Smokey Robinson Biography Quotes 32 Report mistakes

Early Life
William Smokey Robinson Jr. was born on February 19, 1940, in Detroit, Michigan. Raised in the citys North End, he grew up amid the postwar flowering of rhythm and blues that filled local airwaves and neighborhood parties. A lifelong nickname, Smokey, came from a beloved uncle who playfully called him Smokey Joe, and the shortened version stuck. Robinson attended Northern High School, where he led a vocal group and began stockpiling songs in a notebook, showing an early fascination with melody, harmony, and the romantic storytelling that would become his signature.

Forming The Miracles and Meeting Berry Gordy
As a teenager, Robinson fronted a doo-wop group that evolved from the Five Chimes to the Matadors and, ultimately, to the Miracles. A formative moment came when he met songwriter and entrepreneur Berry Gordy during an audition tied to Jackie Wilsons circle. Gordy recognized Robinsons talent as both a singer and a writer and became a mentor and partner. Under Gordys guidance, the Miracles recorded early sides including Got a Job, and by 1959 they were aligned with Gordys young Motown enterprise through the Tamla label. The classic Miracles lineup featured Robinson out front with Claudette Rogers (whom he later married), Ronnie White, Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, and soon the elegant guitarist Marv Tarplin, whose licks would frame many of Robinsons most memorable songs.

Breakthrough and The Motown Sound
The Miracles put Motown on the national map with Shop Around in 1960, a million-seller co-written by Robinson and Berry Gordy that announced the companys arrival. Robinsons supple tenor, conversational phrasing, and poetic imagery powered a string of hits: Youve Really Got a Hold on Me, Ooo Baby Baby, The Tracks of My Tears, Going to a Go-Go, I Second That Emotion, and, later, The Tears of a Clown, a collaboration with Stevie Wonder and Hank Cosby that topped the U.S. charts in 1970. Tarplins guitar figures, the group harmonies of Pete Moore, Bobby Rogers, and Ronnie White, and Claudette Robinsons steady presence helped define the Miracles sound and stagecraft during relentless tours and television appearances.

Architect, Songwriter, and Producer at Motown
Alongside performing, Robinson emerged as one of Motowns most vital songwriters and producers. For the Temptations, he crafted The Way You Do the Things You Do with Bobby Rogers and the indelible My Girl with Ronald White, giving David Ruffin his signature lead. He wrote and produced Mary Wells My Guy, a defining Motown anthem, and supplied Marvin Gaye with hits including Ill Be Doggone and Aint That Peculiar, often drawing on ideas shaped with Marv Tarplin. For the Marvelettes, he penned Dont Mess with Bill and The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game. As Motown grew into an industrial-strength hit factory, Robinson also took on executive responsibility, serving as a company vice president while nurturing younger talents like Stevie Wonder and working in a collegial rivalry with writer-producers such as Holland-Dozier-Holland and Norman Whitfield.

Leaving The Miracles and Solo Ascent
After years on the road, Robinson stepped away from the Miracles in 1972 to concentrate on his executive role and his family, with Billy Griffin succeeding him as the groups lead; the Miracles later scored with Love Machine. Robinson returned quickly to the studio as a solo artist. His 1975 album A Quiet Storm distilled a refined, late-night soul aesthetic whose flowing grooves and intimate vocals launched the quiet storm radio format. Later singles such as Cruisin (1979) and Being with You (1981) brought him back to the top of the charts, confirming his staying power beyond the original Motown era.

Challenges, Renewal, and Late-Career Highlights
The 1980s brought both challenges and triumphs. Robinson publicly confronted a period of substance abuse, then re-centered his life and art. One Heartbeat (1987) yielded Just to See Her and the title track, reaffirming his gift for graceful melody; Just to See Her earned him a Grammy Award. He shared the inner story of his journey in a memoir written with David Ritz, offering an unvarnished view of the pressures behind decades of success. As Motown changed ownership in the late 1980s, Robinson concluded his long tenure as an executive but continued recording and touring. He collaborated widely across generations, cut mature albums such as Time Flies When Youre Having Fun, explored duets on Smokey & Friends, and remained a staple on stages worldwide. Decades after his first hits, he was still writing and releasing new music, underscoring a lifelong devotion to songcraft.

Honors and Influence
Robinsons body of work has been recognized with major honors. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and later participated in the long-overdue induction of the Miracles as a group. He entered the Songwriters Hall of Fame and received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2006. In 2016, the Library of Congress awarded him the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, acknowledging his elegant melodies, conversational lyrics, and enduring impact on American music. His songs have been covered by artists across styles and eras, and his techniques in lyric setting and narrative storytelling have shaped pop and soul songwriting globally.

Personal Life and Collaborations
Robinsons personal and professional lives often intersected with his bandmates and peers. His marriage to Claudette Rogers linked the Miracles onstage and off, and even after lineup changes and life transitions, he maintained close bonds with the groups members, including Ronnie White, Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, and Marv Tarplin. Longstanding friendships with Berry Gordy and fellow Motown artists such as Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, the Temptations, and Stevie Wonder formed a creative community that spanned studios, tours, and award stages. Later in life he married Frances Gladney, and he has been known for his calm generosity, mentorship, and professionalism.

Legacy
Smokey Robinsons legacy begins with the songs: deceptively simple, emotionally direct, and intricately crafted. He helped define the Motown sound as a singer whose light touch could carry deep feeling, and as a writer-producer who gave other artists some of their finest moments. From Shop Around to The Tracks of My Tears, from My Girl to My Guy, from Quiet Storm to Cruisin, his work maps a throughline in American popular music from doo-wop and classic soul to sophisticated, adult-oriented R&B. His dual identity as artist and executive, his championing of collaborators from Berry Gordy to Marv Tarplin, and his resilience through cultural shifts have made him a model of longevity. For generations of listeners and musicians, Smokey Robinson remains proof that craft, heart, and collaboration can turn lived experience into songs that feel timeless.

Our collection contains 32 quotes who is written by Smokey, under the main topics: Ethics & Morality - Wisdom - Music - Mother - Sports.