THE Four Tops and The Temptations have joined forces to bring their tour to Dorset later this year.

Featuring special guests Tavares, the three bands will play seven shows together, including the BIC Bournemouth on October 29.

This is not the first time The Four Tops and The Temptations have joined forces in the UK. Throughout several co-headlining tours they’ve built a lasting relationship with their British audience, winning them over with their unmissable arena-sized parties.

Otis Williams of The Temptations said: "The UK audience has always been the best in world! We're looking forward to spending time and performing for the greatest fans."

The Temptations were the first Motown band to win a Grammy Award in 1969 with Cloud Nine; they won 3 in total, plus the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, tribute to a career that helped shape Soul and R&B music as we know it. Amongst their classics are My Girl and Papa Was a Rolling Stone. The current line up of the group is Otis Williams, Ron Tyson, Terry Weeks, Larry Braggs and Willie Greene Jr.

The Four Tops’ groundbreaking sound includes soul, R&B, disco, doo-woop and jazz influences; they strongly contributed to define the Motown sound. Their hits include I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) and 1966 number one Reach Out (I’ll Be There). The line up for the tour includes original member Duke Fakir plus Ronnie McNeir, Lawrence Payton and Harold ‘Spike’ Bonhart.

Family enterprise Tavares are Cape-Verdean brothers Antone "Chubby", Feliciano "Butch", Perry Lee "Tiny" and Ralph, who found fame in the 70s with their R&B/funk/soul formula.

In 1975 they released Top 40 pop album In The City, with single It Only Takes a minute topping the R&B chart and earning them a support slot with the Jackson 5.