Timeless music of the Four Tops comes to Grand Opera House on Saturday

For Lawrence Payton Jr., growing up with the Four Tops "was like having a concert at our house every week." The son of one of the original members, he joined the band in 2005 and will be performing with them Saturday at the Grand Opera House.

"Dad did vocal arrangements for Motown for a lot of different groups, and they would come over, sit and talk and chew the fat, groups like the Miracles, the Marvelettes, the Temptations, Smokey. It was always like that; they were just Dad's friends. It wasn't until I was a teenager that I realized they were entertainers, songwriters and arrangers," Payton said.

Formed in Detroit in 1953, the quartet "helped define the Motown sound," according to their website. They topped the charts with songs like "Reach Out I'll Be There" and "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)," which Payton said remains a crowd favorite.

He attributes the music's continued popularity to the era in which it was created.

"Motown was just coming on; it was a time of peace and love, hippie love, civil rights, women's rights. People just wanted to live and love, and Motown personified that," Payton said. "It wasn't just blues or R&B or pop. It was as new as the social climate was at the time. It brought us all together, and that's what makes it timeless."

-- Laura Shirley

The Four Tops

When: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 17

Where: Grand Opera House, 651 Mulberry St.

Cost: $45-$61

Information: 478-301-5470; www.thegrandmacon.com

This story was originally published October 15, 2015 at 7:29 PM with the headline "Timeless music of the Four Tops comes to Grand Opera House on Saturday ."