R.I.P.: Bobby Smith of The Spinners Was 76

Bobby Smith

Bobby Smith, longtime lead singer of Detroit group the Spinners, died Saturday in Orlando of complications from pneumonia and the flu, his family said.

He was 76.  Smith had been diagnosed with lung cancer in November, according to the Detroit FreePress.

Funeral is expected to take place next Monday in Detroit, said the group’s Jessie Peck.

The Ferndale High School graduate had joined the group in 1956, when it was known 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 “That’s What Girls Are Made For,” produced with Harvey Fuqua — a link that led the group to Motown Records two years later.

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. A stream of hits followed with Smith’s prominent vocals: “I’ll Be Around,” “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love,” “One of a Kind (Love Affair),” “Then Came You,” “Games People Play.”

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