Much thanks to our friend, Michael for sending me this photo and link. I can never get enough of Brian Epstein and I had no idea that he was instrumental the Four Top's success in the U.K. And I didn't know that Paul and George were at this concert in 1967! I bet George especially enjoyed the concert.
The Four Tops at the Royal Albert Hall,
January 1967. Prior to rehearsals for their concert there, the group
greets Brian Epstein, promoter of their UK tour, and another London
visitor, singer Del Shannon. From left are Tops members Renaldo “Obie”
Benson, Lawrence Payton and Abdul “Duke” Fakir, with Epstein, second
left, and Shannon, second right. Tops lead singer Levi Stubbs Jr. is
not shown.
It was May 1965 when the Four Tops
paid their first promotional visit to the U.K., meeting journalists and
disc jockeys, and plugging their new single, “I Can’t Help Myself,” on
radio and TV. But their real impact came the following year, when Brian
Epstein, the Beatles’ manager, promoted a series of Sunday-night
concerts at the Saville Theatre in London. The Tops were booked for
November 13, 1966.
Come the night, the hippest people in the capital, as well as scores
of diehard Motown fans from across the country, filled the Saville. It
helped that “Reach Out I’ll Be There” was then occupying the peak of the
British charts. The Tops did not disappoint, putting on a performance
to raise the roof: soulful, charismatic, energetic, with lead singer
Levi Stubbs fulfilling every expectation, delivering every electric
moment of their repertoire.
Little wonder, then, that Epstein brought the Four Tops back
early in 1967 for a nationwide U.K. tour, and this time, the London
venue was larger: the Royal Albert Hall. It was another show-stopping
night, with a roaring, quasi-religious crowd showing as much love, if
not more, towards the group than they were accustomed to receiving back
home. And yes, there were a couple of Beatles (Paul, George) in the
audience. They couldn’t help themselves.
really like the posts and pics you do on BRIAN
ReplyDeleteThanks! Brian was such an important part of the Beatles' story and I never want him to be forgotten. There will always be a special place on this blog for Brian Epstein!
DeleteInteresting. And check out Brian's long sideburns!
ReplyDelete-Mark