Born on February 19: Smokey Robinson, a singer who's no slouch when it comes to Miracles

This singer of American soul music and great seducer before the Eternal was born in Detroit (Michigan) in 1940.

Like many young boys attracted to music in the mid-50s, he started out in high school in a doo-wop vocal group, the style in vogue at the time. Since you're not afraid of anything when you're not even 18, they boldly opted for a predestined stage name: The Miracles. With a twist of fate, they were spotted by Berry Gordy, the future founder of the legendary Tamla Motown label (of which Smokey would later become vice-president). Thanks to him, they recorded their first single “Got A Job” on the small End Records label.

Less than a year later, Berry Gordy, who had just launched (Tamla) Motown, co-signed “Bad Girl” with Smokey Robinson, one of the label's first releases. As a reminder, just as Detroit embodied the city of the automobile industry in the United States (notably with the Ford factories), Motown is the contraction of “motor” and “town”. CQFD!

From the early '60s onwards, The Miracles played a key role in the label's development, scoring its first hits with the album “Hi... We're The Miracles” (1961) and, of course, the immortal “The Tears Of A Clown” (1967), which took a few years to become an unmissable hit covered by English ska band The Beat, Petula Clark and mod group The Merton Parkas, among many others. And the Miracles have a few other gems in their repertoire, such as “Really Got A Hold On You”, of which Smokey once even recorded a version with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler!

After the Miracles split up (never quite definitively), Smokey Robinson obviously had a bit of trouble finding the same flame again. One of his last official compilations in 2010, the aptly named “Now And Then”, once again features older songs such as “I Second That Emotion”, “Going To A Go-Go” and “Ooo Baby Baby”. 

On a more personal note, although he was married for many years to Claudette (a member of the Miracles), Smokey Robinson never hid his unrepentant Don Juan character. He even claims to have had a torrid relationship with Diana Ross of the Supremes for over a year while married to the former Miracles Claudette. Today is Smokey Robinson's 85th birthday, and he's probably mellowed out...

(Stéphane Soupart - Tr.: MH - Photo : © Etienne Tordoir)

Picture:  Smokey Robinson In Brussels (Belgium) à la fin des années 80