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Lawrence Payton

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Lawrence Payton
Payton performing in 1967
Payton performing in 1967
Background information
Birth nameLawrence Albert Payton
Born(1938-03-02)March 2, 1938
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
DiedJune 20, 1997(1997-06-20) (aged 59)
Southfield, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation(s)Musician, record producer
Years active1953–1997
Formerly ofFour Tops
RelativesBilly Davis (cousin)

Lawrence Albert Payton Sr. (March 2, 1938 – June 20, 1997) was an American tenor, songwriter, vocal arranger, musician, and record producer for the popular Motown quartet, the Four Tops.

Career

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Payton and Obie Benson both attended a Northern High School in Detroit and met Levi Stubbs and Duke Fakir at a school birthday party. The four teenagers began singing in 1953 as The Four Aims but later changed their name to the Four Tops to avoid confusion with the Ames Brothers.[1] With the help of Payton's songwriter cousin Billy Davis, the Aims signed to Chess Records in 1956.[1] Although successful in the local area as a performance group, recording success eluded them until signing with the newly established Motown label in 1963.[2] They then became one of the biggest recording acts of the 1960s, charting more than two dozen hits through the early 1980s.

Payton is credited for the vocal arrangements and the "smooth seamless harmony" of the Four Tops' sound. He also sang lead on several songs such as the 1975 single "We All Gotta Stick Together", "Feel Free" (from the Catfish album) and "Love Feels Like Fire" and "Until You Love Someone" (from their Motown days), but he was often overshadowed as lead by the more popular Stubbs. Stubbs praised Payton's contribution saying, "He could pick notes out of the air. He had that gift. He was responsible for our harmonies."[3]

Personal life

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The original Four Tops enjoyed continued success as a headline performance act and remained together for 43 years until Payton's death on June 20, 1997, from liver cancer[2] in Southfield, Michigan aged 59.[4] He was interred in Detroit's Woodlawn Cemetery.

Payton had 11 children. One of his sons, Lawrence Jr., nicknamed "Roquel", went on to sing with the Four Tops who continue to perform as of 2024, and still featuring original member Duke Fakir until his death in 2024.[5]

Accolades

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As a member of the Four Tops, Payton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990,[6] received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame shortly before his death in 1997,[7] was posthumously inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999,[8] the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998,[9] received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009,[10] and was ranked at number 77 in the Billboard magazine Top 100 Recording Artists of All Time.[11] 2013 the group was inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame

References

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  1. ^ a b Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 91/3. ISBN 0-85112-733-9.
  2. ^ a b Pareles, Jon (21 June 1997). "Lawrence Payton, 59, Singer With the Four Tops, Is Dead". The New York Times.
  3. ^ "Lawrence Payton, 59, dies". Washington Post. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  4. ^ Perrone, Pierre (22 June 1997). "Obituary: Lawrence Payton". The Independent. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  5. ^ "Lawrence Payton; Member of Four Tops". Los Angeles Times. June 21, 1997.
  6. ^ The Four Tops Biography | The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Archived 2012-07-13 at the Wayback Machine. Rockhall.com. Retrieved on 2012-11-10.
  7. ^ The Four Tops | Hollywood Walk of Fame Archived 2013-11-03 at the Wayback Machine. Walkoffame.com. Retrieved on 2012-11-10.
  8. ^ The Four Tops – Inductees – The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation Archived 2007-03-11 at the Wayback Machine. Vocalgroup.org. Retrieved on 2012-11-10.
  9. ^ "GRAMMY Awards: Here Are the 2018 GRAMMY Hall of Fame Inductees". 1077theend.com. 16 January 2018. Archived from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  10. ^ Entertainment | Four Tops to get lifetime Grammy Archived 2008-12-25 at the Wayback Machine. BBC News (2008-12-22). Retrieved on 2012-05-13.
  11. ^ Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists list Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine. Listal.com (2008-09-12). Retrieved on 2012-11-10.
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