The Miracles
Encyclopedia
The Miracles are an American rhythm and blues
group from Detroit, Michigan
, notable as the first successful group act for Berry Gordy
's Motown Record Corporation . Their single "Shop Around
" was Motown's first million-selling hit record, and the group went on to become one of Motown's signature acts of the 1960s. During the same period, the Miracles' original lead singer and founding member Smokey Robinson
became one of the most successful songwriters and record producers of all time.
During their nineteen-year run on the American music charts, The Miracles charted over fifty hits and recorded in the genres of doo-wop
, soul
, disco
, and R&B
. Twenty-six Miracles songs reached the Top Ten of the Billboard R&B singles chart
, including four R&B number ones. Sixteen of the Miracles' songs charted within the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100
, with seven songs charting within the Top Ten and two – 1970's "The Tears of a Clown
" and 1975's "Love Machine
" (Part 1) – reaching number-one.
Referred to by critics as Motown's "soul supergroup", The Miracles are multiple Grammy Hall of Fame inductees, Vocal Group Hall of Fame
and Doo-Wop Hall of Fame inductees,Winners of The Rhythm and Blues Foundation's
Pioneer Award,multiple BMI Songwriter's Award winners
,Winners of the ASCAP Award Of Merit , and have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
.
In 2004,and again in 2011, Rolling Stone
magazine ranked Smokey Robinson & the Miracles #32 on their list of "The Immortals: The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time." http://www.futurerocklegends.com/The_Immortals.php They are also ranked in the Top 100 Artists Of All Time on Billboard Magazine's and Vh-1's 1998 lists.
Motown founder and First President Berry Gordy Jr. said:"Without The Miracles, Motown would not be the Motown it is today".
and Ronald White
, who had become friends and started singing together while in the fifth grade. Robinson, nicknamed "Smokey" because of his love of cowboy
movies, started a doo-wop
group called The Five Chimes in 1955 at Northern High School with himself, White, bass
singer Pete Moore
(another childhood friend who Smokey knew since he was age 11), Clarence Dawson, and James Grice. Within a half a year, Dawson and Grice had been replaced by cousins Emerson and Bobby Rogers
, and the group's name had been changed to The Matadors. Rogers and Robinson were actually born on the same day – February 19, 1940 – in the same Detroit hospital, although they did not meet until they were fifteen years old.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZKoOnbE6Jk
Emerson Rogers was drafted
in 1956. He was replaced by his sister Claudette Rogers
, who married Smokey Robinson in November 1959. In 1958, the group added guitarist Marv Tarplin
, who had originally been the accompanist for The Primettes (later The Supremes
).
In 1958, the Matadors auditioned for the manager of Detroit soul star Jackie Wilson
, who turned the group down because he felt their sound and four-man-one-woman lineup were too similar to The Platters
, a popular vocal group. On their way out the door, the group ran into one of Wilson's chief songwriters, Berry Gordy, Jr. Gordy took a liking to the group, and eventually became the group's manager. In addition, Gordy worked closely with Robinson, the Matadors' chief songwriter, helping him to improve his songcraft.
Gordy and his colleague Billy Davis
had written a song called "Got a Job" as an answer song
to "Get a Job", a recent hit by The Silhouettes
. The Matadors recorded the single, and Gordy arranged a record deal for them with End Records
. At this time, they changed their name to 'The Miracles', as 'Matadors' had a masculine sound to it, and the group now included a woman. Gordy became the group's main outside collaborator, and he and Robinson wrote another Miracles single, "Bad Girl
". Issued on Chess Records
, "Bad Girl
" became the group's first national charting single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #93. Other early songs that brought regional & R&B chart attention to the group included "Way Over There
" (which eventually charted nationally at #94 Pop), "I Need A Change", "I Cry" (1958), "Whatever Makes You Happy" (1963), "I Need Some Money"(1959), '"I Love Your Baby" (1959),"All I Want Is You" (1959), "Would I Love You", "Mama Done Told Me", "Happy Landing
" (1962), and "(You Can) Depend on Me
" (1959).
Frustrated by low financial returns due to the group's practice of selling their masters to various labels, Robinson suggested Gordy start his own record label. Thus, in 1959, Gordy founded Tamla Records (later Motown), and signed The Miracles as one of his first acts. By 1961, Robinson would be appointed vice-president of the corporation.
" backed with "Who's Lovin' You
" (1960), became their first Motown hit. "Shop Around" was the first Motown song to reach #1 on the national R&B charts, and the first to sell over a million copies. Both sides of this record became standards for R&B and rock musicians for several decades afterwards. In the wake of this success, the Miracles became the first-ever Motown act to perform on Dick Clark's American Bandstand
on December 27, 1960. "Shop Around" was followed by many more hits, including "You Really Got a Hold on Me" (Top 10) (1962), "What's So Good About Goodbye
" (1962), "I'll Try Something New
(1962)" "Mickey's Monkey" (Top 10) (1963), "I Gotta Dance to Keep From Crying
" (1963), "I Like It Like That
" (1964), "That's What Love Is Made Of
" (1964), "Come On Do The Jerk
"
(1964), "Going to a Go-Go
" (1965), "My Girl Has Gone
" (1965), the multiple award-winning "The Tracks Of My Tears
" (1965), and their signature song, "Ooh Baby Baby" (all Top 20, 1965). The Miracles had become a national sensation.
During this period, The Miracles were the most popular group on the label. The Miracles' success paved the way for all future Motown stars, and, as a result, the group was the headlining act of the Motor Town Revue, a nationwide package concert touring show which showcased Motown artists. Their exciting live performances earned them the nickname, "The Showstoppers".Commenting to Rolling Stone Magazine, Bob Seger
said, "I used to go to the Motown revues, and the Miracles always closed the show. They were that good, and everybody knew it." The group also influenced a significant number of outside performers as well, particularly The Beatles
, who covered The Miracles' "You Really Got a Hold on Me" on their second album, With the Beatles
. John Lennon
of the Beatles acknowledged Smokey Robinson as one of his favorite writers, and named the Miracles' "I've Been Good To You
" as one of his favorite songs. Another Beatles song, Ask Me Why
, also written by Lennon, was influenced by The Miracles' hit "What's So Good About Goodbye
". George Harrison
also greatly admired Robinson and paid tribute to him in his 1976 song 'Pure Smokey', while The Rolling Stones
covered the group's 1965 hit "Going to a Go-Go
". The Hollies
covered the group's 1963 smash "Mickey's Monkey
". The Zombies
also covered "You've Really Got a Hold On Me", while The Who
covered The Miracles' hit, "I Gotta Dance to Keep From Crying
". While the British Invasion
meant the end of many American artists' recording careers, it had very little effect on The Miracles, who continued having hits throughout this period. In fact, The Miracles were a major influence on many British Invasion groups in particular.In addition, artists of many diverse musical genres have covered their songs, including Jazz
, Country & Western
, MOR
, Reggae
, Hip-Hop, Rock, and Pop, as well as R&B
/Soul
. (See "Cover Versions" section).
Behind the scenes, Robinson (often assisted by the other Miracles), handled most of the songwriting and production for not only the Miracles, but for most of the acts on Motown during this early period. During the first half of the 1960s, Robinson tutored labelmates The Supremes and The Temptations
. Indeed, by the time each group had its breakthrough hit in 1964, the Miracles had already issued a double-LP greatest hits
album, Greatest Hits from the Beginning
.
In addition to penning their own material, Miracles Robinson, White, Rogers, Tarplin, and Moore wrote for many of their labelmates as well. Motown hits written, but not recorded, by members of the Miracles include songs for the Temptations ("The Way You Do The Things You Do
", "My Girl", "Don't Look Back", "I'll Be in Trouble
", "You've Got to Earn It
", "Since I Lost My Baby
", "It's Growing
", "My Baby", "Get Ready
"), Mary Wells ("My Guy
", "The One Who Really Loves You
", "What Love Has Joined Together
", "You Beat Me to the Punch
", "Two Lovers
"), Marvin Gaye
("I'll Be Doggone
", "One More Heartache
", "Ain't That Peculiar
", "Take This Heart of Mine
"), The Marvelettes
("Don't Mess With Bill
", "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game
"), The Contours
("First I Look at the Purse
", "That Day When She Needed Me
"), and Brenda Holloway
("When I'm Gone
", "Operator").
Despite their success, the Miracles were beset with a number of personal problems during the early and mid-1960s. During the first Motor Town Revue tour, Smokey Robinson caught the Asian Flu
, requiring Claudette Rogers to take over his role as lead singer until he recovered. In addition, Pete Moore was drafted into the US Army, and remained away from the group for over a year. In early 1964, Claudette decided to retire from the road and remain at home in Detroit. From this point on, Claudette did not tour with the Miracles or appear in any official group photographs or on television, although she continued to sing backup with the group in the studio until 1972.
, a 1964 concert film recorded live at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
, and distributed nationally by American International Pictures
, which also featured The Supremes
, Marvin Gaye
, The Beach Boys
, Lesley Gore
, Chuck Berry
, The Rolling Stones
, Gerry & the Pacemakers
and James Brown
& The Famous Flames
. The Miracles also appeared on many of the popular variety television programs of the period, including The Ed Sullivan Show
, Shindig!
, Hullabaloo
, American Bandstand
, Where The Action Is
, The Mike Douglas Show
, The Andy Williams Show
,Teen Town
,Hollywood A Go-Go
, Upbeat
,
and Britain's Ready Steady Go!
. Acknowledging Robinson's presence upfront, Motown Records' President and founder Berry Gordy
changed the Miracles' name to "Smokey Robinson & the Miracles" in 1965, although they were billed as simply "The Miracles" on their 45s until "The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage
", a Top 20 pop hit, in 1967. On that song's flip side was "Come Spy with Me"; The Miracles sang the original theme to the 1967 20th Century Fox
film of the same name. Very popular in The United Kingdom, in 1968, The Miracles went to England, where they gave a Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth
.
After scoring a few more major hits such as "(Come 'Round Here) I'm The One You Need
" (1966), the Top 10 "I Second That Emotion
" (1967), and "More Love" (1967), the Miracles, along with several other classic Motown acts, experienced a slight chart decline during the late 60s. The group still continued to chart hits, however, including "If You Can Want
" (1968), "Yester Love
" (1968), "Special Occasion
" (1968), "Here I Go Again
" (1969),"Point It Out
" (1969), and the Top 10 "Baby, Baby Don't Cry
" (1969). Constantly away from home and his family, Smokey Robinson began planning to leave the group for a solo career, which would allow him more time to remain at home and concentrate on his role as Vice-President of Motown Records. Robinson told White, Moore, and Rogers of his intentions in 1969, but Robinson decided to stay for two more years when the group's 1970 single "The Tears of a Clown
" became their biggest hit to date.
"The Tears of a Clown" had, in fact, been recorded in 1967 for the album Make It Happen
, and became the group's first US number-one hit (and their only number-one hit with Smokey Robinson).The song also reached #1 on the charts in England. Also in 1970, the group was given its own ABC
television special, The Smokey Robinson Show, which starred The Miracles, and guest-starred The Temptations, The Supremes, and Stevie Wonder
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0783584/plotsummary,who was discovered by Miracle Ronnie While.
", Robinson announced that he would indeed leave the Miracles, and the group began a six-month farewell tour of the United States. Coinciding with this tour was the release of the group's final studio album with Robinson, Flying High Together
(1972). The lead single, "We've Come Too Far to End It Now
", became a Top 10 R&B hit.
Robinson's final performance as a Miracle was at the Carter Barron Amphitheater
in Washington, D.C. on July 16, 1972. For this performance, Claudette Robinson rejoined the group onstage for the first time in eight years. At the conclusion of the concert, which Motown later released as a live album entitled "Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: 1957-1972
", Robinson introduced the group's new lead singer, Billy Griffin
. Griffin was introduced to national television audiences on NBC
's The Midnight Special
, on an episode guest-starring The Miracles and hosted by Smokey Robinson, broadcast on July 13, 1973.
Griffin's arrival meant the departure not only of Smokey Robinson,but Claudette Rogers and Marv Tarplin as well. Claudette retired from recording. Meanwhile (in 1973) Tarplin began touring and working with Smokey, and was replaced in The Miracles by Griffin's brother Donald. The group's first post-Smokey album, featuring Billy on lead, was 1973's critically acclaimed album, Renaissance
. The Miracles continued, scoring 9 more charting singles, including two more Top 20 hits: 1975's #13 million-selling hit "Do It Baby
" and 1976's multi-million-selling* #1 Pop smash hit "Love Machine (Part 1)
", the group's biggest hit, taken from their Platinum-selling City of Angels
album. The Miracles also scored a Top 10 R&B hit with "Don't Cha Love It". However, the group's following releases did not match the success of "Love Machine". In 1977, they left Motown for Columbia Records
, where they released the controversial single "Spy For Brotherhood", from their 1977 Love Crazy album, which was actually pulled from the airwaves due to protests from the FBI.
Their subsequent Columbia releases did not have the impact of their Motown hits.
Motown held a 35th anniversary retrospective for the Miracles in 1993, and Ronnie White and Bobby Rogers decided to reunite the group. The two of them and Dave Finley recruited Sidney Justin (formerly of Shalamar
) as the new fourth member, and began making personal appearances and touring. White, the last founding member remaining in the group, died of leukemia
in 1995, and the other three members carried on as a trio.
In 1987, Smokey Robinson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
as a solo artist. In a move that has since sparked much controversy, the other original Miracles – Bobby Rogers, Ronnie White, Pete Moore,Marv Tarplin, and Claudette Robinson – were not inducted. Nor was '70s Miracles lead singer Billy Griffin
. This has miffed Robinson, Motown alumnus, music industry insiders,Disc Jockeys, and Miracles fans, who feel the entire group deserves induction. Particularly so, since Rolling Stone Magazine had already listed The Miracles among its Immortals—The 50 Greatest Artists Of All Time and because the group has three songs on The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame's own list of The 500 Songs That Helped Shape Rock and Roll, and also due to their historical importance as Motown's first group. The Miracles as a group were honored with the national Rhythm and Blues Foundation
's Pioneer Award in 1997, and inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame
in 2001.
New York City's newspaper, The Village Voice
, in its issue of October 30, 2009, in reporting on the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame's 25th Anniversary Concert, stated in an interview with Smokey, that he expressed "regret" that the rest of The Miracles weren't inducted into the Hall Of Fame with him.
In December, 2010, Goldmine
, the famous oldies music magazine, in its continuing series on "Artists Who Should be in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, But Are Not", focused on The Miracles, Marvelettes, and Mary Wells. About The Miracles, author Phill Marder stated :"If the Supremes got in with Diana Ross and the Vandellas made it in with Martha Reeves and the three other Tops made it in with Levi Stubbs, how could the Miracles, who were much more important, not get in with Smokey?"
Read more: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame still missing 3 Motown stalwarts | Goldmine Magazine http://www.goldminemag.com/blogs/mary-miracles-marvelettes-motowns-missing-from-rock-hall#ixzz1G244zef6
Little Anthony and The Imperials, on their 2009 induction into the RRHOF, mentioned The Miracles as well. yet, The RRHOF Induction Committee has continued to ignore the group, for unknown reasons.
A video retrospective
of the Miracles' work, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: The Definitive Performances, was released on DVD by Motown Records and Universal Home Video in late 2006. It featured new interview footage with original Miracles Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, and Bobby Rogers. This DVD has been awarded Certified Gold status By The RIAA. In early 2007, "The Tracks of My Tears
" became the fourth Miracles song to be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The other inducted songs are "Shop Around" (inducted 2006), "The Tears of a Clown
" (inducted 2002), and "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" (inducted 1998). Three Miracles songs, "The Tracks of My Tears", "Ooo Baby Baby", and "Shop Around" are in Rolling Stone
magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
", and their 1965 Going To a Go-Go album is on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
". With their song "The Tears of a Clown", The Miracles are also noted as the first-ever Motown group to have a #1 record in England. Their million-selling song "The Tracks of My Tears" was honored by the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) as #127 on their list of the Songs of the Century
-the 365 Greatest Songs of the 20th Century, and on May 14, 2008, the song was preserved by the United States Library of Congress
as an "culturally, historically and aesthetically significance" to the National Recording Registry
. It was also chosen as one of the Top 10 Best Songs of All Time by a panel of 20 top industry songwriters and producers including Hal David
, Paul McCartney
, Brian Wilson
, Jerry Leiber, and others as reported to Britain's Mojo
music magazine, and was also winner of "The Award Of Merit" from The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) for the song's writers, Miracles members Pete Moore
, Marv Tarplin
and Smokey Robinson
.
