This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, an American vocal group that helped define the Motown sound of the 1960s and was led by one of the most gifted and influential singer-songwriters in 20th-century popular music. Whether writing for fellow artists Mary Wells, the Temptations, or Marvin Gaye or performing with the Miracles, singer-lyricist-arranger-producer Robinson created songs that were supremely balanced between the joy and pain of love. At once playful and passionate, Robinson's graceful lyrics led Bob Dylan to call him "America's greatest living poet.".