The Miracles were the first Motown act to achieve crossover success. They started in 1955, and by the early 60s, they were regularly scoring Billboard hits. By the mid 60s, the Miracles were an outright sensation, spearheaded by lead singer Smokey Robinson.
Robinson was a generational vocalist who could nail any tempo or style. It made complete sense for Motown to rename the band Smokey Robinson and the Miracles in 1965, which is how it remained up through 1972. Then, the singer decided to go solo. He left the band that made him famous, and never really looked back.
Smokey Robinson left the Miracles in 1972
There were two reasons why Smokey Robinson left the Miracles in 1972. One, he wanted to spend more time with his family after spending a decade plus tirelessly performing and recording. He told Vlad TV that he briefly considered retiring from music following his tenure with the Miracles, as he'd wanted to focus on the business side of the industry.
He was appointed Vice President of Motown in 1962, and finally intended to commit to it full time. The singer also noted that there were no hard feelings between him and the other members of the group, whom he had grown up with.
Ultimately, music called Smokey Robinson back. The singer dropped a few unsuccessful solo albums before hitting paydirt with A Quiet Storm in 1975. The album spawned several hits and inspired a sub genre of R&B music that's still being performed today. Robinson scored additional hits with "Cruising" in 1979 and "Being with You" in 1981.
Robinson reunited with the band in 1983
The Miracles continued to release albums throughout the decade as well. They left Motown in 1976, and released two more albums before calling it quits as a recording band in 1978. There was a silver lining for fans come 1983, though.
The bulk of the original Miracles lineup, including Claudette Robinson, Pete Moore, Marv Tarplin, Bobby Rogers and Robinson, reunited to perform at the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever special on NBC. The special is best known for Michael Jackson's Moonwalk, but it represented the very last time Robinson would play with the band.
The Miracles continued to tour until 2011. Smokey Robinson, meanwhile, has continued to work with various artists and release solo material. The band was inducted into the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame in 2014, while Robinson was inducted as a solo artist in 1987.