RENALDO BENSONRenaldo "Obie" Benson wasbest-known as the bass of Motown group The Four Tops, which heco-founded in 1953 and continued to perform with formore thanfive decades.He also co-wrote What's Goin' On which became a hit for Marvin Gaye in 1971, and which Rolling Stone magazine rated asnumber 4 in their top500 Greatest Songs of All Time released in 2004.Born on June 14, 1937, Mr Benson attended Northern High School, Detroit, with another Four Tops founder member Lawrence Payton. Across the city at Pershing High were students Levi Stubbs and Abdul "Duke" Fakir. The four came together to singat a local birthday party.The quartet decided to remain together, and christened themselves The Four Aims. Helped by Mr Payton's songwriter cousin Roquel Davis, The Aims signed to Chess Records in 1956, changing their name to The Four Tops to avoid confusion with another group called The Ames Brothers.Over the next seven years, the Four Tops recorded with little success at a number of labels and toured frequently, developing a polished stage act. Mr Benson handled the group's choreography in those early days.In 1963, Berry Gordy, Jr., who had worked with Roquel Davis as a songwriter in the late-1950s, convinced The Tops to join his growing Motown record company.Hit songwriting team Holland-Dozier-Holla nd, crafted a stream of hit singles for the group including I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) and Reach Out I'll Be There.It was while he was on tour with the Four Tops in San Francisco that Mr Benson witnessed a violent scuffle between police and protesters over a piece of land known as People's Park. What he saw disturbed him so much that on his return to Detroithe sat down with Motown staff writer and producer Al Cleveland towrite What's Goin' On, ahard-hitting assessment of life in an America which was then divided by the war in Vietnam.His fellow Tops passed on the song,seeing it as little more than a protest song, and Benson tried in vain to interest Joan Baez.Marvin Gaye finally recorded What's Goin' On after adding in some lyrics and touches of his own. Itis now widely regarded among the greatest pop singles ever made.Unusually for any group, the original line-up of the Four Tops remained unchanged until Lawrence Payton died in 1997. The group continued as a trio called The Topsfor a while before recruiting former Temptation Theo Peoples to join the act In 1998.By the turn of the century, Levi Stubbs had become ill from cancer and soRonnie McNair was recruited to sing in Lawrence Payton's position, and Mr Peoples stepped into Mr Stubbs' shoes as lead singer.Mr Benson made his last performance with The Four Tops in 2005. The same year he had to have a leg amputated because of circulation problems and subsequently suffered a heart attack. He was then diagnosed with lung cancer and died shortly afterwardson July 1, 2005.He was survived by two adult daughters, Ebony and Toby.Paying tribute, Abdul "Duke" Fakir said Benson "lived and enjoyed every minute of it. He put a smile on everyone's face, including my own."
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