Government Name
Smokey Robinson (Born William Robinson, February 19, 1940 in Detroit, MI)

Group Members
Current Members:
Bobby Rogers (Born Robert E. Rogers, February 19, 1940 in Detroit, MI)
Claudette Rogers Robinson (Born September 1942)
Dave Finley
Tee Turner
Mark Scott

Former Members:
Smokey Robinson (Born William Robinson, February 19, 1940 in Detroit, MI)
Ronald "Ronnie" White (Born April 5, 1939 in Detroit, MI – August 26, 1995 in Detroit, MI (leukemia))
Pete Moore (Born Warren Moore, November 19, 1939, Detroit, Michigan)
Marvin "Marv" Tarplin (Born 13 June 1941, Atlanta, GA)
Billy Griffin (Born in Baltimore, MD)
Donald Wicker
James "Rat" Grice
Sidney Justin
Donald Griffin
Alphonse Franklin
James Grice
Emerson "Sonny" Rogers
Clarence "Humble" Dawson

The Five Chimes:
(Original Group)
Smokey Robinson (Born William Robinson, February 19, 1940 in Detroit, MI)
Pete Moore (Born Warren Moore, November 19, 1939, Detroit, Michigan)
Clarence "Humble" Dawson
Donald Wicker
James "Rat" Grice

The Matadors:
(Second Incarnation/Original The Miracles)
Smokey Robinson (Born William Robinson, February 19, 1940 in Detroit, MI)
Pete Moore (Born Warren Moore, November 19, 1939, Detroit, Michigan)
Clarence "Humble" Dawson
Emerson "Sonny" Rogers
Bobby Rogers (Born Robert E. Rogers, February 19, 1940 in Detroit, MI)

See Also: Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations & The Supremes

Albums
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Our Very Best Christmas

Also Featured On...
Beg, Scream & Shout: The Big Ol' Box Of '60s Soul
Christmas In The City
The Doo Wop Box II: 101 More Vocal Group Gems
Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On Deluxe Edition
Marvin Gaye - The Marvin Gaye Collection
Rick James - Bustin' Out: The Very Best Of Rick James
Rick James - Anthology
Merry Christmas From Motown
Merry Fucking Christmas 2: The Return Of The Poo (Thug Radio Mixtape)
Merry Fucking Christmas 7: A Letter To Santa (Thug Radio Mixtape)
Motown's Biggest Pop Hits
Motown's 40 Forever
Motown Meets The Beatles
Novel - Legato Blues Summer
Sounds Of The Season: The R&B Collection

Smokey Robinson's Bio From AllMusic.Com
If you're looking for the all-time number one purveyor of mainstream romantic soul, Smokey Robinson may well be the man, in the face of some towering competition. With the Miracles in the 1960s, he paced dozens of tuneful Motown hits with his beautiful high tenor. As a solo performer from the 1970s onward, he was one of the staples of urban contemporary music. But his singing gifts, as notable as they are, comprise only one of his hats: he's also one of pop's best and most prolific songwriters. As a songwriter and producer, he was the most important musical component to Motown's early success, not only on the hits by the Miracles, but for numerous other acts as well (especially Mary Wells and The Temptations).

Robinson first crossed paths with Motown founder Berry Gordy, Jr., in the late '50s in Detroit. In retrospect, this may have been the most important meeting in both men's lives. Robinson needed a mentor and an outlet for his budding talents as a singer and songwriter; the ambitious Gordy needed someone with multi-faceted musical vision. Gordy encouraged and polished Robinson's songwriting in particular in the early days, in which the Miracles were one of many acts bridging the doo wop and early soul eras.

Before solidifying their relationship with the embryonic Motown operation, the Miracles issued a few singles on the End and Chess labels, the most successful of which was "Got a Job." There was no national action for the Miracles until "Shop Around" in late 1960. Gordy withdrew the original single in favor of a faster, more fully produced version of the song; it made number two, doing much not only to establish the Miracles, but to establish the Motown label itself. The song also heralded many of the important elements of the Motown sound, with its gospel-ish interplay between lead and backup vocals, its rhythmic groove, and its blend of R&B and pop.

