Smokey Robinson Height, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Birth Name	William Robinson Jr.
Nickname	Smokey Joe
Profession(s)	• Singer • Songwriter • Record Producer • Former Record Executive
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	5' 11" (180 cm)
Eye Colour	Moss Green
Hair Colour	Black
Career
Debut	Song (Group): Shop Around (1961) (The Miracles) Album (Solo): Smokey (1973)
Awards, Honours	1983: Awarded an individual star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (22 February) 1987: Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 1988: Best R&B Vocal Performance - Male award for the song 'Just to See Her' at the 30th Grammy Awards 1990: Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) 1991: Heritage Award for Career Achievement at the Soul Train Music Awards 2002: National Medal of Arts 2005: Voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends (MRRL) Hall of Fame 2006: Awarded honorary Doctor of Music degree by Howard University at its 138th Commencement Convocation in May 2006: Named a Kennedy Center Honoree in December 2009: The Miracles received group star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (20 March) 2009: Received honorary doctorate at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts 2011: Honoured with Society of Singers Lifetime Achievement Award 2012: Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with The Miracles 2015: Received BET Lifetime Achievement Award 2016: Awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song 2016: Inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in Detroi (21 August) 2019: Received Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement 2023: Ranked No. 23 on Rolling Stone's list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time
Personal Life
Date of Birth	19 February 1940 (Monday)
Age (as of 2025)	85 Years
Birthplace	Detroit, Michigan, USA
Zodiac sign	Aquarius
Signature
Nationality	American
Hometown	Detroit
School	Northern Senior High School, Detroit
Educational Qualification	High School Graduate
Religion	Christianity
Ethnicity	African American
Food Habit	Vegetarian
Controversies	Hall of Fame Debate: In 1988, Smokey Robinson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist, which stirred controversy since the rest of The Miracles members were left out. Many, including Robinson himslef, felt the group's contribution was unfairly ignored. The Hall of Fame, however, corrected this by inducting the Miracles in 2012. [1]Goldmine 2015 Sexual Assault Allegation: In 2015, Smokey Robinson faced a sexual assault allegation that was investigated by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, but no charges were filed due to insufficient evidence. [2]The New York Times Sexual Assault Lawsuit: In May 2025, four former housekeepers filed a $50 million lawsuit accusing Smokey Robinson of repeatedly sexually assaulting them between 2006 and 2024 at his homes in Los Angeles, Ventura County, and Las Vegas. Robinson, however, denied all allegations, calling them false and part of an extortion attempt. On 28 May 2025, he filed a $500 million countersuit for defamation, emotional distress, and financial elder abuse against those women. The case also led to a criminal investigation by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. [3]BBC
Social Media	• Instagram • Facebook • Twitter • Official Website
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Affairs/Girlfriends	• Claudette Rogers Robinson (singer) (1958) • Diana Ross (singer, actor) (1960s) • Kandi (model) (1984) • Frances Gladney (interior designer) (2002)
Marriage Date	First Marriage: 7 November 1959 Second Marriage: May 2002
Marriage Place	First Marriage: Detroit, Michigan
Family
Wife/Spouse	• Claudette Rogers Robinson (singer, actor) (m. 1959; div. 1986) • Frances Gladney aka Frances Robinson (interior designer) (m. 2002 - Present)
Children	Son(s)- 2 • Berry Robinson (businessman) (from first marriage) • Trey Robinson (with Kandi) Daughter- 1 • Tamla Robinson (from first marriage)
Parents	Father- William Robinson (steel worker) (deceased) Mother- Flossie Robinson (homemaker)
Money Factor
Assets/Properties	• Colonial Estate in Encino, Los Angeles (built in 1882) (sold for $3.6 million) • Chatsworth, California Home (bought in 2002 for $2.7 million) (listed for sale in 2014 for $7.99 million)
Net Worth (approx.)	$150 million (as of 2025)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Smokey Robinson

• Smokey Robinson was born into a poor family in the North End neighbourhood of Detroit, Michigan.
  

  A childhood picture of Smokey Robinson

• He traces his roots to Nigerian, Scandinavian, Portuguese, and Cherokee ancestry.

• Robinson’s parents divorced when he was three years old, but they stayed closely involved together in raising him.

• Robinson shared a deep bond with his uncle Claude, who was also his godfather. Claude nicknamed him ‘Smokey Joe’ when he was 4. The name, which came from their shared love for cowboy movies, caught on so quickly that even his teachers called him that.

