ArtistInfo

Four Tops
Fourever

Compil. US 2001 on Hip-O Records label
Jazz, Rock and R&B/Soul (Soul)

Booklet; Page 45; Disc 1: 1956-1966 Track 1 courtesy of MCA Records Track 2 Under License From Sony Music Special Products,A Division Of Sony Music, A Group Of Sony Music Entertainment, Inc. Track 3 courtesy of Fantasy, Inc. Tracks 4-21 courtesy of Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc. Booklet; Page 47; Disc 2: 1966-1969 All tracks courtesy of Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc. Booklet; Page 51; Disc 3: 1970-1973 Tracks 1-13 courtesy of Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc. Tracks 14-22 courtesy of MCA Records Booklet; Page 53; Disc 4: 1974-1992 Tracks 1-6 courtesy of MCA Records Tracks 7 & 9 courtesy of The Island Def Jam Music Group Tracks 8 & 10-14: Courtesy of Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc. Tracks 15-17 & 19 courtesy of Arista Records, Inc. Track 18 Under License From Sony Music Special Products,A Division Of Sony Music,A Group Of Sony Music Entertainment Inc. Booklet; Pages 54-59; The Musicians; The Motown Years (1963-1972) The Hitsville Studio "Funk Brothers" Band Featuring: Earl Van Dyke, Johnny Griffith (keyboards) Robert White, Eddie Willis, Joe Messina, Dennis Coffey, Melvin "Wah-Wah" Ragin (guitars) James Jamerson (bass) Richard "Pistol" Allen, Benny Benjamin, Uriel Jones, Andrew Smith (drums) Stevie Wonder on "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" Jack Ashford, Eddie "Bongo" Brown, Norman Whitfield (percussion) Jack Ashford, Jack Brokensha (vibes) Marcus Belgrave, Russell Conway, Maurice Davis, Billy Horner, Eddie Jones, Floyd Jones, Don Slaughter, Johnny Trudell, Herbie Williams, Hohn "Little John" Wilson (trumpets) George Bohanon, Bob Cousar, Bill John, Patrick Lanier, Carl Raetz, Paul Riser, Don White, Jimmy Wilkins (trombones) Dayna Hartwick (flute, piccolo) Lanny Austin, Thomas "Beans" Bowles, Teddy Buckner, Angelo Carlisi, Hank Cosby, Lefty Edward, Eli Fontaine, Kasuka Mafia (Norris Patterson), Eugene "BeeBee" Moore, Larry Nozero, Bernie Peacock, Ernie Rodgers, Eugene Rodgers, Andrew "Mike" Terry, Dan Turner (saxophones) Members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (strings), conducted by Gordon Staples The Moody Blues - Justin Hayward, John Lodge, Mike Pinder, Ray Thomas, Graeme Edge - are featured on "A Simple Game", "So Deep Within You" and "You Stole My Love" [...] Arrangers Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier worked out the rhythms with the Funk Brothers at Tops' sessions in the 1960's. Paul Riser later added the sweetening to tracks like "Baby I Need Your Loving," "I Can't Help Myself," "It's The Same Old Song," "Shake Me, Wake Me" and "Bernadette," among others. Hank Cosby did several other sessions, particularly the woodwinds on "Reach Out I'll Be There." The later Frank Wilson tracks were arranged by Jerry Long, H.B. Barnum and/or David Van DePitte. (Note: The list of musicians refer to people who played at Four Tops' Motown sessions. It does not specify who played on what. In the text preceding the list however, a couple of track-specified credits are given. These are listed in the relevant tracks' ExtraArtist sections.) Booklet; Page 60-61; The Dunhill/ABC Years (1972-1979) Keeper Of The Castle LP Chip Crawford, Dennis Lambert (keyboards) Jimmie Haskell (Moog) Larry Carlton, David Cohen, Joe Smith, Richard Bennett (guitars) Wilton Felder, Ronnie