BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS
Full Name: Renaldo Benson
Description: Singer-Songwriter, USA
Known For: Associated acts – The Four Tops
Instruments: Vocals
Music Styles: R&B, rock and roll
Date Born: 14th June 1936
Location Born: Origin Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
Date Died: 1st July 2005
Location Died: MI, United States of America
Memorial: He is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery.
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BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILE
Renaldo “Obie” Benson
An American soul and R&B singer and songwriter.
He was known as the bass of Motown group the Four Tops, which he joined in 1953 and continued to perform with for over five decades, until April 8, 2005. He also co-wrote “What’s Going On” which became a #2 hit for Marvin Gaye in 1971, and which Rolling Stone rated as #4 on their List of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time released in 2004.
He met Levi Stubbs and Abdul “Duke” Fakir while singing at a friend’s birthday party in 1954 and decided to form a group called the Four Aims.
Roquel Billy Davis, who was Payton’s cousin, was a fifth member of the group for a time and a songwriter for the group. Davis played an instrumental role in the group being signed by Chess Records who were mainly interested in Davis’s songwriting ability.
The group changed their name to the Four Tops to avoid confusion with the Ames Brothers and had one single “Kiss Me Baby” released through Chess which failed to chart. The Four Tops left Chess although Davis stayed with the company.
In 1963 they signed with Motown, initially recording a track for Motown’s Workshop Jazz label. Benson and the other members already knew Barrett Strong, as he had written songs with Davis for Jackie Wilson including “Lonely Teardrops”.
The Four Tops worked with Holland-Dozier-Holland who wrote and produced a number of soul music hits for them over the next few years, including “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” and “Reach Out I’ll Be There” which both topped the US pop charts.
Benson was admitted as a member of the Four Tops to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. The group would be awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1997, followed by the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999.
Until the death of Lawrence Payton in 1997, the Four Tops had had the same membership for over forty years.
Benson died of lung cancer and other illnesses on July 1, 2005.
His last performance as a Four Top was on April 8, 2005 live on The Late Show with David Letterman.