CRITICAL NOIR
Man Enough: Remembering Levi Stubbs
by Mark Anthony Neal
There are two recordings, both from the early-1970s, that perfectly capture the significance of Levi Stubbs, the long-time lead singer of The Four Tops who died on October 17th. "Keeper of the Castle" was the first single and title track of the Four Tops' debut recording on the ABC label in 1972, after a decade long stint at Motown. A year later the group recorded "Are You Man Enough?," which was featured on the soundtrack of the film Shaft in Africa. Both tracks, written by the team of Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, presented a compelling view of masculinity in the early 1970s at a time when fictional and iconic figures such as Dirty Harry and Shaft were offering more animated and often unrealistic views of masculinity.
"Are You Man Enough?" easily tapped into the musical formula that fueled the success of Blaxploitation anthems such as Marvin Gaye's "Trouble Man," Curtis Mayfield's "Superfly" and Isaac Hayes's "Shaft," with Stubbs's vocals serving as the perfect conduit for the hypermasculine rhythms that the aforementioned Blaxploitation icons largely embodied. With box-office appeal--Berry Gordy initially approached Stubbs to play the role of Louis McKay in the film Lady Sings the Blues--and a rumbling baritone rivaled only by Barry White and Hayes, Stubbs easily fit alongside the sex symbols of the Soul era.
"Keeper of the Castle" told another story though, urging men "red, yellow, black, white, and brown," to be fathers to their children and a providers for their families. Despite this rather antiquated notion of manhood, at its core "Keeper of the Castle" celebrated loyalty and responsibility. These attributes best described the private Levi Stubbs, who despite the opportunity to seek solo success like so many of his peers--Smokey Robinson, David Ruffin, Eddie Kendrick and most famously Diana Ross--remained loyal to The Four Tops, fronting the group for nearly 50 years.
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