Also, every member of The Miracles (except Claudette), has been a winner of the prestigious BMI
award for Songwriting. Famed bandleader/arranger/producer Quincy Jones
referred to The Miracles as "The Beethovens of The 20th Century", due to their prolific songwriting talents, and huge body of composed hit records. (reference: The Miracles:The Definitive Performances (1963–1987)).In 1998,
Cable TV network VH-1 chose The Miracles as #61 in their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and in 2008, Billboard magazine, on the 50th anniversary of its Hot 100 chart, recently ranked them as #71 in its list of the Top 100 Artists of All Time. In addition, "Going to a Go-Go", "The Tracks of My Tears", and "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" are on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
's list of "The 500 Songs That Helped Shape Rock and Roll", and Rolling Stone Magazine ranked the Miracles as #32 in their list of "The Immortals: The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time".
Tee Turner, who had been serving as the group's bassist, was made a fourth vocalist in 2001. Today, the Miracles are composed of classic-era member Bobby Rogers, along with Dave Finley, Tee Turner, and lead singer Mark Scott. Claudette Robinson performs with the group upon special request. The group continues to tour and perform throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, in 2001. The Miracles were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame
. And, although not technically a Doo-Wop group, (though they did start out in that era and genre), The Miracles have also been inducted into the Doo-Wop Hall of Fame. Also, on July 12,2011, The editors of Goldmine Magazine
selected The Miracles as one of "The 20 Greatest Doo-Wop Groups of All Time".http://www.goldminemag.com/article/goldmines-20-greatest-doo-wop-groups/comment-page-1#comment-291392
is owner and CEO of his own Las Vegas-based entertainment firm, WBMM Enterprises. He and his wife Tina are parents to twin daughters, Monette and Monique. Bobby Rogers
, tours nationally and internationally with the current Miracles group. Divorced from his first wife, Marvelettes
member Wanda Young
and now re-married for many years to current wife Joan, he has 4 grown children, Bobbae, Gina, Robert III & Kimberly. Ronnie White became an affluent real estate developer*. He died on August 26, 1995 at the age of 57, and is survived by his wife, Gloria, a son, Ron II, and a daughter, Pamela. His first wife, Earlyn,and eldest daughter Michelle, preceded him in death. Claudette Rogers is the First Lady of Motown, an active board member of the National Rhythm and Blues Foundation, HAL (Heroes & Legends) Awards, and she continues to perform at selected concerts with the Miracles. She is also writing her memoirs for publishing. She and Smokey are now divorced and have two grown children, Berry and Tamla.Marv Tarplin
and his former wife , Sylvia, have a daughter, Talese. The couple divorced, and Sylvia died in 2004. Marv also had two other daughters, Lisa, and Eboney, from another relationship. Tarplin retired from touring in 2008. The second original member of the group to pass away, Marv died on September 30, 2011 at the age of 70. Smokey Robinson
owns a food corporation, Smokey Robinson Foods and continues to tour and record as a solo artist. His current wife is Frances Robinson, and he has another son, Trey Robinson.
The original Miracles, Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, Claudette Rogers and Smokey Robinson, re-united in Detroit in 2007 to celebrate the group's 50th anniversary, and performed in a tribute to Motown founder Berry Gordy
.
In 2006, Woodbridge Estates, an exclusive residential development in The City of Detroit, named their community park "Miracles Park" and one of its streets "Miracles Boulevard", in recognition of the legendary Motown group's importance to the city, and as a tribute to their many accomplishments in the music industry. To date, The Miracles have sold over 40,000,000 records worldwide, and have won numerous Gold and Platinum Records, and other music industry awards. In 2006, the original Miracles were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. In 2008, the group's recording of "The Tracks Of My Tears" was voted a Legendary Michigan Song.
Despite the inductions of many of their Motown labelmates, as of 2011, the Miracles, Motown's first group, the artists most responsible for establishing the label's early success,http://www.history-of-rock.com/miracles.htm still have not been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.
http://www.varley.net/images%20-%202007/The%20Miracles%20Hollywood%20Star.jpg more than fifty years after the group's founding in 1957. That effort was led by public relations veteran Ron Brewington. The Star is located on the southwest corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Sycamore Street, one block east of La Brea Boulevard. The ceremony was attended by original Miracles Smokey Robinson, Claudette Robinson, Pete Moore, Bobby Rogers, Billy Griffin, and the late Ronnie White's widow Gloria, his daughter Pamela and granddaughter Mya; along with Berry Gordy
and Stevie Wonder
, and other celebrities including, Brian
and Eddie Holland (of Holland-Dozier-Holland
), Mary Wilson
of The Supremes
, Al B Sure!, Freda Payne
, and her sister, former Supreme Scherrie Payne
, Motown songwriter Janie Bradford
, Kevin Frazier
of Entertainment Tonight
, and a host of family, friends and fans. Speaking in tribute to the group,a tearful Stevie Wonder
said,"Were it not for The Miracles, there would be no Stevie Wonder.I was discovered by the late Ronnie White of The Miracles. I owe everything that I have to The Miracles". Motown founder and First President Berry Gordy Jr. said:"Without The Miracles, Motown would not be the Motown it is today".
References: Allmusic, The Covers Project,Second Hand Songs, "Who Sampled" website.
(*) Claudette Robinson retired from performing on stage in 1964 to start a family. Although she does not appear in any official Miracles photographs, nor mentioned as ever being a group member, after this point, she continued to sing in the background with the group on their recordings for as long as her husband Smokey Robinson was a member. As most of the group's performances before the camera were without her, some fans were unaware the group had a female member, and some sources dispute it. Claudette, however, did appear on the cover of The Miracles' 1970 One Dozen Roses
album, their aborted 1964 album, I Like It Like That
, all pre-1964 albums that showed the group, and on the back covers of their albums Away We a Go-Go
(1966) and What Love Has...Joined Together
(1970), and the center insert of their album, Greatest Hits from the Beginning
. Claudette also appears on the cover of the 2009 Motown CD release : "The Miracles: Depend On Me". Today,she is a board member of the national Rhythm and Blues Foundation
, an organization dedicated to the preservation of Rhythm and Blues music, and the protection of its artists' rights.
(**) Original Miracle Marv Tarplin, although remaining with the group until 1973, only appeared on the covers of 3 classic Miracles albums: 1961's Cookin' with The Miracles
, 1962's I'll Try Something New
, and 1963's The Fabulous Miracles
. He was also mentioned, though not pictured, on the back of the group's very first album,Hi... We're the Miracles
, and listed as an original group member. Tarplin left The Miracles in 1973, to tour and work with Smokey. He did this for another 35 years, before he finally retired in 2008. His replacement in The Miracles was Donald Griffin, brother of Billy Griffin, Robinson's replacement in the group. Griffin appears on the cover of The Miracles' 1977 Columbia album, "The Miracles: Love Crazy". Tarplin is also pictured on the cover of the 2006 CD Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: Gold, and the 2009 Motown CD release, The Miracles–Depend On Me: The Early Albums
, as well as being listed as an original member of The Miracles in the collection's liner notes. Despite this some do not recognize Marv Tarplin or Donald Griffin, as being official group members as they played guitar for the group and did not sing with them. However, in the 2006 Motown DVD release,"Smokey Robinson and The Miracles: The Definitive Performances", Smokey Robinson himself acknowledged Marv Tarplin as being a member of The Miracles with the words "And that is how Marv Tarplin got into our group" Marv passed away on September 30th 2011.
(***) Alphonse Franklin, filled in for the group's current lead singer Mark Scott during the later part of 2008. Some sources dispute calling him an official member of the group, though at that time he actually was.
*, which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance." As of 2011, The Miracles have more Grammy Hall of Fame inducted songs than any other Motown group:
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2004. It was chosen based on votes by 172 musicians, critics, and industry figures.
Selected by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum curatorial staff and a number of rock critics and historians, these 500 songs are some of rock and roll's most popular and influential recordings. This list of 500 songs cover a variety of musicians and genres illustrating the evolution of rock and roll over the last century.
(Note: In early 2011 , It has been recently revealed that The Miracles have been nominated for induction into the Hit Parade Hall Of Fame
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
group from Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, notable as the first successful group act for Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
's Motown Record Corporation . Their single "Shop Around
Shop Around
"Shop Around" is a 1960 single by The Miracles for the Tamla label, catalog number T 54034. It is notable as being the label's first #1 hit on the Billboard magazine R&B singles chart, and also hit #2 on the Hot 100....
" was Motown's first million-selling hit record, and the group went on to become one of Motown's signature acts of the 1960s. During the same period, the Miracles' original lead singer and founding member Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
became one of the most successful songwriters and record producers of all time.
During their nineteen-year run on the American music charts, The Miracles charted over fifty hits and recorded in the genres of doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
, soul
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...
, 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...
, and R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
. Twenty-six Miracles songs reached the Top Ten of the Billboard R&B singles chart
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,...
, including four R&B number ones. Sixteen of the Miracles' songs charted within the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, with seven songs charting within the Top Ten and two – 1970's "The Tears of a Clown
The Tears of a Clown
"The Tears of a Clown" is a song by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for the Tamla label, originally released on the 1967 album Make It Happen. It was re-released in the United Kingdom as a single in September 1970, where it became a #1 hit on the UK singles chart...
" and 1975's "Love Machine
Love Machine (The Miracles song)
"Love Machine" is a 1976 number-one single recorded by Motown group The Miracles, taken from their album City of Angels. This single was one of two Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hits recorded by The Miracles with Billy Griffin as lead vocalist; the other is 1973's "Do It Baby". Griffin had replaced...
" (Part 1) – reaching number-one.
Referred to by critics as Motown's "soul supergroup", The Miracles are multiple Grammy Hall of Fame inductees, Vocal Group Hall of Fame
Vocal Group Hall of Fame
The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was organized to honor outstanding vocal groups throughout the world. It is headquartered in Sharon, Pennsylvania, United States. It includes a theater and a museum....
and Doo-Wop Hall of Fame inductees,Winners of The Rhythm and Blues Foundation's
Rhythm and Blues Foundation
The Rhythm and Blues Foundation is an independent American nonprofit organization dedicated to the historical and cultural preservation of rhythm and blues music....
Pioneer Award,multiple BMI Songwriter's Award winners
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
,Winners of the ASCAP Award Of Merit , and have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
.
In 2004,and again in 2011, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine ranked Smokey Robinson & the Miracles #32 on their list of "The Immortals: The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time." http://www.futurerocklegends.com/The_Immortals.php They are also ranked in the Top 100 Artists Of All Time on Billboard Magazine's and Vh-1's 1998 lists.
Motown founder and First President Berry Gordy Jr. said:"Without The Miracles, Motown would not be the Motown it is today".
Early years
The Miracles began with two young Detroit students, William RobinsonSmokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
and Ronald White
Ronald White
Ronald "Ronnie" White was an African American soul singer and songwriter, notable as a founding member of The Miracles, and the only member to survive all of that group's line-up changes...
, who had become friends and started singing together while in the fifth grade. Robinson, nicknamed "Smokey" because of his love of cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
movies, started a doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
group called The Five Chimes in 1955 at Northern High School with himself, White, bass
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
singer Pete Moore
Pete Moore
Pete Moore is an African American soul singer, record producer, and songwriter, notable as the bass singer for Motown group The Miracles from 1955 onwards, and is one of the group's original members...
(another childhood friend who Smokey knew since he was age 11), Clarence Dawson, and James Grice. Within a half a year, Dawson and Grice had been replaced by cousins Emerson and Bobby Rogers
Bobby Rogers
Bobby Rogers is an American soul singer and songwriter, notable as a member of Motown Records' first signed act and first million selling group The Miracles from 1956 to present. He is also the grandfather of R&B singer Brandi Williams from R&B girl group Blaque-Life:Rogers is the son of the late...
, and the group's name had been changed to The Matadors. Rogers and Robinson were actually born on the same day – February 19, 1940 – in the same Detroit hospital, although they did not meet until they were fifteen years old.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZKoOnbE6Jk
Emerson Rogers was drafted
Conscription in the United States
Conscription in the United States has been employed several times, usually during war but also during the nominal peace of the Cold War...
in 1956. He was replaced by his sister Claudette Rogers
Claudette Rogers Robinson
Claudette Rogers Robinson is an African-American soul singer, a member of The Miracles from 1957 to 1972. Her brother Emerson "Sonny" Rogers was an original member of the group, which was originally called "The Matadors" before 1957; Claudette Rogers took her brother's place after he was drafted...
, who married Smokey Robinson in November 1959. In 1958, the group added guitarist Marv Tarplin
Marv Tarplin
Marvin "Marv" Tarplin was an American guitarist and songwriter, best known as the guitarist for The Miracles from the 1950s through the early 1970s. He was one of the group's original members and co-wrote several of their biggest hits, including the 2007 Grammy Hall Of Fame inducted "The Tracks...
, who had originally been the accompanist for The Primettes (later The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
).
In 1958, the Matadors auditioned for the manager of Detroit soul star Jackie Wilson
Jackie Wilson
Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson, Jr. was an American singer and performer. Known as "Mr. Excitement", Wilson was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. He was known as a master showman, and as one of the most dynamic singers and performers in R&B and rock history...
, who turned the group down because he felt their sound and four-man-one-woman lineup were too similar to The Platters
The Platters
The Platters were a vocal group of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound was a bridge between the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the burgeoning new genre...
, a popular vocal group. On their way out the door, the group ran into one of Wilson's chief songwriters, Berry Gordy, Jr. Gordy took a liking to the group, and eventually became the group's manager. In addition, Gordy worked closely with Robinson, the Matadors' chief songwriter, helping him to improve his songcraft.
Gordy and his colleague Billy Davis
Roquel Billy Davis
Roquel "Billy" Davis of Detroit was an American songwriter, record producer, and singer. Davis is best known as a songwriter for a number of soul musicians label, and as a writer/producer of commercial jingles, mostly for Coca-Cola...
had written a song called "Got a Job" as an answer song
Answer song
An answer song is, as the name suggests, a song made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. It is also known as a response song. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s through 1950s...
to "Get a Job", a recent hit by The Silhouettes
The Silhouettes
The Silhouettes were an American doo wop/R&B group whose single "Get A Job" was a #1 hit on the Billboard R&B singles chart and pop singles chart in 1958. The doo-wop revival group Sha Na Na derived their name from the song's lyrics. "Get A Job"' is included in the soundtracks of the movies,...
. The Matadors recorded the single, and Gordy arranged a record deal for them with End Records
End Records
End Records was a record label founded in 1957 by George Goldner. In 1962 the label was acquired by Morris Levy and incorporated into Roulette Records. Among its more successful recording acts were The Flamingos, The Chantels, and Little Anthony and the Imperials...
. At this time, they changed their name to 'The Miracles', as 'Matadors' had a masculine sound to it, and the group now included a woman. Gordy became the group's main outside collaborator, and he and Robinson wrote another Miracles single, "Bad Girl
Bad Girl (Miracles song)
"Bad Girl" is a 1959 Doo-wop single by The Miracles. Issued locally on the Motown Records label, it was licensed to and issued nationally by Chess Records because the fledgling Motown Record Corporation did not, at that time, have national distribution...
". Issued on Chess Records
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....
, "Bad Girl
Bad Girl (Miracles song)
"Bad Girl" is a 1959 Doo-wop single by The Miracles. Issued locally on the Motown Records label, it was licensed to and issued nationally by Chess Records because the fledgling Motown Record Corporation did not, at that time, have national distribution...
" became the group's first national charting single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #93. Other early songs that brought regional & R&B chart attention to the group included "Way Over There
Way Over There
"Way Over There" is a 1960 Motown soul song and single, written by William "Smokey" Robinson, produced by Berry Gordy, and first performed by The Miracles for the Tamla label. It was one of The Miracles' earliest charting singles, reaching #94 on the Billboard Pop chart. Motown president Berry...
" (which eventually charted nationally at #94 Pop), "I Need A Change", "I Cry" (1958), "Whatever Makes You Happy" (1963), "I Need Some Money"(1959), '"I Love Your Baby" (1959),"All I Want Is You" (1959), "Would I Love You", "Mama Done Told Me", "Happy Landing
Happy Landing
Happy Landing was a 1962 R&B recording by Motown Records singing group The Miracles , issued on that label's Tamla Records subsidiary label . It was recorded in November of 1962, and appeared on their album The Fabulous Miracles...
" (1962), and "(You Can) Depend on Me
(You Can) Depend on Me
" Depend on Me" , was a 1959 song by Motown Records group The Miracles, which also appeared on the group's first album, Hi... We're The Miracles . It also appeared as the "B" side of the group's hit single, Way Over There. It was written by Motown Records' President and founder Berry Gordy and...