Brown (bass) Paul Humphrey (drums) King Errisson, Gary Coleman, Victor Feldman, Brian Potter (percussion) Sid Sharp (Concertmaster) (Note: Tracks 3.14 to 3.17 are from this album) Main Street People LP Michael Omartian, Chip Crawford, Michael Wofford, Dennis Lambert (keyboards) Larry Carlton, Ben Benay, David T. Walker, Joe Smith (guitars) Wilton Felder (bass) Paul Humphrey (drums) King Errisson, Gary Coleman (percussion) Sid Sharp (Concertmaster) (Notes: Tracks 3.18 to 3.22 are taken from this album) Meeting Of The Minds LP Michael Omartian, Dennis Lambert (keyboards) Larry Carlton, Ben Benay, Dean Parks, Ray Parker Jr. (guitars) Wilton Felder, Scott Edwards (bass) Ed Greene, Paul Humphrey (drums) King Errisson, Gary Coleman, Brian Potter, Steve Barri (percussion) Sid Sharp (Concertmaster) (Note: Track 4.1 is taken from this album) Live & In Concert LP George Bohanon, Julius Brooks, Marion Childers, Charles Lopez, Jerome Richardson, Herman Riley, Sihab Sihab, Maurice Spears, Ernie Watts, Eugene Young (horns) Michael Omartian, Clifford Carter (keyboards) Ben Benay, Dean Parks (guitars) Wilton Felder (bass) Ed Greene (drums) King Errisson (congas) Gene Estes (vibes & percussion) Gil Askey (conductor) (Note: Track 4.2 is taken from this album) Night Lights Harmony LP Ernie Watts, Charles Findlay, Paul Hubinon, Jack Nelson Jr., Lew McCreary, Fred Selden (horns) Michael Omartian, Clifford Carter (keyboards) Ben Benay, David T. Walker, Lee Ritenour, Dean Parks, Jay Graydon (guitars) Max Bennett, Wilton Felder (bass) Ed Greene (drums) Victor Feldman, King Errisson (percussion) The Sid Sharp Strings, Sid Sharp (Concertmaster) Ginger Blake (additional background vocals) (Note: Tracks 4.3 & 4.4 are taken from this album) Catfish LP Johnny Trudell & Co. (horns) Ronald "Buddy" Butson, Clifford Carter, Lawrence Payton, Earl Van Dyke (keyboards) Dennis Coffey, Joe Guastella, Joe Smith, Robert White, Eddie Willis (guitars) Greg "Thumper" Coles (bass) Uriel Jones (drums) Eddie "Bongo" Brown, Dave Penney (percussion) Carl Austin & Co. (strings) (Note: Track 4.6 is taken from this album) Booklet; Page 62; The Casablanca Years (1981-1982) Tonight! LP George Marge (oboe & flutes), Lou Soloff, Joe Shepley (fluglehorns), Seldon Powell (flutes) Bill Meyers (piano) Ralph Schuckett (acoustic piano, organ, melodica solo on 'When She Was My Girl') Ed Walsh, Kashif, Ralph Schuckett, David Wolfert (synthesizers) David Williams, Carlos Rios, David Wolfert (guitars) Nathan East, Neil Stubenhaus (bass) Ron Carter (string bass) Jeff Porcaro (drums) Crusher Bennett, Richard Crooks (percussion) David Friedman (vibes) David Friedman, David Wolfert (orchestra bells) Elliot Rosoff (Concertmaster) (Note: Track 4.7 is taken from this album) One More Mountain LP Bill Meyers (keyboards) Ed Walsh (synthesizers) David Williams, Carlos Rios, Paul Jackson Jr., David Wolfert (guitars) Nathan East, Neil Stubenhaus (bass) Steven Rubinstein (string bass) John Robinson (drums) Crusher Bennett, Richard Crooks (percussion) David Samuels (vibes, orchestra bells) (Note: Track 4.9 is taken from this album) Booklet; Page 63; Return To Motown (1983-1986) The Temptations and Four Tops Medley (Live) Robert O. Bryant, Burgess Gardner, Harry Kim (trumpets) "Red" Garnett Brown, Fred Wesley (trombones) Ernie Fields Jr., Terry Harrington, Fred Jackson Jr., David Majai II (saxophones) Reginald "Sonny" Burke, Willard Alan Oldfield (keyboards) Paul Jackson Jr., Greg Poree (guitars) Greg Middleton, "Ready" Freddie Washington (bass) Ed Greene (drums) Eddie "Bongo" Brown, Tommy Vig (percussion) (Note: From this page, the liner notes lists the musicians of individual tracks, instead of per albums. Thus, these lists are probably more accurate) "I Just Can't Walk Away" Players include: John Barnes (keyboards & synthesizers) Donald Griffin (guitar) James Jamerson Jr. (bass) Paul Humphrey (drums & percussion) Paulinho DaCosta, Crusher Bennett (percussion) "Sexy Ways" Gerald Albright (saxophone solo) Richard Kosinski (keyboards & synthesizers) David Kitay (guitars) Willie Hutch (bass/DMX programming) Stanley Behrens (harmonica) "Hot Nights" Known musicians include: David Wolfert (guitar) and Steve Ferrone (drums) Booklet; Page 64; The Arista Recordings (1988) "If Ever A Love There Was" Kenny G (saxophone solo) Aaron Zigman (keyboards) Jerry Knight (bass) John Robinson (drums) "Indestructible" Bobby Sandstrom (keyboards) Michael Landau (guitar) Jeff Steele (bass) John Robinson (drums) "Loco In Acapulco" Aaron Zigman (keyboards) David Williams, Paul Jackson and Michael Landau (guitars) Freddie Washington (bass) Phil Collins (drums) Booklet; Page 64; Grover Washington Jr. Session (1992) "Till You Return To Me" Grover Washington (tenor saxophone) Bob Baldwin (keyboard, drum and MIDI programming) Gerald Veasley (bass) Booklet; Page 84; Compilation credits page[...] With Very Special Thanks and Motor City High-Fives To Levi Stubbs, Lawrence Payton, Duke Fakir and Obie Benson [...] Digitally Mastered by Kevin Reeves at Universal Mastering Studios-East [...] Thanks to Gavin Lurssen and Doug Sax at the Mastering Lab for their analog-to-analog and analog-to-digital transfers of the Dunhill/ABC masters Our appreciation and thanks to the original recording and mixing engineers, from Motown through Arista, who include among them: Joe Atkinson, Rob Dennis, James Green, Cal Harris, L.T. Horn, Lawrence Miles, Bob Ohlsson, Ken Sands, Steve Smith, Russ Terrana, Phil Kaye, Howard Gale, Barney Perkins, Roger Nichols, Reggie Dozier,Al Schmitt, Dennis Ferrante, Keith Grant, Bob Robitaille, John Matousek, Eric Zobler, Terry Christian, Daren Klein, Rick Ruggieri Producer's note: To maintain the integrity of the era's sound, original single mixes were used for the Motown recordings, with differences as noted. (The "Still Water" singles masters used the LP mix folded down into mono; original LP stereo versions were used here.) For The Dunhill/ABC, Casablanca, Motown II and Arista recordings, original album masters were used except as noted. Unreleased tracks were mastered from the original mixes of the era, except: I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch), I'll Turn To Stone (Live), and Oh, I've Been Blessed mixed by Kevin Reeves, and Tonight I'm Gonna Love You All Over (Live) mixed by Suha Gur, at Universal Mastering Studios-East. (Note: Tracktitles written in upper case letters on the release. Bolded here by the submitter) Recording dates for the Motown recordings were culled from the original Hitsville song cards and studio session logs. [...] Package Design: Tornado Design, Los Angeles Photographs courtesy of Motown Archives Additional photographs and memorabilia courtesy of David Yellen, Kelly Swaggerty, Richard "Pistol" Allen, Allan Slutsky, Billy Davis and Levi Stubbs Original LP Art courtesy of Motown Archives, Stu Hackel and Robert Ryer REACH OUT A special thanks to everyone who