Smokey Robinson formed the Matadors in 1954 at Northern High School with friends Warren Moore, Bobby Rodgers, Emerson Rodgers, and Ronnie White. They became established in the Detroit club scene over the next three years and changed their name to the Miracles when Emerson's sister Claudette replaced him in the line-up, when he went into the Army.

The Miracles first met Berry Gordy in 1957 while auditioning for Jackie Wilson's manager. Jackie Wilson turned them down, but Berry saw potential in this group. In retrospect, this may have been the most important meeting in both men's lives. Smokey needed a mentor and an outlet for his budding talents as a singer and songwriter; the ambitious Gordy needed someone with multi-faceted musical vision. Gordy encouraged and polished Robinson's songwriting in particular in the early days, in which the Miracles were one of many acts bridging the doo wop and early soul eras.

Berry helped them get a recording contract with the End label. The Miracles debuted with "Got A Job", written by Berry, Smokey, and Billy Davis in 1958. It is a hit locally, but did not gain national attention.

When Berry Gordy set up the Motown label, the Miracles are one of the first acts he signs. Their first release on the Motown label, "Way Over There" didn't go anywhere, but their second effort, "Shop Around" became a huge hit, making it to number 2 on the U.S. charts. This release not only put the Miracles in the national spotlight, but Motown as well, as this was Motown's first million dollar seller.

Over the next seven years, the Miracles experienced great success. They became the first Motown act to appear on ABC-TV's American Bandstand in February 1961 and continued to top the charts with the songs "You've Really Got A Hold On Me", "Mickey's Monkey", "Going To A Go-Go" and "I Second That Emotion".

Smokey and Claudette Rodgers were married on November 7th, 1959, and eventually had two children - Berry and Tamla. Claudette performed with the Miracles until 1964, when she retired to take care of her family, although she continued to record with the Miracles.

Robinson also was extremely active at Motown as a songwriter and producer for other acts. The #1 singles "My Guy" (Mary Wells) and "My Girl" (Temptations) were both Robinson songs and productions (the latter with fellow Miracle, Ronnie White), and Smokey also did some excellent work with the Marvelettes and Marvin Gaye.

In 1967, the Miracles became "Smokey Robinson and the Miracles", and continued topping the charts with "Baby, Baby Don't Cry," and "Tears Of A Clown."

Smokey left the Miracles in 1972, to spend more time with his family. Billy Griffin was named as his replacement at the Carter Batton Amphitheater in Washington, D.C. on July 12 during the group's farewell tour. Three years later, Smokey began working on his solo career.

Without Smokey Robinson, the Miracles hit the charts two more times with "Do It Baby" hitting number 13 in 1974 and "Love Machine (Part 1)" reaching number 1 in 1976. In 1983, the Miracles reunited with Smokey for Motown's 25th Anniversary NBC-TV Special.

Smokey's solo career was not filled with as many consistent single hits as his time with the Miracles, however, when Smokey did hit the charts, he did it well. "Crusin", released in 1980, hit number 4, "Being With You" reached number 2 in 1982 and "Just To See Her" climbed to number 8 in 1987. His solo albums have been very successful and did well on the charts.

Beginning in 1981, Smokey started to receive the long-term recognition he deserves. ABC's American Bandstand aired "the Smokey Robinson 25th Anniversary Special" and he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on January 21st, 1987. Later in the same year, he scored two more big hits, 'Just To See Her' and 'One Heartbeat', but in his 1988 autobiography, Smokey, revealed that he had been battling against cocaine addiction for much of the decade.. In December of the following year, he was named a "Grammy Living Legend", as well as being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame by Whitney Houston on May 30, 1990.

In 1991, after thirty years with Motown, Robinson left Motown to sign with SBK Records and although the hits have died out, he continued to appear in concert. In 1999, Smokey returned with an album called "Intimate", produced by Berry Gordy.