Rogers, Bobby (19th February 1940-3rd March 2013)

He was a singer-songwriter born in Detroit, Michigan, at the same hospital on the same date as William Morrison Jr. later known as “Smokey” was also being born.

It would be 15 years before the two finally met and began singing together when he joined up with the group Smokey and Ronald White had put together called The Matadors (previously called The Five Chimes). The Matadors began recording but after the addition of his cousin, Claudette Rogers, their name was changed to The Miracles.

With them he saw major success with around 27 chart hits such as “You’ve Really Got a Hold On Me”, “Ooo Baby Baby”, “The Tracks of My Tears”, his co-written “Going to a Go-Go” and “The Tears of a Clown” over the next decade or so, continuing into the ‘70s with their most successful hit “Love Machine”.

During the latter half of the ‘60s he married Wanda Young of The Marvellettes who were also a successful Motown group.

He did not restrict his songwriting to just material for The Miracles though and his writing, often in collaboration with Smokey Robinson, saw hits for other Motown artists such as “Ain’t That Peculiar” for Marvin Gaye, “First I Look At the Purse” for The Contours, “What Love Has Joined Together” for Mary Wells and “The Way You Do the Things You Do” for The Temptations. This led to him being given a BMI Award with the other members of the group for songwriting.

Branching out to work in the movies he appeared in the 2001 movie Monsters as the character Lennie Ludwig.

Remaining with the group through several line-up changes, he was interviewed during a re-union of the original members in 2006 for the DVD Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: The Definitive Performances.

Through the course of his career he appeared on many albums which include Cookin’ With The Miracles, Doin’ Mickey’s Monkey, From the Beginning, Going to a Go-Go, Hi We’re The Miracles, I Like It Like That, Shop Around, Special Occasion and 35^th Anniversary Collection by The Miracles as well as Let’s Get It On and Chronicles by Marvin Gaye and 20^th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection by The Contours to name a few.

The longest serving member of The Miracles, he performed with them until the 2010s and in 2009 received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as a group member. In 2012 he was inducted with the original members of The Miracles into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2015 was inducted into the original members of The Miracles in the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame

He died from complications of diabetes in March 2013 when he was 73 years old.

The Miracles recordings
Love Machine (Part 1)/Love Machine (Part 2) (UK 45)
Tamla Motown TMG 1015

Sources:

Rogers, Bobby (19th February 1940-3rd March 2013)

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