The Miracles only hit #1 once during the entire time Smokey Robinson led the group. That was in 1970, when “The Tears Of A Clown,” which they’d recorded four years earlier, finally made its ascent.

When he died in 1993, Lawrence Welk was the second-richest entertainer in America. In order to acquire his wealth, Welk spent many years barely making a living while striving to become an appreciated ...