inmodwetrust #3
(The Miracles – Mickey’s Monkey)
another slice from the 1963 selection, the year that ‘Mod’ grew out of various shadows to establish it as more than a handful of ‘dressers’/stylists/modernists into a movement. Same year that the (New) Scene opened it’s doors in Ham Yard, (Soho), to become the premier London club and forum for all things ‘mod’ and hip in the capital.
The cut is delivered in fine style by legendary Detroit vocal group The Miracles with William ‘Smokey’ Robinson on lead supported by Bobby Rogers, Marv Tarplin, childhood friend and, (along with Smokey), former 5 Chimes member Ronald White and female vocalist Claudette Rogers. The Miracles paved the way for Motown’s success in the early sixties with cuts like ‘Shop Around’, ‘You Really Got A Hold On Me’ and this one apoun which the Berry Gordy empire was built.
themusicologist 
The Miracles!!…..no group signifys them
early days for me more than the sound of Smokey Robinson, the youthful energy of his voice perfectly matched my keenness to get out and DANCE…..nearly half a century on and it
sounds just as good to me..brilliant!
LikeLike
I agree with you countess – I think Smokey was the first tenor I swooned for (LOL)
Musicologist, I clicked on the first song in the player thinking I was gonna get “Mickey’s Monkey” but got Marvin Gaye sounding yummy singing “Stubborn Kinda a Fellow”. Now *that’s* a real oldie but goodie!
How to I get to your post on a song that is playing in the player and vice versa? I have sometimes have “senior moments” about these things.
Thanks in advance and have a great weekend.
LikeLike
sondan,
click on the ‘navigate audio’ link at the top of the ‘home page’ the instructions are there. hope they make sense. if not let me know and i’ll try and make it clearer. as for the ‘senior’ moments…don’t we all !!!
thanks for the comments and support
LikeLike
Thanks for your support.
Best regards,
The Miracles
LikeLike
I’m honoured…you are most welcome. You have made my year by taking time to leave a comment. Your music has been an inspiration to me from babe in arms..with deep respect
themusicologist
LikeLike
I second that emotion!
LikeLike
Excuse the pun (couldn’t help myself) but I really mean it when saying……
“I’ll Second That Emotion”
LikeLike
THE MIRACLES have been , and continue to be , one of the ALL-TIME GREAT vical groups. They have won just about EVERY MAJOR MUSIC INDUSTRY AWARD that exists. Yet, for the last 22 years, they have been blacklisted from the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME, kept out on a technicality…while numerous other less deserving artists continue to be inducted year after year..no offense to fans of these artists, but, do you really think that PERCY SLEDGE, THE RONETTES, BLONDIE, and WANDA JACKSON have had a bigger impact on music than MOTOWN’S FIRST GROUP? THE GROUP THAT LAUNCHED PROBABLY THE BIGGEST MUSIC EXPLOSION of the LAST 50 YEARS ? THE MOTOWN SOUND ? THE ARTISTS THAT OPENED THE DOORS FOR VIRTUALLY MOTOWN ACT THAT FOLLOWED…FRON THE SUPREMES AND TEMPTATIONS TO THE 4 TOPS and the JACKSON FIVE ? Check out these stats:
1) Motown’s first group.
2)Motown’s first million-selling act.
3)Over 50 chart hits.
4) 4 songs in the GRAMMY HALL OF FAME.
5) 3 songs in ROLLING STONE’S list of the “500 GREATEST SONGS OF ALL TIME”.
6) One album in ROLLING STONE’S LIST OF “THE 500 GREATEST ALBUMS OF ALL TIME”.
7) 3 SONGS in THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME’S OWN LIST of the “500 SONGS THAT HELPED SHAPE ROCK AND ROLL”. (How can they honor the SONGS,BUT NOT THE GROUP THAT RECORDED THEM ?
8) Every member except One (Claudette), winners of the prestigious BMI AWARD for SONGWRITING .
9) Inductees into the VOCAL GROUP HALL OF FAME.
10) Winners of THE RHYTHM and BLUES FOUNDATION’S PIONEER AWARD.
