Smokey Robinson Is One Of The Most Iconic Figures In American Music History, With A Career Spanning Over Six Decades. As The Lead Singer Of The Miracles And Later As A Solo Artist, Robinson Has Produced Numerous Hits That Have Become Classics In The R&b And Soul Genres. With Such A Long And Successful Career, Many People Wonder: What Is Smokey Robinson’s Net Worth In 2023?
In This Article, We’ll Take A Closer Look At Robinson’s Life, Career, And Financial Success To Give You A Better Idea Of Just How Much This Legendary Artist Is Worth.
Smokey Robinson Early Life
On February 19, 1940, William “Smokey” Robinson Jr. was born in Detroit, Michigan. William grew up in a low-income family on the north side of Detroit. His uncle Claude gave him the nickname “Smokey.”
Claude took William to see cowboy movies, and eventually, he gave William his “cowboy name,” “Smokey Joe.” From then on, young William told everyone he met that his name was Smokey Joe. He stopped using “Joe” and just went by “Smokey” in the end.
Smokey formed a doo-wop group called “The Five Chimes” in high school. Robinson loved music very much as a child and listened to many different artists on the radio. Among these were Nolan Strong and the Diablos, Billy Ward and his Dominoes, and many others. In the end, his doo-wop group was renamed The Matadors.
Smokey Robinson Career
The Matadors changed their name to The Miracles after going on many tours in the late 1950s. Robinson met Berry Gordy, a songwriter, in 1957. Gordy helped The Miracles publish their first single, “Got a Job.” Robinson had been going to college to study electrical engineering up until this point, but he quit after this first single and did well.
As A Songwriter, Robinson Wrote Many Of Motown’s Most Famous Hits, Including “My Guy” For Mary Wells And “The Way You Do The Things You Do” For The Temptations. He Also Wrote And Produced Several Of The Miracles’ Biggest Hits, Such As “Shop Around,” “Tracks Of My Tears,” And “Tears Of A Clown.”
Some people thought Robinson would quit music for good, but he only took a year off before starting a solo career in 1973. “Smokey,” his first album as a solo artist, came out that year. 1974’s “Pure Smokey” was his next hit. Even though these albums had good music, Robinson didn’t make much of an impression. Most of this was because he was going up against well-known solo artists like Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder.
In 1975, Smokey Robinson finally made it as a solo artist. He put out an album called “A Quiet Storm,” which had hits like “Baby That’s Backatcha” and “Quiet Storm” on it. After this, he started to focus more on his job as Vice President of Motown. Because of this, his subsequent solo albums got less attention than they should have, and Smokey didn’t put as much effort into them as he had in the past.
Smokey got back on track in 1979 with the single “Cruisin,” which made it to the top ten charts. Robinson’s single “Being With You” topped the charts when it came out in 1981. He had more success with the album “One Heartbeat,” which came out in 1987, and had songs like “Just to See Her” and “One Heartbeat,” which were in the top ten.
Over The Course Of His Career, Robinson Has Won Numerous Awards And Honors, Including Induction Into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame In 1987 And The Grammy Living Legend Award In 1991. He Has Also Been Honored With A Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame And Has Been Recognized By The Kennedy Center Honors.
Smokey Robinson Relationship
Robinson’s first wife was Claudette Rogers, also a member of The Miracles. Robinson had a third child with another woman after having two with Rogers. In 1986, the couple split up because of this. Smokey married Frances Gladney in 2002.
Smokey Robinson Real Estate
Robinson sold his house in Encino, California, for $2.3 million in 2002. This luxurious estate was built in 1912 and has 10,600 square feet of living space, including a private deck that is 800 square feet. The house is on 1.5 acres of land with beautiful English-style gardens. The famous house was sold again in 2017 for $8.3 million.
Smokey was said to be selling another California mansion for $7.99 million in 2014. This second home is in the wealthy Los Angeles neighborhood of Chatsworth, where many other famous people live. The 9-acre property has a 2,000-square-foot guest house separate from the main house. Smokey first put the house on the market in 2005 for $10.5 million.
In 2007, after having trouble finding a buyer, he put it on the market again for $10 million. In 2014, the price was $7.99 million, a meager final price.
Smokey Robinson Net Worth In 2023
Smokey Robinson is an American R&B and pop singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive with a net worth of $150 million. Robinson is known for creating the unique Motown sound, which was very popular from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Smokey was a member of the vocal group The Miracles, which was very successful during the Motown era. Robinson went on to have a successful solo career after he left this group.
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