contributed to, helped shepherd or otherwise supported this collection, including those mentioned above and: Adam Abrams, Rozel Alcid, Paul Barker, Steve Barri, Chuck Barksdale of the mighty mighty Dells, Robert Bernstein, Mathieu Bitton, Peter Bochan, Fred Bridges, Morris Broadnax, Ashley Culp, Billy Davis, Bob Davis, Louvain Demps, Jim Dobbe, Jim DOnohue, Lamont Dozier, JoAnn Frederick, Richie Gallo, Jeff Glixman, Margaret Goldfarb, Suha Gur, Anthony Hayes, Thearon Hill, Brian Holland, Edward Holland Jr., Ivy Jo Hunter, Peter Jacobs, D'Andria James, Jason Kleve, Dennis Lambert, Bill Levenson, Ron Lewter, Sandy Linzer, Ron Lewter, Rhonda Malmlund, Kelly Martinez, Andy McKaie, Ronnie McNeir, Patte Medina, David Mucci, Meire Murakami, Ken Patrick, Theo Peoples, Brian Potter, Mike Ragogna, Scott Regan, Bruce Resnikoff, David Ritz, Michael Rosenberg, Lily Salinas, Glen Sanatar, Rhonda Shields, George Solomon, Mickey Stevenson, Rick "Stoney" Stone, Ron Strasner, Marlene Barrow Tate, Tania Vaughn, Georgia Ward, Fred Wesley, Adam White, Frank Wilson, Mary Wilson, David Wolfert, UMVD Sales, and especially Amy Herot, who started this project and whose notes and studio research were crucial to its completion. Thank you. Top fans! As always, thank you, Mr. Berry Gordy. Back Cover * Previously unreleased † Single only release (U.S.) †† Single only release, previously unreleased in the U.S. (Note: The asterisk (*) refers to the following tracks: 1.4, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 1.16, 1.20, and 2.4, 2.5, 2.11, 2.16, 2.20, 2.23, and 3.3, 3.4, 3.9, and 4.8, 4.14. The cross (†) refers to the following tracks: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and 2.8, and 4.13. The double cross (††) refers to the following tracks: 3.10, 3.11, and 4.6, 4.19) (P)(C) 2001 Universal Music Enterprises, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc. [...] Distributed by Universal Music & Video Distribution [...] Non-release Notes Exact release date culled from Don't Forget The Motor City, an online Motown discography.

Musicians

	Four Tops , *1953 US album by
	James Jamerson b, 1936-1983 US bass
	Ron Brown b, eb, bass
	Wilton Felder sax, ts, 1940-2015 US bass
	Harry Weinger , compilation producer, compiled by, sidebars compiled by, liner notes, track annotations by
	Dana Smart , JM compiled by, discographies compiled by, other, able assistance by
	Stu Hackel compiled by, sidebars compiled by, liner notes, essay by, producer, associate producer
	Gordon Staples vn, conductor, strings conducted by
	Andrew Smith dr, drums
	Benny Benjamin dr, 1925-1969 US drums
	Paul Humphrey dr, *1935 US drums, drums, percussion
	Richard Allen dr, 1932-2002 drums
	Uriel Jones dr, 1934-2009 drums
	Ben Benay g, voc, US guitar
	David Cohen org, g, guitar
	David T. Walker g, *1941 US guitar
	Dennis Coffey g, *1940 US guitar
	Eddie Willis g, *1936 US guitar
	Joe Messina g, *1928 guitar
	Joe Smith stg, guitar
	Larry Carlton g, *1948 US guitar
	Melvin Ragin g, *1950 US guitar
	Richard Bennett b, acg, eg, *1951 US guitar
	Robert White g, 1936-1994 US guitar
	Chip Crawford p, keyboards
	Dennis Lambert g, *1947 US keyboards, written by, arranged by, string arrangement by, arranged by, rhythm arranged by
	Earl Van Dyke org, 1930-1992 US keyboards
	Johnny Griffith key, 1936-2002 US keyboards
	Michael Omartian key, voc, *1945 US keyboards, arranged by
	Mike Wofford p, *1938 US keyboards
	Andy Skurow , liner notes, track annotations by
