Warren ‘Pete’ Moore
Singer, arranger, songwriter and co-founder of the Miracles
WARREN “PETE” MOORE, who has died on his 78th birthday, was a founder member of the Miracles, the 1960s Motown soul group which, led by Smokey Robinson, helped furnish the soundtrack to the era with hits such as The Tracks of My Tears.
He was born Warren Thomas Moore on November 19 1938 in Detroit, the son of a sculptor, Odell, and a teacher, Oreatha. Moore and Robinson met at school and, with Ronnie White, formed in 1955 a group influenced by doo-wop. They sang bass, lead and baritone, with Robinson already developing his distinctive falsetto.
After changes of name and personnel, they auditioned for Jackie Wilson’s manager, who turned them down as being too similar to the Platters. But their performance had also been seen by the writer of many of Wilson’s songs, Berry Gordy. He agreed to produce some tracks for them and when the first sold well but only made him $3, Robinson suggested that Gordy set up his own label.
The Miracles, as they had become with the addition of Marv Taplin, Bobby Rogers and Robinson’s wife Claudette, became the first group to sign to Tamla Motown. In 1960 Shop Around, their million-selling breakthrough, gave the company credibility. Other black singers soon flocked to the label as a standard bearer for their aspirations, paving the way for farreaching changes both in culture and society.
Moore was drafted into the US Army in the early 1960s, while the group continued to have hits such as You Really Got Me Going. On his return, he helped them to reach new heights on songs such as I Second That Emotion. The Miracles enjoyed more than 50 hits, including seven in the US Top Ten. As well as being integral to their signature harmonies, Moore was the band’s vocal arranger.
He also contributed lyrics to songs for them, such as in 1965 Going to A Go-go and The Tracks of My Tears, the latter being regularly voted one of the most significant tunes in the history of pop.
Moore penned songs for other Motown stars, including I’ll Be Doggone for Marvin Gaye, and with Ronnie White helped foster the talent of the young Stevie Wonder. That the Miracles wrote their own songs was a major influence on the decision of the Beatles to do likewise, while their slick stage choreography, which often closed the touring Motortown Revue, set new standards of spectacle.
The Tears of a Clown gave the group a No 1 in both the US and Britain in 1970, but by then Robinson was eager to change tack. With Claudette having retired from live shows following multiple miscarriages, he wanted to spend more time with her and on his role as vice-president of Tamla.
After a sell-out retirement tour in 1972, he was replaced by Billy Griffin. Adapting to the times, the group’s sound became funkier, and in 1975 Moore co-wrote what would prove to be their biggest smash, the disco anthem Love Machine.
Soon after, however, the Miracles began to wrangle about a new contract with Tamla and Griffin decided to resume his solo career. Although the hits dried up, Moore continued to perform live with the band until 1986, when he settled in Las Vegas to concentrate on entertainment ventures of his own as well as his music publishing company. With various changes of line-up, some of the other Miracles went on touring under that name until six years ago.
In 1987, Robinson alone was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Moore described the decision not to include the group’s other members as a “slap in the face”. A campaign was mounted to rectify the omission, and in 2012 Moore, as well as the others (two posthumously), were belatedly honoured. Additional marks of recognition have included a street in Detroit being named Miracles Boulevard.
Pete Moore is survived by his wife Tina and by their two daughters.
Warren “Pete” Moore, born November 19 1939, died November 19 2017