Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (1955-1972)

Welcome to Rock and Roll Flashback!  I'm Jumpin' John, and in this podcast episode I will review the highlights of the American vocal group that helped define the Motown sound of the 1960's: the Miracles!  I will focus on the years between 1955 and 1972 when Smokey Robinson was active with the band.

All podcasts on the Rock and Roll Flashback Podcast are produced by brothers-in-law Bill Price and "Jumpin' John" McDermott.  The Podcast Theme Song, "You Essay", was written by John.  It was initially recorded by Bill and John on April 1, 2004 with several revisions since then. 
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Rock On!

Transcript

Thank you for that introduction, and welcome to Rock and Roll Flashback!  I'm Jumpin' John, and in this podcast episode I will review the highlights of the American vocal group that helped define the Motown sound of the 1960's: the Miracles!  I will focus on the years between 1955 and 1972 when Smokey Robinson was active with the band.

William Robinson Jr. was born on February 19th, 1940, in the North End area of Detroit, Michigan.  As a child, his Uncle Claude gave him the nickname of "Smokey Joe".  By the time he reached high school, he referred to himself as "Smokey".  Taking advantage of his interest in music, in 1955 15-year old Smokey formed a Detroit doo-wop group called The Five Chimes.  The Five Chimes consisted of Northern High School classmates William "Smokey" Robinson (singing tenor), Warren "Pete" Moore (singing bass), and Ronnie White (singing baritone), along with Clarence Dawson and James Grice.  The latter two singers left shortly after formation and were replaced by cousins Emerson "Sonny" Rogers (singing tenor) and Bobby Rogers (singing tenor).  Bobby Rogers also acted as choreographer for the group.  The quintet then performed as the Matadors. 

In 1956 Sonny Rogers left to join the Army, and Smokey Robinson replaced him with Sonny's sister, Claudette Rogers (singing high tenor).  At a Brunswick Records audition, Jackie Wilson's manager Nat Tarnopol found the Matadors too similar to the Platters.  However, one of Wilson's songwriters present at the audition, Berry Gordy, Jr., soon began producing the group.  In 1957 they became the Miracles after Gordy requested a name change.  In 1958 the Miracles hit #5 on Billboard's R&B chart with their debut single, released on Ends Records, called "Got a Job".  The Miracles quickly released another End Records single, "I Need Some Money".  The small royalty pay-out from those recordings prompted Berry Gordy to establish Tamla Records in 1959.  On September 6th, 1959 the single "Bad Girl", released on the Motown label, became the Miracles first national pop chart hit, reaching #93 on the Billboard Hot 100.  By the end of the year, guitarist and songwriter Marv Tarplin had joined the group.  

In the Spring of 1960 the Miracles version of the song "Way Over There" was released on the Tamla label.  That song, with Smokey & Claudette sharing lead vocals, was credited as "The Miracles featuring Bill 'Smokey' Robinson".  The next couple releases would also be credited the same way.   "Way Over There" reached #94 on the Billboard Pop chart.  The Miracles finally made their mainstream breakthrough with "Shop Around".  "Shop Around" was written by Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy.  Released by Motown Records' Tamla subsidiary label on September 27th, 1960, the song was also credited as "The Miracles featuring Bill 'Smokey' Robinson".  "Shop Around" climbed to #1 on the Billboard R&B chart, #1 on the Cashbox Top 100 Pop Chart, and #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.  It was the Miracles' first million-selling hit record, and the first million-selling hit for the Motown Record Corporation.  The single would be a multiple award winner for the Miracles.  The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2006.  In 2010 it was honored by Rolling Stone as #500 in their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Here is an excerpt from the Miracles version of "Shop Around":   

Over the next two years the Miracles had some minor chart success with three other tunes.  1961's "Everybody's Gotta Pay Some Dues" reached #52 on the Billboard Pop and #11 on the Billboard R&B charts.  1961's "What's So Good About Goodbye" peaked at #35 on the Billboard Pop and #16 on the Billboard R&B charts.  1962's "I'll Try Something New" reached #39 on the Billboard Pop and #11 on the Billboard R&B charts.

