Smokey Robinson’s net worth of $150 million as an American songwriter, R&B and pop singer, previous record executive and record producer,. Robinson is credited with creating the characteristic Motown sound, hugely successful from the 1950s until the 1970s.
Smokey was a member of the Miracles, a vocal group with a lot of popularity during the Motown era. A successful solo career ensued following his departure from the band. He was also the vice president of Motown Records. However, the House of Fame for Roll & Rock inducted Robinson in 1987.
Smokey Robinson Early Days
On 19 February 1940, William “Smokey” was born in Detroit, Michigan. However, William was born into a poor household in Detroit’s Northern Neighborhood, where his father’s brother Claude nicknamed him “Smokey.”
A cowboy movie was Claude’s way of introducing William to cowboy culture. As a result, William began calling himself Smokey Joe to everyone who heard him. Ultimately, he chooses “Smokey” instead of “Joe.”
Personal Information
The Doo-wop ensemble, the Five Whistles, was created by Smokey as a teenager. Robinson was a song fanatic as a kid; I was exposed to various musical genres and artists via the radio. They included His Dominoes and Billy Ward, the Diablos and Nolan Strong, and others. Eventually, he formed a doo-wop band called the Matadors. Some personal information about Smokey Robinson is given below:
| Real Name | Smokey Robinson Jr. |
|---|---|
| Nick Name | Smokey |
| Weight | 82 kg (181 lb) |
| Height | 179 cm (5 ft 10.5 in) |
| Birth Date | February 19, 1940 |
| Birth Place | Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Age | 82 Years Old |
| Net worth | $150 million |
| Career | Singing songs |
| Religion | Christian |
Summary: William “Smokey” Robinson Jr. was born in Detroit, Michigan, on 19 February 1940. While a teenager, he established the Five Chimes, a doo-wop group. He was captivated by music as a child and listened to a wide variety of performers on the radio.
Smokey Robinson Career
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The Matadors changed their name to the Miracles after traveling extensively in the late 1950s. In 1957, Robinson met songwriter Berry Gordy, who assisted the Miracles in releasing their first hit, “Got a Job.”
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Robinson was studying electrical engineering at the time, but he left out after his successful first single. Gordy then established Tamla Records, which later became Motown Records.
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Smokey created many songs for musicians signed to Motown Records in addition to his work with the Miracles. He also wrote and produced a lot of songs. However, the Temptations, the Marvelettes, and Marvin Gaye were among the artists who collaborated with Robinson.
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Smokey announced a wish to retire by 1969. Constant touring had taken its toll, and Robinson yearned for more time with his family. Soon later, the trio produced “Tears of a Clown,” one of their most successful singles. Robinson was [ persuaded to stay with the group for a few more years, eventually leaving the Miracles in 1972.
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Despite speculation that he would withdraw from music entirely, Robinson only took a one-year vacation, embarking on a solo career in 1973. “Smokey,” his debut solo record, was released that year. In 1974, he released “Pure Smokey.”
Summary: Tamla Records, which became Motown, released the group’s first song, “Shop Around.” He also wrote and produced songs for Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, and The Marvelettes, among others. However, he departed the band in 1972 but returned in 1979 with the single “Cruisin.” He launched the album “One Heartbeat” in 1987, with top-ten singles.
Smokey Robinson Songs List
Smokey Robinson ultimately established himself as a solo artist in 1975. He published “A Quiet Storm,” an album that had singles like “Baby That’s Backatcha” and “Quiet Storm.” Some Smokey Robinson songs list are given below:
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Sweet Harmony
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It’s Her Turn to Live
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Baby, Come Close
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Just My Soul Reacting
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Virgin Man
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I Am I Am
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Open
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An Old-Fashioned Man
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Baby, That’s Backatcha
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The Agony and the Ecstasy
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When You Came
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Quiet Storm
Ѕmоkеу Rоbіnѕоn Personal Life
Smоkеу Rоbinоn’s personal life is quite complicated. Over many years, he has had two marriages.
One of his band members, a woman named lаudеtte Rogers, was his first companion in 1959. The couple had an excellent bond and two children in the form of a son and a daughter.
When they had children, they named them Serry Robinson and Samla Robinson. However, after a few days, he discovered that he was in a relationship with another woman, and they were expecting their first child.
Smokey Robinson’s Wife
Robinson’s first marriage was according to Miracles band member Claudette Rogers. After having two children with Rogers, Robinson had a third child with another lady. As a result, the couple divorced in 1986. Smokey married Frances Gladney in 2002.
