The Miracles began as the Matadors, a five-member harmony group whose songs were churned out by a prolific, teenage Robinson. The Matadors charmed Gordy at an impromptu audition, and the renamed group's first single ("Got a Job" b/w "My Mama Done Told Me") was released early in 1958, on Robinson's 18th birthday. Over the course of a lengthy career at Motown, Robinson explored the sweeter side of soul with a string of magical ballads sung in a satiny falsetto. The Miracles' brightest moments - "Ooh Baby Baby," "The Tracks of My Tears" and "The Tears of a Clown" foremost among them - still kindle memories of adolescent romance for those who came of age in the Sixties. The words were eloquent, often describing love with unique metaphors, and Robinson's delivery divine. Not for nothing did Bob Dylan once pronounce Smokey Robinson America's "greatest living poet." Without a doubt, he is one of its greatest writers of love songs.
Robinson's 27 Top Forty hits with the Miracles represent only part of his output as a creative force at Motown. He also wrote and produced for numerous other Motown artists, including Marvin Gaye ("Ain't That Peculiar," "I'll Be Doggone"), the Temptations ("Get Ready," "The Way You Do the Things You Do," "My Girl"), Mary Wells ("My Guy," "You Beat Me to the Punch") and the Marvelettes ("Don't Mess With Bill," "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game"). In July 1972, Robinson parted ways with the Miracles, and both entities enjoyed continued success independently of each other. Robinson's biggest solo hits - "Cruisin'" (#4) and "Being With You" (#2) - came in the late Seventies and early Eighties. A fixture at Motown until the end, he continued to perform his duties as vice-president until the company's sale to MCA in 1988 and then left the label as an artist two years later.
