Today’s classic song that was a hit for multiple artists of the day is that smooth soul classic, “Ooo Baby Baby.” It was first a hit for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles then, about a dozen years later, for singer Linda Ronstadt.
Smokey Robinson and fellow Miracle Pete Moore wrote “Ooo Baby Baby” back in 1965. The Miracles recorded it and released their version in March of 1965, on Motown’s Tamla label. Mr. Moore did the vocal arrangement and the Funk Brothers provided the instrumental backing. This single, produced by Mr. Robinson, hit #16 on the Billboard Hot 100, #18 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #4 on Billboard’s R&B chart.
Fast forward a dozen or so years and Linda Ronstadt recorded an extremely faithful cover of “Ooo Baby Baby” for her Living in the USA album. To accompany her, she employed studio aces like Don Grolnick on piano, Dan Dugmore and Waddy Wachtel on electric guitars, Kenny Edwards on bass, Russ Kunkel on drums, and David Sanborn on alto sax. Peter Asher produced. Released as a single in October of 1978, Mr. Ronstadt’s version of “Ooo Baby Baby” hit #7 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 and #2 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.
This is one of those instances where I really, really like both versions of a song. Smokey’s original is classic and his smooth vocals fit the song perfectly, but then again, it’s a perfect fit for Linda’s voice, as well. Which version is your favorite?
If you can’t choose, either, watch today’s daily bonus video of the day. This one features Smokey Robinson and Linda Ronstadt duetting on “Ooo Baby Baby” and “Tracks of My Tears” live on the Motown 25 special 1983. Their voices are perfect together—they should have sung together more often!
