Originally Posted by
juicefree20
This is very disappointing news.
Theo Peoples is one of the best singers that we have out there & he is the glue that holds that group together. Barring murder, or an eggregious act, I can't believe that Theo would ever be relieved of his duties.
It was impossible to replace Levi Stubbs & to his credit, Theo never tried to mimic Levi. I can guarantee you that if this is the case, any replacement for Theo is NOT going to go over very well. Theo is a major reason to follow The Tops & from my perspective, this move reeks of career suicide. As Tsull truthfully stated, Theo is a major reason that The Tops have been able to continue to go out there & put fans into the seats. And Stranger56 knows full well of what I speak & he knows even more about this than most of us here do.
All that I'm willing to say further is the following...
We've always been told that Theo was HAND-PICKED & APPROVED by none other than Obie & The Captain. They placed their trust in Theo to help to continue the tradition of The Tops. Now that they're gone, none of that is supposed to matter to the fans, nor the suvivors of Levi, Obie & Larry? The Four Tops legacy is also a major part of THEIR LIVES as well. And what of the fans whom painfully had to say goodbye to Levi & Obie in the past 5 years, whom have invested their emotions with following the current lineup?
And I have to believe that Theo, whom after all DID make it possible for tickets to continue to be sold, dates continue to be booked & for money to be earned...I have to believe that the man deserves FAR better than this. And having observed Theo up-close on several occasions, I can tell you that this man wasn't GIVEN a spot, Theo earned his spot the hard way.
Theo endured things which could've made a less resolute man shrivel from the spotlight. Imagine being CHOSEN by Levi, the man himself, to be his replacement. Imagine being walked out on, not because he wasn't GOOD enough, but simply because he wasn't a LIVING LEGEND, one of the most singular voices of any musical genre. Who could hope to replace Levi, a task which is simply an impossibility?
Regardless, Theo went out there & continued to pour his heart & soul out, continued to smile for those audiences, refusing to allow them to see how it must've hurt & eventually, he won over the vast majority of them. Theo is one hell of a singer & ranks up there with the best singers of the Soul era & is one of the few younger singers who brings those skills today.
Now, I've met & spoken with Spike, had a conversations with him immediately after he left The Spinners & afterward I found him to be pretty cool. I say this to say that while I believe that he's a cool brother, Theo is simply Theo, brings a completely different energy, dynamic & vocal power, that simply isn't replaced that simply, nor that easily. It was hard enough for the fans to accept the fact that Theo wasn't Levi & now that many of them have learned to accept Theo in his own right, they're now going to be expected to have to accept the replacement of a man whom WAS HAND PICKED by the legendary Levi Stubbs, as well as Obie?
Theo allowed folks to continue to put food on their tables for more than a few years & there's no way in hell that that should be forgotten so quickly, no way that it should be taken so lightly & no way that his contribution should be tossed away so cavalierly, as though it meant nothing. Theo helped put food on folks tables, money in their pockets & I'm sure for a rate not commensurate to his talent, much less his contributions.
This sounds like a knee-jerk reaction to something, what, I cannot say. But purely from a business perspective [[as regards alienating fans, vocal skills, stage persona, a hell of a voice, etc.), I simply believe that this is the wrong move, at the worst possible time. I look around & see that bookings for many of our classic Soul groups are WAY DOWN, as is attendance for many of them. From a business perspective, you don't give fans whom have enough economic decisions to make, ANY possible reason to not to want to spend their hard-earned money to come to see you perform.
Many shows HAVE NOT been selling out & several which would surprise you have been lucky to sell 1/2 to 3/4 of a house & I'm talking about some damn good groups. Man, for our generation of performers, it's gotten very rough out there & I do mean rough. Also not to be forgotten is the fact that many of the folks with the most disposable income are adults whom have grown up on Rap music & they are now hitting their "Nostalgia Phase". Consider further that in a mere 2 years, it will be 30 years since R&B groups such as New Edition first came onto the scene.
All of which makes it a bit rougher than it should be for the groups of our era, especially given their talent & lack of the need for autotune. But, that's where we are today, Jan. 3, 2011.
From speaking to several people over the years, this move could simply serve to alienate many fans, as well as to give others [[many of whom by the way, felt that The Four Tops should've ended following the passings of Levi & Obie) an excuse to finally turn the page on The Tops, once & for all.
Can you spell S-U-I-C-I-D-E?
As we used to say when we were kids playing punchball, this one is worthy of a do-over.
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