Billy Griffin
born on 15/8/1950 in Baltimore, MD, United States
Billy Griffin
Billy Griffin |
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William L. "Billy" Griffin (born in Baltimore, Maryland)[1] is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known for replacing Smokey Robinson as lead singer of The Miracles in 1972.[1]
Biography
Griffin was born and raised in West Baltimore, Maryland, where he lived on Mount Holly Street. He attended Garrison Junior High School and Forest Park High School. He, like his brother Donald Griffin, (who later replaced Marv Tarplin in the Miracles), is a guitarist,as well as a singer, and sang with a local Baltimore group called The Last Dynasty. Damon Harris, who later went on to fame as a member of The Temptations, was a high school friend and group member in another local group, the Tempos. Griffin idolized Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson, while Harris idolized Temptation Eddie Kendricks. Both of them wound up as replacements for their idols in their respective groups.
Griffin and three friends formed the group Last Dynasty[2] and won a talent program on NBC Television. "It was like a pre-American Idol thing. My group won. We sang `Friendship Train' by Gladys Knight and the Pips," Griffin said. The Last Dynasty won a record deal from RCA as first prize, but never took it. The next week, Griffin was in Detroit, auditioning for Berry Gordy and the Motown executives. He was the 60th guy they brought in to audition to replace Smokey Robinson - and Griffin got the job.
During The Miracles' nationwide 1972 Farewell Tour with Smokey Robinson, Griffin was introduced by Robinson as his replacement in The Miracles as lead singer. After a year of woodshedding with Motown's famous Artist Development Dept., Griffin released his first single with The Miracles, "What Is A Heart Good For", from their first post-Robinson album, Renaissance in 1973. Griffin sang this song on his first national television appearance as a Miracle with the remaining group members of The Miracles, Bobby Rogers, Ronnie White, and Pete Moore on another NBC music program, The Midnight Special, in 1973, hosted by Robinson. The single was withdrawn and replaced with a ballad, "Don't Let It End (Till You Let It Begin)", which was a mild hit. After a second single, "Give Me Just Another Day", was released later that year, The Miracles released "Do It Baby" in 1974, which peaked at #4 on the Billboard R&B charts and became the group's first bona-fide hit with Griffin.
Like Robinson before him, Griffin co-wrote many of the Miracles' songs, in addition to singing lead. Griffin and original Miracles member Pete Moore wrote all of the Miracles' 1975 platinum selling[3] album, City of Angels. During his tenure with the group, they recorded three hits: "Do It Baby" in 1974, and the Miracles' most successful single, the number-one hit "Love Machine", in 1975 which sold 4.5 million records worldwide.[4] Griffin also sung lead on "Don't Cha Love It", a Top 10 R&B #4 single.
The Miracles left Motown in 1976, signing with Columbia Records. After two albums for Columbia, Griffin and Moore decided to retire from performing and focus on songwriting. In 1982, Griffin released his first solo album, Be With Me, which yielded the UK Singles Chart Top 20 hit "Hold Me Tighter in the Rain".[5] The following year, Respect yielded the club hit, "Serious" which peaked at #64 in the UK chart.[5] After a third album with Leon Ware, Griffin switched record label to Atlantic Records but despite completing an album, only one single "Believe It or Not" was released there before he was left without a recording contract.
In 1989, Griffin joined UK record producer Ian Levine's Motown-reunion project Motorcity Records, and was the first to release a single on the label, "First in Line". Griiffin also fronted a Miracles reunion with a new recording of "Love Machine". Griffin became a writer and backing vocals arranger for several of the other artists, and recordes a large number of tracks himself, but his album Technicolour was never released and the label collapsed in 1992. Most of his Motorcity recordings were released on the 1996 compilation Best Of Billy Griffin.
Levine and Griffin also landed a couple of hit singles for the UK soul band The Pasadenas and co-produced Take That's debut album, which including the hit singles "Could It Be Magic" (UK #3) and "I Found Heaven" (UK #15). They also worked with Levine's boy band, Bad Boys Inc.
