RIP Levi Stubbs

I see a house, a house of stone
(seven rooms)
A lonely house 'cause now you've gone
(filled with gloom)





Tony R. Durham and your humble narrator caught Levi and the Tops at the very first River Place Festival in 1985. This was long before the West End Boom. Actually, those early attempts by the city to bolster the arts in Greenville lead to the building of The Peace Center for the Performing Arts, which in turn ignited the incredible development of the West End. But that particular evening, we dared not venture much past the intersection of Augusta Street and Pendleton Street (now Main) unless we were looking for prostitutes, drugs or a butt whuppin'. Neither of which was on the agenda.

Instead we were treated to a great show starring an amalgamation called The Temptations and The Four Tops. I call The Temps an amalgamation because of the various combination of singers that comprised the group over the years; only Otis Williams weathered the variation. But the Tops were the Tops; Levi, Opie, Duke and Lawrence. Levi Stubbs was one of the best. Even in 1985, well advanced of the salad days of Motown, Levi still belted it out.

Levi's passing further depletes the dwindling supply of great pop and soul singers. In the current musical landscape there aren't many that have his ability. Regretably, the greats of harmony and melody are passing away, and we are rapidly accelerating towards a time when one hip hopper turns to another in the din of the electronic thump and says, "is that early Tupac"? To him, Bernadette is just some ho and The Four Tops are not even a faint memory.

Rest in peace Sugar Pie Honey Bunch. You know that we loved you.