The Miracles Biography, Photos and Posters

The Miracles

Biography

Started: 1958
City and Country of Origin: Detroit, Michigan
Music Background:
Awards:
Top Recordings: "Shop Around," "You've Really Got a Hold on Me," "Mickey's Monkey," "Ooo Baby Baby," "The Tracks of My Tears," "Going to a Go-Go," "I Second That Emotion," "The Tears of a Clown," "Love Machine"
The Miracles Biography: The Miracles were Berry Gordy's the first successful Motown group. The group has its roots in the dreams of 2 Detroit elementary school students who had been friends and were singing together since the fifth grade, William Robinson and Ronald White, formed a doo-wop group called the The Five Chimes in 1955. Robinson who earned the nickname "Smokey" because of his penchant for cowboy movies along with White bass singer Pete Moore, Clarence Dawson, and James Grice were the original members of the group. Within 6 months Dawson and Grice had been replaced by cousins Emerson and Bobby Emerson Rogers and the group became known as the Matadors. When Emerson was drafted in 1956 he was replaced by his sister Claudette Rogers. In 1960 the group added guitarist Marv Tarplin.

In 1958 local songwriter Berry Gordy co-wrote a song called "Got a Job" as an answer to the Silhouettes hit single "Get A Job." An admirer of the Matadors he took the song to them and got them a deal with End Records. It was at this time that the group changed its name to the Miracles. Gordy wrote another song for the group "Bad Girl" which became the groups first charting hit at number 93. After Robinson suggested that Gordy start his own label he launched Tamla Records which would become Motown. In 1960 "Shop Around" would become the groups first MOtown hit nad Motown's first song to reach number 1 on the R&B charts. This success was soon followed by a stream of hits "You Really Got a Hold on Me" (1962), "Mickey's Monkey" (1963), "Going To A Go-Go" (1965), "The Tracks Of My Tears" (1965), and their signature song, "Ooo Baby Baby" (1965).

During the mid 60s Smokey Robinson and Claudette Rogers tied the knot and started a family. Around 1965 the group became known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles with the release of the Going to a Go-Go album. By the late 60s the groups popularity began to falter and Smokey contemplated leaving the group to devote more time to his family and his job as vice president of Motown. In 1970, Motown released the 1966 recording "The Tears of a Clown" which hit the top of the charts and caused Smokey to reconsider. On July 16, 1972 at the Carter Barron Amphitheater in Washington, DC Smokey introduced Billy Griffin as the groups new lead singer. The Miracles continued to have turn out hits with the new lineup, but at a much slower pace with 1973's number 13 hit "Do It Baby", and 1976's number 1 hit "Love Machine."

Billy Griffin and Pete Moore retired from performing in 1978 to concentrate on songwriting and were replaced by Dave Finley. In 1983 Smokey Robinson rejoined the Miracles for Motown 25 television special after which the group basically disbanded and stopped performing. in 1993 Ronnie White and Bobby Rogers decided to reunite the group for the Motown 35th anniversary retrospective for the Miracles. Along with Dave Finley they recruited Sidney Justin and once again began touring. In 1995 Ronnie White the last surviving member of the original group, other than Smokey, died of leukemia. The group carried on as a trio. Today the group is still performing and consists of Bobby Rogers and Claudette Robinson, along with Dave Finley, Tee Turner, and new lead singer Mark Scott.

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