Griffin has written songs and sung backing vocals for Aretha Franklin, The O'Jays, Ronald Isley, Freda Payne, Edwin Starr, Evelyn Champagne King, Herb Alpert, Martine McCutcheon, The Emotions and many others. In 2006, Griffin released his latest solo album, Like Water. Griffin can be seen performing "Do It Baby" and "Love Machine" with The Miracles on the Motown/Universal DVD release: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles : The Definitive Performances 1963-1987
The Miracles' song "Love Machine" written by Billy Griffin & Pete Moore... was sampled into Ceelo Green's 2002 hit single "Closet Freak" and also into the 2010 gold single by Drake "Miss Me". These two productions are now slated for re-release on "Greatest Hits" cds for Drake and Ceelo. Today, Griffin is co-owner of his own music publishing company, Grimora Music (owned with original Miracles member Pete Moore (Griffin + Moore)-a.[2][6] Billy Griffin has written songs for Wham, Aretha Franklin, Fergie, The Ojays, Ronnie Isley, Freda Payne, Edwin Starr, Evelyn Champagne King, Herb Alpert, Martine McCutcheon, The Emotions......
and donned the pop producer's cap to give The "Pasadenas" (that Soul Quintet from England) their Top of the Pop's, number one hit with "I'm Doing Fine Now." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0RSjUqduZU Lest we forget the Billy Griffin productions of " I Found Heaven","Could It Be Magic" and "A Million Love Songs"........ that spearheaded the break-out career of the quentisential British Boy band "Take That."
Who according to the BBC, is second only to the "Beatles" as the biggest British Music Export ever!! As you well know "Take That" would eventually spin-off the solo stylings of the flamboyant Super-Star, Robbie Williams.
Recognition
Griffin was honored with the other Miracles when the group received a Star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame on March 20, 2009.[7]
In 1987, Smokey Robinson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist, but Griffin and the other members of The Miracles were not. In 2012, the Miracles were inducted into the Hall of Fame as a group, but Griffin was not included. The inducted members of the Miracles were Warren "Pete" Moore, Claudette Rogers Robinson, Bobby Rogers, Marvin Tarplin, and Ronald White.[8][9]
Solo discography
Albums
- 1982: Be With Me
- 1983: Respect
- 1985: Systematic
- 1992: Technicolour
- 2006: Like Water
Singles
- 1982: "Hold Me Tighter in the Rain"
- 1983: "Serious"
- 1986: "Believe It or Not"
- 1989: "First in Line"
- 1991: "Technicolour"
- 1992: "True Confessions"
- 2006: "Like Water"
- 2007: "All The Way To Love"
References
- 1.0 1.1 Whitburn, Joel. Top R&B Singles 1942-1999. Record Research Incorporated, 2000, p.176
- 2.0 2.1 Laura Vecsey (2005-02-06). Love Machine Pete Moore | He's just a `Love Machine,' and a big Orioles fan, too - Baltimore Sun. Articles.baltimoresun.com. Retrieved on 2012-12-26.
- Gblev.com
- The Miracles: In the '60s, we loved and lost to this Motown legend's smooth songs (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2012). cleveland.com. Retrieved on 2012-12-26.
- 5.0 5.1 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums, 19th, London: Guinness World Records Limited.
- Griffin/Moore(Jobete Music Co. Inc/Grimora Publishing) Discover music, concerts, stats, & pictures at. Last.fm (2012-07-04). Retrieved on 2012-12-26.
- Media.photobucket.com
- John Soeder, The Plain Dealer. Crickets, Famous Flames, Comets, Miracles, Midnighters and Blue Caps added to Rock Hall induction ceremony. cleveland.com. Retrieved on 2012-05-21.
- The Miracles: inducted in 2012 | The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Rockhall.com. Retrieved on 2012-05-21.
