What is Smokey Robinson net worth today? William “Smokey” Robinson Jr. is an American singer-songwriter and record producer who achieved massive success both as a member of a group named The Miracles and as a solo performer. In an illustrious career that spanned over six decades, he has cemented for himself an unparalleled legacy.

A native of the Motor City, he developed a deep interest in music quite early in his life and set up his first band, a doo-wop group named the Five Chimes. Over the course of the next few years, they went through several other names before settling on The Miracles’.

In 1959, they signed a record deal with Tamla Records, which would later be incorporated as Motown. As one of their earliest clients, the group played an instrumental role in making the label an internationally popular brand and Robinson penned numerous hit songs for Motown’s other artists as well.

In 1965, The Miracles changed their name officially to Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. He took a hiatus from the business in 1972, returning a year later as a solo artist. Initially unsuccessful, Robinson soon won back his audience.

In 1990, after the sale of Motown Records, he left the label and has since worked with other recording companies, including Universal and Verve. Talking about how he got the nickname “Smokey” in an interview in 2012, Robinson revealed it was originally used by his favorite uncle and godfather

Smokey Robinson Net Worth Summary

who is smokey robinson?

Smokey Robinson is second to only Berry Gordy in the founding of Motown. A prolific songwriter, he is credited with 4,000 songs and 37 Top 40 hits, including “Tears of a Clown,” “Tracks of My Tears” and “Love Machine.” Robinson also served as vice president of Motown Records, writing and producing hits for groups such as The Temptations (“My Girl”) and Mary Wells (“My Guy”).

his early life

William “Smokey” Robinson Jr. was born on February 19, 1940 in Detroit, Michigan, to Flossie and William Robinson. His father was an African American while his mother was of African American and French descent. He has two sisters, Geraldine Burston and Rose Ella Jones.

His family wasn’t rich yet his parents supported the various pursuits of their son who was not only an above-average student but also was athletically gifted. He studied at Northern High School where he first began to demonstrate his musical talent. He later enrolled at a college to study electrical engineering but dropped out after two months to pursue a career in music.

He formed a doo-wop group named the Five Chimes with his childhood friend Ronald White and classmate Pete Moore. In 1957, they changed the group’s name to The Matadors. Bobby Rogers joined the group in the same year. Soon, Bobby’s cousin, Claudette, was brought in and in 1958, guitarist Marv Tarplin was added. They began performing at various venues in Detroit, later changing their name to The Miracles

How Smokey Robinson Started His Career

After touring extensively throughout the late 50s, the Matadors changed their name to the Miracles. In 1957, Robinson connected with a songwriter named Berry Gordy, who helped the Miracles release their first single, “Got a Job.” By this point, Robinson was studying electrical engineering at college, but he dropped out after this first single became successful.

Gordy then formed Tamla Records, which would later become Motown Records. Following a record deal with this company, the Miracles released “Shop Around” in 1960, which went on to become a hit single that sold over a million copies. Over the next decade, numerous hits followed. These included “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” “Mickey’s Monkey,” “I Second That Emotion,” “Baby Baby Don’t Cry,” and “The Tears of a Clown.” During this period, Robinson was the group’s principal singer, songwriter, and producer. To reflect this, the Miracles changed their name to Smokey Robinson & the Miracles in 1965.

Outside of his work with the Miracles, Smokey wrote many songs for other artists signed by Motown Records. He also produced a number of tracks. Artists who worked with Robinson included the Temptations, the Marvelettes, and Marvin Gaye. This stopped when a new team of songwriters arrived at Motown, which also coincided with more artists writing their own original material.

By 1969, Smokey expressed a desire to retire. Constant tours had taken their toll, and Robinson wanted to spend more time with his family. Shortly afterwards, the group released one of their most successful hits, “Tears of a Clown.” This convinced Robinson to stay with the group for a few more years, and he eventually parted ways with the Miracles in 1972.

Despite suggestions that he would retire completely from music, Robinson spent just one year on hiatus before pursuing a solo career in 1973. That year, he released his debut solo album, “Smokey.” He followed up with “Pure Smokey” in 1974. Although these albums were musically strong, Robinson failed to make much of an impact. This was mostly due to the fact that he was competing with established solo artists such as Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder.

In 1975, Smokey Robinson finally succeeded in making his mark as a solo artist. He released the album “A Quiet Storm,” which contained hits such as “Baby That’s Backatcha” and “Quiet Storm.” After this point, he began to focus more on his role as Motown’s vice president. Because of this, his next solo albums weren’t properly promoted, and Smokey didn’t commit himself fully to these projects as he had done in the past.

In 1979, Smokey bounced back with the single “Cruisin,” which reached the top ten on the charts. In 1981, Robinson released the chart-topping single “Being with You.” He achieved further success with the album “One Heartbeat” in 1987, which contained top-ten singles such as “Just to See Her” and “One Heartbeat.” Following Motown’s acquisition by RCA in 1988, Smokey stepped down as vice president and started focusing solely on his solo career. Throughout the next decades, he continued to collaborate with a variety of artists and release a number of singles and albums.

awards and achievements

Smokey Robinson won his first Grammy in 1988 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for the single ‘Just to See Her’ from the album ‘One Heartbeat’. In 1991, he received the Grammy Legend Award and in 1999, he was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 1989.
The Howard University honored him with the Doctor of Music degree, honoris causa, at its 138th Commencement Convocation in May 2006.
On December 3, 2006, Robinson, along with Dolly Parton, Zubin Mehta, Steven Spielberg and Andrew Lloyd Webber, was honored at the Kennedy Center in the East Room of the White House.

his personal life

Robinson’s first marriage was to Claudette Rogers, who was also a member of the Miracles. After having two children with Rogers, Robinson had a third child with another woman. This resulted in the couple’s divorce in 1986. In 2002, Smokey married Frances Gladney.

Smokey Robinson Net Worth Today

Smokey Robinson is one of the richest R&B singers currently alive. Smokey Robinson has worked as a part of a band, he has worked as a solo artist and he has also worked as a lyrics writer for other bands. He had achieved success in all those endeavors. The Famous American singer-songwriter “Smokey Robinson” has a net worth of $160 Million. According to various online resources.

FAQs About Smokey Robinson Net Worth You Need To Know

You Might Also Like:

1. Adam Lambert Net Worth And Biography
2. Emmanuella Samuel Net Worth & Biography
3. Summit1g Net Worth And Biography
4. Mac DeMarco Net Worth And Biography
5. Jack Hartmann Net Worth And Biography