	Robin Schwartz other, licensing
	Allan Slutsky other, motown musician information by
	Brian Potter , US percussion, written by
	Eddie "Bongo" Brown cng, perc, 1932-1984 US percussion
	Gary Coleman perc, *1936 US percussion
	Jack Ashford perc, vib, *1934 US percussion, vibraphone, vibes
	King Errisson perc, cng, *1941 BS percussion
	Norman Whitfield key, p, 1940-2008 US percussion, tambourine, written by
	Victor Feldman vib, p, perc, 1934-1987 GB percussion
	Andrew "Mike" Terry sax, 1940-2008 US saxophone
	Angelo Carlisi sax, saxophone
	Bernie Peacock as, saxophone
	Danny Turner sax, as, 1920-1995 US saxophone
	Eli Fontaine sax, US saxophone
	Ernie Rodgers sax, saxophone
	Eugene 'BeeBee' Moore saxophone
	Eugene Rodgers saxophone
	Henry Cosby ts, sax, 1928-2002 US saxophone, written by
	Kasuka Mafia sax, saxophone
	Lanny Austin saxophone
	Larry Nozero sax, fl, 1943-2005 saxophone
	Lefty Edwards , saxophone
	Teddy Buckner as, sax, 1913-1976 US saxophone
	Thomas "Beans" Bowles , saxophone
	Detroit Symphony Orchestra , strings
	Jimmie Haskell str, *1936 US synthesizer, moog, arranged by, strings and horns arranged by
	Bill Johnson tb, trombone
	Bob Cousar voc, eb, US trombone
	Carl Raetz tb, trombone
	Don White eb, trombone
	George Bohanon tb, *1960 US trombone, horns
	Jimmy Wilkins tb, 1921-2018 US trombone
	Patrick Lanier trombone
	Paul Riser str, *1943 US trombone, arranged by, arranged by, string and horn arrangements by
	Billy Horner tr, US trumpet
	Don Slaughter , trumpet
	Eddie Jones tr, trumpet
	Floyd Jones tr, trumpet
	Herbie Williams tr, fh, US trumpet
	John Wilson tr, US trumpet
	Johnny Trudell tr, trumpet
	Marcus Belgrave tr, 1936-2015 US trumpet
	Maurice Davis tr, trumpet
	Russell Conway trumpet
	Jack Brokensha vib, 1926-2010 US vibraphone, vibes
	Bert Keyes p, arranged by, conductor
	Ernie Wilkins ts, 1922-1999 US arranged by
	Marv Johnson voc, p, 1938-1993 US written by, producer
	Stevie Wonder syn, *1950 US drums, written by
	Levi Stubbs, Jr. , 1936-2008 US performer on track
	Jerry Long , arranged by
	Jimmy Roach , *1944 US arranged by
	Frank Wilson-William "Smokey" Robinson , written by, love
	Frank Wilson bvoc, g, 1940-2012 US written by, love, written by, peace
	Smokey Robinson bvoc, *1940 US written by, love, lead vocals, additional lead vocal by
	The Supremes , 1959-1977 US performer on track
	Arthur Greenslade p, 1923-2003 GB arranged by
	The Moody Blues , *1964 GB featuring
	Leonard Caston key, b, 1917-1987 US keyboards
	Don Hockett str, key, arranged by, string arrangement by
	Gil Askey tr, 1925-2014 AU arranged by, arranged by, conductor
	Scott Edwards b, bass
	Ed Greene dr, US drums
	Dean Parks g, *1947 US guitar
	Ray Parker Jr. , *1954 US guitar
	Steve Barri perc, *1942 US percussion
	Charles Loper tb, US horns
	Ernie Watts ts, *1945 US horns
	Eugene Young tr, 1919-2011 US horns
	Herman Riley ts, fl, 1933-2007 US horns
	Jerome Richardson fl, ts, 1920-2000 US horns
	Julius Brooks b, US horns
	Marion Childers , horns
	Maurice Spears tb, US horns
	Sahib Shihab bs, fl, 1925-1989 US horns
	Clifford Carter key, *1952 US keyboards
	Gene Estes vib, perc, 1931-1996 US percussion, vibraphone, vibes
	Max Bennett b, *1928 US bass
	Jay Graydon g, *1949 US guitar
	Lee Ritenour g, *1952 US guitar
	Chuck Findley tr, *1947 US horns
	Fred Selden sax, cl, fl, US horns
	Jack Nelson Jr. , horns
	Lew McCreary tb, 1927-1999 US horns
	Paul Hubinon tr, fh, horns
	The Sid Sharp Strings , strings