• Robinson and singer Aretha Franklin grew up just a few houses apart on Belmont in Detroit. He often visited her older brother, Cecil, and heard Aretha playing piano even before she became famous.
  

  Smokey Robinson and Aretha Franklin

• Robinson was 10 when he lost his mother to a brain haemorrhage. He then moved in with his older sister, Geraldine, and her husband, who were raising 10 children.

• At 12, he chose to drop ‘Joe’ from his nickname ‘Smokey Joe,’ which many thought was linked to his light skin tone, but that was not the case.

• During his childhood, Smokey lived just four doors away from singer and actor Diana Ross. When she was still a high school student, he helped her get her very first audition at Motown Records.
  

  Smokey Robinson and Diana Ross (second from the left) in 1965

• During his time at Northern High School in Detroit, Robinson performed well academically and actively participated as an athlete.

• Smokey showed a strong interest in music from a young age. As a child, he was inspired by groups like ‘Nolan Strong & the Diablos’ and ‘Billy Ward and his Dominoes.’ He was also influenced by singer Barrett Strong, who shaped the way Smokey sang.

• Robinson founded a group called ‘The Five Chimes’ with childhood friend Ronald White and classmate Pete Moore in Detroit, Michigan, in 1955 and became the group’s lead vocalist. He also played a key role as their primary songwriter and producer.
  

  The Five Chimes

• Over the years, the group changed its names several times, first as The Matadors (1955-1957), then as Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (1965-1972), and later as The New Miracles (1980-1983).

• In August 1957, after an unsuccessful audition with Brunswick Records, Robinson and The Miracles met songwriter Berry Gordy. Gordy was struck not only by Robinson’s vocal ability but also by a notebook he brought along, which was filled with 100 songs he had written during high school.
  

  Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy in 1981

• With Gordy’s guidance, The Miracles released their debut single, ‘Got a Job’ (1958), which was made as a playful answer to the hit song Get a Job by the Silhouettes. This marked the beginning of a fruitful collaboration.
  

  The Miracles performing ‘Got a Job’

• In January 1959, Robinson began studying electrical engineering in college, but after just two months, he dropped out to focus on The Miracles after they released their first song.

• On 12 January 1959, Berry Gordy founded Tamla Records, which later became known as Motown Records. The Miracles had been collaborating with him even before the label’s official launch, making them one of its earliest acts.

• In 1959, Smokey got married to Claudette Rogers, a fellow member of The Miracles. They had two children. Robinson named his son Berry after Motown founder Berry Gordy, and his daughter Tamla after Gordy’s original record label Tamla.
  

  Smokey Robinson and Claudette Rogers Robinson with their children

• In late 1960, the group recorded ‘Shop Around,’ which became Motown’s first hit to sell over a million copies.

• Throughout 1960, Robinson worked as The Miracles’ songwriter and producer, and contributed to 26 songs that made it to the Top 40.

• When The Miracles became known as ‘Smokey Robinson & The Miracles,’ he worked on several other albums, including ‘Going to a Go-Go’ (1965), ‘Special Occasion’ (1968), ‘Four in Blue’ (1969), ‘One Dozen Roses’ (1971), and ‘Flying High Together’ (1972).
  

  A poster of Smokey Robinson and The Miracles’ album ‘Special Occasion’ (1968)

• Robinson worked with the group until 1972, when he stepped away from performing with them to concentrate on his duties as vice president of Motown Records.

• In 1972, Robinson gave up red meat because of a bet with his bandmates, practising meditation and yoga. He was also inspired by singer and songwriter Paul McCartney‘s vegetarian lifestyle.

• Smokey Robinson returned as a solo artist in 1973 with the release of his album ‘Smokey.’

• In 1974, Robinson released his second solo album, ‘Pure Smokey,’ but it did not produce any hit songs. During this time, he found it hard to keep up with his former Motown colleagues, who were all releasing several hit singles.
  

  A poster of Smokey Robinson’s album ‘Pure Smokey’ (1974)

• That same year, he separated from Claudette Rogers and had an affair that became the inspiration for his song ‘The Agony And The Ecstasy’ (1975).
  