While Robinson is most often thought of as a romantic balladeer, the Miracles were also capable of grinding out some excellent uptempo party tunes, particularly in their early days. "Mickey's Monkey" (which the group gave an athletically electrifying performance of in the 1964 T.A.M.I. Show movie), a 1963 Top Ten hit, is the most famous of these; there was also "Going to a Go-Go" and smaller hits like "I Gotta Dance to Keep from Crying." The 1962 Top Ten hit "You've Really Got a Hold on Me," however, was the key cut in forming Robinson's romantic persona, with its pleading, soaring vocals, exquisite melody, and carefully crafted lyrics. Bob Dylan was impressed enough by Robinson's facility for imaginative wordplay to dub him "America's greatest living poet" (a phrase which has possibly become the most quoted example of one rock giant praising another).

Surveying Robinson's achievements during the 1960s, one wonders if the man ever slept. While the Miracles were never Motown's biggest act at any given time, they were one of its very most consistent, entering the Top 40 25 times over the course of the decade. "I Second That Emotion," "The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage," "The Tracks of My Tears," "Ooo Baby Baby," and "Baby, Baby Don't Cry" were some of their biggest singles, and usually represented Motown at its most sophisticated and urbane. Robinson also was extremely active at Motown as a songwriter and producer for other acts. The number one singles "My Guy" (Mary Wells) and "My Girl" (Temptations) were each Robinson songs and productions (the latter with fellow Miracle Ronnie White), and Robinson also did some excellent work with the Marvelettes and Marvin Gaye. He also toured with the Miracles, and started a family with the Miracles' female singer, Claudette Rogers, whom he married in 1964. Rogers stopped touring with the group in the mid-'60s, although she continued to sing on their records.

Starting in 1967, the billing on Miracles releases was changed to Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, presaging Robinson's solo career. The group continued to spin out hits until the early '70s, however, getting their only number one in 1970 with the upbeat "The Tears of a Clown" (which had actually been recorded back in 1966). Robinson left the group to go on his own in 1972; the Miracles continued without him with limited success, although they had a number one hit in 1976 with "Love Machine, Pt. 1."

Robinson had been made a vice president at Motown near the beginning of his career in 1961. He recorded frequently as a solo artist for Motown in the '70s and '80s, in a considerably mellower vein than his Miracles work, in keeping with the general shift of Motown and soul toward urban contemporary. Robinson, in fact, provided that genre with one of its catch phrases with the title of his 1975 album, A Quiet Storm. "Cruisin'" (1979) and "Being with You" (1981) were his biggest solo hits, although artistically and commercially his solo era wasn't nearly as successful as his music with the Miracles. - Richie Unterberger

The Miracles' Bio From AllMusic.Com
Scoring over 40 hits on the R&B Top 40 charts, the Miracles started out as the Five Chimes in the mid-'50s while the members were still in high school. The Detroit vocal group consisted of William "Smokey" Robinson, Warren "Pete" Moore, Clarence "Humble" Dawson, Donald Wicker, and James "Rat" Grice. Not too long after the group formed, Wicker and Grice left and were replaced by cousins Emerson "Sonny" Rogers and Bobby Rogers, who both sang tenor, and baritonist Ronnie White was in Dawson's place. The vocal quintet then changed its name to the Matadors and in 1956 Claudette Rogers joined the band after her brother Sonny was drafted. The Matadors auditioned for Jackie Wilson's manager, Nat Tarnopol, in 1956. Although Tarnopol wasn't interested, finding the group too similar to The Platters, one of Wilson's songwriters, Berry Gordy, Jr., was and he soon began producing the band, who now went by the name the Miracles. Gordy produced their first single, "Got a Job," (an answer to the Silhouettes' "Get a Job") which was issued by the New York label End Records in 1958.

After one more release on this label, the Miracles recorded their first song for Gordy's new Motown/Tamla label, 1959's "Bad Girl" (which was issued nationally on the Chess label). Next came the first hit for both the group and the label, 1960's "Shop Around," which reached number one on the R&B charts and number two pop. The next song by the Miracles to hit the number one R&B spot and reach the pop Top Ten came two years later with "You've Really Got a Hold on Me." Robinson and Claudette Rogers were married in 1963 and she retired from the group a year later. The band's last big hit before they changed their name from the Miracles was "Going to a Go-Go" (1966), which climbed into the Top Five on the R&B charts and the pop Top 20. Later that year, "I'm the One You Need" reached the Top 20. After this, the group's name changed to Smokey Robinson & the Miracles and they scored two more number one songs: "I Second That Emotion" (1967) and "The Tears of a Clown" (1970). Robinson left the group to pursue a solo career in 1972 and Billy Griffin was brought in to replace the lead singer. Once again the Miracles, the band scored several more hits, including "Do It Baby" and "Don't Cha Love It," which both reached the R&B Top Ten. The Miracles experienced a big success in early 1976 with "Love Machine (Part 1)," which reached number one on the pop charts. The multi-million selling single came off of their second album without Robinson, 1975's City of Angels, and stayed on the charts for over six months, making it the longest-running hit the band ever had. Their final album on the Motown label, Power of Music, followed. After this, the Miracles added a new member, Griffin's brother Don, and the band switched over to Columbia Records. Their first CBS release was Love Crazy (1977), which contained a single, "Spy for the Brotherhood," that was pulled off the record after complaints from the FBI. The group's last charting single, "Mean Machine," made the R&B Top 100 in 1978. Griffin pursued a solo career and Moore became a record producer in Detroit. In the late '80s, Bobby Rogers started the New Miracles, and in 1990 the Miracles (including Griffin and Claudette Robinson) reunited to re-record "Love Machine" for the U.K. Motorcity label. - Joslyn Layne