However, the next song by the Miracles to hit the #1 R&B spot and reach the Pop chart Top Ten came with 1962's "You've Really Got a Hold on Me."  "You've Really Got a Hold on Me", written and produced by Smokey Robinson, was released on the Tamla label on November 9th, 1962, as the B-side of "Happy Landing".  "Happy Landing" reached some regional charts, however, "You've Really Got a Hold on Me", ultimately performed better.  With "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" as the A-side, the single peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop chart, and climbed to #1 on the Billboard R&B singles chart during the winter of 1962–1963.  It was also the group's second single to sell over a million copies, and was included on the album The Fabulous Miracles just over three months after its release as a single.  Many artists have recorded their versions of the song, and The Beatles covered the song on their second album, 1963's With the Beatles.  The Miracles' original version of "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.  It has also been selected as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll".  

Smokey Robinson and Claudette Rogers were married in 1963.  The next year, against her wishes, Claudette Robinson stopped performing with the group.  However, she continued to record with them.  In 1965, the Miracles were the first Motown group to change their name when they released their 1965 album Going to a Go-Go as "Smokey Robinson & the Miracles".

Meanwhile, the hit singles by the Miracles continued to chart.  1963's million seller, "Mickey's Monkey", would reach #8 on the Billboard Pop chart and #3 on the R&B chart.  On March 5th, 1965 Tamla released "Ooo Baby Baby".   "Ooo Baby Baby" was a #4 hit on the Billboard R&B singles chart and reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100.  The song has inspired numerous other cover versions by other artists over the years, including covers by Ella Fitzgerald, Todd Rundgren, the Escorts, the Five Stairsteps, Linda Ronstadt, and many others.  The Miracles' original version of "Ooo Baby Baby" was listed as #266 on Rolling Stone Magazine's 2010 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

Their followup release, 1965's "The Tracks of My Tears", reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the R&B charts.  It was another million-selling, multiple award-winning song and has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.  

Here is the Miracles version of "The Tracks of My Tears":

"The Tracks of My Tears" has been ranked by the RIAA and The National Endowment for the Arts at #127 in its list of the "Songs of the Century" – the 365 Greatest Songs of the 20th Century.  It has also been selected by Rolling Stone as #50 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".  In 2021 Rolling Stone ranked the Miracles' original recording of "The Tracks of My Tears" as "The Greatest Motown Song of All Time".

On December 6th, 1965, the single "Going to a Go-Go" was released.  It peaked at #11 on the  Billboard Hot 100 the following Spring.  In addition, the single peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and was The Miracles' fifth million-selling record.  "Going to a Go-Go" is featured on the Miracles' album of the same name, which proved to be their highest-charting LP of all-original material.  The album reached #8 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart in early 1966, and reached #1 on the Billboard top R&B albums chart.  In 2003, the Miracles' Going To A Go-Go album was ranked #271 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

The Miracles continued to have chart success with singles in 1966 and 1967.  1966's "(Come Round Here) I'm The One You Need" reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #4 on the R&B chart.  1967's "The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage" reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #10 on the R&B chart.  1967's "More Love" reached #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #5 on the R&B chart.  Also in 1967 the Miracles had another million seller with the single "I Second That Emotion".  Released on October 19th, "I Second That Emotion" peaked for four weeks at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #1 on the R&B chart.  

Here is an excerpt from the Smokey Robinson & the Miracles version of "I Second That Emotion":   

On January 26th, 1968 Tamla released the Miracles second greatest hits album.  Titled Make It Happen, Greatest Hits, Vol. 2, Special Occasion, the LP was a huge success, peaking at #7 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and at #2 on Billboard's R&B album chart.  On December 12th, 1968 they released another million selling single, "Baby Baby Don't Cry".  It reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #3 on the R&B chart.