Smokey Robinson and Diana Ross have known each other since they were pre-teens and lived down the street from one other. However, they had a love affair during Diana’s pre-Supreme Court days, as she revealed in her book “Secrets of a Sparrow.”
When asked if he ever felt envious when Diana hooked up with his best buddy, Berry Gordy, Smokey replied that he didn’t mind because he just wanted to see both of his close friends happy. At the time, he and Diana had also moved on from their romance.
It was also believed that Smokey’s first wife, Claudette, was aware of his relationship with Diana and forbade him from working with her. Smokey obliged, but when Diana departed the Supremes in 1972, he produced one of their songs, “Floy Joy.”
Keep In Mind: Robinson founded the Five Chimes, a doo-wop ensemble while attending Northern High School. Shop Around, The Miracles’ first big hit, was released in the late 1960s. In the mid-1960s, Robinson was named vice president of Motown.
Real Estate
Robinson sold his property in Encino, Los Angeles, for $2.3 million in 2002. This opulent mansion, built-in 1912, has 10,600 square feet of living area, including an 800-square-foot private terrace. The estate is on 1.5 acres of land and features exquisite English-style gardens.
Smokey was selling another California house for $7.99 million in 2014. This second residence is in Los Angeles’ upscale Chatsworth district, home to many prominent celebrities. However, the 9,075-square-foot estate includes a 2,000-square-foot guest house.
Smokey initially offered the home for $10.5 million in 2005 but relisted it for $10 million in 2007 after failing to find a buyer. In 2014, the price of $7.99 million represented a drastically) lowered final price.
Summary: Built-in 1912, this opulent estate features 10,600 square feet of living space, including an 800-square-foot private terrace. The estate is on 1.5 acres of land and has English-style gardens. In 2014, it sold for $7.99 million, but it was relisted in 2017 for $8.3 million.
Smokey Robinson Group, The Miracles
Smokey has been interested in music since he was a child. While attending Northern High School, he established the Five Chimes, a doo-wop group. In 1955, he founded his first band, Five Chimes, with a childhood buddy, Ronald White, and a classmate, Pete More.
When Bobby Rodgers formed the group in 1957, the band was renamed, Matadors. Later, as a replacement for Emerson Rogers, Claudette Rogers joined the band. Marv Tarplin, the band’s guitarist, started the team in 1958. However, the band’s name changed to ‘The Miracles.’
End Records published the band’s first song, “Got a Job,” in 1957. The track was released after the band met songwriter and producer Berry Gordy. Gordy founded Tamla Records, which was subsequently and renamed Motown. As his debut act, he signed The Miracles.
The band’s first big single, Shop Around, was released in late 1960. Robinson was appointed vice president of Motown in the mid-1960s. He intended to leave The Miracles in 1969 to concentrate on his duties as Motown’s vice president, but he stayed with the group until 1972 due to the success of the group’s Tears of a Clown.
Summary: He founded the Five Chimes, a doo-wop ensemble while attending Northern High School. Shop Around, The Miracles’ first big hit, was released in the late 1960s. However, in the mid-1960s, Robinson was named vice president of Motown.
Smokey Robinson Motown
After meeting Berry Gordy in 1957, Smoke was signed to Motown. ‘The Miracles’ were Motown’s first act in the late 1960s. In the middle of the 1960s, he became the vice-chairman of Motown. After MCA bought the company in 1988, he resigned.
He departed Motown Records as a musician to get a contract with SBK Records. He went back to Motown records for a short time, releasing his album titled “Intimate” on the label. However, he left the record label again in 2003.
Smokey Robinson’s Net Worth
As of 2020, Smokey’s net worth is expected to be about USD 100 million. It includes his property, money, and earnings. His principal source of income is his musical career musical career. Smokey has amassed wealth from his different sources of income, but he likes to live a simple lifestyle.
Note: After meeting Berry Gordy in 1957, Smoke was signed to Motown. ‘The Miracles’ were Motown’s first act in the late 1960s. As of 2020, Smokey’s net worth is expected to be about USD 100 million. However, his principal source of income is his musical career.
Some Interesting Facts About Smokey Robinson
William Robinson Jr. is his full legal name. When he was a teenager, he was referred to as “Smokey Joe” by an uncle, and the moniker was later abbreviated to “Smokey” When Robinson was a kid, he felt the name sounded like something out of a Western movie. Some other facts are given below:
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Smokey Robinson is among the few personalities to receive the Golden Plate Award in 2019.