" (1959).
Frustrated by low financial returns due to the group's practice of selling their masters to various labels, Robinson suggested Gordy start his own record label. Thus, in 1959, Gordy founded Tamla Records (later Motown), and signed The Miracles as one of his first acts. By 1961, Robinson would be appointed vice-president of the corporation.
Success at Motown: 1960–1967
After three unsuccessful singles, The Miracles' fourth Tamla single, "Shop AroundShop Around
"Shop Around" is a 1960 single by The Miracles for the Tamla label, catalog number T 54034. It is notable as being the label's first #1 hit on the Billboard magazine R&B singles chart, and also hit #2 on the Hot 100....
" backed with "Who's Lovin' You
Who's Lovin' You
"Who's Lovin' You" is a Motown soul song, written in 1960 by William "Smokey" Robinson. The song has been recorded by many different artists including The Miracles, who recorded the 1960 original version, The Temptations, The Supremes, Terence Trent-D'arby, Brenda and The Tabulations, John Farnham,...
" (1960), became their first Motown hit. "Shop Around" was the first Motown song to reach #1 on the national R&B charts, and the first to sell over a million copies. Both sides of this record became standards for R&B and rock musicians for several decades afterwards. In the wake of this success, the Miracles became the first-ever Motown act to perform on Dick Clark's American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
on December 27, 1960. "Shop Around" was followed by many more hits, including "You Really Got a Hold on Me" (Top 10) (1962), "What's So Good About Goodbye
What's So Good About Goodbye
"What's So Good About Goodbye" was a 1961 hit single recorded by R&B group The Miracles for Motown Records' Tamla label, later included on their 1962 album I'll Try Something New. The single was a Top 40 Pop hit, peaking at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States during the winter...
" (1962), "I'll Try Something New
I'll Try Something New (song)
"I'll Try Something New" is a song written by Smokey Robinson and originally released in 1962 by The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla subsidiary label...
(1962)" "Mickey's Monkey" (Top 10) (1963), "I Gotta Dance to Keep From Crying
I Gotta Dance to Keep From Crying
I Gotta Dance to Keep From Crying was a 1963 hit by The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla label. It was a Billboard Top 40 Pop hit,reaching # 35 on that chart,and a Top 20 hit on its R&B chart, peaking at # 17...
" (1963), "I Like It Like That
I Like It Like That (Miracles song)
Note: This article is about the song. For The Miracles' deleted 1964 album of the same name, see "I Like It Like That ". For other uses, see I Like It Like That I Like It Like That was a 1964 hit song by Motown...
" (1964), "That's What Love Is Made Of
That's What Love Is Made Of
That's What Love Is Made Of was a 1964 hit song by Motown Records' original vocal group ,The Miracles, issued on the label's Tamla records subsidiary...
" (1964), "Come On Do The Jerk
Come On Do The Jerk
Come On Do the Jerk , was a 1964 song recorded by R&B group The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla label subsidiary. A single-only release, it did not appear on any original Miracles studio album....
"
(1964), "Going to a Go-Go
Going to a Go-Go (song)
"Going to a Go-Go" is a 1965 single recorded by The Miracles for Motown's Tamla label. Issued in December 1965, "Going to a Go-Go" peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States the following spring...
" (1965), "My Girl Has Gone
My Girl Has Gone
"My Girl Has Gone" is a 1965 R&B single recorded by The Miracles for Motown's Tamla label. Included on their 1965 album Going to a Go-Go, "My Girl Has Gone" was the follow-up to the group's number 16 Billboard Hot 100 million-selling hit "The Tracks Of My Tears".Written by Miracles members Smokey...
" (1965), the multiple award-winning "The Tracks Of My Tears
The Tracks of My Tears
"The Tracks of My Tears" is a much recorded love ballad introduced in 1965 by The Miracles on Motown's' Tamla label. This song is considered to be among the finest recordings of The Miracles, and it sold over one million records within two years, making it The Miracles' fourth million-selling...
" (1965), and their signature song, "Ooh Baby Baby" (all Top 20, 1965). The Miracles had become a national sensation.
During this period, The Miracles were the most popular group on the label. The Miracles' success paved the way for all future Motown stars, and, as a result, the group was the headlining act of the Motor Town Revue, a nationwide package concert touring show which showcased Motown artists. Their exciting live performances earned them the nickname, "The Showstoppers".Commenting to Rolling Stone Magazine, Bob Seger
Bob Seger
Robert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
said, "I used to go to the Motown revues, and the Miracles always closed the show. They were that good, and everybody knew it." The group also influenced a significant number of outside performers as well, particularly The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, who covered The Miracles' "You Really Got a Hold on Me" on their second album, With the Beatles
With the Beatles
With The Beatles is the second studio album by the English rock group The Beatles. It was released on 22 November 1963 on Parlophone, and was recorded four months after the band's debut Please Please Me...
. John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
of the Beatles acknowledged Smokey Robinson as one of his favorite writers, and named the Miracles' "I've Been Good To You
I've Been Good To You
"I've Been Good To You" is a 1961 R&B song by The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla label. It was released as the B-side of their Billboard Top 40 hit, "What's So Good About Goodbye", and was included on their album I'll Try Something New the following year. This sad, melancholy ballad charted #103...
" as one of his favorite songs. Another Beatles song, Ask Me Why
Ask Me Why
"Ask Me Why" is a song by The Beatles originally released in the United Kingdom as the B-side of their hit single "Please Please Me". It was also included on their first UK album, Please Please Me.-Composition:...
, also written by Lennon, was influenced by The Miracles' hit "What's So Good About Goodbye
What's So Good About Goodbye
"What's So Good About Goodbye" was a 1961 hit single recorded by R&B group The Miracles for Motown Records' Tamla label, later included on their 1962 album I'll Try Something New. The single was a Top 40 Pop hit, peaking at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States during the winter...
". George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
also greatly admired Robinson and paid tribute to him in his 1976 song 'Pure Smokey', while The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
covered the group's 1965 hit "Going to a Go-Go
Going to a Go-Go (song)
"Going to a Go-Go" is a 1965 single recorded by The Miracles for Motown's Tamla label. Issued in December 1965, "Going to a Go-Go" peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States the following spring...
". The Hollies
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
covered the group's 1963 smash "Mickey's Monkey
Mickey's Monkey (song)
"Mickey's Monkey" was a 1963 song recorded by the R&B group The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla label. It was written and produced by Motown's main songwriting team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland, who later went on to write 2 more Miracles hit singles, the Top 40 "I Gotta...
". The Zombies
The Zombies
The Zombies are an English rock band, formed in 1961 in St Albans and led by Rod Argent, on piano and keyboards, and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group scored a UK and US hit in 1964 with "She's Not There"...
also covered "You've Really Got a Hold On Me", while The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
covered The Miracles' hit, "I Gotta Dance to Keep From Crying
I Gotta Dance to Keep From Crying
I Gotta Dance to Keep From Crying was a 1963 hit by The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla label. It was a Billboard Top 40 Pop hit,reaching # 35 on that chart,and a Top 20 hit on its R&B chart, peaking at # 17...
". While the British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
meant the end of many American artists' recording careers, it had very little effect on The Miracles, who continued having hits throughout this period. In fact, The Miracles were a major influence on many British Invasion groups in particular.In addition, artists of many diverse musical genres have covered their songs, including Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, Country & Western
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, MOR
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
, Reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, Hip-Hop, Rock, and Pop, as well as R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
/Soul
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...
. (See "Cover Versions" section).
Behind the scenes, Robinson (often assisted by the other Miracles), handled most of the songwriting and production for not only the Miracles, but for most of the acts on Motown during this early period. During the first half of the 1960s, Robinson tutored labelmates The Supremes and The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
. Indeed, by the time each group had its breakthrough hit in 1964, the Miracles had already issued a double-LP greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album, Greatest Hits from the Beginning
Greatest Hits from the Beginning
Greatest Hits from the Beginning is a compilation double LP by The Miracles released in 1965. It covers most of the group's hits from their pre-1965 albums, such as "Shop Around", "Who's Loving You", "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" and "Mickey's Monkey" as well as the non-album singles from 1964...
.
In addition to penning their own material, Miracles Robinson, White, Rogers, Tarplin, and Moore wrote for many of their labelmates as well. Motown hits written, but not recorded, by members of the Miracles include songs for the Temptations ("The Way You Do The Things You Do
The Way You Do the Things You Do
"The Way You Do the Things You Do" was covered in 1989 by the band UB40. It was the sixth single from their 1989 album Labour of Love II. The song was released in 1989 in the major of the European countries .-Track listings:7"-Single...
", "My Girl", "Don't Look Back", "I'll Be in Trouble
I'll Be in Trouble
"I'll Be in Trouble" is a 1964 hit single by The Temptations for the Gordy label. Written by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson, the single was a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 33....
", "You've Got to Earn It
You've Got to Earn It
"You've Got to Earn It" is a 1964 song recorded by The Temptations for the Gordy label. It was released as the B-side to their 1965 Top 40 hit "Since I Lost My Baby", and was also able to chart on its own, peaking at number 23 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Pop Charts. On Billboards R&B...
", "Since I Lost My Baby
Since I Lost My Baby
"Since I Lost My Baby" is a 1965 hit single recorded by The Temptations for the Motown Records' Gordy label. Written by Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore and produced by Robinson, the song was a top 20 pop single on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, on which it peaked at...
", "It's Growing
It's Growing
"It's Growing" is a 1965 hit single by The Temptations for the Gordy label. Written by Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore and produced by Robinson, the song was a top 20 pop single on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, on which it peaked at number 18...
", "My Baby", "Get Ready
Get Ready (Motown song)
"Get Ready" is a Motown song written by Smokey Robinson, which resulted in two hit records for the label: a U.S. #29 version by The Temptations in 1966, and a U.S. #4 version by Rare Earth in 1970...
"), Mary Wells ("My Guy
My Guy
"My Guy" is a 1964 number-one hit single recorded by Mary Wells for the Motown label. Written and produced by Smokey Robinson of The Miracles, the song is a woman's dedication to the goodness of her man .The single became the biggest hit ever for Wells, Motown's first female star, and reached the...
", "The One Who Really Loves You
The One Who Really Loves You
The One Who Really Loves You is the second album recorded by R&B singer and Motown recording artist Mary Wells, released in 1962 on the Motown label. Released after the runaway success of Wells' first top ten pop singles, the album became Motown's first top ten album peaking at number 8 on the pop...
", "What Love Has Joined Together
What Love Has Joined Together
"What Love Has Joined Together" is a song written and composed by Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Bobby Rogers, was recorded by five Motown acts: The Miracles, Mary Wells, The Temptations, Barbara McNair, and Syreeta, and was issued as B-sides to hits by Wells' and The Tempts; "Your Old...
", "You Beat Me to the Punch
You Beat Me to the Punch
"You Beat Me to the Punch" is a soul single by Motown singer Mary Wells, released on the Motown label in 1962. It was co-written by Smokey Robinson of The Miracles, who was responsible for the majority of hits released by Wells while she was a Motown artist, and another Miracles member, Ronnie...
", "Two Lovers
Two Lovers (Mary Wells song)
"Two Lovers" is a single released in 1962 by Mary Wells on the Motown record label. The song was the third consecutive hit to be both written and produced by Smokey Robinson of The Miracles and recorded by Mary Wells, the two previous charters being "The One Who Really Loves You" and "You Beat Me...
"), Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
("I'll Be Doggone
I'll Be Doggone
"I'll Be Doggone" is a 1965 song recorded by American soul singer Marvin Gaye and released on the Tamla label. The song talks about how a man tells his woman that he'll be "doggone" about simple things but if she did him wrong that he'd be "long gone"....
", "One More Heartache
One More Heartache
"One More Heartache" is a 1966 single recorded by Marvin Gaye for Motown Records' Tamla label. The single was written by the team of The Miracles members Bobby Rogers, Marv Tarplin, Pete Moore and Smokey Robinson and produced by Robinson....
", "Ain't That Peculiar
Ain't That Peculiar
"Ain't That Peculiar" is a 1965 song recorded by American soul musician Marvin Gaye for the Tamla label. The single was produced by Smokey Robinson, and written by Robinson, and fellow Miracles members Ronald White, Pete Moore, and Marv Tarplin...
", "Take This Heart of Mine
Take This Heart of Mine
"Take This Heart of Mine" is a song written by The Miracles members Warren "Pete" Moore, William "Smokey" Robinson and Marv Tarplin, produced by Robinson and released as a single by American soul singer Marvin Gaye, on Motown Records 'Tamla label in 1966....
"), The Marvelettes
The Marvelettes
The Marvelettes were an American singing girl group on the Tamla label. Motown's first successful female vocal group, the Marvelettes are most notable for recording the company's first #1 Pop hit, "Please Mr...
("Don't Mess With Bill
Don't Mess with Bill
"Don't Mess with Bill" is a million-selling Gold certified 1966 single recorded by The Marvelettes for Motown Records' Tamla label. Written and produced by Smokey Robinson, "Don't Mess with Bill" features a lead vocal by Wanda Young. The single peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in...
", "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game
The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game
"The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" is a 1966 song recorded by The Marvelettes for the Motown label, from their self-titled album released that year....
"), The Contours
The Contours
The Contours were one of the early African-American soul singing groups signed to Motown Records.The group is best known for its Billboard Top 10 hit, "Do You Love Me," a million-selling song that peaked twice in the Top 20....
("First I Look at the Purse
First I Look at the Purse
"First I Look At The Purse" was a 1965 song recorded by R&B group The Contours on Motown Records' Gordy label. It was written by Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Bobby Rogers, the authors of the Temptations' very first hit single, "The Way You Do the Things You Do"...
", "That Day When She Needed Me
That Day When She Needed Me
"That Day When She Needed Me" is a 1964 R&B song by the Motown Records group The Contours. Issued as the "B" side of their hit "Can You Jerk Like Me", this song broke out as a hit on its own, reaching #37 on the Cash Box R&B listings that year....
"), and Brenda Holloway
Brenda Holloway
Brenda Holloway is an American singer and songwriter, a recording artist for the Motown label during the 1960s...
("When I'm Gone
When I'm Gone (Motown song)
"When I'm Gone" is a song written by Smokey Robinson and a single he produced twice, one for early Motown star Mary Wells and the other for fellow Motown vocalist Brenda Holloway...
", "Operator").
Despite their success, the Miracles were beset with a number of personal problems during the early and mid-1960s. During the first Motor Town Revue tour, Smokey Robinson caught the Asian Flu
Asian flu
Asian Flu may refer to:* The Asian Financial Crisis of 1997, or* Asian Flu, the H2N2 virus...
, requiring Claudette Rogers to take over his role as lead singer until he recovered. In addition, Pete Moore was drafted into the US Army, and remained away from the group for over a year. In early 1964, Claudette decided to retire from the road and remain at home in Detroit. From this point on, Claudette did not tour with the Miracles or appear in any official group photographs or on television, although she continued to sing backup with the group in the studio until 1972.
The name change: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles: 1965–1971
After Claudette Roger's departure, the remaining Miracles appeared in The T.A.M.I. ShowThe T.A.M.I. Show
T.A.M.I. Show is a 1964 concert film, released by American International Pictures. It includes performances by numerous popular rock and roll and R&B musicians from the United States and England...
, a 1964 concert film recorded live at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
Santa Monica Civic Auditorium is a multipurpose convention center in Santa Monica, California owned by the City of Santa Monica. It was built in 1958 and designed by Welton Becket....
, and distributed nationally by American International Pictures
American International Pictures
American International Pictures was a film production company formed in April 1956 from American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson, former Sales Manager of Realart Pictures, and Samuel Z. Arkoff, an entertainment lawyer...
, which also featured The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
, Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
, Lesley Gore
Lesley Gore
Lesley Gore is an American singer. She is perhaps best known for her 1963 pop hit "It's My Party", which she recorded at the age of 16. Following the hit, she became one of the most recognized teen pop singers of the 1960s.- Biography :Gore was born in New York City, New York. She was raised in...
, Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, Gerry & the Pacemakers
Gerry & the Pacemakers
Gerry and the Pacemakers were a British beat music group prominent during the 1960s. In common with The Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein and recorded by George Martin. They are most remembered for being the first act to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart with...
and James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
& The Famous Flames
The Famous Flames
The Famous Flames was an R&B vocal group founded by Bobby Byrd that recorded and performed with James Brown during the early years of his career...
. The Miracles also appeared on many of the popular variety television programs of the period, including The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
, Shindig!
