Photo: Dwight McCann / Chumash Casino Resort / www.DwightMcCann.com / CC BY-SA 2.5 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Smokey Robinson sits, for me, near the very foundation of modern American music. As the Miracles' frontman and a chief songwriter and producer at Motown, he didn't just sing the soundtrack of an era, he helped architect it. The roll call of honors, from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Kennedy Center Honors to the Gershwin Prize, reads less like a career and more like a canonization. What moves me most, though, is the durability of that voice and his melodies; decades on, they still carry a warmth that feels effortless. He is the rare artist who genuinely earns the word legend.
Overview
William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief songwriter and producer.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Smokey Robinson
- Name (Japanese)
- スモーキー・ロビンソン
- Reading
- すもーきー・ろびんそん
- Born
- February 19, 1940 (age 86)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Dragon
- Origin
- Detroit, Michigan, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- singer / singer-songwriter / songwriter / record producer / recording artist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Northern High School
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- National Medal of Arts
- 1999 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
- 1990 Grammy Legend Award
- Kennedy Center Honors
- 2016 Gershwin Prize
- 2005 Johnny Mercer Award
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
- 1987 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Singer — see all → · Singer-songwriter — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.