  A poster of Smokey Robinson’s song ‘The Agony And The Ecstasy’ (1975)

• In 1976, The Beatles’ lead guitarist George Harrison paid tribute to Smokey Robinson with a song called ‘Pure Smoke.’ The other Beatles, including John Lennon and Paul McCartney, were also Smokey’s fans and even covered his song ‘You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me’ on one of their early albums.

• Over time, Robinson’s responsibilities as Motown’s vice president began to affect his solo career. Many of his albums, like ‘Deep in My Soul’ (1977) and ‘Love Breeze’ (1978), were not promoted or praised, and he began relying more on outside writers and producers.
  

  A label of the vinyl album Deep in My Soul (1977) by Smokey Robinson

• Smokey later overcame his struggle to write songs when musician Marv Tarplin, who was also his close friend and former bandmate, played him a guitar tune that inspired him again.
  

  Smokey Robinson (right, sitting) and Marv Tarplin (left, sitting) along with other The Miracles members

• Robinson later wrote the lyrics for ‘Cruisin’ (1979), which became his first solo top ten hit. The song topped the Cash Box chart, reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100, and was his first solo song to hit number one in New Zealand.
  

  A label of Smokey Robinson’s ‘Cruisin’ (1979)

• In 1981, Robinson released another big hit song, ‘Being with You.’ It reached number one on the Cash Box chart, number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and was his first number one in the UK.
  

  Smokey Robinson in a still from the music video of the song ‘Being with You’

• The success of ‘Being with You’ led Robinson to work with producer George Tobin. Together, they released several Motown albums, including ‘Yes It’s You Lady’ (1982), ‘Touch the Sky’ (1983), and ‘Essar’ (1984).
  

  A poster of Smokey Robinson’s ‘Touch the Sky’ (1983)

• In his early years, Robinson smoked a lot of marijuana, which he considered manageable.

• After the success of ‘Being With You’, he started using cocaine, thinking he would not become addicted, but eventually, he did. The problem worsened as he drifted away from grounded friends and surrounded himself with people who never questioned him.

• Smokey kept using cocaine until 1986, when a pastor at a Los Angeles church prayed for him and helped him quit.

• During his marriage to Claudette, Robinson had an on-and-off relationship with a model named Kandi, with whom he had a son named Trey in 1984.

• He later admitted to Claudette that he had been involved with Kandi for 20 years and filed for legal separation, followed by divorce. Their divorce was finalised in 1986.

• In 1987, he returned from personal struggles and a slow career phase to the spotlight with the album ‘One Heartbeat.’ Its singles ‘Just to See Her’ and ‘One Heartbeat’ reached the Top 10 across Pop, R&B, and Adult Contemporary charts.
  

  A poster of Smokey Robinson’s album ‘One Heartbeat’ (1987)

• In 1988, MCA bought Motown Records, and Robinson left his position as vice president two years later in 1990. In 1991, he signed with SBK Records and released the album ‘Double Good Everything,’ which did not make it onto the charts.
  

  A poster of Smokey Robinson’s album ‘Double Good Everything’

• During the 1990s, Robinson kept a low profile. In 1999, he made a brief comeback when he signed again with Motown Records and released the album ‘Intimate.’

• In 2003, Robinson left Motown Records once again and went on to release an album titled ‘Food for the Spirit’ in 2004 under Liquid 8 Records.

• In 2004, Robinson lent his voice to the theme song of the kids’ show TLC’s ‘ToddWorld.’

• In 2009, Smokey launched ‘Robso Records.’

• In April 2017, Smokey Robinson visited Fremont-Lopez Elementary School in Stockton as an arts mentor for the Turnaround Arts program. He spent time with students, singing, dancing, and encouraging them to enjoy and learn through music.

• On 10 November 2017, Smokey Robinson released ‘Christmas Everyday,’ his first solo Christmas album since leaving The Miracles.
  

  A poster of Smokey Robinson’s album ‘Christmas Everyday’ (2017)

• On 31 July 2018, Smokey Robinson appeared as a special guest on the show ‘Beat Shazam,’ which aired on Fox.
  

  Smokey Robinson in a still from the show ‘Beat Shazam’ (2018)

• In 2019, he featured in the music video for the song ‘Make It Better’ by Anderson .Paak.
  

  Smokey Robinson and Anderson .Paak, while performing ‘Make It Better’

• In November 2023, Smokey Robinson became the owner and host of Smokey’s Soul Town, a SiriusXM channel on Soul Town that features R&B and soul hits from the 1950s to the early 1980s.