Shindig!
Shindig! was an American musical variety series which aired on ABC from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966. The show was hosted by Jimmy O'Neill, a disc jockey in Los Angeles at the time who also created the show along with his wife Sharon Sheeley and production executive Art Stolnitz....
, Hullabaloo
Hullabaloo (TV series)
Hullabaloo is an American musical variety series that ran on NBC from January 12, 1965 through August 29, 1966. Similar to Shindig! it ran in prime time in contrast to ABC's American Bandstand.-Overview:...
, American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
, Where The Action Is
Where the Action Is
Where the Action Is or ' was a music-based television variety show in the United States from 1965–67. It was carried by the ABC network and aired each weekday afternoon...
, The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that aired in syndication from 1961 to 1982, distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations.The program featured light banter with...
, The Andy Williams Show
The Andy Williams Show
The Andy Williams Show is a television variety show which ran from 1959 to 1971 , and a short-lived run in syndication, beginning in the fall of 1976...
,Teen Town
Teen Town (TV series)
Teen Town was a Detroit based music variety show that ran in syndication in the mid-1960s. It was hosted by Robin Seymour. In its brief run, the show featured well-known acts like the Temptations, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, the Supremes, Stevie Wonder and the Parliaments and clips from the...
,Hollywood A Go-Go
Hollywood A Go-Go
Hollywood A Go-Go was a Los Angeles based music variety show that ran in syndication in the mid-1960s. It was hosted by Sam Riddle, with music by The Sinners and dancing by The Gazzarri Dancers.-History:...
, Upbeat
Upbeat (TV series)
Upbeat was a syndicated musical variety show produced in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, at WEWS-TV that aired from 1964 to 1971 which spotlighted on the performers and their hit songs of the 1960s Top 40 pop music genre which was common on such AM radio stations as WIXY in Cleveland and CKLW in...
,
and Britain's Ready Steady Go!
Ready Steady Go!
Ready Steady Go! or simply RSG! was one of the UK's first rock/pop music TV programmes. It was conceived by Elkan Allan, head of Rediffusion TV. Allan was assisted by record producer/talent manager Vicki Wickham, who became the producer. It was broadcast from August 1963 until December 1966...
. Acknowledging Robinson's presence upfront, Motown Records' President and founder Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
changed the Miracles' name to "Smokey Robinson & the Miracles" in 1965, although they were billed as simply "The Miracles" on their 45s until "The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage
The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage
"The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage" is a 1967 song recorded by American R&B group The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla label. Written by Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Marv Tarplin and produced by Robinson, it is noted for being the first single to bill the group as Smokey Robinson &...
", a Top 20 pop hit, in 1967. On that song's flip side was "Come Spy with Me"; The Miracles sang the original theme to the 1967 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
film of the same name. Very popular in The United Kingdom, in 1968, The Miracles went to England, where they gave a Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
.
After scoring a few more major hits such as "(Come 'Round Here) I'm The One You Need
(Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need
" I'm the One You Need" is a 1966 hit single by Motown group The Miracles, released on Motown Records' Tamla label.Unlike most Miracles songs, which were written and produced by the group themselves, "I'm the One You Need" was written and produced by Motown's main songwriting and production team...
" (1966), the Top 10 "I Second That Emotion
I Second That Emotion
"I Second That Emotion" is a 1967 song primarily composed by Smokey Robinson and originally released as a single from his band Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for the Motown label. The song peaked for three weeks in the United States at #4 on the Billboard pop singles chart in December 1967...
" (1967), and "More Love" (1967), the Miracles, along with several other classic Motown acts, experienced a slight chart decline during the late 60s. The group still continued to chart hits, however, including "If You Can Want
If You Can Want
"If You Can Want" is a 1968 single recorded by R&B group Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for Motown Records' Tamla label. Written and produced by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson, "If You Can Want" was the most successful of the three singles included on the group's 1968 album Special Occasion....
" (1968), "Yester Love
Yester Love
"Yester Love" was a 1968 song by Motown Records R&B group The Miracles on its Tamla subsidiary label...
" (1968), "Special Occasion
Special Occasion (Miracles song)
"Special Occasion" is a 1968 hit single recorded by Motown Records R&B group Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, issued by its Tamla Records subsidiary and taken from the album of the same name...
" (1968), "Here I Go Again
Here I Go Again (Miracles song)
"Here I Go Again" was a 1969 hit single by The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla label subsidiary. It was taken from their top-25 Pop album Time Out for Smokey Robinson & The Miracles from that year, and was the flip side of their hit single, "Doggone Right"...
" (1969),"Point It Out
Point It Out
"Point It Out" was a 1969 recording by Motown Records R&B group The Miracles on that label's Tamla subsidiary . This mid-tempo song was a national Billboard Top 40 Pop hit,reaching #37 on that chart, and a Top 10 R&B hit was well, reaching #4...
" (1969), and the Top 10 "Baby, Baby Don't Cry
Baby, Baby Don't Cry
"Baby, Baby Don't Cry", released in December 1968, is a 1969 single recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for Motown Records' Tamla label. The composition was written by Smokey Robinson, Motown staff writers Al Cleveland and Terry Johnson, a former member of The Flamingos...
" (1969). Constantly away from home and his family, Smokey Robinson began planning to leave the group for a solo career, which would allow him more time to remain at home and concentrate on his role as Vice-President of Motown Records. Robinson told White, Moore, and Rogers of his intentions in 1969, but Robinson decided to stay for two more years when the group's 1970 single "The Tears of a Clown
The Tears of a Clown
"The Tears of a Clown" is a song by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for the Tamla label, originally released on the 1967 album Make It Happen. It was re-released in the United Kingdom as a single in September 1970, where it became a #1 hit on the UK singles chart...
" became their biggest hit to date.
"The Tears of a Clown" had, in fact, been recorded in 1967 for the album Make It Happen
Make It Happen (Miracles album)
Make It Happen is a 1967 album by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. It featured ballads such as the singles "The Love I Saw In You Was Just A Mirage" and "More Love", as well as the up-tempo "The Tears of a Clown" co-written by Stevie Wonder and his producer Hank Cosby.Three years after the album's...
, and became the group's first US number-one hit (and their only number-one hit with Smokey Robinson).The song also reached #1 on the charts in England. Also in 1970, the group was given its own ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television special, The Smokey Robinson Show, which starred The Miracles, and guest-starred The Temptations, The Supremes, and Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0783584/plotsummary,who was discovered by Miracle Ronnie While.
Exit Smokey Robinson, enter Billy Griffin
After one more Top 20 hit in late 1971, "I Don't Blame You At AllI Don't Blame You At All
"I Don't Blame You At All" was a 1971 R&B hit by The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla label. It was composed and produced by Miracles lead singer ,William "Smokey" Robinson,and was taken from their album, One Dozen Roses...
", Robinson announced that he would indeed leave the Miracles, and the group began a six-month farewell tour of the United States. Coinciding with this tour was the release of the group's final studio album with Robinson, Flying High Together
Flying High Together
Flying High Together was a 1972 album by The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla label. It is noted as The Miracles' last studio album with original lead singer Smokey Robinson, who retired from the act to concentrate on his duties as Vice President of The Motown Record Corporation...
(1972). The lead single, "We've Come Too Far to End It Now
We've Come Too Far to End It Now
We've Come Too Far to End It Now was a 1972 single by Motown Records R&B group The Miracles on its Tamla Label subsidiary, and taken from their album, "Flying High Together", the group's final studio album with original lead singer Smokey Robinson.This song charted at #46 on the Billboard Pop...
", became a Top 10 R&B hit.
Robinson's final performance as a Miracle was at the Carter Barron Amphitheater
Carter Barron Amphitheater
The Carter Barron Amphitheatre is a 4,200-seat outdoor performance venue in Washington, D.C., U.S. Located in Rock Creek Park, the amphitheatre opened in 1950 in honor of the 150th Anniversary of Washington, DC as the nation's capital...
in Washington, D.C. on July 16, 1972. For this performance, Claudette Robinson rejoined the group onstage for the first time in eight years. At the conclusion of the concert, which Motown later released as a live album entitled "Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: 1957-1972
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: 1957-1972
1957-1972 is a 1972 double- album by The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla label. This two-record set is noted as the group's final series of live concerts with original lead singer Smokey Robinson, recorded over a period of three days, July 14–16, during the 1972 National Parks Centennial, at the...
", Robinson introduced the group's new lead singer, Billy Griffin
Billy Griffin
Billy Griffin is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known for replacing Smokey Robinson as lead singer of The Miracles in 1972.-Biography:...
. Griffin was introduced to national television audiences on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's The Midnight Special
The Midnight Special (TV series)
The Midnight Special is an American musical variety series that aired on NBC during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Burt Sugarman. It premiered as a special on August 19, 1972, then began its run as a regular series on February 2, 1973; its last episode was on May 1, 1981...
, on an episode guest-starring The Miracles and hosted by Smokey Robinson, broadcast on July 13, 1973.
Griffin's arrival meant the departure not only of Smokey Robinson,but Claudette Rogers and Marv Tarplin as well. Claudette retired from recording. Meanwhile (in 1973) Tarplin began touring and working with Smokey, and was replaced in The Miracles by Griffin's brother Donald. The group's first post-Smokey album, featuring Billy on lead, was 1973's critically acclaimed album, Renaissance
Renaissance (Miracles album)
Renaissance was a critically acclaimed 1973 album by R&B group The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla label, noted as the first-ever album by the group not to feature original lead singer Smokey Robinson on lead vocals...
. The Miracles continued, scoring 9 more charting singles, including two more Top 20 hits: 1975's #13 million-selling hit "Do It Baby
Do It Baby
"Do It Baby" is a 1974 single recorded and released by the Motown R&B group The Miracles and marked the soul quintet's first top forty hit over a year and a half after the departure of the group's most important member, former leader Smokey Robinson and the inclusion of Billy Griffin, who took over...
" and 1976's multi-million-selling* #1 Pop smash hit "Love Machine (Part 1)
Love Machine (The Miracles song)
"Love Machine" is a 1976 number-one single recorded by Motown group The Miracles, taken from their album City of Angels. This single was one of two Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hits recorded by The Miracles with Billy Griffin as lead vocalist; the other is 1973's "Do It Baby". Griffin had replaced...
", the group's biggest hit, taken from their Platinum-selling City of Angels
City of Angels (album)
City of Angels is an album by the Motown soul group The Miracles, released on Motown Records' Tamla label in September 1975. The group's fourth album recorded after replacing lead singer Smokey Robinson with Billy Griffin in 1972, City of Angels is a concept album, depicting of a man from "Anytown,...
album. The Miracles also scored a Top 10 R&B hit with "Don't Cha Love It". However, the group's following releases did not match the success of "Love Machine". In 1977, they left Motown for Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, where they released the controversial single "Spy For Brotherhood", from their 1977 Love Crazy album, which was actually pulled from the airwaves due to protests from the FBI.
Their subsequent Columbia releases did not have the impact of their Motown hits.
Later years, The RRHOF controversy, awards and accolades
In 1978, Billy Griffin and Pete Moore retired from performing to concentrate on songwriting. Griffin later went on to enjoy a briefly successful solo career in the 1980s, scoring a hit with "Hold Me Tighter in the Rain" in 1982. Ronnie White and Bobby Rogers recruited new members Dave Finley and Carl Cotton. After reuniting with Smokey Robinson on the Motown 25 television special in 1983, (minus Ronnie White), the Miracles essentially disbanded and ceased to perform. Sadly,twenty years later, Cotton was murdered after an altercation in Detroit on September 14, 2003.Motown held a 35th anniversary retrospective for the Miracles in 1993, and Ronnie White and Bobby Rogers decided to reunite the group. The two of them and Dave Finley recruited Sidney Justin (formerly of Shalamar
Shalamar
Shalamar was an American music group, primarily of the 1970s and 1980s, that was originally a disco-driven vehicle created by Soul Train booking agent Dick Griffey and show creator Don Cornelius. They went on to be an influential dance trio, masterminded by Soul Train producer Don Cornelius...
) as the new fourth member, and began making personal appearances and touring. White, the last founding member remaining in the group, died of leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
in 1995, and the other three members carried on as a trio.
In 1987, Smokey Robinson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
as a solo artist. In a move that has since sparked much controversy, the other original Miracles – Bobby Rogers, Ronnie White, Pete Moore,Marv Tarplin, and Claudette Robinson – were not inducted. Nor was '70s Miracles lead singer Billy Griffin
Billy Griffin
Billy Griffin is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known for replacing Smokey Robinson as lead singer of The Miracles in 1972.-Biography:...
. This has miffed Robinson, Motown alumnus, music industry insiders,Disc Jockeys, and Miracles fans, who feel the entire group deserves induction. Particularly so, since Rolling Stone Magazine had already listed The Miracles among its Immortals—The 50 Greatest Artists Of All Time and because the group has three songs on The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame's own list of The 500 Songs That Helped Shape Rock and Roll, and also due to their historical importance as Motown's first group. The Miracles as a group were honored with the national Rhythm and Blues Foundation
Rhythm and Blues Foundation
The Rhythm and Blues Foundation is an independent American nonprofit organization dedicated to the historical and cultural preservation of rhythm and blues music....
's Pioneer Award in 1997, and inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame
Vocal Group Hall of Fame
The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was organized to honor outstanding vocal groups throughout the world. It is headquartered in Sharon, Pennsylvania, United States. It includes a theater and a museum....
in 2001.
New York City's newspaper, The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
, in its issue of October 30, 2009, in reporting on the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame's 25th Anniversary Concert, stated in an interview with Smokey, that he expressed "regret" that the rest of The Miracles weren't inducted into the Hall Of Fame with him.
In December, 2010, Goldmine
Goldmine (magazine)
Goldmine, established in 1974, is an American magazine that focuses on the collectors' market for records, tapes, CDs, and music-related memorabilia. Each issue features news articles, interviews, discographies, histories, current reviews on recording stars of the past and present. Discographies...
, the famous oldies music magazine, in its continuing series on "Artists Who Should be in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, But Are Not", focused on The Miracles, Marvelettes, and Mary Wells. About The Miracles, author Phill Marder stated :"If the Supremes got in with Diana Ross and the Vandellas made it in with Martha Reeves and the three other Tops made it in with Levi Stubbs, how could the Miracles, who were much more important, not get in with Smokey?"
Read more: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame still missing 3 Motown stalwarts | Goldmine Magazine http://www.goldminemag.com/blogs/mary-miracles-marvelettes-motowns-missing-from-rock-hall#ixzz1G244zef6
Little Anthony and The Imperials, on their 2009 induction into the RRHOF, mentioned The Miracles as well. yet, The RRHOF Induction Committee has continued to ignore the group, for unknown reasons.
A video retrospective
Retrospective
Retrospective generally means to take a look back at events that already have taken place. For example, the term is used in medicine, describing a look back at a patient's medical history or lifestyle.-Music:...
of the Miracles' work, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: The Definitive Performances, was released on DVD by Motown Records and Universal Home Video in late 2006. It featured new interview footage with original Miracles Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, and Bobby Rogers. This DVD has been awarded Certified Gold status By The RIAA. In early 2007, "The Tracks of My Tears
The Tracks of My Tears
"The Tracks of My Tears" is a much recorded love ballad introduced in 1965 by The Miracles on Motown's' Tamla label. This song is considered to be among the finest recordings of The Miracles, and it sold over one million records within two years, making it The Miracles' fourth million-selling...
" became the fourth Miracles song to be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The other inducted songs are "Shop Around" (inducted 2006), "The Tears of a Clown
The Tears of a Clown
"The Tears of a Clown" is a song by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for the Tamla label, originally released on the 1967 album Make It Happen. It was re-released in the United Kingdom as a single in September 1970, where it became a #1 hit on the UK singles chart...
" (inducted 2002), and "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" (inducted 1998). Three Miracles songs, "The Tracks of My Tears", "Ooo Baby Baby", and "Shop Around" are in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone, issue number 963, published December 9, 2004, a year after the magazine published its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"....
", and their 1965 Going To a Go-Go album is on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...
". With their song "The Tears of a Clown", The Miracles are also noted as the first-ever Motown group to have a #1 record in England. Their million-selling song "The Tracks of My Tears" was honored by the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) as #127 on their list of the Songs of the Century
Songs of the Century
The "Songs of the Century" list is part of an education project by the Recording Industry Association of America , the National Endowment for the Arts, and Scholastic Inc. that aims to "promote a better understanding of America’s musical and cultural heritage" in American schools...
