William “Smokey” Robinson Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. As a member of the group The Miracles and as a solo artist, he had a lot of success. In a successful career that lasted more than 60 years, he left behind a legacy that can’t be beat. He grew up in the Motor City and became very interested in music early on. He started his first band, the Five Chimes, which was a doo-wop group. Over the next few years, they tried out a few different names before deciding on “The Miracles.” In 1959, they signed a record deal with Tamla Records,
which became Motown a few years later. As one of their first clients, the group helped make Motown a well-known brand around the world, and Robinson also wrote a lot of hit songs for the label’s other artists. The Miracles officially changed their name to Smokey Robinson & the Miracles in 1965. He left the business in 1972 and came back as a solo artist the next year. Robinson lost his audience at first, but he quickly got them back. After Motown Records was sold in 1990, he left the label and has since worked for other labels, such as Universal and Verve. In an interview in 2012, Robinson talked about how he got the nickname “Smokey.” He said that it came from his favourite uncle and godfather.
Smokey Robinson’s Facts
- Also Known As: William Robinson Jr.
- Age: 82 Years, 82 Year Old Males
- Family:
Spouse/Ex-: Frances Glandney (M. 2004), Claudette Rogers Robinson (M. 1959–1986)
Father : William Robinson
Mother: Flossie Robinson
Siblings: Geraldine Burston, Rose Ella Jones
Children: Berry William Borope Robinson, Tamla Claudette Robinson, Trey Robinson
- Born Country: United States
- Fav. Singers : Ariana grande , Michael Jackson
- Fav. Producers : Quincy Jones
- Height: 6’0″ (183 cm), 6’0″ Males
- Ancestry: French American
- City: Detroit, Michigan
- U.S. State: Michigan
Smokey Robinson’s Early Life
William “Smokey” Robinson Jr. was born to Flossie and William Robinson on February 19, 1940, in Detroit, Michigan. His father was African American, and his mother was both African American and French. He has two sisters. Their names are Rose Ella Jones and Geraldine Burston. Even though they weren’t wealthy, his parents helped him with all of his activities. He was not only a good student but also good at sports. He went to Northern High School, where he first showed how good he was at music. Later, he went to college to study electrical engineering, but after two months, he dropped out to become a musician.

With his childhood friend Ronald White and classmate Pete Moore, he started a doo-wop group called the Five Chimes. In 1957, the group’s name was changed to “The Matadors.” In the same year, Bobby Rogers joined the group. Soon, Bobby’s cousin Claudette joined, and in 1958, Marv Tarplin, a guitarist, joined as well. They started playing at different places in Detroit. Eventually, they changed their name to The Miracles.
Smokey Robinson’s Career
At first, several music production companies, including Brunswick Records, turned down the Miracles. Robinson and the other members of the group met Berry Gordy, who would become Robinson’s best friend, in August 1957. Gordy liked his singing and writing right away. End Records put out the first single by The Miracles. It was called “Got a Job.”
Gordy started Tamla Records in 1959, and one of the first groups to sign with them was the Miracles. Their first hit single, “Shop Around,” came out in 1960. It topped the Billboard R&B chart and went on to sell more than a million copies.
As the Miracles, the group put out eight studio albums. Their first, “Hi… We’re the Miracles,” came out in 1961. They put out 12 more albums after they changed their name to Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. Robinson wrote songs like “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” “Mickey’s Monkey,” “I Second That Emotion,” “Baby Baby Don’t Cry,” and “The Tears of a Clown.”Robinson also wrote songs for other artists while he was with Motown. These include “You Beat Me to the Punch,” “My Guy,” “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” “My Girl,” “Since I Lost My Baby,” “Get Ready,” “When I’m Gone,” and “Operator” by Brenda Holloway, Mary Wells, and the Temptations.
By 1969, Robinson was already thinking about leaving the business. After “Flying High Together,” his last album with the Miracles, came out, he quit the group to help Rogers raise their two children. In 1972, he and the band did their last show together in Washington, D.C. On March 20, 2009, almost 37 years later, the group got their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 1973, he got back into music and released his first solo album, Smokey, which paid tribute to the Miracles with the songs “Sweet Harmony” and “Baby Come Close.” “Pure Smokey” came out a year later. But the album didn’t do well, and many people didn’t think Robinson could make it as a solo artist. He was also Motown’s vice president at the time, which took up a lot of his time. Because of this, his songwriting got worse.
In the years that followed, he repeatedly showed that his critics were wrong. When MCA bought Motown in 1990, he left the record company. In the 1990s, he only put out one album, “Double Good Everything,” which came out in 1991. Since then, he has released “Food for the Soul” in 2004, “Timeless Love” in 2006, “Time Flies When You’re Having Fun” in 2009, “Now and Then” in 2010, and “Smokey & Friends” in 2014. In 2017, he released a new album called “Christmas Everyday.”
Smokey Robinson Net Worth
Net Worth: | $150 Million |
Date of Birth: | Feb 19, 1940 (82 years old) |
Gender: | Male |
Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.82 m) |
Profession: | Record producer, Songwriter, Singer, Musician, Actor, Music executive, Singer-songwriter |
Nationality: | United States of America |
Smokey Robinson has a $150 million net worth. Robinson is known for creating the unique Motown sound, which was very popular from the 1950s to the 1970s. Smokey was an important member of the Miracles, a singing group that did very well during the Motown era. Robinson went on to have a successful solo career after he left this group. He also worked for Motown Records as vice president. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame made Smokey Robinson a member in 1987.
Robinson sold his house in Encino, California, for $2.3 million in 2002. This luxurious estate was built in 1912 and has 10,600 square feet of living space, including a private deck that is 800 square feet. On the 1.5 acres of land that the house is on, there are beautiful English-style gardens. In 2017, the famous house changed hands again when it sold for $8.3 million.
Smokey was said to be selling another California mansion for $7.99 million in 2014. This second home is in the wealthy Los Angeles neighbourhood of Chatsworth, where many other famous people live. The property is 9,075 square feet and has a separate guest house that is 2,000 square feet. In 2005, Smokey put the house on the market for $10.5 million. In 2007, after having trouble finding a buyer, he put it back on the market for $10 million. In 2014, the price was $7.99 million, which is a very low final price.
Smokey Robinson Relationships
Robinson’s first wife was also a member of the Miracles. Her name was Claudette Rogers. Robinson had a third child with another woman after having two with Rogers. This caused the couple to split up in 1986. Smokey got married to Frances Gladney in 2002.
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Smokey Robinson’s Achievements
In 1988, the single “Just to See Her” from the album “One Heartbeat” won Smokey Robinson his first Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. He got the Grammy Legend Award in 1991 and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.
In 1987, he was put in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 1989, he was put in the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.
In May 2006, at its 138th Commencement Convocation, Howard University gave him an honorary Doctor of Music degree.
On December 3, 2006, Robinson was honoured at the Kennedy Center in the East Room of the White House, along with Dolly Parton, Zubin Mehta, Steven Spielberg, and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Smokey Robinson’s Awards
North Carolina, are you ready? #OnTour
📷: @dyoneporter pic.twitter.com/1A3iApZU46
— Smokey Robinson (@smokeyrobinson) August 20, 2022
1999 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Winner |
1991 | Legend Award | Winner |
1988 | Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male | Winner |
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