- William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. was born on February 19, 1940, in Detroit, Michigan, in the rough Brewster ghetto, a poor and generally dangerous.
- Lyrics to 'Cruisin'' by Smokey Robinson: Baby let's cruise, away from here.
Smokey Robinson. Smokey Robinson. AKA William Robinson, Jr. Born: 1. 9- Feb- 1. Birthplace: Detroit, MIGender: Male. Race or Ethnicity: Black.
Sexual orientation: Straight. Occupation: Singer/Songwriter. Nationality: United States. Executive summary: Motown singer, A Quiet Storm. One of the principal architects behind the Motown phenomenon of the 1. Smokey Robinson would help to shape the subsequent development of vocal pop music as both a composer and a performer. Although raised amongst the rust and clutter of the Brewster ghetto in Detroit, Michigan, his enthusiasm as a child was directed towards the cinema of the Wild West, and it was because of this that he earned the nickname "Smokey Joe" from his uncle Claude.
He also found inspiration in his mother's record collection, which introduced him to black performers such as Billy Eckstine, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and Sarah Vaughan. During his tenth year, however, the death of his mother would place him in the care of his older sister Geraldine, as Robinson's father's employment as a truck driver kept him away from home for extended periods of time; it was not long afterwards that the young prodigy began performing doo- wop on the street corners with neighborhood friends, his skills as a songwriter already in evidence. In 1. 95. 5 Robinson formed a high school vocal group called The Five Chimes, which initially also included classmates Ronnie White, Pete Moore, James Grice and Clarence Dawson.
View Smokey Robinson song lyrics by popularity along with songs featured in, albums, videos and song meanings. We have 12 albums and 112 song lyrics in our database. Find Smokey Robinson biography and history on AllMusic - Berry Gordy founded Motown Records, but one could.
The following year Dawson was replaced by Emerson Rogers and the group's name was changed to The Matadors, although by 1. Rogers and Grice had been replaced by Rogers' sister Claudette and his cousin Bobby. It was at this time that the group (now using the name The Miracles to accommodate their female member) came to the attention of young songwriter Berry Gordy through a failed audition for the manager handling Jackie Wilson; Gordy offered them a song he had co- written called Got A Job, and arranged to have it released as a single by End Records in early 1. The label issued a second single Money later in the year, but for their third attempt Gordy and Robinson moved over to Chess Records with their co- written track Bad Girl (1. It was with this song that the Miracles would finally crack the national top 1. Inspired by this tentative brush with success, Gordy allowed himself to be talked into starting his own record label by Robinson, and after securing a loan for $8. Tamla Records in 1.
Motown label in 1. The Miracle's first offering for the label Way Over There failed to receive much attention, and the band spent most of the subsequent year away from the studio developing their stage act in venues around Detroit and along the East Coast.
With his next recording, however, Robinson brought about a dramatic change in both the label's and his own fortunes - - the self- penned track Shop Around entering both the pop and R& B charts upon it's release in October 1. February 1. 96. 1. As a result, the young songwriter had successfully established both himself and the Motown label as significant forces in the record industry. In addition to his work with the Miracles, Robinson contributed extensively as a writer and producer to the output of other Motown acts, and his obvious talents in these areas prompted Gordy to promote him to label vice- president in 1. Over the next several years Robinson continued to generate hit songs for the Miracles (What's So Good About Good- Bye (1. I'll Try Something New (1. You Really Got A Hold On Me (1.
R& B #1 and pop #8), Mickey's Monkey (1. R& B #1 and pop #8)), while also crafting successful material for Mary Wells (including You Beat Me To The Punch (1. Two Lovers (1. 96. My Guy (1. 96. 2) - - all R& B #1's) and The Temptations (including The Way You Do the Things You Do (1. My Girl (1. 96. 4, a pop #1), Since I Lost My Baby (1. By 1. 96. 4 Claudette Rogers - - who had married Robinson in 1.
Not long afterwards, the decision was made to change the name to Smokey Robinson and the Miracles - - initially just for the albums, but extended to include the single releases in 1. Despite the drop in interest that many other performers experienced as a result of the "British Invasion" phenomenon of 1. Miracles' flow of hit singles remained unchecked throughout these years, and songs such as Ooo Baby Baby, The Tracks Of My Tears, My Girl Has Gone and Going to a Go- Go (all 1. I Second That Emotion became the Miracles' most successful track after their breakthrough single Shop Around, but as the end of the 1. Motown began to wane; this, combined with the strain of constant touring and recording while juggling his duties as a producer and vice- president, prompted Robinson to announce his resignation from the group in 1.
This decision would be undermined, however, by the unexpected climb of the re- issued single The Tears of a Clown to the top of the UK charts in September of 1. US charts a few weeks later.
Robinson subsequently postponed his departure for a couple more years, but as the group's fortunes failed to maintain any permanent change he once again chose to resign in 1. A six- month farewell tour was launched in early 1.
Washington, D. C. Claudette and established Billy Griffin as the Miracles' new lead singer. In the wake of his departure from The Miracles, for a short time Robinson abandoned his role as a performer and devoted himself to his obligations as Motown's vice- president.
