Levi Stubbs: Last News

Berry Gordy said in a statement that Fakir helped embody the Tops’ “showmanship, class and artistry.“Duke was first tenor — smooth, suave, and always sharp,” Gordy said. “For 70 years, he kept the Four Tops’ remarkable legacy intact.”The Four Tops were among Motown’s most popular and enduring acts, peaking in the 1960s.

Abdul “Duke” Fakir, the last surviving member of legendary Motown Records group The Four Tops, who racked up 17 Top 20 singles from 1964-73 including the chart-topping classics “I Can’t Help Myself” and “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” died today at his home in Detroit. He was 88.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Abdul “Duke” Fakir, the last surviving original member of Motown legends the Four Tops, died on Monday at his home in Detroit, his family confirmed to the New York Times. The cause was heart failure; he was 88. The group’s tough, soulful voices were one of the defining sounds not just of Motown’s golden era, but the 1960s in general.

vague Instagram posts featuring a road and a steering wheel, Bruce Springsteen announced today that he’ll be dropping a new album of soul covers, “Only the Strong Survive,” on November 11. This will be the ageless rocker’s 21st studio album, which “celebrates 15 soul music gems from the legendary catalogues of Motown, Gamble and Huff, Stax and many more,” according to the announcement.In a video message posted on social media, Springsteen said his latest project will also put his vocals front and center — something he said has always played “second, third or fourth” to other elements in his music like composition, arrangements and melodies. “In my own memoir, I gave my voice a little short shrift by saying I i didn’t think I had much of one,” he said in a video announcing “Only The Strong Survive.”“I decided to do something I had never done before, make some music that is centered around singing, around challenging my voice.

There’s a new Bruce Springsteen album on the way.

Bruce Springsteen has announced his new album, ‘Only The Strong Survive’ – listen to his cover of Frank Wilson’s ‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)’ below.After teasing the announcement yesterday (September 28), Springsteen has now confirmed that his next record, billed as a collection of “15 soul music greats”, will be released on November 11 via Columbia (pre-order here).In an announcement video shared this afternoon (September 29) that you can watch below, Springsteen told his fans that the record will celebrate an array of soul music classics from such catalogues as Motown, Gamble and Huff and Stax.“I wanted to make an album where I just sang,” Springsteen said. “And what better music to work with than the great American songbook of the Sixties and Seventies?“I’ve taken my inspiration from Levi Stubbs, David Ruffin, Jimmy Ruffin, the Iceman Jerry Butler, Diana Ross, Dobie Gray and Scott Walker, among many others. I’ve tried to do justice to them all — and to the fabulous writers of this glorious music.“My goal is for the modern audience to experience its beauty and joy, just as I have since I first heard it.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor With lead vocals by Springsteen, “Only The Strong Survive” features songs from the catalogs of Motown and Stax Records, the songwriting duo of Gamble and Huff and more. This album, Springsteen’s 21st studio outing, will also feature guest vocals by soul great Sam Moore, as well as contributions from the E Street Horns, string arrangements by Rob Mathes, and backing vocals by Soozie Tyrell, Lisa Lowell, Michelle Moore, Curtis King Jr., Dennis Collins and Fonzi Thornton. Bruce Springsteen commented: “I wanted to make an album where I just sang. And what better music to work with than the great American songbook of the Sixties and Seventies? I’ve taken my inspiration from Levi Stubbs, David Ruffin, Jimmy Ruffin, the Iceman Jerry Butler, Diana Ross, Dobie Gray, and Scott Walker, among many others. I’ve tried to do justice to them all—and to the fabulous writers of this glorious music. My goal is for the modern audience to experience its beauty and joy, just as I have since I first heard it. I hope you love listening to it as much as I loved making it.”