Who is Smokey Robinson?
The amazing Smokey Robinson is an American singer, record producer, songwriter, and former executive in charge of records.
Smokey’s talent helped the Miracles, a Motown vocal group, exist. He was one of the band’s founders, frontmen, principal songwriters, and producers.
He started The Miracles, a Motown vocal group, and he served as its lead singer because he was also the primary producer and lyricist. He was the lead singer of the group from its founding in 1955 until he left to focus on his position as Motown’s vice president. Smokey Robinson’s real name is William “Smokey” Robinson Jr.
Smokey Robinson Biography
William “Smokey” Robinson Jr. was born on February 19, 1940, in Detroit, Michigan, United States.
William Robinson Jr. is an African-American with an African-American father and a mother of both African-American and French descent.
He was born into a low-income family in Detroit’s North End.
Robinson’s ancestry can be partly traced to Nigeria, Scandinavia, Portugal, and Cherokee. His favorite uncle Claude, mentor and godfather, called him “Smokey Joe” when he was a little boy.
He attended Northern High School, where, like most other kids, he was above average in his academics and a very good athlete. But his main interest was music.
He founded the famous Motown vocal group Miracles, for which he was the chief songwriter and producer. He led the group as a high school student from its early beginnings in 1955, when it was initially called The Five Chimes.
In 1972, he publically announced his retirement from the group to focus more on his role as the vice president of Motown Records. The following year, Smokey returned to the music industry as a solo artist. He officially left Motown in 1999.
In 1987, Smokey was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2016, he was awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for his lifetime contributions to popular music.
He has a double Hollywood Walk of Fame Induction as a solo artist and was a member of The Miracles in 1983 and 2009. Also, he was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in 2022.
Personal Life
Robinson married Claudette Rogers in 1959. She was a fellow Miracles member, and the couple had two children: a son, Berry Robinson, who was born in 1968), and a daughter, Tamla Robinson, born in 1971.
Robinson also had a son named Trey, who was born in 1984 to another woman he had an affair with during his marriage to Claudette. Later, Robinson admitted to having a child with another woman other than Claudette.
He then filed for divorce, which was finalized in 1986. The Robinsons had also separated in 1974. During that separation, Smokey cheated again and then made a song about it called “The Agony & The Ecstasy.”
He didn’t stop there, either. Smokey also had an affair with Diana Ross. According to him, Diana ended it because she felt ‘uncomfortable’ because she was close friends with Claudette, whom Smokey said he still loved.
Robinson is married to Frances Gladney. They have a home in Pittsburgh, which they use as a winery.
According to Hollywood Life, Smokey has reportedly been married to Frances Glandney since May 2002.
Despite not working in the music industry like her husband, Frances is accomplished in her own right. She lives as quietly and unassumingly as she can and works as an interior designer.
She collaborated with Smokey to produce a skincare collection with the help of the company Skinphonic.
Two skincare lines, My Girl and The Get Ready, are intended for those with darker complexions. His tunes for the Temptations inspired the titles of their albums.
How Many Kids Does Smokey Robinson Have?
Currently, Smokey is the father of three kids. Smokey’s children, Berry Robinson and Tamla Robinson, were his children with Claudette.
Trey Robinson, his third child, was born in 1984. In Smokey’s autobiography, Smokey: Inside My Life, a woman by the name of Kandi is the mother of Trey.
Berry has largely avoided the spotlight and doesn’t seem interested in following in his father’s footsteps. To promote strong family ties, Tamla tried her best to establish Father-Daughter Day with Smokey in 2019.
Trey and Berry share the same decision to live a more low-key lifestyle. What is certain is that Smokey and his mother stayed friendly.
How Did Smokey Get His Nickname?
In 2012, Smokey Robinson stated: “My Uncle Claude was my favorite uncle and also served as my godfather. We had a tight relationship. As a young boy, he frequently took me to cowboy movies since I adored them.
He gave me the cowboy moniker Smokey Joe. As a result, when I was three years old, whenever someone asked me my name, I never said William but rather Smokey Joe.
Before I dropped the Joe part when I was around 12 years old, that’s what everyone called me.
I’ve heard the rumor that he gave it to me because I’m a Black man with a light complexion, but that’s not true.”
Smokey Robinson Net Worth
Smokey Robinson’s net worth is $150 million.
Smokey has amassed this net worth due to his work and contribution to the music industry. He’s been active in the music industry for almost 50 years, earning over $160 million just from music alone.
Smokey earns almost $5 million every year from the royalties of the music he created throughout these years and from his contribution to the music industry.
Investment in Real Estate
Robinson sold his Encino, Los Angeles estate for $2.3 million in 2002. This luxurious estate, built in 1912, features 10,600 square feet of living space and an 800-square-foot private deck.
The property sits on a massive 1.5 acres of land, which includes luxurious, English-style gardens. The iconic mansion changed hands in 2017 when he sold it for $8.3 million.