In 1. 97. 3 he launched his solo career with the album Smokey and the R& B top 4. Sweet Harmony, followed by a return to the R& B top 1. Baby Come Close. Throughout the next decade he continued to release at least one album every year, while the majority of his singles still consistently found their way into the R& B top 4. Baby That's Backatcha earning him his first solo R& B #1).
The mellow tone of his solo material did not have as much impact on the mainstream as had his earlier output with the Miracles, but on two occasions Robinson managed a return to the pop top 1. Cruisin' (#4) and in 1. Being With You (#2). In 1. 97. 7 he also expanded his recording credits to include a film soundtrack by providing a funk- inflected score for the blaxploitation comedy Big Time. In the mid- 1. 98. Robinson's solo career experienced a temporary lull when his decade- long struggle with cocaine addition reached a crisis point; the singer managed to overcome the problem, but the strain it had created on his marriage to Claudette ultimately led to their divorce in 1.
This slump was brought to and end the following year by the back- to- back top ten singles Just To See Her and One Heartbeat, which concurrently positioned him in the upper reaches of the US R& B, US pop and UK pop charts. These two songs would prove to be Robinson's last significant impact (to date) on the mainstream music industry, although his popularity as a live performer remained undiminished. Upon the sale of Motown to MCA, a nearly three- decade long tenure as the label's vice- president was concluded in 1. Motown artist two years later, his contract to the label being fulfilled by 1. Love, Smokey, and his next album Double Good Everything (1. SBK. Smokey Robinson would remain absent from the music scene for most of the 1. Intimate (1. 99. 9) on the now Universal- controlled Motown.
In the interim Robinson pursued his non- musical business interests, as well as collaborating with Ron Milner on the score to a Broadway musical called Hoops! Harlem Globetrotters (this project, apparently later renamed Hoopz, continued to be developed without Robinson's involvement). The 0. 0's found him taking a on variety of television guest appearances, including a brief stint as a judge on American Idol and a pair of acting appearances on the network sitcom One on One. In 2. 00. 4 Robinson branched out into the frozen food business through his company SFGL, which manufactured a brand of gumbo, pot roast and red beans & rice bearing the singer's name and likeness. His music output resumed through different small labels in the mid- 0. Food For The Spirit (2.
Timeless Love (2. Father: William Robinson (truck driver)Sister: Geraldine Burston.
Sister: Rose Ella Jones (songwriter, "Aunt Woody", b. Apr- 2. 01. 0)Wife: Claudette Rogers (singer, m. Nov- 1. 95. 9, div. Son: Berry Williams. Daughter: Tamla Claudette. Girlfriend: Diana Ross (singer)Wife: Frances Gladney Robinson (interior designer, m. May- 2. 00. 2) High School: Northern High School, Detroit, MI (1.
The Miracles 1. 95. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles 1. National Medal of Arts 2. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 1. Songwriters Hall of Fame 1. Grammy Best R& B Vocal Performance, Male, for Just To See Her (1.
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1. Grammy Hall of Fame Award, for Tears Of A Clown (with Smokey Robinson and the Miracles) (2. Risk Factors: Cocaine, Marijuana.
FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTORRejoice and Shout (3. May- 2. 01. 1) · Himself. Last Holiday (1. 3- Jan- 2.
Hollywood Homicide (1. Jun- 2. 00. 3) · Cabbie. The Temptations (1- Nov- 1. Himself. Knights of the City (1. Feb- 1. 98. 6) · Himself.
We Are the World (2. Jan- 1. 98. 5) · Himself.
The T. A. M. I. Show (2. Dec- 1. 96. 4) · Himself. Official Website: http: //www. Author of books: Smokey: Inside My Life (1. Requires Flash 7+ and Javascript. Do you know something we don't? Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile.
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Smokey Robinson - Cruisin' Lyrics. Cruisin'Baby, let's cruise away from here. Don't be confused, the way is clear. And if you want it, you got it forever. This is not a one night stand, baby.
Let the music take your mind. Just release, and you will find. You're gonna fly away, glad you're going my way. I love it when we're cruisin' together. The music is played for love. Cruisin' is made for love. I love it when we're cruisin' together.
Baby, tonight belongs to us. Everything's right, do what you must. And inch by inch we get closer and closer. To every little part of each other, oh baby yes.
Let the music take your mind. Just release, and you will find. You're gonna fly away, glad you're going my way. I love it when we're cruisin' together. The music is played for love.
Cruisin' is made for love. I love it when we're cruisin' together. Cruise with me, baby. Cruise with me, baby.
Cruisin'So good to cruise with you, baby. So good to cruise with you, baby. You and me. Yeah, you and me, baby.
Baby, let's cruise. Let's flow, let's glide. Ooh, let's open up and go inside.
And if you want it, you got it forever. I can just stay there inside you. And love you baby, oh. Let the music take your mind. Just release, and you will find. You're gonna fly away, glad you're going my way.
I love it when we're cruisin' together. The music is played for love. Cruisin' is made for love. I love it when we're cruisin' together.
Oh, baby, we gonna fly away. Plan to go my way. I love it when we're cruisin' together.
The music is played for love. Cruisin' is made for love. I love it when we're cruisin' together.
You're gonna fly away. And you're going my way. I love it when we're cruisin' together. The music is played for love. Cruisin' is made for love. I love it when we're cruisin' together.
You're gonna fly away. And you're going my way. I love it when we're cruisin' together.