Obie Benson, one of the Four Tops, dies

Discussion in 'Movies, TV and Music' started by Ian McCracken, Jul 1, 2005.

  1. Ian McCracken

    Ian McCracken Member

    May 28, 1999
    USA
    Club:
    SS Lazio Roma
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    Geez, first Vandross and now one of the 4 Tops. There must be a Motown musical reunion in heaven.

    Obie Benson, one of the Four Tops, dies at 69

    BY BRIAN MCCOLLUM

    Knight Ridder Newspapers

    DETROIT - (KRT) - Motown lost a musical pillar Friday.

    Renaldo ``Obie'' Benson, who for more than half a century provided the bass vocal foundation to the Four Tops' lush harmonies, died Friday morning at Harper Hospital in Detroit. He had turned 69 on June 14.

    [​IMG]
    R.I.P. Obie (on the far right)
     
  2. taosjohn

    taosjohn Member+

    Dec 23, 2004
    taos,nm
    I always thought it wasn't Levi's voice so much as Levi and Obie combined... Levi was concrete and Obie was rebar.... always wished I could hear him sing with Linda Ronstadt...
     
  3. obie

    obie New Member

    Nov 18, 1998
    NY, NY
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    RIP to my namesake. Unbelievably great songs.

    One of the great things about the Four Tops was that until Payton died in '97 they actually were the Four Tops for over 40 years -- unlike so many 50s and 60s groups that kept the name with only one or two original members. I think there were three or four acts touring as The Drifters for a while, each with one original Drifter.
     

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