Biography Wikipedia
Wikipedia:
Billy Griffin (born in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known for replacing Smokey Robinson as lead singer of The Miracles in 1972.
Biography
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 album, City of Angels. During his tenure with the group, they recorded three hits: the #13 Billboard Hot 100 single "Do It Baby" in 1973, and the Miracles' most successful single, the number-one hit "Love Machine", in 1975. Griffin also sung lead on "Don't Cha Love It", a Top 10 R&B number 1 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". The following year, Respect yielded the club hit, "Serious" which peaked at #64 in the UK chart. 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 much featured writer and backing vocals arranger for several of the other artists, but despite recording a large number of tracks himself, his album Technicolour (the single by the same name being a tribute to Marvin Gaye) never saw the light of day before the label collapsed in 1992. Most of his Motorcity recordings, however, were released on the 1996 compilation Best Of Billy Griffin.
In the meantime, 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 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame controversy
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, Griffin, and the other members of The Miracles, Bobby Rogers, Ronnie White, Pete Moore, Marv Tarplin, and Claudette Robinson, were not. The Miracles met the qualifications, as did Robinson, but they have not to date been inducted. Controversy of the nomination process and rules for induction remains. The conflict was resolved when the Miracles were announced to be inducted in 2012. However, due to Griffin's strained relationship with Smokey Robinson, Berry Gordy and legal wars with Motown Records (due to non-payment of royalties), he was not included in the induction.
Griffin was, however, honored with the other Miracles, when the group received a Star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame on March 20, 2009.
In early February, 2012, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced that a special committee was created to examine which six previously snubbed backing groups are worthy of induction. On April 14, 2012, The Miracles were finally inducted into the Hall, alongside The Crickets (Buddy Holly), The Comets (Bill Haley), The Famous Flames (James Brown), The Midnighters (Hank Ballard), and The Blue Caps (Gene Vincent). The inducted members of the Miracles were Warren "Pete" Moore, Claudette Rogers Robinson, Bobby Rogers, Marvin Tarplin, and Ronald White.