Ronald White's Bio From AllMusic.Com
Ronald White, along with Smokey Robinson, was one of the founding members of the Motown group the Miracles. He co-wrote with Robinson the classics "My Girl," "Don't Look Back," and "You Beat Me to the Punch." He also played a key role in the career of Stevie Wonder. Robinson met White when both were preteens. White was the neighborhood paper boy. As adults, the two recorded as the duo Ron and Bill for Chess Records.

White, Robinson, Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, and Claudette Rogers founded the Matadors in 1955 while still in high school in Detroit, MI. They later became the Miracles and, after 1967, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. The group was among the first that Berry Gordy signed to his Motown record label. White co-wrote "You Beat Me to the Punch," a number one R&B/number nine pop hit for Mary Wells. The Temptations' recording of "My Girl" parked at number one R&B for six weeks and went to number one pop on Billboard's charts in early 1965. It was included on the album The Temptations Sing Smokey, which held the number one R&B spot for 18 weeks and made it to number 35 pop in spring 1965. A sample from "My Girl" was used as the basis of the group's hit "Stay" from their 1998 platinum album Phoenix Rising. Another Temptations hit White co-wrote, "Don't Look Back," the flip side of "My Baby" (number four R&B), made it to number 15 R&B in late 1965 and was on the LP Temptin' Temptations. They were also featured in the high-rated 1999 NBC-TV bio series The Temptations. After being bolstered by his little brother, White brought 11-year-old Stevie Wonder to the attention of Berry Gordy.

Robinson and White also collaborated on "Fork in ihe Road," the radio-aired B-side of "Tears of a Clown," a 1965 number two R&B hit for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. Other songs White co-wrote include "Got a Job" and "Bad Girl" for the Miracles and "One More Heartache" for a 1966 number four R&B smash for Marvin Gaye.

A Ronald White-related release is the movie soundtrack to My Girl. At the age of 57, Ronald White died on August 26, 1995, at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI. - Ed Hogan

Pete Moore's Bio From AllMusic.Com
Warren "Pete" Moore is best-known as the bass vocalist of the Miracles who co-wrote some of their R&B smash hits like "Ain't That Peculiar" and "Going to a Go-Go." Born in Detroit, MI, in 1939, Moore became a member of a vocal group while in high school in the mid-'50s. This group -- which included William "Smokey" Robinson -- started out as the Five Chimes, but had changed their name to the Matadors by 1956 when they auditioned with Jackie Wilson's manager Nat Tarnopol. This didn't turn out to be the group's big break, but they did catch the attention of Wilson's songwriter Berry Gordy, Jr. Thus started what would become a ride of success for the band. The Miracles became successful on Gordy's Tamla label with many hits, starting in 1960. By 1967, with the increasing popularity of one member, their name was changed to Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. Robinson left in the early '70s to pursue his solo career, but the Miracles continued on through the late '70s. Over the years, Moore had co-written several of the band's biggest hits, including "Tracks of My Tears," "Ooo Baby Baby," "Since I Lost My Baby," "Ain't That Peculiar," and "Going to a Go-Go." In addition to his role as singer and songwriter, Moore worked as a producer and continued to do so in Detroit after the Miracles called it quits. Among the albums he produced were releases for Robinson, Marvin Gaye, and Diana Ross & The Supremes. - Joslyn Layne

Official Sites: Smokey Robinson, Smokey Robinson's MySpace, Smokey Robinson's Facebook, Smokey Robinson's YouTube, Smokey Robinson's Fuckin' Twitter, Smokey Robinson's ILike, Smokey Robinson's Flicker, The Miracles' MySpace, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles' Facebook, Billy Griffin's MySpace & Alphonse Franklin's MySpace