William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, and record producer. He founded and led the Motown vocal group the Miracles. He was also the main songwriter and producer for the group. He led the Miracles from 1955, when the group was called the Five Chimes, until 1972, when he left the group to focus on his job as vice president of Motown Records. Robinson returned to the music industry as a solo artist in 1973. He left Motown in 1999.
In 1987, Robinson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2016, he received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for his lifetime contributions to popular music. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one as a solo artist (1983) and one as a member of the Miracles (2009). In 2022, he was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.
Early life and early career
William Robinson Jr. was born on February 19, 1940, to an African-American father and a mother with African-American and French heritage. He was born into a poor family in the North End area of Detroit. He had two half-sisters from his mother’s side, Rose Ella and Geraldine. His parents divorced when he was three years old.
William’s ancestry also includes Nigerian, Scandinavian, Portuguese, and Cherokee roots. His uncle, Claude, gave him the nickname "Smokey Joe" when he was a child. In 2012, Robinson explained:
When William was 10 years old, his mother passed away. He then lived with his older sister, Geraldine, and her husband, who had 10 children together.
William attended Northern High School, where he performed well in school and was an active athlete. However, his greatest interest was music. He formed a doo-wop group called the Five Chimes. He and Aretha Franklin lived near each other on Belmont Street. He said he met Franklin when she was about five years old, after hearing her play the piano when he visited her older brother, Cecil, after her family moved to Detroit.
William’s love for music began in childhood after hearing the groups Nolan Strong & the Diablos and Billy Ward and his Dominoes on the radio. He said Barrett Strong, a Detroit native, greatly influenced his singing style. In 1955, he formed the first version of the Five Chimes with childhood friend Ronald White and classmate Pete Moore.
Two years later, the group changed its name to the Matadors and added Bobby Rogers as a member. Another member, Emerson (Sonny) Rogers, Bobby’s cousin, was replaced by his sister, Claudette Rogers (who later married Smokey Robinson in 1959). The group’s guitarist, Marv Tarplin, joined them in 1958. Around this time, the Matadors began performing at venues in Detroit. Eventually, the group changed its name to the Miracles.
Career
In August 1957, Robinson and the Miracles met songwriter Berry Gordy after a failed audition for Brunswick Records. During the audition, Robinson brought a notebook with 100 songs he had written in high school. Gordy was impressed by Robinson’s singing and his talent for writing songs. With Gordy’s help, the Miracles released their first single, "Got a Job," which was a response to the Silhouettes’ hit "Get a Job." This marked the start of a long and successful partnership. At the same time, Robinson attended college, beginning classes in January 1959 to study electrical engineering. He left after two months following the release of the Miracles’ first record.
Gordy later created Tamla Records, which later became Motown. The Miracles were among the first artists signed to Motown, even though they had worked with Gordy before the label was formed. In late 1960, the group recorded their first major hit, "Shop Around," which became Motown’s first million-selling record. Between 1960 and 1970, Robinson helped produce 26 top 40 hits with the Miracles, including several top ten songs such as "You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me," "Mickey’s Monkey," "I Second That Emotion," "Baby Baby Don’t Cry," and the group’s only number-one hit during this time, "The Tears of a Clown."
Other notable songs, like "Ooo Baby Baby," "Going to a Go-Go," "The Tracks of My Tears," "(Come Round Here) I’m The One You Need," "The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage," and "More Love," reached the top 20. In 1965, the Miracles changed their name to Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for their album Going to a Go-Go.
Between 1962 and 1966, Robinson wrote and produced many hits for Motown artists, including songs for Mary Wells, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Brenda Holloway, the Marvelettes, and Marvin Gaye. Later, as other songwriters and producers joined Motown, Robinson’s role as a top writer and producer decreased. He continued to write songs for other artists, including the Contours, the Four Tops, and The Supremes. Members of the Miracles, such as Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, Ronnie White, and Marv Tarplin, also helped write and produce songs with Robinson.
By 1969, Robinson wanted to retire from touring to spend time with his family and work as Motown’s vice president. However, the success of "The Tears of a Clown" kept him with the group until 1972. His final performance with the Miracles was in July 1972 in Washington, D.C.
After retiring for a year, Robinson returned with the Smokey album in 1973. The album included a tribute to the Miracles called "Sweet Harmony" and the hit song "Baby Come Close." His 1974 album Pure Smokey did not produce major hits. Robinson faced competition from former collaborators like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Eddie Kendricks, who had their own successful songs during this time.
In 1975, Robinson released A Quiet Storm, which included three singles: "Baby That’s Backatcha," "The Agony & The Ecstasy," and "Quiet Storm." The term "quiet storm" became a music format named after the album. However, Robinson’s solo career struggled due to his work at Motown. Later albums, such as Smokey’s Family Robinson, Deep in My Soul, Love Breeze, and Smokin’, received poor promotion and negative reviews.
In 1973, Robinson’s collaborator Marv Tarplin gave him a song he had written on guitar. Robinson added lyrics to create his first solo top ten hit, "Cruisin’," which reached number one in Cash Box and number four on the Billboard Hot 100. His 1981 song "Being with You" topped the charts again, becoming his most successful single to date.
