63 Years Ago Today, A Legendary Musical Act Was Born

On March 8, 1963, a popular musical act out of Motown signed the record deal that would make it a household name.

On that day, the The Four Tops officially inked to Motown Records with a $400 advance. Even though the group had been together for several years at that point, this move marked a new "birth" of the band, as it was the first step in getting their music to the masses.

The Four Tops Signed to Motown Records 63 Years Ago

The Four Tops begin their musical career at a house party in Detroit in 1954, according to research from the Motown Museum. At the time, the group's members included Levi Stubbs, Abdul “Duke” Fakir, Renaldo “Obie” Benson and Lawrence Payton.

The Four Tops initially signed to Chess Records in 1956 under the name the Aims. They eventually changed their name to the Four Tops to avoid confusion or trouble with the Ames Brothers.

After signing to Motown in 1963, it didn't take long for the Four Tops to, well, top the charts. The group's first No. 1 Billboard hit came in June of 1965 with "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)."

Over the Decades, the Four Tops Have Been Honored By the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Grammys

Thankfully, the Four Tops' greatness hasn't gone unnoticed. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and the group has also received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. They were ranked No. 79 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

"The Four Tops are a one-in-a-million singing group," Smokey Robinson stated of the band in Rolling Stone. He added that they were "the best in my neighborhood in Detroit" when they were growing up together and that "all the groups in the neighborhood knew that if the Four Aims were going to be there, you were going to be singing for second place at best."

He added, "They were the first group from the neighborhood that sang modern harmony: They could sing like a gospel group but then do R&B like no one else."

The Rock Hall says of the Four Tops of their official website, "The only thing that can outlast the Four Tops’ lineup is their incredible body of work. United by their friendship and a love of music, the Four Tops stuck together for forty years. Mix their classy, polished vocals with the brilliant songwriting of Holland-Dozier-Holland at Motown Records and you have an unstoppable hit machine."

Without the Four Tops, so much music wouldn't have been born. So, consider this an important date in music history.