Levi Stubbs, the legendary lead singer of the Four Tops, and one of the greatest soul vocalists of all time, has died in Detroit after a long illness. Stubbs' death leaves only one remaining Tops founding member, Abdul "Duke" Fakir. As the distinctive lead of the Four Tops, Stubbs was best known for his deep, passionate vocal style that turned Holland-Dozier-Holland compositions like "Bernadette" and "Reach Out" and later, upon the group's move from Motown to ABC Records, on adult soul songs such as "Ain't No Woman (Like the One I Got)" and "Keeper of the Castle."

A heart attack and stroke permanently sidelined Stubbs a half decade ago, and he was wheelchair-bound as he took the stage for the group's 50th anniversary celebration in 2005. But Levi Stubbs will long be remembered as a staple of Motown's greatest years and as one of the most distinctive and revered vocalists of all time. He will be greatly missed.

The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 11A: 1971 covers just the first six months of the year, when America was facing a decade of reconstruction- the optimism of the sixties had been shattered by escalation of the Vietnam War and political instability.

And Marvin Gaye asked, "What's Going On?" Motown, too, was undergoing its own reconstruction, taking small steps toward album projects, and a world beyond Detroit. Stevie Wonder turned 21. The Jackson 5 continued their hot streak, as did Rare Earth and Gladys Knight & the Pips. Norman Whitfield created the Undisputed Truth. Eddie Kendricks left the Temptations to go solo-but Diana Ross was the emerging solo star. All of their hits (and B-sides) from the first half of 1971 are here in this awesome set, plus fascinating company experiments with "religious rock,"

 CD set will be available from 18th of november  Pre-Order this set on Amazon.com

Funk's most recognizable bassist Bootsy Collins unveils plans for the world's first Funk University where he will serve as Professor Los Angeles, CA -- It began with a simple message on Bootsy Collins' twitter page to his more than 400,000 followers, which simply read "If You Build It, They Will Funk." Fans had no idea he was referring to the upcoming debut of Bootsy's Funk University, an online bass school for players around the planet to study under his direction.

Bootsy’s Funk University begins its first semester on July 1, 2010 with enrollment based on a first come, first serve basis. Currently, interested players are encouraged to sign-up for exclusive information at www.thefunkuniversity.com. Registration for enrollment is set to begin in April for the summer launch.