	Greg Coles b, bass
	Joe Guastella , guitar
	Johnny Trudell & Co. , horns
	Lawrence Payton voc, 1938-1997 US keyboards, written by, arranged by, vocal arrangement by
	Ronald "Buddy" Butson , keyboards
	Dave Penney dr, percussion
	Carl Austin & Co. , strings
	Colin Fletcher eb, cb, arranged by
	Bill Meyers ep, p, US arranged by, rhythm arrangement by, piano, keyboards
	Nathan East b, voc, *1955 US bass
	Neil Stubenhaus b, *1953 US bass
	Ron Carter b, *1937 US bass, string bass
	David Friedman vib, mar, 1944-1950 US bells, orchestra bells, vibraphone, vibes
	David Wolfert g, US bells, orchestra bells, guitar, synthesizer, arranged by, rhythm arrangement by, written by
	Elliot Rosoff vn, US conductor, concertmaster
	Jeff Porcaro dr, perc, 1954-1992 US drums
	Joe Shepley tr, fh, 1930-2016 US flugelhorn, fluglehorn
	Lew Soloff tr, fh, 1944-2015 US flugelhorn, fluglehorn
	Seldon Powell ts, sax, 1928-1997 US flute
	Carlos Rios g, bvoc, US guitar
	David Williams g, voc, 1950-2009 US guitar
	George Marge , US oboe, flute
	'Crusher' Bennett perc, cng, tim, bgo, percussion
	Richard Crooks dr, perc, percussion
	Ralph Schuckett key, voc, org, p, *1948 US organ, melodica, piano, acoustic piano, synthesizer
	Ed Walsh syn, US synthesizer, synthesizer, synthesizers
	Kashif syn, *1959 US synthesizer
	Steven Rubinstein , bass, string bass
	John Robinson dr, perc, *1954 drums
	Paul Jackson Jr. g, *1959 US guitar
	Dave Samuels vib, mar, *1948 US bells, orchestra bells, vibraphone, vibes
	Freddie Washington b, US bass
	Greg Middleton b, bass
	Greg Poree g, US guitar
	Alan Oldfield p, key, syn, keyboards
	Sonny Burke key, org, p, keyboards
	Tommy Vig perc, vib, dr, *1938 GB percussion
	David Majal Li sax, saxophone
	Ernie Fields sax, saxophone
	Fred Jackson ts, *1929 US saxophone
	Teddy Harrington , saxophone
	Fred Wesley tb, *1943 US trombone
	Garnett Brown tb, *1936 US trombone
	Burgess Gardner tr, fh, *1936 trumpet
	Harry Kim tr, fh, str, trumpet
	Robert O'Bryant, Sr. , trumpet
	John Barnes key, programmed by, synthesizer programming by, arranged by, rhythm arrangement by, keyboards, synthesizer
	Jerry Lubock , arranged by, string arrangement by
	James Jamerson Jr. voc, b, 1958-2016 US bass
	Donald Griffin g, 1955-2015 US guitar
	Paulinho Da Costa perc, cng, *1948 BR percussion
	David Kitay , US guitar
	Stanley Behrens voc, h, ts, harmonica
	Richard Kosinski key, voc, keyboards, synthesizer
	Willie Hutch g, 1944-2005 US producer, arranged by, programmed by, bass/dmx programming, written by
	Gerald Albright ts, as, *1957 US saxophone, saxophone solo by
	Steve Ferrone dr, perc, *1950 GB drums
	Jeff Steele b, bvoc, bass
	Michael Landau g, *1958 US guitar
	Bobby Sandstrom , US keyboards, producer, arranged by, written by
	Aaron Zigman , *1963 US arranged by, arrangements by, keyboards
	Lamont Dozier voc, *1941 US arranged by, arrangements by, written by
	Phil Collins voc, dr, *1951 GB drums, written by
	Four Tops Featuring Aretha Franklin , performer on track
	Jerry Knight bvoc, *1952 US bass
	Kenny G sax, *1956 US saxophone, saxophone solo
	Grover Washington, Jr. , 1971-1999 US performer on track, saxophone, tenor saxophone
	Bob Baldwin key, *1960 US arranged by, drum programming, programmed by, keyboard and midi programming, written by
	Bunny Sigler bvoc, p, key, *1941 US conductor, arranged by, vocal arranger
	Gerald Veasley b, *1955 US bass

Producers

Composers

ArtistInfo App

Acknowledgements

ArtistInfo for Mac, iPad, and iPhone