The Miracles

The Miracles is an American vocal harmony group that was formed in 1955 at Northern High School in Detroit, Michigan.

The group is noted for lead singer Smokey Robinson, who was one of the founding members, and later became one of the most successful songwriters and record producers of all time. The Miracles issued a few somewhat successful singles on End Records and Chess Records. In 1960, they were signed by Motown and had numerous hits on both the R&B and Pop charts.

Members included: lead singer Smokey Robinson (born February 19, 1940), Emerson Rogers (born February 19, 1940), Bobby Rogers (born February 19, 1940), Ronnie White (April 5, 1939 – August 26, 1995), and Pete Moore (born November 19, 1935). All five members were natives of Detroit. Emerson Rogers left the band in 1956 and was replaced by his sister, Claudette Rogers, who later married Smokey Robinson.

The group's single "Shop Around" (1960) was their first Motown hit, and the first Motown song to reach #1 on the R&B charts. This was followed by hits such as "Who's Lovin' You" (1961), "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, "Ooh, Baby Baby" (1965).

After Robinson and Claudette married, he started towards a solo career. The name of the group was changed to Smokey Robinson & the Miracles with the release of "I Second That Emotion" in 1967. This name change, along with the change of The Supremes to Diana Ross & the Supremes, inspired David Ruffin, then lead singer of Motown act The Temptations, to demand that his group be renamed David Ruffin & the Temptations. The change never occurred, and Ruffin was replaced by Dennis Edwards, previously the lead singer of The Contours, in 1968.

The Miracles' career faltered somewhat during the 1970s, though hits such as 1970's "The Tears of a Clown" still did quite well. "The Tears of a Clown" was in fact recorded in 1967, and became the group's only US #1 hit after becoming a hit in the United Kingdom.

In 1972, Robinson left The Miracles for a successful solo career, replaced by Billy Griffin. The group continued, and scored the biggest hit of its existence with 1976's #1 hit "Love Machine (Part 1)". However, the group's other releases failed to match the success of "Love Machine", and The Miracles never managed to regain their former fame.

In 2001, the group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.