The Originals were a successful Motown R&B and soul group during the 1960s and 1970s.

The group found modest success in the first half of the decade, often working as backup singers for recordings by artists such as Jimmy Ruffin ("What Becomes of the Broken Hearted", 1966) and David Ruffin ("My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)", 1969). The Originals found their biggest success under the guidance of Motown legend Marvin Gaye, who co‑wrote and produced two of the group's biggest singles, «Baby I'm For Real», and «The Bells». Both songs became seminal soul music recordings, and both songs have since been covered: 1990s R&B group After 7 re‑recorded «Baby I'm For Real» and made it a hit again in 1992, while another 1990s R&B group Color Me Badd re‑recorded «The Bells» for one of their albums.

While the group went on to have more modest success in both the soul and disco fields near the end of the decade, including «Down To Love Town,» a #1 dance chart hit, the songs they made with Marvin Gaye are their most memorable notable.