The Fantastic Four (R&B Group)
Encyclopedia
The Fantastic Four were a Detroit based soul
group, formed in 1965. "Sweet" James Epps, brothers Ralph and Joseph Pruitt, and Wallace "Toby" Childs were the original members. Childs and Ralph Pruitt later departed, and were replaced by Cleveland Horne and Ernest Newsome.
on Ric-Tic, "The Whole World Is a Stage," was their only big hit single
, peaking at number 6 on the US
Billboard
R&B
chart
in 1967. The next release, "You Gave Me Something (And Everything's Alright)," reached number 12 that same year. Motown eventually purchased Ric-Tic, and they had another Top 20 R&B hit with "I Love You Madly," which came out in 1968 and was also issued on Soul. Before the Motown takeover, The Fantastic Four were the Ric-Tic label's biggest-selling act, outselling Edwin Starr
. Their songs were regularly played on Detroit/Windsor's 50,000 watt powerhouse station, CKLW
(The Big 8).
They enjoyed renewed appeal during the disco
era, with some singles on Westbound
that were moderately successful, among them "Alvin Stone (The Birth & Death of a Gangster)" and "I Got to Have Your Love." Dennis Coffey
produced
"B.Y.O.F. (Bring Your Own Funk)" in 1979, but they did not have much success with it, although it did become their only entry in the UK Singles Chart
, peaking at #62 in February 1979.
The Fantastic Four had remained active, and released "Working on a Building of Love" in 1990 for the UK's
Motorcity
label. In 2000, however, the Fantastic Four lost one of its long-time members, Cleveland Horne when he suffered a heart attack
and died on April 13, 2000. The original Fantastic Four lead singer, "Sweet James" Epps, who led on every Fantastic Four hit, also died of a heart attack on September 11, 2000. His death effectively spelled the end of The Fantastic Four.
The group's first and only Motown album, Best of The Fantastic Four, was released on CD by Motown in the early 1990s. It was a compilation
of the group's Ric-Tic hit singles prior to Motown's takeover of that label, and now is a highly sought-after collectors' item.
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
group, formed in 1965. "Sweet" James Epps, brothers Ralph and Joseph Pruitt, and Wallace "Toby" Childs were the original members. Childs and Ralph Pruitt later departed, and were replaced by Cleveland Horne and Ernest Newsome.
Career
Their first singleSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
on Ric-Tic, "The Whole World Is a Stage," was their only big hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
, peaking at number 6 on the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
in 1967. The next release, "You Gave Me Something (And Everything's Alright)," reached number 12 that same year. Motown eventually purchased Ric-Tic, and they had another Top 20 R&B hit with "I Love You Madly," which came out in 1968 and was also issued on Soul. Before the Motown takeover, The Fantastic Four were the Ric-Tic label's biggest-selling act, outselling Edwin Starr
Edwin Starr
Edwin Starr was an American soul music singer. Starr is most famous for his Norman Whitfield produced singles of the 1970s, most notably the number one hit "War".-Biography:...
. Their songs were regularly played on Detroit/Windsor's 50,000 watt powerhouse station, CKLW
CKLW
CKLW is a 50,000 watt AM radio station broadcasting on 800 kHz and located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and serving Windsor and Detroit. Additionally, its signal can be heard as far west as Belding, Michigan; as far east as Batavia, New York; as far south as Edgewood, Kentucky; and as far...
(The Big 8).
They enjoyed renewed appeal during the disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
era, with some singles on Westbound
Westbound Records
Westbound Records is a Detroit-based record label founded by Armen Boladian in 1970. It had a distribution deal with Janus Records from 1970 to 1975, but then it switched distribution to 20th Century Records during 1975 and 1976, but again switched distribution to Atlantic Records from 1976 to...
that were moderately successful, among them "Alvin Stone (The Birth & Death of a Gangster)" and "I Got to Have Your Love." Dennis Coffey
Dennis Coffey
Dennis Coffey is an American guitarist. He was a studio musician for many soul and R&B recordings.-Biography:Coffey learned to play guitar at the age of thirteen, in the Michigan Upper Peninsula town of Copper City...
produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
"B.Y.O.F. (Bring Your Own Funk)" in 1979, but they did not have much success with it, although it did become their only entry in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, peaking at #62 in February 1979.
The Fantastic Four had remained active, and released "Working on a Building of Love" in 1990 for the UK's
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Motorcity
Motorcity Records
Motorcity Records is a British record label formed by producer Ian Levine in 1989. The label aimed to record new material with former Motown artists.-History:...
label. In 2000, however, the Fantastic Four lost one of its long-time members, Cleveland Horne when he suffered a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
and died on April 13, 2000. The original Fantastic Four lead singer, "Sweet James" Epps, who led on every Fantastic Four hit, also died of a heart attack on September 11, 2000. His death effectively spelled the end of The Fantastic Four.
The group's first and only Motown album, Best of The Fantastic Four, was released on CD by Motown in the early 1990s. It was a compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
of the group's Ric-Tic hit singles prior to Motown's takeover of that label, and now is a highly sought-after collectors' item.
Selected singles
- "The Whole World Is a Stage"
- "You Gave Me Something (And Everything's Alright)"
- "I've Got To Have You"
- "Baby I Love You Madly"
- "Just The Lonely"
- "Man In Love"
- "Can't Stop Looking For My Baby"
- "As Long As I Live (I Live For You)"
- "I've Got To Have Your Love"
- "To Share Your Love"
- "Goddess Of Love"
- "Ain't Love Wonderful"
- "I Don't Want To Live Without You"
- "Alvin Stone (The Birth And Death Of A Gangster)"
- "On The Brighter Side Of A Blue World"
- "Just Another Lonely Night"
Albums
- Best Of The Fantastic Four (Soul/Motown)
- I Got To Have Your Love (Westbound)
- B.Y.O.F. (Bring Your Own Funk) (Westbound)
- Night People (Westbound)
- Alvin Stone (The Birth And Death Of A Gangster) (Westbound)