Robert Edward Rogers (February 19, 1940 – March 3, 2013) was an American musician and tenor singer, best known as a founding member of

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

vocal group

the Miracles The Miracles (later known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1955. They were the first successful recording act for Motown Records and are considered one of the most ...

from 1956 until his death. He was inducted, in 2012, as a member of the Miracles to the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

. In addition to singing, he also contributed to writing some of the Miracles' songs. Rogers is the grandfather of R&B singer Brandi Williams from the R&B girl group

Blaque Blaque ( ) is an American girl group; they had songs chart from 1999 to 2004. Outside of the United States and Canada, they are known as Blaque Ivory. Their self-titled debut album ''Blaque'' sold more than 1 million copies and was certified ...

and is a cousin of fellow Miracles member Claudette Rogers Robinson.

Early life

Rogers was the son of Robert and Lois Rogers. He was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

on February 19, 1940, the same day and in the same Detroit hospital as fellow Miracles member

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he ...

, although the two would not meet until 15 years later.

Career

The 1960 single " Shop Around", with

on lead, was Motown's first number one hit on the R&B singles chart, and the first big hit for the Miracles. The song was also Motown's first million selling hit single. The Miracles scored many more hits over the years including the #1 classics "Tears Of A Clown", and "Love Machine". In addition to his work in the Miracles, Rogers was a part-time Motown

songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

; his most notable composition, authored with bandmate

, was

The Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...

' first hit single, " The Way You Do the Things You Do". Rogers also co-wrote The Temptations' 1965 hit " My Baby", Mary Wells' hit, " What Love Has Joined Together",

The Contours The Contours are an American rhythm and blues vocal group. They recorded for Motown Records. They are known for their 1962 hit single "Do You Love Me", which sold over 1 million copies and became a major hit again in 1988. History Establishment ...

' 1965 hit " First I Look at the Purse", (later covered by

the J. Geils Band The J. Geils Band (formerly known as The J. Geils Blues Band) was an American rock band formed in 1967, in Worcester, Massachusetts, under the leadership of guitarist John "J." Geils. The original band members included vocalist Peter Wolf, h ...

), Marvin Gaye's 1966 Top 40 hit, " One More Heartache" and the Miracles' own 1964 Top 40 hit, " That's What Love Is Made Of", and their 1966 hit, " Going to a Go-Go". He is also noted for doing co-lead vocals on the Miracles' 1962 Top 10 smash, " You've Really Got a Hold on Me", and singing lead on the group's 1964 song, "You're So Fine And Sweet". Bobby was also reputed to be the group's best dancer, and was responsible for many of the Miracles' onstage routines, until the arrival of famed Motown choreographer

Cholly Atkins Charles "Cholly" Atkins (born Charles Sylvan Atkinson; September 13, 1913 – April 19, 2003) was an American dancer and vaudeville performer, who later became noted as the house choreographer for the various artists on the label Motown. Biogr ...

. In late 2006, Bobby re-united with original Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore for the group's first-ever extended interview on the Motown DVD release, ''Smokey Robinson & the Miracles: The Definitive Performances''. Rogers continued to perform throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe with members Dave Finley, Tee Turner, and Mark Scott in the final incarnation of The Miracles, which made him, as of 2009, the longest-serving original Miracles member. On March 20, 2009, Bobby was in Hollywood to be honored along with the other surviving original members of the Miracles (

, Claudette Robinson and Pete Moore) as they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Also on hand were Gloria White, the wife of original Miracles member Ronnie White who is deceased (White is responsible for discovering Motown artist

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

), and Billy Griffin was in attendance. He replaced Smokey Robinson when he left the group.

Personal life and death

On December 18, 1963, Rogers married Wanda Young of Inkster, Michigan, a member of Motown group

the Marvelettes The Marvelettes were an American girl group formed in Inkster, Michigan, Inkster, Michigan in 1960, consisting of schoolmates Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart (now Cowart Motley), and Georgia Dobbins, who was ...

. Together they had a son Robert Rogers III and a daughter Bobbae. Rogers and Young divorced in 1975 after twelve years of marriage. In 1981, Rogers married Joan Hughes on his forty-first birthday. The wedding ceremony was officiated by the Reverend Cecil Franklin, the brother of

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

at Detroit's historic New Bethel Baptist Church. Bobby and Joan had two children before their marriage, daughters Gina and Kimberly. In his final years, Rogers divided his residence between his primary dwelling in

Southfield, Michigan Southfield is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Southfield borders Detroit to the north, roughly northwest of downtown Downtown Detroit, Detroit. As of the 2020 Uni ...

