Berry Gordy may have founded Motown Records, but no can argue that William "Smokey" Robinson was the one who pushed America's most famous soul label to greatness.

He is also one of the most iconic singers of American soul music and his songs helped define soul with his lush, romantic soul ballads gave Quiet Strom its name. Even Bob Dylan went so far as to call Robinson "America's greatest living poet."

Apart from being the frontman for The Miracles, Smokey was also a producer, songwriter and Berry Gordy's right-hand man at Motown for three decades. Gordy once said that Smokey reminded him of himself.

Back in the early 60s, everything at Motown was a family affair and Smokey was one of the first artists sighed to the label in 1959. The Supremes ended up auditioning at Motown because Diana Ross was Robinson's neighbor.

Smokey Robinson & the Miracles racked up 37 soul hits between 1960 and 1971, such as "You've Really Got A Hold on Me," "Mickey's Mouse," and "I Second That Emotion." The group's finest moments were on record as "Ooh Baby Baby," and "I Second That Emotion" still bring memories back from the 60s.

Smokey's lyrics combined sincerity and eloquence, often speaking about love with unique messages. As a singer, Robinson could evoke joy or sadness with his high tenor.

Legend has it that whenever The Miracles sang "Track of My Tears," the audience would break into tears and even the hard-to please Berry Gordy called the song a masterpiece. It led to another tear-jerking classic called “Tears of a Clown," which gave the Miracles their First Number one soul hit in 1971.

Many people don't know that Smokey also wrote songs like “I’ll Be Doggone” for Marvin Gaye, “The Way You Do The Things You Do” for The Temptations, “My Guy” for Mary Wells and “Don’t Mess With Bill” for The Marvelettes.

Lastly, Smokey's influence on rock n' roll has been high as singers from The Commodores and The Jackson 5 to The Bee Gees and Hall & Oates have drawn from Robinson's tenor voice and his songwriting.

Thank you, Smokey for all you've done!

Posted by Andrew on Thursday, 08/15/2013 @ 19:33pm

"Smokey Robinson & the Miracles racked up 37 soul hits between 1960 and 1971, such as "You've Really Got A Hold on Me," "Mickey's Mouse," and "I Second That Emotion." The group's finest moments were on record as "Ooh Baby Baby," and "I Second That Emotion" still bring memories back from the 60s."

Dude.

"Mickey's Mouse ?"

I've heard of a Miracles song called "Mickey's Monkey".

But .Berry would'a got SUED by Walt Disney....if he used the title YOU stated....

Posted by Bill G. on Friday, 08/16/2013 @ 02:47am

Berry Gordy may have founded Motown Records, but no can argue that William "Smokey" Robinson was the one who pushed America's most famous soul label to greatness.

He is also one of the most iconic singers of American soul music and his songs helped define soul with his lush, romantic soul ballads gave Quiet Strom its name. Even Bob Dylan went so far as to call Robinson "America's greatest living poet."

Apart from being the frontman for The Miracles, Smokey was also a producer, songwriter and Berry Gordy's right-hand man at Motown for three decades. Gordy once said that Smokey reminded him of himself.

Back in the early 60s, everything at Motown was a family affair and Smokey was one of the first artists sighed to the label in 1959. The Supremes ended up auditioning at Motown because Diana Ross was Robinson's neighbor.

Smokey Robinson & the Miracles racked up 37 soul hits between 1960 and 1971, such as "You've Really Got A Hold on Me," "Mickey's Monkey," and "I Second That Emotion." The group's finest moments were on record as "Ooh Baby Baby," and "I Second That Emotion" still bring memories back from the 60s.

Smokey's lyrics combined sincerity and eloquence, often speaking about love with unique messages. As a singer, Robinson could evoke joy or sadness with his high tenor.

Legend has it that whenever The Miracles sang "Track of My Tears," the audience would break into tears and even the hard-to please Berry Gordy called the song a masterpiece. It led to another tear-jerking classic called “Tears of a Clown," which gave the Miracles their First Number one soul hit in 1971.

Many people don't know that Smokey also wrote songs like “I’ll Be Doggone” for Marvin Gaye, “The Way You Do The Things You Do” for The Temptations, “My Guy” for Mary Wells and “Don’t Mess With Bill” for The Marvelettes.

Lastly, Smokey's influence on rock n' roll has been high as singers from The Commodores and The Jackson 5 to The Bee Gees and Hall & Oates have drawn from Robinson's tenor voice and his songwriting.

Thank you, Smokey for all you've done!

Sorry about that, Bill G. It was an accident that I fixed, so don't worry about it.

