The Temptations & Four Tops in Portsmouth Heights

The Temptations are an American soul and R&B vocal group formed in Detroit in 1960. After signing to Motown, they became known for layered harmonies, synchronized choreography and songs including “My Girl,” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)” and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.” The 1964 T.A.M.I. Show at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium captured their coordinated performance style on film, and the following year they joined the Motortown Revue tour of the UK. In 1982, David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks returned for the Reunion album and its supporting tour. Later co-headlining tours paired The Temptations with the Four Tops.

Four Tops are an American soul vocal group formed in Detroit in 1953 by Levi Stubbs, Abdul “Duke” Fakir, Renaldo “Obie” Benson and Lawrence Payton. Their Motown recordings include “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),” “It’s the Same Old Song” and “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” marked by Stubbs’s lead voice and the group’s close harmonies. Four Tops toured on Motown’s Motortown Revue package shows during the 1960s, taking the label’s roster to theatres across the United States and Europe. In 1985 they performed at Live Aid at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, and joint concert tours with The Temptations later became a longstanding part of their live work.