However, by 1969, despite their success, Smokey Robinson had become tired of constantly touring with the Miracles.  He wanted to remain home in Detroit, Michigan, with his wife Claudette and their two children.  Smokey informed his band mates Pete Moore, Bobby Rogers, and Ronald White that he would be retiring from the act to concentrate on his duties as vice-president of Motown Records.  In 1970, to capitalize on the Miracles' success, and due to a lack of new material from the group, Motown Britain decided to select a song from the group's catalog for single release.  They chose "The Tears of a Clown" from 1967's Make It Happen album to release as a single.  "The Tears of a Clown" was re-released in the United Kingdom as a single in July 1970, and it became a #1 hit on the UK Singles Chart for the week ending September 12th, 1970.  Subsequently, Motown released a partially re-recorded and completely remixed version as a single in the United States as well.  In the U.S. it quickly became a #1 hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B Singles charts.  Its success led Miracles lead singer, songwriter, and producer Smokey Robinson, to stay on with the Miracles until 1972.  "The Tears of a Clown" became an international multi-million seller and a 2002 Grammy Hall of Fame inductee.  In 2021, it was listed at #313 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

A six-month tour in 1972 ended that July with Smokey introducing Billy Griffin as his replacement. The double album Smokey Robinson & the Miracles: 1957-1972, was released five months later.  After 1972 Smokey Robinson produced such solo hits as “Cruisin’ ” in 1979, “Being with You” in 1981, and the Grammy Award-winning “Just to See Her” in 1987.  He also unintentionally inspired the new soul radio format that took its name from the title track of his 1975 conceptual album A Quiet Storm.

Without Smokey Robinson, the Miracles would continue to enjoy moderate success in subsequent years, recording five additional Top 40 R&B singles.  In 1975 the disco-era “Love Machine (Part 1)” hit #1 on the pop charts.  "Love Machine" became the group's best-selling single, with or without Smokey.  Later in 1975, the Miracles' scored their third #1 R&B album titled City of Angels.  The Miracles released their final album in 1978 and continued to perform in assorted incarnations.  

Between 1960 and 1970, Smokey Robinson produced 26 top forty hits with the Miracles as lead singer, chief songwriter, and producer.  Smokey Robinson was inducted, without the Miracles, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.  Robinson was awarded the 2002 National Medal of Arts.  He also received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2006, and in 2016 he won the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.  In Smokey Robinson, the Miracles had been led by one of the most gifted and influential singer-songwriters in 20th-century popular music.  In 2012, the Miracles (Warren "Pete" Moore, Ron White, Bobby Rogers, Marv Tarplin, and Claudette Rogers Robinson) were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  Fittingly, at the ceremony they were inducted by Smokey Robinson.

Between 1962 and 1966, Smokey Robinson was also one of the major songwriters and producers for Motown.  He wrote "Two Lovers", "The One Who Really Loves You", "You Beat Me to the Punch" and "My Guy" for Mary Wells.  He wrote "The Way You Do The Things You Do", "My Girl", "Since I Lost My Baby", "It's Growing", and "Get Ready" for the Temptations.  He wrote "Still Water (Love)" for the Four Tops.  He wrote "When I'm Gone" and "Operator" for Brenda Holloway.  He wrote "Don't Mess With Bill", "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" and "My Baby Must Be a Magician" for the Marvelettes.  He wrote "I'll Be Doggone" and "Ain't That Peculiar" for Marvin Gaye.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Rock and Roll Flashback where I discussed the career of the American vocal group that helped define the Motown sound of the 1960's:  Smokey Robinson & the Miracles!  I will close out this podcast episode with Smokey Robinson & the Miracles version of "The Tears of a Clown".  So, fellow travelers, may your path be smooth and your music always be rockin'!  And until next time...Rock On!