In 1987, Robinson released the album One Heartbeat, which included the hits "Just to See Her" and "One Heartbeat." These songs won awards and helped the album sell over 900,000 copies in the U.S. In 1988, Robinson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist. Later, the Miracles were inducted separately in 2012.
After Motown was bought by MCA in 1988, Robinson left his position as vice president. He released the album Love, Smokey in 1990 and signed with SBK Records in 1991.
Personal life
Robinson married Claudette Rogers, a fellow member of the Miracles, in 1959. The couple had two children: a son named Berry Robinson (born in 1968), who was named after Motown founder Berry Gordy, and a daughter named Tamla Robinson (born in 1971), who was named after the original "Tamla" label created by Gordy, which later became Motown.
Robinson admitted to having affairs with several women during his marriage to Claudette. One of these affairs lasted about a year and involved Diana Ross. Robinson said Ross ended the relationship because she felt uncomfortable, as she was friends with Claudette, whom he claimed he still loved. A representative for Ross did not comment on these claims. Robinson stated that loving multiple people at the same time is natural.
During his marriage to Claudette, Robinson also had a son named Trey (born in 1984) with another woman. After he admitted to fathering a child outside of his marriage, he filed for legal separation and later divorced Claudette in 1986. The couple had separated earlier, in 1974, and during that time, Robinson had an affair that inspired the song "The Agony & The Ecstasy," which was later included on the album A Quiet Storm.
In May 2002, Robinson married Frances Gladney. The couple owns a home in Pittsburgh, which they use as a winery.
Robinson has not eaten red meat since 1972. He practices Transcendental Meditation. He has golden green eyes, which he believes were inherited from his French great-grandmother.
Beginning in November 2023, Robinson became the owner and host of the SiriusXM channel Soul Town, which plays R&B and soul music from the 1950s to the early 1980s. The channel is released under the name Smokey's Soul Town. Robinson occasionally appears on the channel, sharing stories about his time with Motown and selecting favorite songs from that era.
On May 6, 2025, it was reported that Robinson and his wife, Frances Gladney, were being sued by four former female housekeepers. The women alleged sexual battery, assault, and false imprisonment between 2012 and 2024. They requested a trial and sought general damages totaling at least $50 million. They also claimed that Frances Gladney created a hostile work environment by using language they described as ethnically offensive. The women said they did not report the incidents earlier due to fear of losing their jobs, facing family consequences, or damaging their immigration status. Robinson denied the allegations. His lawyer, Christopher Frost, stated that the evidence would show the claims were an attempt to extract money from an 85-year-old American icon.
On May 15, 2025, it was reported that Robinson was under criminal investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. His lawyer said the investigation followed the filing of a $50 million lawsuit by the plaintiffs.
On May 28, 2025, Robinson filed a $500 million counter-complaint against the former employees, accusing them of slander, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and financial elder abuse. The suit claimed the women demanded $100 million or more before the lawsuit, which was not met, leading them to create a media spectacle. The legal team for the accusers responded by calling the counter-complaint an attempt to silence survivors and shift blame.
On May 30, 2025, it was reported that Robinson was under criminal investigation for an allegation of sexual abuse involving a fifth woman in 2015. However, the case was dismissed due to "insufficient evidence." In November 2025, two additional employees—a man who worked as a car valet and a woman who worked as a housekeeper—joined the lawsuit filed in May 2025.
Awards and accolades
On February 22, 1983, Robinson was given an individual star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. Four years later, in 1987, Robinson was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Robinson's single "Just to See Her" from the One Heartbeat album won the 1988 Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. This was Robinson's first Grammy Award. Two years later, in 1990, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
In 1993, Robinson was awarded a medal at the National Medal of Arts. Two years before, in 1991, he won the Heritage Award at the Soul Train Music Awards. In 2005, Robinson was voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. At Howard University's 138th Commencement Convocation in May 2006, Robinson was given the degree of Doctor of Music, honoris causa. In December 2006, Robinson was one of five Kennedy Center honorees, along with Dolly Parton, Zubin Mehta, Steven Spielberg, and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
On March 20, 2009, the Miracles were finally honored as a group with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Robinson was present with original Miracles members Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, Claudette Rogers, and Gloria White, who accepted on behalf of the late Ronnie White. Pamela and Maya, Ronnie White's daughter and granddaughter, also attended. Robinson's replacement, Billy Griffin, the 1970s Miracles lead singer, was also honored.
Controversially, original Miracle Marv Tarplin was not honored at first, against the wishes of his fellow Miracles and fans, who believed he should have shared the honor. Later, Tarplin received his star. In 2012, he was inducted with the rest of the original Miracles—Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, Ronnie White, and Claudette Robinson—into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 25 years after Robinson's solo induction in 1987. He also received the Society of Singers Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.
In 2009, Robinson received an honorary doctorate degree, along with Linda Ronstadt, and gave a speech at Berklee College of Music's commencement ceremony. In 2015, he was given a BET Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2016, Robinson received the Library of Congress' Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. On August 21, 2016, he was inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in his hometown of Detroit.
In 2019, he received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement, presented by Awards Council members Jimmy Page and Peter Gabriel.
In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Robinson at No. 23 on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.