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Ѕmоkеу Rоbіnѕоn hаѕ bееn а fаntаѕtіс реrѕоnаlіtу оvеr thе уеаrѕ.
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Не hаѕ bееn аn іnѕріrаtіоn fоr mаnу ѕіngеrѕ аѕ hіѕ јоurnеу wаѕ nоt аt аll еаѕу bеfоrе соmіng tо thе bіg ѕtаgе.
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Nо dоubt іt’ѕ bесаuѕе оf thе bеаutіful ѕkіllѕ hе hаѕ bееn ѕо vеrу рорulаr оvеr thе уеаrѕ.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some frequently asked questions are given below:
1. How many wives did Smokey Robinson have?
As a result, Claudette Rogers, with whom he married and had two children, became his first wife. Despite the failure of his first marriage, the Motown singer never gave up on finding true love. In 2002, he married Frances Gladney, his second wife. However, William Robinson Jr., better known as Smokey, was the son of Smokey Robinson.
2. Is Smokey Robinson Married?
Yes, Smokey has a wife named Frances Gladney. After Smokey divorced his ex-wife, Claudette Rogers Robinson, the two married more than ten years later.
3. Is Smokey Robinson a vegetarian?
"I’ve genuinely given up meat and dairy products. Since being a vegan, I’ve gone back to eating meat, but only fish and fowl when I do so. Since 1972, I’ve been doing just that. In contrast, for the past 15 months, I’ve been a vegan, consuming no animal products whatsoever.
4. What’s Smokey Robinson’s age?
Smokey Robinson, the Famous singer and songwriter is moving quickly after recuperating from last December; COVID-19 was in hospital 11 days of critical care. However, “everything matters more to me now,” remarked Robinson, who celebrated his 81st birthday on 19 February.
5. Did Smokey Robinson lose his parents?
His parents split when he was three, and his mother died when he was ten, so he was raised in a large family, including his sister Geraldine and his father. The moniker “Smokey” was given to him humorously, even though he had a fair complexion.
6. How long has Smokey Robinson been married to his current wife?
In May 2002, they got married. He married Claudette Rogers, another miracle member, in 1959. The couple had two children, a son named Berry Robinson, after Motown’s founder Berry Gordy and a girl named Tamla Robinson, after Gordy’s initial Tamla label.
7. Are Smokey Robinson’s eyes green?
He engages in Transcendental Meditation. Robinson is known for his beautiful green eyes, which he says were inherited from his French great-grandmother.
8. How many children did Smokey Robinson and Claudette have?
Berry Robinson (born 1968), named after Motown’s first label founder, Berry Gordy, and Tamla Robinson (born 1971), named after Gordy’s original “Tamla” label, which would eventually become Motown, where the couple’s two children.
9. What happened to the miracles of Smokey Robinson?
Robinson left the Miracles in 1972 to make it on his own. Robinson was put into House of Fame for Roll & Rock in 1987. In 2012, the Miracles were placed in the House of Fame. In 2002, Robinson was also given the National Medal of Arts.
10. Is Smokey Robinson still married to his wife?
In addition to Frances Robinson, née Gladney, Smokey is married to Frances Robinson. They exchanged vows in May of 2002 and have been married ever since. In 1959, he married Claudette Rogers, a former Miracles bandmate.
11. Why does Smokey Robinson have blue eyes?
William ‘Smokey’ Robinson, the son of African-American parents, was born in Detroit on 19 February 1940. He had light brown hair, blue eyes, and a pale complexion. William inherited the green-blue eyes of his great-grandmother, a white Frenchwoman.
12. Who was Smokey Robinson’s first wife?
On 7 November 1959, Claudette Rogers and Smokey Robinson tied the knot. Despite their aspirations to start a family, Smokey and Claudette experienced seven miscarriages due to the harsh touring lifestyle.
13. Was Smokey Robinson part of the Temptations?
Smokey Robinson was the primary producer and songwriter for The Temptations for the first few years of their career. However, a million-copy best-seller in March 1965, “My Girl” became an example of the most excellent recorded song.
Conclusion:
William Robinson, Jr., better known as Smokey Robinson, is a record producer and R&B singer-songwriter with a net worth of $150 million. Smokey has also worked as a record executive. He was born in the US state of Michigan on 19 February 1940. After meeting Berry Gordy in 1957, Smoke was signed to Motown. ‘The Miracles’ were Motown’s first act in the late 1960s. As of 2020, Smokey’s net worth is expected to be about USD 100 million. However, his principal source of income is his musical career.