Billy Griffin replaced Smokey Robinson as the lead singer of The Miracles in 1972.
12 Facts About Billy Griffin
1.
2.
Billy Griffin attended Garrison Junior High School and Forest Park High School.
3.
Billy Griffin idolized Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson, while Harris idolized Temptation Eddie Kendricks.
4.
Billy 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.
5.
In 1982, Billy Griffin released his first solo album, Be with Me, which yielded the UK Singles Chart top 20 hit "Hold Me Tighter in the Rain".
6.
In 1989, Billy 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".
7.
Billy Griffin became a writer and backing vocals arranger for several of the other artists, and recorded a large number of tracks himself, but his album Technicolour was never released and the label collapsed in 1992.
8.
Levine and Billy Griffin 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" and "I Found Heaven".
9.
Billy 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.
10.
In 2006, Billy Griffin released his latest solo album, Like Water.
11.
Billy Griffin was honored with the other Miracles when the group received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 20,2009.
12.
In 2012, the Miracles were inducted into the Hall of Fame as a group, but Billy Griffin was not included.