William "Smokey" Robinson, born February 19, 1940 in Detroit, Michigan, is a legendary R&B and soul singer and songwriter-the poet laureate of love.

The man Bob Dylan once called "America's greatest living poet" began mastering his trade inauspiciously, writing poems at Detroit's Dwyer Elementary while avidly listening to soul and classic popular music. He continued honing his writing skills in high school and formed a local singing group called the Matadors. But it was his chance meeting with fellow Detroiter Berry Gordy that changed Smokey's life. Gordy signed the Matadors (then called the Miracles) and mentored Smokey on songwriting skills, helping the young protege turn clever but disjointed rhymes into three minute short stories. The result was the best songwriter in America during the early 60s, churning out classic cuts for the Miracles, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye and others. Between 1962-66 he penned songs like "My Girl," "Ooh Baby Baby," "The Way You Do The Things You Do," "My Guy," "It's Growing" and dozens of other soul classics.

Robinson also became a heartthrob as the lead singer for the Miracles. His smooth voice and green eyes were magnets for young women, and he and the Miracles rode the charts consistently for the entire decade with hits like 'Mickey's Monkey', 'I Second That Emotion'.

In Motown's early days, Smokey was involved in every part of the company's operations, writing, producing and making his own records, helping in the business of promotion and auditioning many of the young hopefuls who were attracted by Berry Gordy's growing reputation as an businessman.

Throughout the 60s, Smokey combined this production and A & R work with his own career as leader of The Miracles.

Smokey's lyric-writing scaled new heights on ballads such as 'The Love I Saw In You Was Just A Mirage' and 'I Second That Emotion'.

From 1967 onwards, Robinson was given individual credit on the Miracles' releases.

In 1971 he announced that he would be leaving the Miracles the following year, to concentrate on his role as Vice-President of the Motown corporation. A year after the split, Smokey launched his solo career.

Smokey maintained a regular release schedule through the mid 70's, with one new album arriving every year. He continued to break new songwriting ground and describing a new genre to a new style of soft soul. This genre is now called "Quiet Storm" after a radio programming format named for Robinson's biggest solo album title track, Quiet Storm.

In 1979 Smokey released 'Cruisin', his biggest chart success since 'The Tears Of A Clown' nine years earlier.

Two years later, he gained his first UK number 1 with 'Being With You', a love song that came close to equalling that achievement in the U.S.A.

Voted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1988, Smokey Robinson is now one of the senior figures in popular music, a writer and producer still best remembered for his outstanding work in the 60s, but who has seldom betrayed the responsibility of that legacy since then.

Smokey's numerous hit ballads also earned him the title "America's poet laureate of love." Over the course of his almost 50-year career in music, Robinson has over 4,000 songs to his credit.


Discography

Wikipedia