-the 365 Greatest Songs of the 20th Century, and on May 14, 2008, the song was preserved by the United States Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
as an "culturally, historically and aesthetically significance" to the National Recording Registry
National Recording Registry
The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, which created the National Recording...
. It was also chosen as one of the Top 10 Best Songs of All Time by a panel of 20 top industry songwriters and producers including Hal David
Hal David
Harold Lane "Hal" David is an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.-Career:...
, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
, Jerry Leiber, and others as reported to Britain's Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
music magazine, and was also winner of "The Award Of Merit" from The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) for the song's writers, Miracles members Pete Moore
Pete Moore
Pete Moore is an African American soul singer, record producer, and songwriter, notable as the bass singer for Motown group The Miracles from 1955 onwards, and is one of the group's original members...
, Marv Tarplin
Marv Tarplin
Marvin "Marv" Tarplin was an American guitarist and songwriter, best known as the guitarist for The Miracles from the 1950s through the early 1970s. He was one of the group's original members and co-wrote several of their biggest hits, including the 2007 Grammy Hall Of Fame inducted "The Tracks...
and Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
.
Also, every member of The Miracles (except Claudette), has been a winner of the prestigious BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
award for Songwriting. Famed bandleader/arranger/producer Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
referred to The Miracles as "The Beethovens of The 20th Century", due to their prolific songwriting talents, and huge body of composed hit records. (reference: The Miracles:The Definitive Performances (1963–1987)).In 1998,
Cable TV network VH-1 chose The Miracles as #61 in their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and in 2008, Billboard magazine, on the 50th anniversary of its Hot 100 chart, recently ranked them as #71 in its list of the Top 100 Artists of All Time. In addition, "Going to a Go-Go", "The Tracks of My Tears", and "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" are on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
's list of "The 500 Songs That Helped Shape Rock and Roll", and Rolling Stone Magazine ranked the Miracles as #32 in their list of "The Immortals: The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time".
Tee Turner, who had been serving as the group's bassist, was made a fourth vocalist in 2001. Today, the Miracles are composed of classic-era member Bobby Rogers, along with Dave Finley, Tee Turner, and lead singer Mark Scott. Claudette Robinson performs with the group upon special request. The group continues to tour and perform throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, in 2001. The Miracles were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame
Vocal Group Hall of Fame
The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was organized to honor outstanding vocal groups throughout the world. It is headquartered in Sharon, Pennsylvania, United States. It includes a theater and a museum....
. And, although not technically a Doo-Wop group, (though they did start out in that era and genre), The Miracles have also been inducted into the Doo-Wop Hall of Fame. Also, on July 12,2011, The editors of Goldmine Magazine
Goldmine (magazine)
Goldmine, established in 1974, is an American magazine that focuses on the collectors' market for records, tapes, CDs, and music-related memorabilia. Each issue features news articles, interviews, discographies, histories, current reviews on recording stars of the past and present. Discographies...
selected The Miracles as one of "The 20 Greatest Doo-Wop Groups of All Time".http://www.goldminemag.com/article/goldmines-20-greatest-doo-wop-groups/comment-page-1#comment-291392
The original Miracles today
Today, original member Pete MoorePete Moore
Pete Moore is an African American soul singer, record producer, and songwriter, notable as the bass singer for Motown group The Miracles from 1955 onwards, and is one of the group's original members...
is owner and CEO of his own Las Vegas-based entertainment firm, WBMM Enterprises. He and his wife Tina are parents to twin daughters, Monette and Monique. Bobby Rogers
Bobby Rogers
Bobby Rogers is an American soul singer and songwriter, notable as a member of Motown Records' first signed act and first million selling group The Miracles from 1956 to present. He is also the grandfather of R&B singer Brandi Williams from R&B girl group Blaque-Life:Rogers is the son of the late...
, tours nationally and internationally with the current Miracles group. Divorced from his first wife, Marvelettes
The Marvelettes
The Marvelettes were an American singing girl group on the Tamla label. Motown's first successful female vocal group, the Marvelettes are most notable for recording the company's first #1 Pop hit, "Please Mr...
member Wanda Young
Wanda Young
Wanda Young is an American singer, famous for being the member and later lead singer of the popular Motown all-female singing group The Marvelettes.-Biography:Wanda was born in 1943 and raised in the western Detroit suburb of Inkster, Michigan...
and now re-married for many years to current wife Joan, he has 4 grown children, Bobbae, Gina, Robert III & Kimberly. Ronnie White became an affluent real estate developer*. He died on August 26, 1995 at the age of 57, and is survived by his wife, Gloria, a son, Ron II, and a daughter, Pamela. His first wife, Earlyn,and eldest daughter Michelle, preceded him in death. Claudette Rogers is the First Lady of Motown, an active board member of the National Rhythm and Blues Foundation, HAL (Heroes & Legends) Awards, and she continues to perform at selected concerts with the Miracles. She is also writing her memoirs for publishing. She and Smokey are now divorced and have two grown children, Berry and Tamla.Marv Tarplin
Marv Tarplin
Marvin "Marv" Tarplin was an American guitarist and songwriter, best known as the guitarist for The Miracles from the 1950s through the early 1970s. He was one of the group's original members and co-wrote several of their biggest hits, including the 2007 Grammy Hall Of Fame inducted "The Tracks...
and his former wife , Sylvia, have a daughter, Talese. The couple divorced, and Sylvia died in 2004. Marv also had two other daughters, Lisa, and Eboney, from another relationship. Tarplin retired from touring in 2008. The second original member of the group to pass away, Marv died on September 30, 2011 at the age of 70. Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
owns a food corporation, Smokey Robinson Foods and continues to tour and record as a solo artist. His current wife is Frances Robinson, and he has another son, Trey Robinson.
The original Miracles, Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, Claudette Rogers and Smokey Robinson, re-united in Detroit in 2007 to celebrate the group's 50th anniversary, and performed in a tribute to Motown founder Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
.
In 2006, Woodbridge Estates, an exclusive residential development in The City of Detroit, named their community park "Miracles Park" and one of its streets "Miracles Boulevard", in recognition of the legendary Motown group's importance to the city, and as a tribute to their many accomplishments in the music industry. To date, The Miracles have sold over 40,000,000 records worldwide, and have won numerous Gold and Platinum Records, and other music industry awards. In 2006, the original Miracles were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. In 2008, the group's recording of "The Tracks Of My Tears" was voted a Legendary Michigan Song.
Despite the inductions of many of their Motown labelmates, as of 2011, the Miracles, Motown's first group, the artists most responsible for establishing the label's early success,http://www.history-of-rock.com/miracles.htm still have not been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.
Hollywood Walk of Fame
On March 20, 2009, in Motown Records' 50th anniversary year, the Miracles received the latest of many career awards when they were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Famehttp://thescoopla.com/1215/honors-on-the-hollywood-walk-of-famehttp://www.varley.net/images%20-%202007/The%20Miracles%20Hollywood%20Star.jpg more than fifty years after the group's founding in 1957. That effort was led by public relations veteran Ron Brewington. The Star is located on the southwest corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Sycamore Street, one block east of La Brea Boulevard. The ceremony was attended by original Miracles Smokey Robinson, Claudette Robinson, Pete Moore, Bobby Rogers, Billy Griffin, and the late Ronnie White's widow Gloria, his daughter Pamela and granddaughter Mya; along with Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
and Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, and other celebrities including, Brian
Brian Holland
Brian Holland is an American songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of Holland–Dozier–Holland. That songwriting and production team that was responsible for much of the Motown sound and numerous hit records by artists such as Martha and the Vandellas, The Supremes, The Four Tops,...
and Eddie Holland (of Holland-Dozier-Holland
Holland-Dozier-Holland
Holland–Dozier–Holland is a songwriting and production team made up of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian Holland and Edward Holland, Jr. They are considered to be one of the greatest songwriting teams in popular music...
), Mary Wilson
Mary Wilson (singer)
Mary Wilson is an American singer, formerlymember of the Motown female singing group The Supremes during the 1960s and 1970s. Wilson was the only singer to be a consistent member of the group in its eighteen-year tenure...
of The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
, Al B Sure!, Freda Payne
Freda Payne
Freda Charcilia Payne Some sources give a birth year of 1945, but this appears to be an error as all sources agree that she is older than her sister Scherrie, born 1944. is an American singer and actress best known for her million selling, 1970 hit single, "Band of Gold". She was also an actress in...
, and her sister, former Supreme Scherrie Payne
Scherrie Payne
Scherrie Payne is an American singer. The younger sister of singer/actress Freda Payne, Scherrie Payne was the co-lead singer of The Supremes from 1973 to 1977, after Jean Terrell left the group in the fall of 1973...
, Motown songwriter Janie Bradford
Janie Bradford
Janie Bradford is an American songwriter, most known for her tenure with Motown. With Berry Gordy, she co-wrote "Money ", originally recorded by Barrett Strong and used by The Beatles on their second album With The Beatles...
, Kevin Frazier
Kevin Frazier
Kevin Timothy Frazier is currently host of The Insider. Formerly, Frazier worked as an anchor at Fox Sports Net, later ESPN, where he hosted SportsCenter as well as a multitude of NBA themed programming and from 2004–2011, was a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight as well as...
of Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
, and a host of family, friends and fans. Speaking in tribute to the group,a tearful Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
said,"Were it not for The Miracles, there would be no Stevie Wonder.I was discovered by the late Ronnie White of The Miracles. I owe everything that I have to The Miracles". Motown founder and First President Berry Gordy Jr. said:"Without The Miracles, Motown would not be the Motown it is today".
Cover versions and Influence
The Miracles, Motown's first group,are far and away,the most covered Motown group of all time. Their music and songs have influenced artists all over the world – in every major musical genre – over the last 50 years. Almost all of their hits were self-written, making them unique among Motown acts. Many of the Miracles' songs have been major hits or important recordings for other artists. Among these are:- "Going to a Go-Go" – The Rolling StonesThe Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, The Hags, and Secret AffairSecret AffairSecret Affair were a mod revival band, formed in 1978 and disbanded in 1982. They reformed to perform and record in the 2000s.-Career:In a period of a little over two years, Secret Affair posted five releases in the UK Singles Chart and released three albums...
. - "I Second That Emotion" – JapanJapan (band)Japan were a British New Wave group, formed in 1974 in Catford, South London. The band achieved success in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when they were often associated with the burgeoning New Romantic fashion movement .- History :The band began as a group of friends...
, Michael McDonaldMichael McDonald (singer)Michael McDonald is a five-time Grammy Award winning American singer and songwriter. McDonald is known for a soulful baritone singing style and a multi-octave range. He began his career singing back-up vocals with Steely Dan...
, Kiki DeeKiki DeeKiki Dee is an English singer with a career spanning more than 40 years....
, The Manhattan TransferThe Manhattan TransferThe Manhattan Transfer is an American vocal music group. There have been two manifestations of the group, with Tim Hauser being the only person to be part of both...
, Jerry GarciaJerry GarciaJerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
, Diana Ross & the Supremes with the Temptations, 10db, Tammy WynetteTammy WynetteVirginia Wynette Pugh, known professionally as Tammy Wynette , was an American country music singer-songwriter and one of the genre's best-known artists and biggest-selling female vocalists....
, José FelicianoJosé FelicianoJosé Feliciano is a Puerto Rican singer, virtuoso guitarist and composer known for many international hits including the 1970 holiday single "Feliz Navidad".-Childhood:...
,Emilie, Stuck In The Middle , Thelma Jones. - "(Come 'Round Here) I'm The One You Need " – The Jackson 5, The CowsillsThe CowsillsThe Cowsills are an American singing group from Newport, Rhode Island. They specialized in harmonies and the ability to sing and play music at an early age. The band was formed in the spring of 1965 by brothers Bill, Bob, and Barry, then shortly thereafter added John...
, The GP's - "If You Can Want" – The DirtbombsThe DirtbombsThe Dirtbombs are an American garage rock band based in Detroit, Michigan, notable for blending diverse influences such as punk rock and soul while featuring a dual bass guitar, dual drum and guitar lineup...
, Barbara McNairBarbara McNairBarbara McNair was an African American singer and actress.Born Barbara Jean McNair in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, McNair studied music at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago...
, Chazz Dixon. - "Nowhere To Go- Kanye WestKanye WestKanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
(as the basis of his song "About An Angel"), Beanie SigelBeanie SigelDwight Grant , also known as Beanie Sigel, is a American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,most recently he was in talks with 50 Cent to sign with G-Unit Records and is a former member/artist of Dame Dash Music Group and Roc-A-Fella Records where he had formed a close association with rappers...
(as "Got Nowhere"), FreewayFreeway (rapper)Leslie Edward Pridgen , better known by his stage name Freeway, is an American rapper. Best known for his tenure on Roc-A-Fella Records and his affiliation with Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel, he is recognized by his high-pitched delivery and for the long beard he keeps due to his Muslim faith... - "Much Better Off" – J DillaJ DillaJames Dewitt Yancey , better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan...
. - "You've Got The Love I Need" -J DillaJ DillaJames Dewitt Yancey , better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan...
, RaekwonRaekwonCorey Woods , better known by the stage name Raekwon, is an American rapper and a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. He released his solo debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... in 1995, and has since recorded four solo albums, as well as work with Wu-Tang and an extensive amount of guest contributions with...
. - "A Legend In Its Own Time" – J DillaJ DillaJames Dewitt Yancey , better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan...
(as an exercept of his song "One Eleven"). - "Oh Be My Love"- Barbara LewisBarbara LewisBarbara Lewis , is an American singer and songwriter whose smooth style influenced rhythm and blues.-Career:Lewis was born in Salem, near Ann Arbor, Michigan...
, The SupremesThe SupremesThe Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
, Barbara McNairBarbara McNairBarbara McNair was an African American singer and actress.Born Barbara Jean McNair in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, McNair studied music at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago...
. - "I Don't Blame You At All"- Rosetta HightowerRosetta HightowerRosetta Hightower is an American singer,and the former lead singer of the 1960s girl group The Orlons....
. - "Mighty Good Lovin"-Edwin Starr, Chris Clark.
- "You're So Fine and Sweet"- The UndertakersThe UndertakersThe Undertakers were a British beat group, contemporaries of The Beatles and a leading group in the Merseybeat music scene of the early 1960s.-Band members:Their best known line-up was:*Jackie Lomax *Chris Huston...
. - "I Like It Like That" (Miracles song)- Bobby VeeBobby VeeRobert Thomas Velline , known as Bobby Vee, is an American pop music singer. According to Billboard magazine, Vee has had 38 Hot 100 chart hits, 10 of which hit the Top 20.-Career:...
, Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels. - "Would I Love You"-Len BarryLen BarryLen Barry is a retired American vocalist, songwriter and record producer.-Career:...
. - "Happy Landing"- The TemptationsThe TemptationsThe Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
. - "Special Occasion- Jim GilstrapJim GilstrapJim Gilstrap is an American singer best known for his work as a session musician and his 1975 solo hit single "Swing Your Daddy", as well as singing co-lead to the theme from the TV series Good Times.-Career:...
. - "I'll Try Something New" – Diana Ross & The SupremesThe SupremesThe Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
with The TemptationsThe TemptationsThe Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
, Barbara McNairBarbara McNairBarbara McNair was an African American singer and actress.Born Barbara Jean McNair in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, McNair studied music at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago...
, A Taste of HoneyA Taste of Honey (band)A Taste of Honey was the name of an American recording act, formed in 1971 by associates Perry Kibble and Donald Ray Johnson. In 1978 they had one of the best known chart-toppers of the disco era, "Boogie Oogie Oogie"...
, Spyder TurnerSpyder TurnerSpyder Turner is an American soul singer. Turner was raised in Detroit, and sang in doo wop groups and high school choirs while young...
(as an excerpt from his cover of "Stand By Me") - "My Girl Has Gone" – Etienne DahoÉtienne DahoÉtienne Daho is a French singer, songwriter and record producer who has released a number of synth-driven and rock-surf influenced pop hit singles since 1981.- Career :...
, Bobby TaylorBobby Taylor & the VancouversBobby Taylor & the Vancouvers were a soul band from Vancouver, British Columbia. Briefly signed to Motown Records in the late 1960s, they had one top 30 hit single, "Does Your Mama Know About Me". As a producer and solo artist, Bobby Taylor contributed to several other soul recordings, both inside...
, Edwyn CollinsEdwyn CollinsEdwyn Stephen Collins is an Ivor Novello Award winning Scottish musician, playing mostly electric guitar-driven pop. Collins formed the musical group Nu-Sonics in 1976, which later became Orange Juice...