Posted by Andrew on Friday, 08/16/2013 @ 19:32pm

"Sorry about that, Bill G. It was an accident that I fixed, so don't worry about it."

Okie Doke !!

Posted by Bill G. on Saturday, 08/17/2013 @ 11:45am

While Berry Gordy may have founded Motown Records, no single person has been more closely allied with the Detroit record empire than William "Smokey" Robinson as the one who first pushed the most iconic soul label in America to greatness. Robinson is one of the most iconic singers in American R&B as his songs helped define pop-oriented soul and his lush, romantic ballads literally gave Quiet Storm its name. Even Bob Dylan has called Robinson "America's greatest living poet."

Along with fronting The Miracles, Robinson was a valuable behind the scenes person who wrote songs, produced records, scouted and groomed talent, served as vice-president of Motown for 26 years, and was Berry's most trusted friend and right-hand man. Gordy once said that Smokey "reminded me of myself, he was so excited and passionate about his music."

Smokey Robinson and The Miracles were one of the first groups sighed to Gordy's management and production company. In the early days of Motown, everything was a family affair. The Supremes ended up auditioning at Motown because Diana Ross and Smokey were neighbors, and the group's original guitarist Marv Tarplin later became a backing musician, arranger and co writer for The Miracles.

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles scored 37 soul hits with Motown between 1960 and 1971, including the classics like "You've Really Got a Hold on Me," "Mickey's Monkey" and "Going to a Go-Go." The group also explored the sweeter side of soul with a string of ballads sung by Robinson in a smooth falsetto. The Miracles' brightest moments on songs like "Ooh Baby Baby," "I Second That Emotion," and "The Track of My Tears" still rekindle memories for those who came of age in the 60s and those of us who enjoy listening to old soul music.

The Miracles' first hit "Shop Around," put Motown on the national music scene and opened the door for future success for the label and sold a million copies in 1961 alone. The group was founded upon the basis of devotion and loyalty. They recorded with Motown until 1976, although Robinson remained on the label as a solo artist through the mid- 80s.

In his songs, Robinson's lyrics mingle sincerity and expressiveness, often speaking about love with unique messages. As a singer, Smokey could bring to mind joy, sadness, and the bittersweet combination of the two with his smooth tenor.

According to legend, audience members would break into tears when Robinson and the Miracles sang "The Track of My Tears." Even the hard-to-please Berry Gordy considered the song a masterpiece. It also foretold of another tear-jerking classic "The Tears of a Clown," which gave the Miracles their First Number one soul hit in 1971.

The period from 1963 to 1966 found the group operating on a creative and commercial peak, including the hit filled album, Going to a Go-Go.

During their time with Motown, The Miracles released 19 albums for the label and Smokey Robinson released 16 albums for Motown. He also wrote and produced songs for other Motown artists, including "Ain't That Peculiar" for Marvin Gaye, “The Way You Do The Things You Do” and "My Girl" for The Temptations, "You Beat Me to the Punch" for Mary Wells, and "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" for The Marvelettes.

In 1972, Robinson left The Miracles, and both sides continued to enjoy success. Smokey's two biggest solo hits, "Crusin'" and "Bring With You" came in the late 70s and the early 80s. Despite a battle with cocaine, Smokey Robinson is still alive and kicking.

Out of all the soul artists, Robinson is one of my top three favorites. His soulful voice and lush ballads are, to me, the true essence of what soul music is all about. There are tons of other great Smokey Robison songs that I still have yet to listen to. These days, there are a lot of “soul” artists, but to me, Smokey is one of those singers who is a true soul artist.

Of course, Robinson’s influence on soul and rock is long-lasting as artists from Marvin Gaye and The Jackson 5 to The Commodores and Hall & Oates have drawn from Smokey’s velvety voice and lush lyrics.

Posted by Andrew on Wednesday, 04/9/2014 @ 23:38pm

Smokey Robinson was just announced as this year's Rock Hall Music Masters series. I think this is an excellent honor for Robinson given his legendary career (in addition to his work with the Miracles, he wrote and produced many of Motown's biggest hits). The tribute concert will take place on November 7 at the Playhouse Theatre in Cleveland.

Posted by Nick on Friday, 07/31/2015 @ 06:41am

I guess this should be noted: With the passing of Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson is the last surviving (performer) member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class of 1987.

Posted by Joe on Thursday, 08/16/2018 @ 11:36am

Right, he and Mike Stoller are the last two from '87 period.

Posted by Philip on Thursday, 08/16/2018 @ 11:51am