 69.

Benson, whose real name was Renaldo, had been ill for some time. According to the group's publicist, Matt Lee, the cancer was discovered several weeks ago during surgery to amputate one of the crooner's legs. Benson also suffered a heart attack on the operating table.








Born in Detroit in 1937, Benson teamed with three high school buddies--Levi Stubbs, Abdul "Duke" Fakir and Lawrence Payton--in 1954 to form the Four Aims, which would eventually become known as the Four Tops. The quartet would go on to perform together for the next 43 years until Payton's death in 1997.

The foursome spent close to a decade performing in New York jazz clubs before landing their big break with an appearance on The Tonight Show in 1963. After seeing the Tops' jazz arrangement of "In the Still of the Night," Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. signed them to a contract.

Fame and success followed soon after, with the Four Tops' 1964 number, "Baby, I Need Your Lovin'." It was the first in a string of hits for the group, including "Standing in the Shadows of Love," "Bernadette" and "Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)."

The Four Tops became known for their sharp-dressed style and carefully choreographed dance moves. Over the years, they went on to sell more than 50 million records and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

Like most Motown acts, the Four Tops toured widely in Asia and Europe and developed a large overseas fan base. However, when Gordy moved the label's headquarters to Los Angeles in 1972, the group elected to part ways with Motown.

Following the split, the Four Tops had a few more top sellers, but their last hit was 1988's "Indestructible," which reached number 35 on the pop charts.

After a series of health problems, Stubbs left the group in 2000, leaving only Benson and Fakir as original members of the Four Tops. Undaunted, the two remaining Tops recruited replacement crooners Ronnie McNair and Theo Peoples, with whom they continued to perform and celebrated their 50th anniversary last year.

The Four Tops continued to draw crowds in locations like Las Vegas and Harlem's Apollo Theater where they played as recently as March. Their final appearance was on the Late Show With David Letterman on Apr. 8, where they performed "Reach Out (I'll Be There)." On Saturday, they were slated to perform at the Belleayre Music Festival in Highmount, New York, along with the Temptations in a "Motown Royalty" billing.

In 1970, Benson, inspired by a police brutality scene he had witnessed in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district, penned the lyrics for the song that became Marvin Gaye's classic "What's Goin' On."

Benson, having realized that the serious nature of the song wouldn't work for the upbeat Four Tops, turned it over to Gaye, who went on to make it one of the most celebrated cultural statements in pop music history, despite protests from Gordy, who initially believed that it would never sell.

Fakir and Stubbs, the last surviving Four Tops, were nearby over the past month to share in some of their baritone bandmate's final moments.

"He enjoyed every moment of his life, and put a smile on everyone's face, including my own," Fakir relayed to the Detroit Free Press via a spokesperson.

Aside from his bandmates, Benson's last hours were attended by his ex-wife Valaida Benson and daughters Eboni and Tobi Benson. Funeral arrangements had not yet been finalized.
:cry: :(

[Hedgehog]

I have just bought a CD...Best of four tops.... :) :) :)