Detroit-based soul vocal group, The Fantastic Four, was formed in 1965 by "Sweet" James Epps, brothers Ralph and Joseph Pruitt, and Wallace "Toby" Childs. Their first single on Ric-Tic, "The Whole World Is a Stage", peaked 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" in 1968. Before the Motown takeover, The Fantastic Four were the Ric-Tic label's biggest-selling act. They continued to record for Motown until 1970, when they went into semi-retirement. In the late 1970s, they signed with Westbound Records and enjoyed renewed appeal during the disco era with singles like "Alvin Stone (The Birth & Death of a Gangster)" (1975) and "I Got to Have Your Love" (1977) from the album of the same name. Long-time member Cleveland Horne died on April 13, 2000, followed by original lead singer "Sweet" James Epps on September 11, 2000. Original member Ralph Pruitt died on June 3, 2014, and Paul Edward Scott passed away on April 16, 2017. In November 2013, Motown/Universal reissued Best of The Fantastic Four with remastered tracks, and in 2015 Ace Records’ Kent Soul label released The Lost Motown Album, featuring the unreleased LP How Sweet He Is and other previously unheard songs.