11) One song ,”The Tracks Of My Tears”, chosen by the Record Industry Association Of America (RIAA) as # 127 in it’s list of the ” SONGS OF THE CENTURY- The 365 GREATEST SONGS OF THE 20TH CENTURY.
12)That same song (The Tracks Of My Tears) preserved by the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS as an “culturally, historically and aesthetically significance” to the NATIONAL RECORDING REGISTRY.
13) Recieved a star on THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME on March 20th, 2009.
14) The ONLY MOTOWN GROUP during the 1960’s that WROTE AND PRODUCED THEIR OWN MATERIAL (ALL of the members , not just their lead singer.)
15) Between 1959 (when Motown was first formed) until 1964, THE LABEL’S ONLY CONSISTANT HITMAKING ACT .
16)”The Tracks Of My Tears”- was also chosen as one of the “Top 10 BEST SONGS OF ALL TIME” by a panel of 20 top industry songwriters and producers including Hal David,Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Jerry Leiber,and others as reported to Britain’s “MOJO” music magazine.
17) More than 50 of their songs covered by literally HUNDREDS of other artists …from many different musical genres… POP, ROCK, COUNTRY, REGGAE, MOR(EASY LISTENING), JAZZ ,as well as R&B/SOUL. THE MIRACLES ARE THE MOST COVERED MOTOWN GROUP OF ALL TIME !!
18) ALL MEMBERS..writers of hit songs by MARVIN GAYE, MARY WELLS, THE TEMPTATIONS, THE MARVELETTES, KIM WESTON, THE CONTOURS, BRENDA HOLLOWAY, THE FOUR TOPS, and many more….
20) Unlike many groups,THE MIRACLES are on ALL 3 LISTS OF THE “100 GREATEST ARTISTS ON ALL TIME”….VH-1’S,BILLBOARD’S, AND ROLLING STONE’S .
21) Inductees into THE DOO-WOP HALL OF FAME.
22) Chosen by ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE AS # 32 IN IT’S LIST OF “THE IMMORTALS: THE 100 GREATEST ARTISTS OF ALL TIME (THE MIRACLES are the HIGHEST RANKING MOTOWN GROUP ON THEIR LIST… and the ONLY one ranked in the top 50….above THE SUPREMES, TEMPTATIONS,4 TOPS, VANDELLAS , AND PIPS.
23) gave a ROYAL COMMAND PERFORMANCE for none other than QUEEN ELIZABETH in 1968…
24) Winners of the AWARD OF MERIT from THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF COMPOSERS, AUTHORS, and PUBLISHERS (ASCAP) .
……And the RRHOF doesn’t think THAT group is worthy of induction ???
THE MIRACLES are among THE BEST OF THE BEST. They were the groundbraking group that started THE ENTIRE MOTOWN PHENOMONON !!!
A fact that gives them even GREATER credibility, is that they wrote ALMOST ALL OF THEIR OWN MATERIAL, while the OTHER Motown groups DIDN’T.
How can the RRHOF justify induction of only the group’s LEAD SINGER (SMOKEY), when all of the other Motown groups were inducted INTACT ?
LikeLike
Bill,
ABSOLUTELY agree with you…the Miracles deserve Legendary status. How they have been overlooked is beyond belief so I can only assume there is a reason
what that could be I can only guess..too many people ‘darker than blue’ already inducted. What else could it be?
It’s certainly up to those who know and love the group to continue promoting them. How about pulling together an alternative hall of fame that’s based on merit?
thanks for engaging on such a subject..important that people know about this travesty of ‘justice’
themusicologist
LikeLike
Hi.
I couldn’t help but notice that , in all of your narratives and reviews of THE MIRACLES, you continue to leave out naming one of their members. In addition to The Robinsons(Smokey & Claudette), Bobby Rogers, Ronnie White, and Marv Tarplin , you keep forgetting Miracles bass singer and original member PETE MOORE. (Just an observation.I’m sure was simply an error).
LikeLike
!!!! thanks for bringing it to my attention..I’ll endeavour to update and include Pete Moore in the narrative..
LikeLike