Sydney Justin will never forget the first time he played in Motown with the Miracles. The man who replaced Smokey Robinson was greeted with a chorus of boos.
“It was in Detroit’s Fox Theater,” said Justin, who appears with the Miracles on Wednesday, May 31, at 5 and 8 p.m. in The Sharon. “Smokey started the Miracles and is a music icon.”
Especially in Detroit, Smokey’s hometown and the place where he and Berry Gordy built Motown Records into a legendary musical powerhouse.
“I had been with the Miracles for about six shows when we came to Detroit,” said Justin, a former National Football League defensive back who played in the 1980 Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams.
The Detroit show started with individual introductions for each of the Miracles. The crowd was stomping and cheering for each member. Then Justin was introduced as the lead singer.
“I came out and they started booing,” Justin said. “I’m thinking, ‘Oh my God, what are they doing?’ Then my adrenalin kicked in. It was just like being in football game; you have to perform no matter what the crowd is doing. I knew I had to start singing.”
Justin, slick and handsome and blessed with a silky, smooth, soulful voice, started singing a Miracles’ standard: “More Love.”
Suddenly, the boos quieted. Justin’s vocal skill and dynamic stage presence captured the crowd. When the song ended, the once-antagonistic Detroit gathering gave him a standing ovation.
“That was one of the best moments of my career,” said Justin, who has been with the Miracles for 22 years. “I felt they were booing as a way of showing love for Smokey. I understand that, and I’m not trying to be Smokey or say I can sing as good as Smokey.
“But when they gave me a standing ovation, I felt they accepted me as one of the Miracles. I never feel any fear or apprehension about singing Smokey’s songs. I feel what I’m doing is an extension of what he brought to the music world.”
Sydney Justin teams with the current Miracles: his brother Kerry Justin, Cordell Conway, and Eric Swindell. Sydney is used to meeting challenges. He grew up on the mean streets of South-Central Los Angeles. “There were a lot of gangs,” he said. “On one side of the street were the Crips. On the other side were the Bloods. We were right in the middle.”
Justin and his brother Kerry – who played 9 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks — found refuge in music and sports.
“I’m here and doing what I’m doing by the grace of God,” said Sydney Justin, a deeply religious man. “If it wasn’t for God watching over me, I don’t know where I’d be. My life was an inch away from disaster at every turn.”
He sang in local groups but failed to make his high school football team. Somehow, Justin was able to play college football at Long Beach State University. He signed with the Rams and lasted four seasons in the NFL, until a neck injury ended his career.
Justin then joined the singing group Shalamar. He also wrote and produced records. He worked with such artists as Bobby Brown, the Gap Band and Earth, Wind and Fire.
Then, one day, the Miracles called. Smokey Robinson is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, who started with the group in the late 1950s. The Miracles were also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a group.
Smokey was childhood friends with the original Miracles, Bobby Rogers, Ronnie White, Pete Moore and Smokey’s ex-wife Claudette Robinson. Marv Tarplin later joined the group.
The Miracles became one of the most popular acts in pop music history with such hits as: “Ooo Baby Baby,” “The Tracks of My Tears,” “More Love,” “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me,” “Going to a Go Go,” “Mickey’s Monkey,” “I Second That Emotion,” “Baby Baby Don’t Cry” and “The Tears of a Clown.”
Smokey left the group in the early 1970s but the group kept performing with an ever-changing line-up.
Justin has a deep appreciation for the Miracles’ legacy.
“Smokey had a way of writing a lyric and melody that just made the music flow,” he said. “Smokey’s a phenomenal songwriter. He has a way of bringing out emotions about love and relationships and expressing them in a way that touches people.
“When I’m on stage, I look out in the audience when I’m singing those songs. I see people in their 20s and people in their 70s; age doesn’t matter. These songs are about falling in love and everyone can understand and feel what that means. These songs are part of our history and I love sharing them with an audience.”
Justin is known for his romantic treatment of love songs. “I enjoy the love songs and making the ladies happy,” he said with a laugh. “There is a feeling of intimacy, and that makes it special. I do the rock numbers for the guys.”
Justin pays his props to Smokey Robinson, but also insists the Miracles deserve recognition. “People forget about the original Miracles and how much the group meant to the music. Smokey deserves so much credit, but so do they. I’m proud to carry on that legacy and be an extension of the Miracles.”