, a northern suburb of Detroit, and a

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

pied-à-terre. Rogers died on March 3, 2013, at the age of 73, due to complications of diabetes. Nine days later, on March 12, 2013, on their website, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame paid tribute to Bobby with the article, ''"Remembering Bobby Rogers of The Miracles"''.

Awards

* Bobby, and each member of the Miracles (except Claudette) has been awarded the BMI award for songwriting .(Reference: Ebony, October 1971, pg 169). * Berry Gordy's Motown Record Corporation's signature act; their first Group, and their first million selling act was the Miracles, Motown Royalty. * Without the Miracles there would be no Motown, quoted Berry Gordy, March 20, 2009 * Without the Miracles there would be no Stevie Wonder, quoted Stevie Wonder, March 20, 2009 * Gold and Platinum Record (Single and Album) Awards (Sales of more than 500,000 or 1,000,000 units) * Worldwide over 40 Million records sold. * Twenty-six of the Miracles single releases reached the Top Ten Billboard R&B Charts * Four of the Miracles songs reached #1 on Billboard R&B Charts * Ten Miracles albums reached the Top Ten of Billboard's R&B Album Charts. * Sixteen releases of the Miracles recordings reached the top 20 of Billboards Hot 100 List with 7 Top Tens and 2-# 1's a third song, ''Shop Around'' reached #1 Pop on ''Cash Box Magazine'' "Top 100" Pop chart. * Four time inductees Grammy Hall of Fame. (the most of any Motown Group). * Doo-Wop Hall of Fame Inductees. * Quadruple induction Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll" song List. * Double recipient of the prestigious "Heroes and Legends" Award. * Rhythm & Blues Pioneer Award * Vocal Group Hall of Fame Induction and Award * Spirit of Detroit Award * Rolling Stone Magazine named The Miracles # 32 in their list of "The 100 Greatest Rock n' Roll Artists" of All Time. (The ''Highest-Ranking'' Motown Group in the Rolling Stone Listing). * Billboard Magazine and VH1 list the Miracles of the 100 Greatest Artists of all Time. * Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Library's National Recording Preservation Board announced the Miracles' million seller, "Tracks of My Tears" being "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant" to preserve for all time in the United States Library of Congress. * Miracles Boulevard and Miracles Park, Detroit, Michigan (Woodbridge Estates) * Governor of the state of Michigan, Certificate of Tribute and recognition of the Miracles and their importance to the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit for tremendous accomplishments in the music industry. * Mayor of Detroit Proclamation for a Lifetime of history making accomplishments in music. * Resolution Award, the Detroit City Council gave the Highest Honor they can present to the Miracles for 5 decades of unchallenged achievements in the music industry. * City of Beverly Hills, CA, Beverly Hills Mayor and City Council Proclamation recognizing the Miracles' contributions to the music industry and American Culture. * The Miracles received a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

on March 20, 2009. * The Miracles were retroactively inducted into the

in 2012 by a special committee, alongside

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction in 2012

In 1987, Smokey Robinson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist. However, in a decision that has since sparked much scrutiny, debate, and controversy, the other original members of the Miracles, Bobby Rogers, Ronnie White, Marv Tarplin, Pete Moore and Claudette Robinson, were not, at that time, inducted. This proved a source of many protests from angry Miracles fans. On February 9, 2012, it was announced that Bobby Rogers would be inducted with the rest of the Miracles into the

alongside Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson. This induction occurred on April 14, 2012. After a 26-year wait, Bobby was automatically and retroactively inducted with the rest of the original Miracles, Marv Tarplin, Pete Moore, Claudette Robinson, and Ronnie White into

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and th ...

alongside Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson. The induction was handled by a Special Committee designated by The Rock Hall in 2012, that inducted the Miracles, and five other deserving pioneering groups, that were overlooked when their lead singers were inducted into the Rock Hall many years ago. This induction occurred without the usual process of nomination and voting, under the premise that ''the entire group'' should have been inducted with Smokey Robinson back in 1987. Bobby was also inducted with the rest of the original Miracles into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2015

References

External links

The Miracles' ''Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction page.

*
Obituary of Bobby Rogers of ''The Miracles''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Bobby 1940 births 2013 deaths Musicians from Detroit The Miracles members Motown artists American soul musicians American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Deaths from diabetes in the United States American tenors American rhythm and blues singers American soul singers American male dancers African-American male singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers Singer-songwriters from Michigan