Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
Of all the R&B vocal groups formed in Detroit, Michigan, USA, in the mid-50s, the Miracles proved to be the most successful. They were founded at the city's Northern High School in 1955 by Smokey Robinson (b. William Robinson, 19 February 1940, Detroit, Michigan, USA), Emerson Rogers, Bobby Rogers (b. 19 February 1940, Detroit, Michigan, USA), Ronnie White (b. 5 April 1939, Detroit, Michigan, USA, d. 26 August 1995, Detroit, Michigan, USA) and Warren Pete Moore (b. 19 November 1939, Detroit, Michigan, USA). Emerson Rogers left the following year, to be replaced by his sister Claudette, who in turn married Smokey Robinson in 1959. Known initially as the Matadors, the group became the Miracles in 1958, when they made their initial recordings with producer Berry Gordy. 
He leased their debut, Got A Job (an answer record to the Silhouettes’ major hit Get A Job), to End Records, produced a duet by Ron (White) And Bill (Robinson) for Argo, and licensed the classic doo-wop novelty, Bad Girl, to Chess in 1959. The following year, Gordy signed the Miracles directly to his fledgling Motown label. Recognizing the youthful composing talents of Smokey Robinson, he allowed the group virtual free rein in the studio, and was repaid when they issued Way Over There, a substantial local hit, and then Shop Around, which broke both the Miracles and Motown to a nation al audience. The song demonstrated the increasing sophistication of Robinson's writing, which provided an unbroken series of hits for the group over the next few years. Their raw, doo-wop sound was further refined on the Top 10 hit You Really Got A Hold On Me in 1962, a soulful ballad which became a worldwide standard after the Beatles covered it in 1963. Robinson was now in demand by other Motown artists: Gordy used him as a one-man hit factory, to mastermind releases by the Temptations and Mary Wells, and the Miracles’ own career suffered slightly as a result. 
They continued to enjoy success in a variety of different styles, mixing dance-floor hits like Mickey's Monkey and Going To A Go-Go with some of Robinson's most durable ballads, like Oooh Baby Baby and The Tracks Of My Tears. Though Smokey sang lead on almost all the group's recordings, the rest of the group provided a unique harmony blend behind him, while guitarist Marv Tarplin—who co-wrote several of their hits— was incorporated as an unofficial Miracle from the mid-60s onwards. Claudette Robinson stopped touring with the group after 1965, although she was still featured on many of their subsequent releases. Exhausted by several years of constant work, Robinson scaled down his writing commitments for the group in the mid-60s, when they briefly worked with Holland/Dozier/Holland and other Motown producers. Robinson wrote their most ambitious and lasting songs, however, including The Tears Of A Clown in 1966 (a belated hit in the UK and USA in 1970), and The Love I Saw In You Was Just A Mirage and I Second That Emotion in 1967. These tracks epitomized the strengths of Robinson's compositions, with witty, metaphor-filled lyrics tied to aching melody lines and catchy guitar figures, the latter often provided by Marv Tarplin. Like many of the veteran Motown acts, the Miracles went into a sales slump after 1967—the year when Smokey Robinson was given individual credit on the group's records. Their slide was less noticeable in Britain, where Motown gained a Top 10 hit in 1969 with a reissue of The Tracks Of My Tears, which most listeners imagined was a contemporary record. The success of The Tears Of A Clown prompted a revival in fortune after 1970. I'm The One You Need became another reissue hit in Britain the following year, while I Don't Blame You At All, one of their strongest releases to date, scored chart success on both sides of the Atlantic. 
In 1971, Robinson announced his intention of leaving the Miracles to concentrate on his position as vice-president of Motown Records. His decision belied the title of his final hit with the group, We've Come Too Far To End It Now in 1972, and left the Miracles in the unenviable position of having to replace one of the most distinctive voices in popular music. Their choice was William Bill Griffin (b. 15 August 1950, Detroit, Michigan, USA), who was introduced by Robinson to the group's audiences during a 1972 USA tour. The new line-up took time to settle, while Smokey Robinson launched a solo career to great acclaim in 1973. The group responded with RENAISSANCE, which saw them working with Motown luminaries like Marvin Gaye and Willie Hutch. The following year, they re-established the Miracles as a hit-making force with Do It Baby and Don'tcha Love It, dance-orientated singles which appealed strongly to the group's black audience. In 1975, Love Machine became the Miracles’ first US chart-topper, while the concept album CITY OF ANGELSwas acclaimed as one of Motown's most progressive releases. This twin success proved to be the Miracles’ last commercial gasp. Switching to Columbia in 1977, they lost Billy Griffin, who set out on a little-noticed solo career. Don ald Griffin briefly joined the group in his place, but the Miracles ceased recording in 1978. Thereafter, Ronnie White and Bill Rogers steered the outfit into the new decade as a touring band, before the Miracles disbanded, without any fanfares only to be reformed by Bobby Rogers in 1982. He enlisted Dave Finlay and Carl Cotton as the new Miracles. Former members Billy Griffin and Claudette Robinson (ex-wife of Smokey) recorded solo tracks for Ian Levine's Motor City label during 1988-91. Griffin issued TECHNICOLOUR in 1992. Another reformed group comprising Griffin, Robinson, Rogers, Don ald Griffin, Cotton and Finlay also recorded for Levine remaking Love Machine in 1990.