In 2014, Smokey sold another Californian mansion for $7.99 million. This second property is in the affluent Chatsworth neighborhood of Los Angeles, where several other celebrities live.
The 9,075-square-foot property features a separate 2,000-square-foot guest house. In 2005, Smokey listed the residence for $10.5 million but re-listed it again for $10 million in 2007 after finding a buyer difficult. In 2014, the $7.99 million price represents a heavy discount.
Music Licensing Deal
In 2018, Smokey Robinson, at the Senate House, called for the passage of music licensing legislation to extend copyright protection to sound recordings made before 1972. He said This issue was “a livelihood thing” for many older artists who no longer perform.
He told a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, “It is not just about music, it is about lives. They could really use that money.”
Smokey was the latest music legend to visit Capitol Hill to urge the passage of the Music Modernization Act. This bill includes changes designed to streamline music licensing and close a loophole in copyright law.
Congress extended copyright protection to sound recordings in the early 1970s, but it became effective as of Feb. 15, 1972.
The Motown legend will go to a go-go after he signed a deal with indie music publisher Primary Wave. This allows Primary Wave to exploit his name, likeness, and legendary songs.
Smokey’s music rights had previously been affected during a battle with his ex-wife, Claudette, who claimed she was owed a 50 percent stake in all the assets in 2014. But that case was soon settled.
The 76-year-old singer, the leader of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, only recently won the ability to reaffirm complete and utter ownership over his pre-1976 songs through the Copyright Act.
Winery
In 2017, Smokey decided to bring his passion for his music into the wine business, which immediately garnered impressive positive feedback and love.
In August 2018, Smokey Robinson Wines released its “Artist Song Series Brand.” A brand that produces four wines from Santa Barbara, CA. These beautiful wines, proudly boasting the names of some of Smokey’s most famous hit songs, include the “My Girl” Chardonnay, the “Being with You” Pinot Noir, the “Second That Emotion” Cabernet and the “Crusin” Bordeaux Blend.
A Smokey Robinson Cabernet Sauvignon glass greets you with a strong, spicy bouquet aroma. The aroma is backed by a flavor so smooth that it tastes and is as sweet as the vocals in his hit song, “Cruisin’,” This comes without the expected tang of the normal dry red wine.
The wine is made from the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon grapes blended by Enginehouse 25 Wines. Smokey keeps his unfiltered red wine in oak barrels to give it a unique jammy taste.
Smokey Robinson Wines are available for purchase online at www.SmokeyRobinsonWines.com.
Robinson does not love red meat and has not eaten it since 1972. Sources say he practices Transcendental Meditation.
Awards and Accolades
Smokey has achieved several awards since he began The Miracles. Here are a few of them;
- Smokey was awarded an individual star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 22, 1983.
- 1987 Robinson was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
- Robinson’s single “Just to See Her” from the ‘One Heartbeat’ album was awarded Grammy Award for Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 1988.
- In 1989, he was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.
- In 1993, Robinson was awarded the National Medal of Arts.
- He also won the Heritage Award at the Soul Train Music Awards.
- Robinson was voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2005.
- Howard University conferred on Robinson the degree of Doctor of Music, honoris causa, at its 138th Commencement Convocation in May 2006.
- In December 2006, Robinson was among five others to receive the Kennedy Center honoree, along with Dolly Parton, Zubin Mehta, Steven Spielberg, and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
- On March 20, 2009, the Miracles were honored as a group with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star.
Musical Career
Smokey’s interest in music began in childhood when he’d heard Nolan Strong & the Diablos and Billy Ward and his Dominoes on the radio.
He mentioned Barrett Strong, a Detroit native, as a strong vocal influence for him back then. In 1955, he formed the first group, The Five Chimes, with his childhood friend Ronald White and classmate Pete Moore.
Two years later, the trio renamed the group to the Matadors and signed in Bobby Rogers. He included another member, Emerson ‘Sonny’ Rogers, Bobby Rogers’ cousin, who he replaced with his sister, Claudette Rogers.
He included Marv Tarplin as the group’s guitarist, who joined them sometime in 1958. Smokey’s ‘Matadors’ began to tour places in Detroit immediately after. Eventually, they changed their name to The Miracles.
His Solo Career
After retiring for a year, Smokey announced his comeback by releasing the Smokey album in 1973. The album included the Miracles tribute song, “Sweet Harmony,” and the then-hit ballad “Baby Come Close.”
Smokey’s second album, Pure Smokey, was released in 1974, but it failed to produce the intended hits. Smokey struggled to compete with his former collaborators, such as Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder.
Is Smokey Robinson Still Alive?
Someone shared a post on Facebook announcing Smokey Robinson’s passing. His passing caused anxiety among all of his admirers.
However, it was claimed later that the news of Smokey Robinson’s death was bogus. Many of his fans became incensed with him for disseminating false information.
Smokey Robinson is still alive. The rock star is celebrating his 82nd birthday. If he stays healthy, he will live a long time.