These days, Smokey Robinson might be better recognized by the uninformed as the spokesman for his SFGL Foods' Smokey Robinson's 'The Soul Is In the Bowl' Gumbo, but music fans know him as a masterful songwriter, performer and owner of one of the silkiest R&B voices ever heard on record. Praised by both John Lennon and Bob Dylan, Smokey and the Miracles brought the goods. And while Lennon and the Beatles performed a sweet cover of this tune, the lads from Liverpool couldn't top Smokey's delivery. —MIchael Louis Alb

Bridging the gap between girl-group pop and hard-driving R&B, the Supremes were a class act that consistently placed at the top of the charts. And with songs like this, it's not hard to see why. Of course, the choreography the accompanied the songs was equally entertaining, as this clip illustrates. —Michael Louis Albo

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell had a string of hits performing as a duo, but the partnership was short. It came to a tragic end when Terrell collapsed on stage and was later diagnosed with a brain tumor. She died not long after at the age of 24. Her death so affected Gaye that it caused him to take a four-year hiatus. But, while they were together, the pair cut some classics, as this song by Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson ably shows. —Michael Louis Albo

Long since overshadowed by the freakish creature that Michael Jackson became, the bubblegum soul of the Jackson 5 was a fresh blast when it hit Top 40 radio in the early '70s. Here we see the group in a television performance that also includes Bill Cosby and Tommy Smothers. You'll note that Michael, when he was young, actually resembled a human being and that brother Jermaine didn't have painted-on hair. Sometimes, growing up can be hard. —Michael Louis Albo