Levi Stubbs Interview from 1998

**drewschultz88** · 10-15-2014, 08:55 PM

Just found this fantastic interview with Levi from 1998 - a changing time in the Tops' history, and right around the time of the Motown 40 TV special. Very cool to read, and just as classy as you'd expect. I hope all of you on the forum have been doing well!
-Drew

http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=6821,4201705

**marv2** · 10-15-2014, 09:17 PM

Thanks Drew for this!

**Roberta75** · 10-15-2014, 09:26 PM

I thought Levi darn near stole the show at Motown 25. Levi and the Tops and the Temps look real happy that night. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25qk_lgKk7w

Roberta

thomas96 · 10-15-2014, 11:33 PM

Originally Posted by drewschultz88

Just found this fantastic interview with Levi from 1998 - a changing time in the Tops' history, and right around the time of the Motown 40 TV special. Very cool to read, and just as classy as you'd expect. I hope all of you on the forum have been doing well!
-Drew

http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=6821,4201705

Hey Drew I sent you a private message a little while ago... Not sure if you saw it or not, let me know if you didn't get it and i'll resend.

**Bokiluis** · 10-16-2014, 03:42 AM

Thanks for this interview. For all the criticism some try to bestow on Mr. Gordy, I am in agreement of Levi's perspective. Mr. Gordy's vision personally had brought me a lifetime of joy. It should be noted that most of the Motown first stringers from Diana to Smokey to Marvin to Stevie to Michael to Levi has never complained about their compensation. [[While I didn't agree with artists like Mary Wells and Flo Ballard to sign off their royalty rights, shouldn't the majority of the blame be laid on their legal advisers? The story continued on into the 90s with Toni Braxton and TLC also straddled with bad contracts. It's not right, but, it's okay.....get good legal consultation when a financial windfall comes your way. History is laden with people winning millions only to squander their monies almost as fast as it came).

**drewschultz88** · 10-17-2014, 12:10 PM

Hey Thomas - just saw it, so sorry it slipped by! It's admittedly been way too long since I was on SDF. I gotcha covered!

**edafan** · 10-17-2014, 01:58 PM

as I read when the great Levi passed.

Move over David, the lead singer's here.

At their anniversary show, seeing Levi in the last stages brought tears to my eyes.
It still does.

edafan

**soulwally** · 10-17-2014, 05:25 PM

Thanks for that. I think the years have mellowed many of the surviving Motowners' feelings towards Berry, and rightly thank him for his vision. Interestingly on that scanned cutting there's a piece about another of my favourite singers, Carl Wilson.