Soul · R&B · Motown
The poet of Motown — a silken tenor and a songwriter whose words made love sound effortless.
The poet of Motown
Born William Robinson in Detroit, Smokey Robinson was there at the very beginning of Motown — as leader of the Miracles, as Berry Gordy’s most trusted songwriter, and as the voice behind some of the label’s most enduring records. His pen gave the world “My Girl,” “The Tracks of My Tears,” and “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me”; his voice, a feather-light tenor, made heartbreak sound beautiful.
After leaving the Miracles in 1972, Robinson built a second career as a solo star of quiet storm soul: the late-night masterpieces “Cruisin’” (1979) and “Quiet Storm” (1975), the pop chart-topper “Being with You” (1981), and the eighties hits “Tell Me Tomorrow” and “One Heartbeat.” His solo records traded the Miracles’ urgency for something smoother — candlelight, satin sheets, and melodies that seemed to float.
Robinson’s gift is making the complex sound simple: intricate melodies that feel inevitable, lyrics that turn everyday romance into poetry. The five stories below follow him from the quiet storm he invented to the pop summit he conquered.