Smokey Robinson & The Miracles The Ultimate Collection

Smokey Robinson And The Miracles includes: William "Smokey" Robinson, Warren "Pete" Moore, Ronnie White, Bobby Rogers, Claudette Robinson (vocals).

The Hitsville Studio "Funk Brothers" Band includes: Robert White, Eddie Willis, Joe Messina, Marv Tarplin, Dennis Coffey, Melvin "Wah-Wah" Ragin (guitar); Danya Hartwick (flute, piccolo); Lanny Austin, Teddy Buckner, Hank Crosby, Lefty Edwards, Eli Fontaine, Kasuka Mafia, Larry Nozero (saxophone); Billy Horner, Floyd Jones (trumpet); George Bohanon, Bob Cousar, Carl Raetz, Paul Riser, Don White, Jimmy Wilkins (trombone); Joe Hunter, Johnny Griffith (keyboards); Joe Williams, Clarence Isabell (bass); Benny Benjamin, Uriel Jones, Andrew Smith (drums); Jack Ashford, Eddie "Bongo" Brown (percussion).

Producers include: Smokey Robinson, Warren Moore, Al Cleveland, Berry Gordy, Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier.

Compilation producer: Harry Weinger.

Includes liner notes by Stu Hackel.

Digitally remastered by Kevin Reeves.

Personnel: Dennis Coffey, Eddie Willis, Robert White , Marvin Tarplin, Melvin Ragin , Joe Messina (guitar); Detroit Symphony Orchestra (strings); Danya Hartwick (flute, piccolo); Danny Turner , Andrew "Mike" Terry, Angelo Carlisi, Eugene BeeBee Moore, Lanny Austin, Ernie Rodgers, Lefty Edwards, Bernie Peacock, Eli Fontaine, Henry Cosby, Eugene Rodgers, Kasuku Mafia, Thomas "Beans" Bowles, Larry Nozero (saxophone); Ted Buckner (alto saxophone); Floyd Jones , Eddie Jones , Russell Conway, Billy Horner, John Wilson , Johnny Trudell, Don Slaughter, Herbie Williams, Maurice Davis , Marcus Belgrave (trumpet); George Bohannon, Bill Johnson , Patrick Lanier, Jimmy Wilkins, Don White , Bob Cousar, Paul Riser, Carl Raetz (trombone); Earl Van Dyke, Ivy Jo Hunter , Richard Wylie, Johnny Griffith (keyboards); Jack Ashford (vibraphone, percussion); Jack Brokensha (vibraphone); Andrew Smith , Benny Benjamin, Richard "Pistol" Allen, Uriel Jones (drums); Eddie "Bongo" Brown (percussion).

Liner Note Author: Stu Hackel.

Unknown Contributor Roles: John Esposito; Paul Foley; Dana Smart; David Harley; David Ritz; Pat Warner; Fred Hammond; George Jackson; Karen Kwak; Bill Baran; Catherine Ladis; Michael Wilding; Adam White; Jerry Rappaport; Kevin Reeves; Alan Warner; Bas Hartong; Bill Levenson.

Arrangers: Hidle Brown Barnum; Paul Riser; David Van De Pitte.

Smokey Robinson's compositions blended pop and R&B conventions, infusing the combination with a highly literate lyrical sensibility that set his songs apart from the pack. With his group the Miracles, Detroit native Robinson got in on the ground floor of the Motown explosion, as his songs and his voice--a smooth, liquid marvel of soul--resonated not only with label head Berry Gordy, but with legions of '60s teens. Throughout the '60s, Robinson and the Miracles produced countless pop-soul hits, both effervescent ("Going to a Go-Go") and mournful ("The Tracks of my Tears"). Robinson's flexible, almost Cole Porter-ish way with a lyric made him an in-demand songwriter for many of his contemporaries, like Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye and the Marvelettes.

After splitting from the Miracles in 1972, Robinson began a solo career, exploring the more introspective, balladic side of his music. His 1975 album QUIET STORM set the bar for virtually every smooth, romantic R&B singer of the next two decades, virtually defining the style. After a fallow period, he made a comeback in the early '80s, with commercial-but-irresistible hits like "Cruisin'" and "Being With You."