#273 - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Going to a Go-Go (1966)
MUSIC HISTORY COMPILED BY ADAM BERNARD:
BACKGROUND – SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES
William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. was born in 1940 and is the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief songwriter and producer. He led the group from its 1955 origins as "the Five Chimes" until 1972, when he announced his retirement from the group to focus on his role as Motown's vice president. However, Robinson returned to the music industry as a solo artist the following year. He was born to an African-American father and a mother of African-American and French descent into a poor family in the North End area of Detroit, Michigan. Robinson's ancestry is also part Nigerian, Scandinavian, Portuguese, and Cherokee. His uncle gave him the nickname "Smokey Joe" when he was a child. Robinson explained: My Uncle Claude was my favorite uncle, he was also my godfather. He and I were really, really close. He used to take me to see cowboy movies all the time when I was a little boy because I loved cowboy movies. He got a cowboy name for me, which was Smokey Joe. So from the time I was three years old if people asked me what my name was I didn't tell them my name was William, I told them my name was Smokey Joe. That's what everyone called me until I was about 12 and then I dropped the Joe part. I've heard that story about him giving it to me because I'm a light skinned black man but that's not true. Robinson's interest in music started after hearing the groups Nolan Strong & the Diablos, and Billy Ward and his Dominoes. He has also listed Barrett Strong, a Detroit native, as a strong vocal influence.
In high school, Smokey formed a doo-woop group called the Five Chimes in 1955. Two years later they renamed themselves the Matadors, and by 1958 the group was known as The Miracles, with the lineup consisting of Robinson, Ronald White, Pete Moore, Claudette Rogers (whom would later marry Smokey in 1959), and Marv Tarplin. The previous year, they met songwriter Berry Gordy after a failed audition for Brunswick Records, but Gordy was impressed with Robinson's vocals, as well as his notebook of 100 songs he had written. Gordy soon formed Tamla records, which would later go on to become Motown Records. Robinson and the Miracles had great success during the 1960s and early 1970s, and Smokey was also writing songs during the early part of the decade for The Temptation,s the Four Tops, and Marvin Gaye. Robinson wanted to retire from touring in 1969 to focus on his 2 children, but the groups' success postponed that until 1972. After initially having some success without Smokey, the group had changed some members and disbanded completley by the end of the decade after record talks with Motown imploded in 1976. Some members reunited as "The New Miracles", and various make-ups of the group would go on into the 2000s.
In 1987, Smokey was inducted to the RnR HOF as a solo artist, without his fellow Miracles, which Robinson expressed deep regret and disappointment that his group-mates weren't inducted with him. This solo induction triggered shockwaves and cries of protest throughout the music industry. In an editorial written at the time, Phil Marder stated: "How did Smokey Robinson get inducted without (the rest of) the Miracles? Robinson certainly deserves solo induction due to his songwriting, producing, solo career and his contributions in many official capacities in Motown’s front office. But if the Supremes got in with Diana Ross and the Vandellas made it in with Martha Reeves and the three other Tops made it in with Levi Stubbs, how could the Miracles, who were much more important, not get in with Smokey?"
Robinson lobbied for the Miracles since his own induction, saying " I don't understand why it was, like, a task to get the Miracles in there. We were one of the hottest and most prolific groups in the world at that time, so I don't understand the hesitancy." Claudette Robinson stated, "When I spoke to (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum President and CEO) Terry Stewart, he said he got no less than 900 e-mails per day saying the Miracles should be inducted, and why aren't they? I was surprised by that. I would think five or 10, but he said that amount, so it's a lot of people that were really pulling for us. You have to be thankful and grateful for that." The Miracles were inducted into the RnR HOF as part of the class of 2012. Robinson was selected as the induction speaker for the Miracles.
After a year of retirement, Robinson announced his comeback with the release of the eponymous Smokey album, in 1973. The album included the Miracles tribute song, "Sweet Harmony", and the hit ballad "Baby Come Close". In 1974, Robinson's second album, Pure Smokey, was released but failed to produce hits. Robinson struggled to compete with his former collaborators Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and former Temptations member Eddie Kendricks, as all three had multiple hit singles during this period. Robinson answered his critics the following year with A Quiet Storm in 1975. The album launched three singles, however, Robinson's solo career suffered from his work as Motown's vice president, and his own music took the backseat. As a result, several albums saw poor promotion and received bad reviews. At this point Robinson relied on other writers and producers to help him with his albums. He did bounce back in the late 1970s and early1980s, and released albums again in 1983 and 1987. The album had two top ten hits, and Robinson won his first Grammy Award in 1988. The album became one of his most successful ever, selling over 900,000 copies in the United States alone. He began releasing albums again in the 2000s. Earlier this year he announced that he would release his first album in almost a decade in April. The nine-track album will be called Gasms, and will feature entirely new music. The first single from the album, called "If We Don't Have Each Other", was already available on streaming service by January 2023.
Referred to as Motown's "soul supergroup", the Miracles scored 26 Top 10 Billboard R&B hits, with 4 R&B No. 1's, and 11 Top 10 Albums in the U.S., including 2-No.1's. while the Robinsons and Tarplin were members. In 1997, the Miracles were honored by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation with the Pioneer Award for their contributions to music. In 2001, the group was inducted to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. In 2009, all the known members of the group got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2015, the Miracles were inducted into The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in Detroit, Michign. The Miracles are also four-time rammy Hall of Fame Inductees. Robinson was awarded the 2016 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for his lifetime contributions to popular music. In 2022, he was also inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.
During their peak, their music had also made its way abroad, influencing several British groups along the way. The effects of this influence soon became even more pronounced when the Beatles, the Zombies, the Who, and the Rolling Stones all began recording covers of Miracles hits. Members of the Beatles, in particular, publicly stated that the music of the Miracles had greatly influenced their own. Former Beatle George Harrison featured the track "Pure Smokey" on his 1976 album Thirty Three & 1/3 as a tribute to Robinson. Bob Seger is also a big fan and has inducted the group in multiple HOF ceremonies.
ALBUM BACKGROUND – GOING TO A GO-GO
Going to a Go-Go was released November 1, 1965 , and the first to credit the group as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. It includes four of the Miracles' Top 20 hits: "Ooo Baby Baby", "The Tracks of My Tears", "Going to a Go-Go", and "My Girl Has Gone". It was produced by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson, along with Frank Wilson and William "Mickey" Stevenson. It features compositions co-written by Miracles members Robinson, Ronald White, Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, and Marv Tarplin. In fact, with the sole exception of the song, "My Baby Changes Like The Weather", this entire album was written by The Miracles.
Going to a Go-Go was the only Miracles studio LP to chart within the Top 10 of the Billboard Top LPs chart, where it remained for 40 weeks, peaking at number 8. The LP peaked at number-one on Billboard's R&B albums chart.