, Ken ParkerKen Parker (musician)Ken Parker is a Jamaican musician who first recorded in the 1960s.-Biography:Like many of Jamaica's singers of the era, Parker began by singing in church, where his father was a preacher. He formed a group called the Blues Benders in the mid-1960s, and their first recording was "Honeymoon by the...
. - "Yester Love" – Gerald WilsonGerald WilsonGerald Stanley Wilson is an American jazz trumpeter, big band bandleader, composer/arranger, 8 time Grammy nominee, and educator. He has been based in Los Angeles since the early 1940s....
& His Orchestra. - "The Love I Saw In You Was Just a Mirage" – The Jackson 5The Jackson 5The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
, Vance GilbertVance GilbertVance Gilbert is an American folk singer/songwriter. He started out as a jazz singer, then switched to folk music, performing on the open mike circuit in Boston. His career took off when he toured with Shawn Colvin. He has recorded eight albums, including Side of the Road, a duo album with friend...
, The UniquesThe UniquesThe Uniques may refer to:*The Uniques , a Jamaican vocal group*The Uniques , a rock group including Joe Stampley in the 1960s*The Uniques , a rock group founded including Duane in Gregg Allman in the 1960s... - "Love Machine" – Wham!WHAM!Wham! were a short-lived British musical duo formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley in the early 1980s. They were briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK due to a naming conflict with an American band....
, Thelma Houston - "Determination" – The ContoursThe ContoursThe Contours were one of the early African-American soul singing groups signed to Motown Records.The group is best known for its Billboard Top 10 hit, "Do You Love Me," a million-selling song that peaked twice in the Top 20....
. - Choosey Beggar – Chazz Dixon, Debby BooneDebby BooneDeborah Anne Boone is an American singer and stage actress. She is best known for her 1977 hit, "You Light Up My Life," which spent a then record ten weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and led to her winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist the following year...
. - "I've Been Good To You" – Marshall CrenshawMarshall CrenshawMarshall Crenshaw is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist best known for his song "Someday, Someway".-Biography:...
, Brenda Holloway, Joe MeekJoe MeekRobert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
, The Temptones, Ray, Goodman & BrownRay, Goodman & BrownRay, Goodman & Brown is an American R&B vocal group. The group originated as The Moments, who formed in the mid-1960s and whose greatest successes came in the 1970s with hits including "Love on a Two-Way Street", "Sexy Mama" and "Look at Me "...
(The Moments), The OnesThe OnesThe Ones are an American electronic dance music band, best known for their 2001 hit single "Flawless", which reached number 7 in the UK Singles Chart. The trio consists of three male vocalists Paul Alexander, JoJo Americo, and Nashom Wooden, who met while working at the Greenwich Village boutique...
, The TemptationsThe TemptationsThe Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
. - "Mickey's Monkey" – Mother's Finest, Martha and the VandellasMartha and the VandellasMartha and the Vandellas were among the most successful groups of the Motown roster during the period 1963–1967...
, The SupremesThe SupremesThe Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
, The HolliesThe HolliesThe Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
, The Young Rascals, John MellencampJohn MellencampJohn Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...
, Lou ChristieLou ChristieLuigi Alfredo Giovanni Sacco , known professionally as Lou Christie, is an American singer-songwriter best known for three separate strings of pop hits in the 1960s , including his 1966 smash, "Lightnin' Strikes" and his incredible 3 octave vocal range.-Biography:Sacco was born in Glenwillard,...
, Cannibal & the HeadhuntersCannibal & the HeadhuntersCannibal & The Headhunters were an American band originating from East Los Angeles, that was known for being one of the first Mexican-American groups to have a national hit record, "Land of a Thousand Dances", recorded on the Rampart label...
, The C.A.Quintet, The Defenders, Chris Catena, The Sugar Beats , The Mac Truque. - "More Love" – Kim CarnesKim CarnesKim Carnes is an American singer-songwriter. She is a two-time Grammy Award winner noted for her distinctive raspy vocal style. Some people have called her "The Female Rod Stewart" due to her raspy voice....
, Paul YoungPaul Young (singer and guitarist)Paul Antony Young is an English pop musician. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & The Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, his following solo success as a solo recording artist turned him into a 1980s teenage pop idol...
, Barbara McNairBarbara McNairBarbara McNair was an African American singer and actress.Born Barbara Jean McNair in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, McNair studied music at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago...
, Mica ParisMica ParisMica Paris is an English soul singer, radio and television presenter, and occasional actress. Her forename is pronounced Misha.-Beginnings:Paris' roots are in soul and gospel music...
, The 5th Dimension, Rick Webb. - "Ooo Baby Baby" – Linda RonstadtLinda RonstadtLinda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
, Brenda HollowayBrenda HollowayBrenda Holloway is an American singer and songwriter, a recording artist for the Motown label during the 1960s...
, ShalamarShalamarShalamar was an American music group, primarily of the 1970s and 1980s, that was originally a disco-driven vehicle created by Soul Train booking agent Dick Griffey and show creator Don Cornelius. They went on to be an influential dance trio, masterminded by Soul Train producer Don Cornelius...
, Ruby TurnerRuby TurnerRuby Turner is a British R&B and soul singer, songwriter and actress. In 1967, she relocated with her family to Handsworth, Birmingham, England when she was nine years old...
, SylvesterSylvester James-Studio albums:-Live albums:-Compilation albums:* Mighty Real UK #62* 12 By 12 * Immortal -Singles:-Additional recordings:*Lights Out San Francisco...
, Spirit Traveler, Five Stairsteps, ZappZapp (band)Zapp is a soul and funk band formed in 1978 by brothers Roger Troutman, Larry Troutman, Lester Troutman, Terry Troutman, Bobby Glover and Gregory Jackson [Cincinnati Ohio Funk Keyboardist]...
, Laura NyroLaura NyroLaura Nyro was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved considerable critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and New York Tendaberry, and had commercial success with artists such as Barbra Streisand and The 5th...
, Ella FitzgeraldElla FitzgeraldElla Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Honey ConeHoney ConeHoney Cone was an American R&B and soul all girl vocal group, who are best remembered for their Billboard #1 hit single, "Want Ads". They were the premier female group for Hot Wax Records, operated by Holland–Dozier–Holland after they had departed from Motown Records.-Career:Honey Cone comprised...
, Human NatureHuman Nature (band)Human Nature are an Australian pop vocal group. The group was originally formed as a doo-wop band in 1989 while the current members were at school together in Sydney. So far, the band has had 17 Top 40 hits and five Top 10 hits in Australia since 1996 when their first album Telling Everybody was...
, FingazzFingazz-Biography:John Stary was born in Pomona, CA and has dedicated most of his life to playing and creating music. Growing up appreciating all genres of music gave him the ability to write and produce any style. A self-taught keyboardist, Fingazz played for years in funk bands opening for old school... - "Shop Around" – Captain & TennilleCaptain & TennilleCaptain & Tennille are American pop music recording artists who achieved chart success from 1975 to 1980. The duo consists of husband and wife duo "Captain" Daryl Dragon , and Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille . They are best known for their singles "Love Will Keep Us Together" and "Do That to Me...
, Don BryantDon BryantDon Bryant is an American singer and songwriter.Bryant was staff songwriter for Hi Records. He married soul singer Ann Peebles in 1974.-Discography:Doin' the Mustang...
, The AstronautsThe AstronautsThe Astronauts is the first science fiction novel by Polish writer Stanisław Lem published as a book, in 1951....
, The Allusions, and Georgie FameGeorgie FameGeorgie Fame is a British rhythm and blues and jazz singer and keyboard player. The one-time rock and roll tour musician, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still a popular performer, often working with contemporaries such as Van Morrison and Bill Wyman.-Early life:Fame took piano lessons from the...
, Neil Merryweather and Lynn Carey , among numerous others. - "The Tears of a Clown" – La Toya JacksonLa Toya JacksonLa Toya Yvonne Jackson is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, television personality, actress, businesswoman, philanthropist, activist and former model. She is the fifth child of the Jackson family...
, The BeatThe Beat (band)The Beat are a 2 Tone ska revival band founded in England in 1978. Their songs fuse ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock, and their lyrics deal with themes of love, unity and sociopolitical topics....
, The Rocking Chairs, The Re-Bops, Nnenna FreelonNnenna FreelonNnenna Freelon, , is an American jazz singer, composer, producer, and arranger. She has been nominated for five Grammy Awards for her vocal work, and has performed and toured with such top artists as Ray Charles, Ellis Marsalis, Al Jarreau, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Dianne Reeves, Diana Krall,...
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, Eumir DeodatoEumir DeodatoEumir Deodato is a Brazilian pianist, composer, record producer and arranger, primarily based in the jazz realm but who historically has been known for eclectic melding of big band and combo jazz with varied elements of rock/pop, R&B/funk, Brazilian/Latin, and symphonic or orchestral music.Mainly,...
, Brian RayBrian RayBrian Thomas Ray is an American session musician, musical director, guitarist and singer–songwriter. He is best known for his work as a guitarist and bassist with Paul McCartney, though he has worked with an extensive list of artists in addition to his own solo career.-Early life:Brian Ray grew up...
, Marc CohnMarc CohnMarc Craig Cohn is an American folk rock singer-songwriter and musician.- Personal life :Cohn was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from Beachwood High School in Beachwood, a Cleveland suburb. He then attended Oberlin College....
, Phil CollinsPhil CollinsPhilip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
. - "The Tracks of My Tears " – Linda RonstadtLinda RonstadtLinda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
, Aretha FranklinAretha FranklinAretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, Johnny RiversJohnny RiversJohnny Rivers is an American rock and roll singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. His styles include folk songs, blues, and revivals of old-time rock 'n' roll songs and some original material...
, Gladys Knight & the PipsGladys Knight & the PipsGladys Knight & The Pips were an R&B/soul family musical act from Atlanta, Georgia, active from 1953 to 1989. The group was best known for their string of hit singles on Motown's "Soul" record label and Buddah Records from 1967 to 1975, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Midnight...
, Mongo SantamaríaMongo SantamaríaRamón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez was an Afro-Cuban Latin jazz percussionist. He is most famous for being the composer of the jazz standard "Afro Blue," recorded by John Coltrane among others. In 1950 he moved to New York where he played with Perez Prado, Tito Puente, Cal Tjader, Fania All...
, Martha and the VandellasMartha and the VandellasMartha and the Vandellas were among the most successful groups of the Motown roster during the period 1963–1967...
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, Björns Vänner (as Ser Jag Ut Att Må Bra?), Dolly PartonDolly PartonDolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, Boyz II MenBoyz II MenBoyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
, Human NatureHuman Nature (band)Human Nature are an Australian pop vocal group. The group was originally formed as a doo-wop band in 1989 while the current members were at school together in Sydney. So far, the band has had 17 Top 40 hits and five Top 10 hits in Australia since 1996 when their first album Telling Everybody was...
, among many others - "Darling Dear" – The Jackson Five.
- "Who's Loving You" – The Jackson 5, En VogueEn VogueEn Vogue is an American female R&B vocal group from Oakland, California assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy.The group has won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven, along with four Soul Train Awards, six American Music...
, Terence Trent D'Arby, Brenda HollowayBrenda HollowayBrenda Holloway is an American singer and songwriter, a recording artist for the Motown label during the 1960s...
, The SupremesThe SupremesThe Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
, The TemptationsThe TemptationsThe Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
, Honey ConeHoney ConeHoney Cone was an American R&B and soul all girl vocal group, who are best remembered for their Billboard #1 hit single, "Want Ads". They were the premier female group for Hot Wax Records, operated by Holland–Dozier–Holland after they had departed from Motown Records.-Career:Honey Cone comprised...
, Stevie B., Archie Bell & the DrellsArchie Bell & the DrellsArchie Bell & the Drells was a R&B vocal group from Houston, Texas, and one of the main acts on Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International Records...
, Nikka CostaNikka CostaDomenica "Nikka" Costa is an American singer whose music combines elements of funk, soul, and blues. She also had a career as a child singer starting in the early 1980s. She is the daughter of notable music producer Don Costa and is married to Australian producer/songwriter Justin Stanley.- Early...
. - " You've Really Got a Hold on Me" – Percy SledgePercy SledgePercy Sledge is an American R&B and soul performer who recorded the hit "When a Man Loves a Woman" in 1966.-Early career:...
, Barbara McNairBarbara McNairBarbara McNair was an African American singer and actress.Born Barbara Jean McNair in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, McNair studied music at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago...
, The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, The TemptationsThe TemptationsThe Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
, The SupremesThe SupremesThe Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
, The ZombiesThe ZombiesThe Zombies are an English rock band, formed in 1961 in St Albans and led by Rod Argent, on piano and keyboards, and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group scored a UK and US hit in 1964 with "She's Not There"...
, Aidan Smith, Sonny & CherSonny & CherSonny & Cher were an American pop music duo, actors, singers and entertainers made up of husband-and-wife team Sonny and Cher Bono in the 1960s and 1970s. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector....
, Mickey GilleyMickey GilleyMickey Leroy Gilley is an American country music singer and musician. Although he started out singing straight-up country and western material in the 1970s, he moved towards a more pop-friendly sound in the 1980s, bringing him further success on not just the country charts, but the pop charts as...
, Eddie MoneyEddie MoneyEddie Money is an American rock guitarist, saxophonist and singer-songwriter who found success in the 1970s and 1980s with a string of Top 40 hits and platinum albums...
, Cyndi LauperCyndi LauperCynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
, The Bobs, Greg Brown, Small Faces, Bobby McFerrinBobby McFerrinRobert "Bobby" McFerrin, Jr. is an American vocalist and conductor. He is best known for his 1988 hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy". He is a ten-time Grammy Award winner.-Life:...
, Derrick HarriottDerrick HarriottDerrick Harriott is a singer and record producer. He has produced recordings by Big Youth, Chariot Riders, The Chosen Few, Dennis Brown, The Ethiopians, Keith & Tex, The Kingstonians, Rudy Mills, Scotty, Sly & Revolutionaries, and Winston McAnuff.-Biography:As a student at Excelsior High School,...
, and She & HimShe & HimShe & Him is an American indie pop duo consisting of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward . The band's first album, Volume One, was released on Merge Records in March 2008...
among many others. - "I Gotta Dance to Keep From Crying" – The WhoThe WhoThe Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, Jimmy JamesJimmy James (Singer)Jimmy James is a soul music singer, known for songs like Come To Me Softly, Now Is the Time and I'll Go Where the Music Takes Me.-The Vagabonds:...
. - "From Head to Toe" – Elvis CostelloElvis CostelloElvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, Chris ClarkChris Clark (singer)Chris Clark is an American soul singer who recorded for Motown Records. Clark became famous in England as the "white Negress" , because the six-foot platinum blonde, blue-eyed soul singer toured with fellow Motown artists who were predominantly black.Recording on the Motown V.I.P... - "A Fork in the Road " – Rebbie JacksonRebbie JacksonMaureen Reillette "Rebbie" Brown is an American singer professionally known as Rebbie Jackson . Born and raised in Gary, Indiana, she is the eldest child of the Jackson family of musicians...
- "Way Over There" – The Royal Counts, The TemptationsThe TemptationsThe Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
, Edwin StarrEdwin StarrEdwin 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:...
, The MarvelettesThe MarvelettesThe Marvelettes were an American singing girl group on the Tamla label. Motown's first successful female vocal group, the Marvelettes are most notable for recording the company's first #1 Pop hit, "Please Mr...
, New Man, Eddie Adams Jr. - "(You Can't Let the Boy Overpower) The Man In You" – Chuck JacksonChuck JacksonChuck Jackson is an R&B singer who was one of the first artists to record material by Burt Bacharach and Hal David successfully. He has performed with moderate success since 1961...
- "What's So Good About Goodbye" – Giant Sunflower, The TemptationsThe TemptationsThe Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
, Quix*O*Tic - "More, More, More of Your Love" – Bob Brady & the Con Chords
- "Doggone Right" – Bobby Davis.
- "After All" – The SupremesThe SupremesThe Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
, The MarvelettesThe MarvelettesThe Marvelettes were an American singing girl group on the Tamla label. Motown's first successful female vocal group, the Marvelettes are most notable for recording the company's first #1 Pop hit, "Please Mr...
. - "Swept For You Baby" – The SylversThe SylversThe Sylvers were a popular R&B/soul and disco family group during the 1970s. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, the family would later relocate to Watts, California.- Beginnings :...
, The BlendersThe BlendersThe Blenders are a vocal quartet based in Minneapolis, Minnesota ....
, The TamlinsThe TamlinsThe Tamlins were a 1970s Jamaican reggae and dub vocal group. Composed of Carlton Smith, Junior Moore, and Derrick Lara, The Tamlins are among the most recognized back-up singers in reggae, especially for their years of international touring in support of Peter Tosh...
