Perhaps the most significant and influential soul vocal group to emerge from Detroit in the 1960s, the Miracles had the distinct advantage of being fronted by the singular singer and songwriter Smokey Robinson, whom both Bob Dylan and the Beatles cited as a major musical inspiration. Robinson’s songs were a major force in making the band’s label, Tamla Motown, the hit factory it became throughout the decade. The band’s light, expressive harmonies, featured on such classic songs as “Girl Has Gone” and “Going to a Go-Go,” and the aching ballad “Tracks of My Tears,” were a signature component of the Motown Sound.
