Levi Stubbs baritone, most Four Tops' hits were written in a tenor range to give the lead vocals a sense of urgency. Despite being the most prominent member of the group, Stubbs refused to have separate billing (in contrast to other Motown acts such as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and Diana Ross and the Supremes), and he also turned down several offers for a solo career, out of loyalty to his bandmates. Stubbs and the other Tops remained a team until Lawrence Payton died in 1997, at which point Theo Peoples took his place. The Four Tops were inducted into the
Sydney Stubbs John Danks & Son, a hardware company with which he was employed from 1879 to 1894, working variously as a clerk, travelling salesman, and engineer. Stubbs arrived in Western Australia in 1895, and with a partner established a hardware firm in Perth, Drake & Stubbs. The firm was eventually bought out by another hardware merchant, Alfred Sandover, in 1907. In 1901, Stubbs (a resident of the suburb of Claremont) was elected mayor of the Claremont Municipality unopposed, replacing Joseph Langsford. In 1903, it was initially reported that would contest the vacancy in the Legislative Council left by the death of