As an original member of The Miracles, the first act to sign with Berry Gordy’s Tamla/Motown Records, Claudette Robinson was also the iconic label’s very first female artist. In 1960, The Miracles’ “Shop Around” became Tamla/Motown’s first million-seller, prompting Mr. Gordy to bestow a special official title on Claudette: “The First Lady of Motown.”
Born Claudette Annette Rogers in New Orleans, Louisiana, she was bright and adventurous. At a very young age she embraced her grandmother’s Christian values and service to her church when she sang in the choir.
Claudette’s family relocated to Detroit, Michigan where she excelled academically with honors and graduated from Commerce High School at the young age of 15. At age 16, she attended Wayne State University through her sophomore year of college, before joining the United States Marine Corps Reserves, where she was a member of the Rifle Team with accomplished sharpshooter status.
Claudette always had a love for music, and in her free time, she sang with several female groups and performed in local talent shows in the Detroit area. While her brother Emerson “Sonny” Rogers was away serving in the Army, his Matadors groupmate was William “Smokey” Robinson. Claudette was a member of their sister group, the Matadorettes. As fate would have it, they met Motown founder Berry Gordy in 1957. A friendship and partnership was created that has thrived for more than 60 years.
Claudette and her groupmates William “Smokey” Robinson, Warren “Pete” Moore, Ronald “Ronnie” White, and Robert “Bobby” Rogers became The Miracles. Their first Tamla single, “Got A Job,” was released on February 19, 1958.
During The Miracles’ six-decade career, the group has sold more than 60 million records to date. Four Miracles hits -- “The Tracks of My Tears,” “Ooo Baby Baby,” “Shop Around,” and “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me”-- have been selected by the National Recording Preservation Board for the United States Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry, which honors and preserves culturally, historically and aesthetically significant American recordings. These same four Miracles songs have also been inducted into the GRAMMY® Hall of Fame, honoring recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance.
In 2009, commemorating The Miracles’ golden anniversary in the entertainment industry, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce honored the group with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As Motown founder Berry Gordy stood at the dedication ceremony podium, he said, “Without The Miracles, there would be no Motown.”
In 2012, The Miracles were retroactively inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by their lead singer, Smokey Robinson. In 2017, The City Council of Los Angeles awarded a Resolution to Ms. Claudette Robinson (officially crowned) "The First Lady of Motown" for her varied accomplishments in the recording industry and her continuing philanthropic efforts.
In 2017, Claudette shared pieces from her private collection to present the GRAMMY Museum’s yearlong Miracles exhibit in Los Angeles, California. Some of The Miracles’ other prestigious awards and honors include the Vocal Group Hall of Fame; their #32 ranking in Rolling Stone’s definitive music icons list, “The Immortals;” their place in Billboard’s “100 Greatest Artists of All Time;” and Claudette’s personal honor of receiving a “Key to the City” of Detroit.
In 2019, commemorating Motown’s 60th Anniversary celebration, Claudette will debut her first children’s book entitled: CLAUDETTE’S MIRACULOUS MOTOWN ADVENTURE. The story is a wonderful journey of her adventures as a little girl in the magical kingdom of Motown. Claudette’s goal is to inspire and educate children of their music history of the past, so that it will be retained and passed on to future generations.
Claudette has enjoyed the wonders of motherhood as a mother of two, (Berry and Tamla), and grandmother of three, (Lyric, Thomas, and Alexis).
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