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The Miracles (known from 1965 to 1972 as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles) are an American R&B/soul group from Detroit, Michigan, notable as the first successful group act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records. The Miracles went on to become one of Motown's signature acts of the 1960s, during which time their original lead singer and founding member Smokey Robinson became one of the most successful songwriters and record producers of all time.
Early years
Motown success years After three unsuccessful singles, The Miracles' fourth Tamla single, "Shop Around" (1960), became their first Motown hit, and was the first Motown song to reach Despite their success, the Miracles were beset with a number of personal problems as well. During the first Motor Town Revue tour, Smokey Robinson caught the Asian flu, requiring Claudette Robinson 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. Smokey and Claudette Robinson made plans to begin a family, but the rough life of touring caused Claudette to have several miscarriages. 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. Acknowledging Smokey Robinson's presence upfront, the Miracles changed their name to "Smokey Robinson & the Miracles" with the release of the Going to a Go-Go album in 1965, although their singles continued to be credited to "The Miracles" until the release of "The Love I Saw in You was Just a Mirage" in 1967. After scoring a few more major hits such as "I Second That Emotion" (1967), The Miracles' career began to falter somewhat during the late 1960s. 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 more often and concentrate on his role as vice-president of Motown. Robinson told White, Moore, and Rogers of his intentions in 1969, but Robinson decided to stay for three more years when the group's 1970 single "The Tears of a Clown" became the group's biggest hit to date. "The Tears of a Clown" had in fact been recorded in 1967 in the album Make It Happen, and became the group's first US number-one hit (and their only number-one hit with Smokey Robinson) after first reaching number-one in the United Kingdom. This led to the reissue of Make It Happen as Tears of a Clown: same tracks, same cover, different title. Exit Smokey Robinson, enter Billy Griffin In late 1971, Robinson announced that he would indeed leave the Miracles, and the group began a six-month farewell tour of the United States. Robinson's final performance as a Miracle was on July 16, 1972 at the Carter Barron Amphitheater in Washington, DC. 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 1957–1972, Robinson introduced the group's new lead singer, Billy Griffin. The Miracles continued, scoring two more Top 40 hits: 1973's Later years In 1978, Billy Griffin and Pete Moore retired from performing to concentrate on songwriting, although Billy went on to enjoy a brief and quietly successful solo career in the mid-1980s (his signature song 'Hold Me Tighter In The Rain' still gaining radio airplay today) and Ronnie White and Bobby Rogers recruited new member Dave Finley. After reuniting with Smokey Robinson on the Motown 25 television special in 1983, the Miracles essentially disbanded and did not perform. 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 for some time. Today, the Miracles are comprised of classic-era members Bobby Rogers and Claudette Robinson, along with Dave Finley, Tee Turner, and new lead singer Mark Scott. The group continues to tour and perform, and, in 2001, were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. Members ( Discography
Top Twenty US and UK singles Top Forty albums | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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