External links
The Miracles | |
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Group members (past and present) |
Bobby Rogers · Mark Scott · Claudette Robinson · Dave Finley · Tee Turner Smokey Robinson · Ronnie White · Pete Moore · Marv Tarplin · Billy Griffin · Donald Griffin · Carl Cotton · Sidney Justin · Alphonse Franklin Pre-Miracles: Emerson "Sonny" Rogers · James Grice · Clarence Dawson |
Production | Berry Gordy · Smokey Robinson ·Pete Moore |
Studio albums | Hi... We're The Miracles (1961) · Cookin' with The Miracles (1961) · I'll Try Something New (1962) · The Fabulous Miracles (1963) · The Miracles Doin' Mickey's Monkey (1963) · I Like It Like That (1964) · Going To A Go-Go (1965) · Away We A Go-Go (1966) · Make It Happen/The Tears Of A Clown (1967) · Special Occasion (1968) · Time Out For Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (1969) · Four in Blue (1969) ·What Love Has Joined Together (1970) ·A Pocket Full Of Miracles (1970) ·One Dozen Roses (1971) · Flying High Together (1972) ·Renaissance (1973) · Do It Baby (1974) · Don't Cha Love It (1975) · City of Angels (1975) · The Power of Music (1976) · Love Crazy (1977) · The Miracles (1978) |
Live albums | The Miracles Recorded Live on Stage (1963) · Smokey Robinson & The Miracles LIVE! (1969) · Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: 1957-1972 (1972) |
Other albums | Christmas with The Miracles (1963) · The Season for Miracles (1970) |
Compilations | Greatest Hits from the Beginning (1965) · Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (1968) · Anthology (1974) ·Greatest Hits (1977) · Anthology '86 (1986) · The Thirty-Fifth Anniversary Collection (1994) · Anthology: The Best of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (1995) · The Ultimate Collection (1998) · Ooo Baby Baby: The Anthology (2002) · Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: Gold (2006) · Depend On Me: The Early Albums (2009) |
Singles (US/UK Top Twenty singles) |
"Shop Around" · "You've Really Got a Hold on Me"/"(Have a) Happy Landing" · "Mickey's Monkey" ·"Ooo Baby Baby" · "The Tracks of My Tears" ·"My Girl Has Gone" ·"Going to a Go-Go" · "(Come 'Round Here) I'm The One You Need" ·"The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage" · "I Second That Emotion" · "If You Can Want" · "Baby, Baby Don't Cry" · "The Tears of a Clown" · "I Don't Blame You At All" ·"Do It Baby" · "Love Machine - Pt. I" |
Videography | The Definitive Performances (1963-1987) (2006) |
Discography | Albums · Songs |
Related topics | Berry Gordy |
See also | Motown Records |
Book:The Miracles |
The Miracles singles discography | |
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1950s | "Got a Job" (1958) · "Your Love (Is All I Need)" (1958) · "I Cry" (1958) · "I Need a Change" (1959) · "It" (1959) · " Bad Girl" (1959) · "The Feeling Is So Fine" (1959) / " (You Can) Depend on Me" (1959) |
1960s | "Way Over There" (1960) · "Shop Around" (1960) / Who's Lovin' You" (1960) · "Ain't It Baby" (1961) · "Mighty Good Lovin'" (1961) / Broken Hearted" (1961) · "Everybody's Gotta Pay Some Dues" (1961) · "What's So Good About Goodbye" (1961) / " I've Been Good To You" (1961) · "I'll Try Something New" (1962) · "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" (1962) / "Happy Landing" (1962) · "A Love She Can Count On" (1963) / "I Can Take a Hint" (1963) · " Mickey's Monkey" (1963) · " I Gotta Dance to Keep From Crying" (1963) · "The Christmas Song" (1963) · "(You Can't Let the Boy Overpower) The Man in You" (1964) · "I Like It Like That" (1964) · "That's What Love Is Made Of" (1964) · "Come On Do The Jerk" (1964) · "Ooo Baby Baby" (1965) · "The Tracks of My Tears" (1965) / "A Fork in the Road" (1965) · "My Girl Has Gone" (1965) · "Going to a Go-Go" (1965) / "Choosey Beggar" (1965) · "Whole Lot of Shakin' in My Heart (Since I Met You)" (1966) · "(Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need" (1966) · "The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage" (1967) · "More Love" (1967) · " I Second That Emotion" (1967) · If You Can Want" (1968) · "Yester Love" (1968) · "Special Occasion" (1968) · "Baby, Baby Don't Cry" (1969) · "Here I Go Again" (1969) / "Doggone Right" (1969) · "Abraham, Martin & John" (1969) · "Point It Out" (1969) / "Darling Dear" (1969) |
1970s | "Who's Gonna Take the Blame" (1970) · "The Tears of a Clown" (1970) · "I Don't Blame You At All" (1970) · "Crazy About the La La" (1971) · "Satisfaction" (1971) · "We've Come Too Far to End It Now" (1972) · "I Can't Stand to See You Cry" (1972) · "Don't Let It End ('Til You Let It Begin)" (1973) · "Give Me Just Another Day" (1973) · "Do It Baby" (1974) · "Don't Cha Love It" (1974) · "Gemini" (1975) · "Love Machine" (1975) · "Night Life" (1976) · "Spy for Brotherhood" (1977) · "I Can Touch the Sky" (1977) · "Mean Machine" (1978) |
Book:The Miracles |
This article uses material from the article Billy Griffin from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.