(as Sweat For You Baby). - "The Hurt is Over" – The DT's
- "Whatever Makes You Happy"- Jacki Gore, Steve Washington.
- "Save Me" – The Undertones
- "(You Can) Depend On Me" – The TemptationsThe TemptationsThe Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
, The SupremesThe SupremesThe Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
, Mary WellsMary WellsMary Esther Wells was an American singer who helped to define the emerging sound of Motown in the early 1960s...
, Brenda HollowayBrenda HollowayBrenda Holloway is an American singer and songwriter, a recording artist for the Motown label during the 1960s...
, Barbara MasonBarbara MasonBarbara Mason is an American R&B/soul singer best known for her 1965 hit song, "Yes, I'm Ready".-Career:A soul singer, Mason initially focused on songwriting when she entered the music industry in her teens...
. - "Baby Baby Don't Cry" – Gerald WilsonGerald WilsonGerald Stanley Wilson is an American jazz trumpeter, big band bandleader, composer/arranger, 8 time Grammy nominee, and educator. He has been based in Los Angeles since the early 1940s....
and His Orchestra, Projekt. - "Can You Love a Poor Boy" – Bobby VeeBobby VeeRobert Thomas Velline , known as Bobby Vee, is an American pop music singer. According to Billboard magazine, Vee has had 38 Hot 100 chart hits, 10 of which hit the Top 20.-Career:...
, Softones, Gil Bernal, Ronnie Walker. - "Bad Girl" – Dazz BandDazz BandThe Dazz Band is an American funk music band that was most popular in the early 1980s. Emerging from Cleveland, Ohio, the group's biggest hit songs include the Grammy Award-winning "Let It Whip" , "Joystick" , and "Let It All Blow"...
. - "That's What Love Is Made Of" – Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, Bobby VeeBobby VeeRobert Thomas Velline , known as Bobby Vee, is an American pop music singer. According to Billboard magazine, Vee has had 38 Hot 100 chart hits, 10 of which hit the Top 20.-Career:...
, Choker CampbellChoker CampbellWalter Luzar "Choker" Campbell was an American musician.Born as an only child in Shelby, Mississippi, his family moved to Saginaw, Michigan, when he was only five years old. Campbell studied saxophone under several influential musicians and left school at the age of nineteen...
, The MagiciansThe MagiciansThe Magicians is a short novel by J. B. Priestley, first published in 1954. An example of Priestley's perennial concern with the true nature of time, the story uses fantasy elements to discuss the midlife crisis of a successful industrialist, briefly touching on social problems and mass...
. - "We've Come Too Far To End It Now"-The Escorts
- "Here I Go Again" – Chazz Dixon, Carey Bell, A.J. De Bravo, Little Willie G., Oran "Juice" Jones.
- "Point It Out"' – The SupremesThe SupremesThe Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
and The TemptationsThe TemptationsThe Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
. - "Got A Job" – The MarcelsThe MarcelsThe Marcels were a doo-wop group known for turning American classical pop songs into rock and roll. The group formed in 1959 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and signed to Colpix Records, with lead Cornelius Harp, bass Fred Johnson, Gene Bricker, Ron Mundy, and Richard Knauss...
- "Whole Lotta Shakin' In My Heart (Since I Met You)" – The HellacoptersThe HellacoptersThe Hellacopters were a Swedish garage rock band that was formed in 1994 by Nicke Andersson , Dregen , Kenny Håkansson and Robert Eriksson . Andersson had been the drummer for death metal band Entombed and Dregen was taking a break from his full-time band Backyard Babies...
, Marv JohnsonMarv JohnsonMarv Johnson was an American R&B and soul singer, most notable for performing on the first record to be issued from what became Motown.-Biography:...
. - "Give Me Just Another Day" – Young JeezyYoung JeezyJay Wayne Jenkins , better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American rapper. He is the member of the hip hop group United Streets Dopeboyz of America and a former member of BMF...
(as the basis for his song, "Mr 17.5") - "Do It Baby"- Jimmy PonderJimmy PonderJimmy Ponder is an American jazz guitarist.Ponder started playing guitar at age 14, and was heavily influenced by Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell. He began playing with Charles Earland at 17, and in the following years played with Lou Donaldson, Houston Person, Donald Byrd, Stanley Turrentine,...
, Red Holt (of Young-Holt UnlimitedYoung-Holt UnlimitedYoung-Holt Unlimited were an American soul and jazz instrumental musical ensemble from Chicago, Illinois.Drummer Isaac "Red" Holt and bassist Eldee Young, formerly members of Ramsey Lewis' jazz trio, formed a new outfit called the Young-Holt Trio with pianist Don Walker in 1966...
). - "Who's Gonna Take The Blame" – Capone N. Noreaga (as the basis of their song "Live On Live Long").
References: Allmusic, The Covers Project,Second Hand Songs, "Who Sampled" website.
Awards, Legacy, and Professional Recognition
- Every member of The Miracles (except Claudette) has been awarded the BMIBroadcast Music IncorporatedBroadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
award for songwriting. - Berry Gordy's Motown Record Corporation's signature act; their first Group, and their first million selling act was The Miracles.Their groundbraking success paved the way for all future Motown stars.
- Without The Miracles there would be no Motown, quoted Berry Gordy, March 20, 2009 @ Miracles HWOF Ceremony.
- Without The Miracles there would be no Stevie Wonder, quoted Stevie Wonder, March 20, 2009 @ Miracles HWOF Ceremony.
- The Miracles Day, dedicated in Hollywood, California, March 20, 2009.
- Gold & Platinum Record (Single & Album) Awards (Sales of more than 500,000 or 1,000,000 units)
- Worldwide over 40 Million records sold.
- Motown DVD The Miracles:The Definitive Performances (1963–1987) awarded Certified Gold status by the RIAA.
- Twenty six of The Miracles single releases reached the Top Ten Billboard R&B Charts
- Four of The Miracles' songs reached #1 on Billboard R&B Charts
- Sixteen releases of The Miracles' recordings reached Billboards Hot 100's Pop Top 20 List with 7 Pop Top Tens.
- Two Miracles songs,the multi-million sellers Tears of a Clown, and "Love Machine"Love Machine (The Miracles song)"Love Machine" is a 1976 number-one single recorded by Motown group The Miracles, taken from their album City of Angels. This single was one of two Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hits recorded by The Miracles with Billy Griffin as lead vocalist; the other is 1973's "Do It Baby". Griffin had replaced...
, reach #1 on Billboard Pop chart. A third song, their 1st million-seller Shop AroundShop Around"Shop Around" is a 1960 single by The Miracles for the Tamla label, catalog number T 54034. It is notable as being the label's first #1 hit on the Billboard magazine R&B singles chart, and also hit #2 on the Hot 100....
, reached #1 on Cash Box Pop chart. It was also the Motown label's first Billboard #1 R&B Hit. - Four-time inductees Grammy Hall of Fame. (As of 2011, the Miracles have more Grammy Hall Of Fame inducted songs than any other Motown group).
- Doo-Wop Hall of Fame Inductees.
- Triple induction Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Best" song List.
- Double recipient of the prestigious "Heroes and Legends" Award.
- Winner- Rhythm and Blues Foundation'sRhythm and Blues FoundationThe Rhythm and Blues Foundation is an independent American nonprofit organization dedicated to the historical and cultural preservation of rhythm and blues music....
Pioneer Award - Vocal Group Hall of Fame Induction & Award
- Spirit of Detroit Award
- Rolling Stone Magazine named The Miracles #32 in its list of "The Immortals": The 50 Greatest Rock n' Roll Artists" of All Time (the highest ranking Motown group on the listing).
- Billboard Magazine lists The Miracles among The 100 Greatest Artists of all Time (#71).
- VH-1 lists The Miracles among The 100 Greatest Artists of all Time (#61).
- Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Library's National Recording Preservation Board announced The Miracles' million seller, "Tracks of My Tears" being "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant" to preserve for all time in the United States Library of Congress.
- Miracles Boulevard and Miracles Park named after the group, Detroit, Michigan (Woodbridge Estates)
- Governor of the State of Michigan, Certificate of Tribute and recognition of The Miracles and their importance to the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit for tremendous accomplishments in the music industry.
- Mayor of Detroit Proclamation for a Lifetime of history making accomplishments in music.
- Resolution Award, the Detroit City Council gave the Highest Honor they can present to The Miracles for 5 decades of unchallenged achievements in the music industry.
- City of Beverly Hills, California, Beverly Hills Mayor & City Council Proclamation recognizing The Miracles contributions to the music industry and American Culture.
- Miracles members Pete MoorePete MoorePete Moore is an African American soul singer, record producer, and songwriter, notable as the bass singer for Motown group The Miracles from 1955 onwards, and is one of the group's original members...
, Marv TarplinMarv TarplinMarvin "Marv" Tarplin was an American guitarist and songwriter, best known as the guitarist for The Miracles from the 1950s through the early 1970s. He was one of the group's original members and co-wrote several of their biggest hits, including the 2007 Grammy Hall Of Fame inducted "The Tracks...
, and Smokey RobinsonSmokey RobinsonWilliam "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
are winners of "The Award Of Merit" from The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), for composing The Tracks Of My TearsThe Tracks of My Tears"The Tracks of My Tears" is a much recorded love ballad introduced in 1965 by The Miracles on Motown's' Tamla label. This song is considered to be among the finest recordings of The Miracles, and it sold over one million records within two years, making it The Miracles' fourth million-selling...
. - The Miracles received a star on the Hollywood Walk of FameHollywood Walk of FameThe Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
on March 20, 2009.
Members
- William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr.Smokey RobinsonWilliam "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
(1955–1972) - Ronald "Ronnie" WhiteRonald WhiteRonald "Ronnie" White was an African American soul singer and songwriter, notable as a founding member of The Miracles, and the only member to survive all of that group's line-up changes...
(1955–1983; 1993–1995) - Warren "Pete" MoorePete MoorePete Moore is an African American soul singer, record producer, and songwriter, notable as the bass singer for Motown group The Miracles from 1955 onwards, and is one of the group's original members...
(1955–1978) - Clarence Dawson (1955)
- James Grice (1955)
- Emerson "Sonny" Rogers (1956)
- Robert "Bobby" RogersBobby RogersBobby Rogers is an American soul singer and songwriter, notable as a member of Motown Records' first signed act and first million selling group The Miracles from 1956 to present. He is also the grandfather of R&B singer Brandi Williams from R&B girl group Blaque-Life:Rogers is the son of the late...
(1956–1983; 1993–present) - Claudette Rogers (Robinson)Claudette Rogers RobinsonClaudette Rogers Robinson is an African-American soul singer, a member of The Miracles from 1957 to 1972. Her brother Emerson "Sonny" Rogers was an original member of the group, which was originally called "The Matadors" before 1957; Claudette Rogers took her brother's place after he was drafted...
(1957–1973; 2005-present)* - Marvin "Marv" TarplinMarv TarplinMarvin "Marv" Tarplin was an American guitarist and songwriter, best known as the guitarist for The Miracles from the 1950s through the early 1970s. He was one of the group's original members and co-wrote several of their biggest hits, including the 2007 Grammy Hall Of Fame inducted "The Tracks...
(1958–1973)** - William "Billy" GriffinBilly GriffinBilly Griffin is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known for replacing Smokey Robinson as lead singer of The Miracles in 1972.-Biography:...
(1972–1978; late 1990s) - Donald Griffin (1973–1978)**
- David "Dave" Finley (1978–1983; 1993–present)
- Carl Cotton (1978–1983)
- Sidney Justin (1993–2005)
- Tee Turner (2001–present)
- Mark Scott (2005–present)
- Alphonse Franklin (June-December 2008)***
(*) Claudette Robinson retired from performing on stage in 1964 to start a family. Although she does not appear in any official Miracles photographs, nor mentioned as ever being a group member, after this point, she continued to sing in the background with the group on their recordings for as long as her husband Smokey Robinson was a member. As most of the group's performances before the camera were without her, some fans were unaware the group had a female member, and some sources dispute it. Claudette, however, did appear on the cover of The Miracles' 1970 One Dozen Roses
One Dozen Roses
One Dozen Roses is a 1971 album by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, issued on Motown Records' Tamla label. The penultimate album before lead singer Smokey Robinson departed the group for a solo career, One Dozen Roses features the Top 20 Billboard Hot 100 hit single "I Don't Blame You At All"...
album, their aborted 1964 album, I Like It Like That
I Like It Like That (album)
I Like It Like That is a 1964 album by Motown Records group The Miracles issued on its Tamla label subsidiary in the United States , and on the Tamla-Motown label elsewhere in the world. Known as The Miracles' "forgotten album" , few people, outside of Motown insiders,hard-core Miracles fans,...
, all pre-1964 albums that showed the group, and on the back covers of their albums Away We a Go-Go
Away We a Go-Go
Away We A Go-Go is a 1966 album by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. The album features the singles " I'm The One You Need",a Billboard Top 20 Pop hit, written and produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland; and "Whole Lot Of Shakin' In My Heart ", written and produced by Frank Wilson...
(1966) and What Love Has...Joined Together
What Love Has...Joined Together (album)
What Love Has...Joined Together was a 1970 album by R&B group The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla label . A concept album consisting solely of six extended-length love songs, it charted at #97 on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart, and reached the Top 10 of Billboard's R&B album chart, peaking...
(1970), and the center insert of their album, Greatest Hits from the Beginning
Greatest Hits from the Beginning
Greatest Hits from the Beginning is a compilation double LP by The Miracles released in 1965. It covers most of the group's hits from their pre-1965 albums, such as "Shop Around", "Who's Loving You", "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" and "Mickey's Monkey" as well as the non-album singles from 1964...
. Claudette also appears on the cover of the 2009 Motown CD release : "The Miracles: Depend On Me". Today,she is a board member of the national Rhythm and Blues Foundation
Rhythm and Blues Foundation
The Rhythm and Blues Foundation is an independent American nonprofit organization dedicated to the historical and cultural preservation of rhythm and blues music....
, an organization dedicated to the preservation of Rhythm and Blues music, and the protection of its artists' rights.
(**) Original Miracle Marv Tarplin, although remaining with the group until 1973, only appeared on the covers of 3 classic Miracles albums: 1961's Cookin' with The Miracles
Cookin' with The Miracles
Cookin' with The Miracles is the second Tamla album by The Miracles and their second for the year 1961. Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson co-wrote most of the songs here, including the two charting singles "Ain't It Baby" and "Everybody's Gotta Pay Some Dues". The album is composed mostly of upbeat...
, 1962's I'll Try Something New
I'll Try Something New
I'll Try Something New is the third Tamla album by The Miracles. The title track was an important early single for the group, featuring Smokey Robinson's lead voice, a chorus led by his wife Claudette and an orchestra of strings...
, and 1963's The Fabulous Miracles
The Fabulous Miracles
The Fabulous Miracles is a 1963 album by The Miracles featuring the million-selling hit, "You've Really Got a Hold on Me", one of the group's most popular singles...
. He was also mentioned, though not pictured, on the back of the group's very first album,Hi... We're the Miracles
Hi... We're the Miracles
Hi... We're The Miracles is the first album by Motown's first group, The Miracles, released on Motown's Tamla subsidiary label in the summer of 1961.It also has the distinction of being the first album ever released by the Motown Record Corporation The album features several songs which played an...
, and listed as an original group member. Tarplin left The Miracles in 1973, to tour and work with Smokey. He did this for another 35 years, before he finally retired in 2008. His replacement in The Miracles was Donald Griffin, brother of Billy Griffin, Robinson's replacement in the group. Griffin appears on the cover of The Miracles' 1977 Columbia album, "The Miracles: Love Crazy". Tarplin is also pictured on the cover of the 2006 CD Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: Gold, and the 2009 Motown CD release, The Miracles–Depend On Me: The Early Albums
The Miracles–Depend On Me: The Early Albums
The Miracles – Depend On Me: The Early Albums is a 2009 double-CD limited release by Motown Records' original vocal group The Miracles, released through Universal's Hip-O Select imprint to coincide with the legendary Motown label's 50th anniversary....
, as well as being listed as an original member of The Miracles in the collection's liner notes. Despite this some do not recognize Marv Tarplin or Donald Griffin, as being official group members as they played guitar for the group and did not sing with them. However, in the 2006 Motown DVD release,"Smokey Robinson and The Miracles: The Definitive Performances", Smokey Robinson himself acknowledged Marv Tarplin as being a member of The Miracles with the words "And that is how Marv Tarplin got into our group" Marv passed away on September 30th 2011.
