But Mr. Smith, he added, “was the original sound throughout the entire career of the Spinners.”Robert Steel Smith was born on April 10, 1936, in Abbeyville, Ga., and later moved with his family to Detroit.In the mid-1950s he and his friends Henry Fambrough, Pervis Jackson, Billy Henderson and C. P. Spencer began singing together as the Domingoes. Frustrated with frequent misspellings, group members soon sought a new name, and it was the suggestion of Smith, a lifelong car buff, that won the day: "Spinners" was a nickname for high-end hubcaps.Smith, whose first name was periodically spelled Bobbie, was lead voice on the group's first hit, 1961's Smith and the Spinners enjoyed only minimal success during their Motown tenure, but broke big after signing with Atlantic Records in 1971 at the suggestion of Aretha Franklin. Their first Zager collaboration, the disappointing The group continued recording into the 90s with less success, largely due to uneven material, and became fixtures on the oldies circuit. The elder Mr. Smith had been receiving treatment for lung cancer.Bobbie Smith was with the Spinners from their early days as a doo-wop group in Detroit to recent years on the oldies circuit. DETROIT — Bobby Smith, longtime lead singer of The Spinners, died Saturday in Orlando of complications from pneumonia and the flu, his family said. Watch Queue Queue He was also the group's original lead singer, and was the voice on the Spinners' first hit, "That's What Girls Are Made For" and shared the lead with Philippe Wynne - and later, John Edwards - on the group's biggest hits in the 1970s, including "I'll Be Around," "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love" and "Games People Play. Official VIBBIDI page for Bobby Smith & The Spinners - Browse every single Songs, Tracklists, Music Videos, Remixes, Fan Covers, Live Performances, Tours, Playlists, Lyrics, Narrative Stories, News & … And Smith was an immensely underrated singer whose performances - particularly during the Spinners' heyday - were memorable. The Spinners/Bell train continued to roll for another seven albums, resulting in such classic songs as "Mighty Love," "Games People Play," "Sadie," "Then Came You" (with Dionne Warwick), and "I'm Coming Home."
Bobby Smith (pictured), co-founder and, for the most part, the lead singer of the iconic R&B group, The Spinners, has passed away at age 76, reports Soul Tracks. Official VIBBIDI page for Bobby Smith & The Spinners - Browse every single Songs, Tracklists, Music Videos, Remixes, Fan Covers, Live Performances, Tours, Playlists, Lyrics, Narrative Stories, News & … The song, which is about a man who complains about a lover's "messin' around" on him, became a huge hit for the group, reaching number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the R&B singles chart, making it their biggest hit to date. This time the LEAD SINGER of THE SPINNERS !!! But established groups like the Temptations and the Four Tops got more attention from the company, and the Spinners had only one Top 20 hit during their tenure: They became consistent hitmakers only after they left Motown for Atlantic, where Mr. Bell became their producer and Mr. Wynne replaced Mr. Cameron as the second lead vocalist.The Spinners, in various permutations, stayed together after the hits stopped coming in the 1980s, and despite his health problems Mr. Smith remained with them until the end; he last performed with them a month ago, Ron Smith said.
But they were in a stable full of prize winning horses, and getting the attention of the Motown brass was next to impossible. Without that attention, success appeared equally impossible. "The Spinners thought they had hit their first break when they were signed by Motown in the mid-60s, but they toiled in virtual obscurity for years as one of Motown's "forgotten" groups. The Spinners tried to keep their momentum going all the way through to the 90s but soon were bumped off the charts and relegated to performing in oldies circuits.The new millennium brought illness and death to several of the group members.20 Tweets Dragging Roseanne Barr To A White Privilege Hell Smith began leading the group in 1961 and his principal vocals were on the group’s 1961 hit single, “That’s What Girls Are Made For.”Smith’s melodic voice could always be singled out on such 70s hits as “I’ll Be Around,” “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” and “They Just Can’t Stop The (Games People Play).” Even though Smith took the vocal helm, singing lead on most of the group’s chart-busting hits, another member who joined later down the line, Wynne had a heart attack while performing at a Vegas nightclub and died a few hours later at age 44.Throughout the years, as lead vocalists came and went, Smith’s vocals were the quintet’s mainstay. Henderson died in 2007 and Jackson in 2008, leaving Smith and Fambrough with three newer members.While the flamboyant Wynne was largely viewed as the "face" of the Spinners, Smith and Fambrough were the rocks of the group, leading the act through good times and difficult times for nearly 60 years. Bobbie Smith, whose mellifluous vocals helped make the Spinners one of the leading soul acts of the 1970s, died on Saturday in Orlando, Fla.
Smith …