(***) Alphonse Franklin, filled in for the group's current lead singer Mark Scott during the later part of 2008. Some sources dispute calling him an official member of the group, though at that time he actually was.
Discography
Note: For a detailed listing of albums and singles,seeTop Twenty US and UK singles
- 1960: "Shop AroundShop Around"Shop Around" is a 1960 single by The Miracles for the Tamla label, catalog number T 54034. It is notable as being the label's first #1 hit on the Billboard magazine R&B singles chart, and also hit #2 on the Hot 100....
" (US: #2) - 1962: "You've Really Got a Hold on MeYou've Really Got a Hold on Me"You've Really Got a Hold on Me" is a 1962 Top 10 hit single by The Miracles for the Tamla label. One of the group's most covered tunes, this million-selling song is a 1998 Grammy Hall of Fame inductee...
" (US #8) - 1963: "Mickey's MonkeyMickey's Monkey (song)"Mickey's Monkey" was a 1963 song recorded by the R&B group The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla label. It was written and produced by Motown's main songwriting team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland, who later went on to write 2 more Miracles hit singles, the Top 40 "I Gotta...
" (US #8) - 1965: "Ooo Baby BabyOoo Baby Baby"Ooo Baby Baby" is a 1965 hit single by The Miracles for the Tamla label, today considered the group's signature song. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the song #262 on their list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time....
" (US: #16) - 1965: "The Tracks of My TearsThe Tracks of My Tears"The Tracks of My Tears" is a much recorded love ballad introduced in 1965 by The Miracles on Motown's' Tamla label. This song is considered to be among the finest recordings of The Miracles, and it sold over one million records within two years, making it The Miracles' fourth million-selling...
" (US #16, UK #9) - 1965: "My Girl Has GoneMy Girl Has Gone"My Girl Has Gone" is a 1965 R&B single recorded by The Miracles for Motown's Tamla label. Included on their 1965 album Going to a Go-Go, "My Girl Has Gone" was the follow-up to the group's number 16 Billboard Hot 100 million-selling hit "The Tracks Of My Tears".Written by Miracles members Smokey...
" (US #14) - 1965: "Going to a Go-GoGoing to a Go-Go (song)"Going to a Go-Go" is a 1965 single recorded by The Miracles for Motown's Tamla label. Issued in December 1965, "Going to a Go-Go" peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States the following spring...
" (US #11) - 1966: "(Come 'Round Here) I'm The One You Need(Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need" I'm the One You Need" is a 1966 hit single by Motown group The Miracles, released on Motown Records' Tamla label.Unlike most Miracles songs, which were written and produced by the group themselves, "I'm the One You Need" was written and produced by Motown's main songwriting and production team...
" (US #17, UK #13) - 1967: "The Love I Saw in You Was Just a MirageThe Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage"The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage" is a 1967 song recorded by American R&B group The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla label. Written by Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Marv Tarplin and produced by Robinson, it is noted for being the first single to bill the group as Smokey Robinson &...
" (US #20) - 1967: "I Second That EmotionI Second That Emotion"I Second That Emotion" is a 1967 song primarily composed by Smokey Robinson and originally released as a single from his band Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for the Motown label. The song peaked for three weeks in the United States at #4 on the Billboard pop singles chart in December 1967...
" (US #4) - 1968: "If You Can WantIf You Can Want"If You Can Want" is a 1968 single recorded by R&B group Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for Motown Records' Tamla label. Written and produced by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson, "If You Can Want" was the most successful of the three singles included on the group's 1968 album Special Occasion....
" (US: #11) - 1969: "Baby, Baby Don't CryBaby, Baby Don't Cry"Baby, Baby Don't Cry", released in December 1968, is a 1969 single recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for Motown Records' Tamla label. The composition was written by Smokey Robinson, Motown staff writers Al Cleveland and Terry Johnson, a former member of The Flamingos...
" (US #8) - 1970: "The Tears of a ClownThe Tears of a Clown"The Tears of a Clown" is a song by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for the Tamla label, originally released on the 1967 album Make It Happen. It was re-released in the United Kingdom as a single in September 1970, where it became a #1 hit on the UK singles chart...
" (US #1, UK: #1) - 1971: "I Don't Blame You At AllI Don't Blame You At All"I Don't Blame You At All" was a 1971 R&B hit by The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla label. It was composed and produced by Miracles lead singer ,William "Smokey" Robinson,and was taken from their album, One Dozen Roses...
" (US #18, UK #11) - 1974: "Do It BabyDo It Baby"Do It Baby" is a 1974 single recorded and released by the Motown R&B group The Miracles and marked the soul quintet's first top forty hit over a year and a half after the departure of the group's most important member, former leader Smokey Robinson and the inclusion of Billy Griffin, who took over...
" (US #13) - 1976: "Love Machine – Pt. ILove Machine (The Miracles song)"Love Machine" is a 1976 number-one single recorded by Motown group The Miracles, taken from their album City of Angels. This single was one of two Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hits recorded by The Miracles with Billy Griffin as lead vocalist; the other is 1973's "Do It Baby". Griffin had replaced...
"(US #1, UK #3)
Top Forty albums
- 1965: Greatest Hits from the BeginningGreatest Hits from the BeginningGreatest Hits from the Beginning is a compilation double LP by The Miracles released in 1965. It covers most of the group's hits from their pre-1965 albums, such as "Shop Around", "Who's Loving You", "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" and "Mickey's Monkey" as well as the non-album singles from 1964...
(US #21) - 1965: Going to a Go-GoGoing to a Go-GoGoing to a Go-Go is a 1965 album by The Miracles', the first to bill the group as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. It includes four of the Miracles' Top 20 hits: "Ooo Baby Baby", "The Tracks of My Tears", "Going to a Go-Go", and "My Girl Has Gone"...
(US #8) - 1967: Make It HappenMake It Happen (Miracles album)Make It Happen is a 1967 album by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. It featured ballads such as the singles "The Love I Saw In You Was Just A Mirage" and "More Love", as well as the up-tempo "The Tears of a Clown" co-written by Stevie Wonder and his producer Hank Cosby.Three years after the album's...
(US #28) - 1968: Greatest Hits, Vol. 2Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (Miracles album)Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 is the second greatest hits album for The Miracles , released in 1968 on Motown Records' Tamla label. It contained the most popular singles from the successful Going to a Go-Go, Away We A Go-Go and Make It Happen albums of the 1965-67 period...
(US #7) - 1969: Time Out For Smokey Robinson & the MiraclesTime Out for Smokey Robinson & The MiraclesTime Out for Smokey Robinson & the Miracles is a 1969 album by Motown group Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. The album reached #25 on the Billboard Pop Album chart. It contains four pop Top 40 singles: "Doggone Right", "Abraham, Martin & John", "Here I Go Again", and the Top 10 pop smash hit "Baby,...
(US #25) - 1975: City of AngelsCity of Angels (album)City of Angels is an album by the Motown soul group The Miracles, released on Motown Records' Tamla label in September 1975. The group's fourth album recorded after replacing lead singer Smokey Robinson with Billy Griffin in 1972, City of Angels is a concept album, depicting of a man from "Anytown,...
(US #33)
DVD
- Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: The Definitive Performances (1963-1987)The Definitive Performances (1963-1987)The Definitive Performances is an anthology of performances by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. It was produced by Reelin' in the Years Productions and the Universal Music Group International,in conjunction with Motown.In addition to the musical performances,this DVD also features the first - ever...
Motown/Universal (2006-RIAA Certified Gold) - The T.A.M.I. ShowThe T.A.M.I. ShowT.A.M.I. Show is a 1964 concert film, released by American International Pictures. It includes performances by numerous popular rock and roll and R&B musicians from the United States and England...
(1964) - Ed Sullivan's Rock & Roll Classics
- Red, White, and Rock (PBS special-VHS & DVD)
- Soul Spectacular: 40 Years Of R&B (PBS Special-VHS & DVD)
- Music Scene – The Best of 1969–70 (DVD & VHS)
- Motortown Gold on The Ed Sullivan Show – SOFA Entertainment – 2005
- The Best of Music Scene – The Best of 1969–70 – 2005
VHS
- Shindig- Motor City Magic Rhino/ABC-1991
- Ready Steady Go- Special Edition: The Sounds Of Motown-1985
- That Was Rock: The T.A.M.I/T.N.T Shows- Media Home Entertainment-1984
- Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever
- The Soul Experience- USA Home Video (VHS & DVD) – 1985
- The History Of Rock and Roll: The Sounds of Soul-Time Life/Warner Bros/Quincy Jones Productions-(VHS & DVD) 1985
100 Greatest Artists of All Time
The Miracles are on 3 lists of The 100 Greatest Artists Of All Time :- Rolling Stone Magazine's list at #32.
- VH-1's list at #61. (1998 list)
- Billboard Magazine's list at #71.
Grammy Hall of Fame
The Miracles are 4-time inductees into the Grammy Hall of FameGrammy Hall of Fame Award
The Grammy Hall of Fame Award is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance"...
*, which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance." As of 2011, The Miracles have more Grammy Hall of Fame inducted songs than any other Motown group:
| Grammy Hall of Fame Awards-The Miracles: | ||||
| Year Recorded | Title | Genre | Label | Year Inducted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | You've Really Got a Hold on Me You've Really Got a Hold on Me "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" is a 1962 Top 10 hit single by The Miracles for the Tamla label. One of the group's most covered tunes, this million-selling song is a 1998 Grammy Hall of Fame inductee... |
Traditional R&B (Single) | Tamla | 1998 |
| 1965 | The Tracks Of My Tears The Tracks of My Tears "The Tracks of My Tears" is a much recorded love ballad introduced in 1965 by The Miracles on Motown's' Tamla label. This song is considered to be among the finest recordings of The Miracles, and it sold over one million records within two years, making it The Miracles' fourth million-selling... |
Traditional R&B (Single) | Tamla | 2007 |
| 1970* | The Tears of a Clown The Tears of a Clown "The Tears of a Clown" is a song by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for the Tamla label, originally released on the 1967 album Make It Happen. It was re-released in the United Kingdom as a single in September 1970, where it became a #1 hit on the UK singles chart... |
Pop (Single) | Tamla | 2002 |
| 1960 | Shop Around Shop Around "Shop Around" is a 1960 single by The Miracles for the Tamla label, catalog number T 54034. It is notable as being the label's first #1 hit on the Billboard magazine R&B singles chart, and also hit #2 on the Hot 100.... |
Traditional R&B (Single) | Tamla | 2006 |
- *"The Tears Of A Clown", although not released as a single until 1970, was first recorded in 1966 and released on The Miracles' 1967 album Make It Happen, later re-named The Tears Of A Clown.
- * Awarded by The National Academy Of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
The Miracles have 3 songs in Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time:| Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time-The Miracles: | ||||
| Year Recorded | Title | Genre | Label | Song Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Ooo Baby Baby Ooo Baby Baby "Ooo Baby Baby" is a 1965 hit single by The Miracles for the Tamla label, today considered the group's signature song. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the song #262 on their list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.... * |
R&B (Single) | Tamla (Motown) | #262 |
| 1965 | The Tracks Of My Tears The Tracks of My Tears "The Tracks of My Tears" is a much recorded love ballad introduced in 1965 by The Miracles on Motown's' Tamla label. This song is considered to be among the finest recordings of The Miracles, and it sold over one million records within two years, making it The Miracles' fourth million-selling... |
R&B (Single) | Tamla (Motown) | #50 |
| 1960 | Shop Around Shop Around "Shop Around" is a 1960 single by The Miracles for the Tamla label, catalog number T 54034. It is notable as being the label's first #1 hit on the Billboard magazine R&B singles chart, and also hit #2 on the Hot 100.... |
R&B (Single) | Tamla (Motown) | #495 |
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2004. It was chosen based on votes by 172 musicians, critics, and industry figures.
- * Incorrectly credited solely to Smokey Robinson, "Ooo Baby Baby" was recorded by The Miracles as a group in 1965, while Robinson was still a member (Tamla 54113).
- The Miracles' 1965 album, Going to a Go-GoGoing to a Go-GoGoing to a Go-Go is a 1965 album by The Miracles', the first to bill the group as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. It includes four of the Miracles' Top 20 hits: "Ooo Baby Baby", "The Tracks of My Tears", "Going to a Go-Go", and "My Girl Has Gone"...
, from which two of these songs were taken, also made #271 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll
Although still not inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame as of 2011, The Miracles have three songs on their "500 best" list:| The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll -The Miracles: |
||||
| Year Recorded | Title | Genre | Label | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Going to a Go-Go Going to a Go-Go (song) "Going to a Go-Go" is a 1965 single recorded by The Miracles for Motown's Tamla label. Issued in December 1965, "Going to a Go-Go" peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States the following spring... * |
R&B (Single) | Tamla (Motown) | Going to a Go-Go Going to a Go-Go Going to a Go-Go is a 1965 album by The Miracles', the first to bill the group as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. It includes four of the Miracles' Top 20 hits: "Ooo Baby Baby", "The Tracks of My Tears", "Going to a Go-Go", and "My Girl Has Gone"... |
| 1965 | The Tracks of My Tears The Tracks of My Tears "The Tracks of My Tears" is a much recorded love ballad introduced in 1965 by The Miracles on Motown's' Tamla label. This song is considered to be among the finest recordings of The Miracles, and it sold over one million records within two years, making it The Miracles' fourth million-selling... |
R&B (Single) | Tamla (Motown) | Going to a Go-Go Going to a Go-Go Going to a Go-Go is a 1965 album by The Miracles', the first to bill the group as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. It includes four of the Miracles' Top 20 hits: "Ooo Baby Baby", "The Tracks of My Tears", "Going to a Go-Go", and "My Girl Has Gone"... |
| 1962 | You've Really Got a Hold on Me You've Really Got a Hold on Me "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" is a 1962 Top 10 hit single by The Miracles for the Tamla label. One of the group's most covered tunes, this million-selling song is a 1998 Grammy Hall of Fame inductee... |
R&B (Single) | Tamla (Motown) | The Fabulous Miracles The Fabulous Miracles The Fabulous Miracles is a 1963 album by The Miracles featuring the million-selling hit, "You've Really Got a Hold on Me", one of the group's most popular singles... |
Selected by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum curatorial staff and a number of rock critics and historians, these 500 songs are some of rock and roll's most popular and influential recordings. This list of 500 songs cover a variety of musicians and genres illustrating the evolution of rock and roll over the last century.
The Miracles' "Hall of Fame" Awards
- Grammy Hall Of Fame
- Vocal Group Hall Of Fame
- Doo-Wop Hall Of Fame
- Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame
- The Peoples'Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame
- Hollywood Walk Of Fame
(Note: In early 2011 , It has been recently revealed that The Miracles have been nominated for induction into the Hit Parade Hall Of Fame
Further reading
External links
- The Miracles' biography
- INDUCT THE MIRACLES IN 2013. CAST YOUR VOTE NOW !!
- The Miracles' page on Facebook
- The Miracles' official website
- Dick Clark interviews The Miracles
- The Miracles - A history in pictures-from the "Soulwalking U.K." website
- YouTube interview with BOBBY ROGERS OF The Miracles
- The Hollywood Walk Of Fame welcomes Motown's First Group- The Miracles-YouTube video
- Claudette Robinson's Facebook page on The Miracles
- Claudette Robinson at The Miracles HWOF star in Hollywood
- The Miracles' Hollywood Walk Of Fame induction- Hiphollywood.com video news report
- Motown 50:Miracles Tribute
- Miracle Pete Moore's corporate website: WBMM Enterprises
- The Miracles-History of Rock website
- The Miracles -Hollywood Walk Of Fame- L.A. Times article
- The Miracles' Hollywood Walk Of Fame page
- The Miracles -Future Rock Legends
- The Miracles' Vocal Group Hall Of Fame Induction site
- The Miracles on the Soul Patrol Website
- Gonna Take Some Miracles- The story of The Miracles- from the Blurt Online website- by Rick Allen
- SOUL PATROL Audio interview: Claudette Robinson of THE MIRACLES (board member of THE RHYTHM & BLUES FOUNDATION)
- Audio interview #2 with Claudette Robinson,discussing the history of THE MIRACLES, hosted by Raven Blair-Davis.
- Miracles relationship map
- Claudette Robinson at The Miracles' Hollywood Walk Of Fame Ceremony
- http://www.arangemnts.com/Home_Page.php?aa=0&si0=9
- NOT IN THE ROCK HALL OF FAME:The Miracles
- The Miracles - Concerts, Recording sessions, and Discography- from "The Concert Database" website