William “Smokey” Robinson Jr., an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former executive director of records, was born on February 19, 1940. He founded and served as the lead singer for the Motown singing group the Miracles, for which he also served as the group’s primary songwriter and producer. From the time the group was founded in 1955 as “the Five Chimes” until 1972 when he announced his departure from the band to concentrate on his duties as Motown’s vice president, he served as its leader. The following year, though, Robinson made a solo comeback in the music business. In 1990, Robinson left Motown Records after the business was sold two years earlier.
Robinson received the 2016 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for his lifelong contributions to popular music in addition to his 1987 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He received a star on the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in 2022.
What song did Smokey Robinson make famous?
At the beginning of Robinson’s career Following a failed audition for Brunswick Records, Robinson and the Miracles met composer Berry Gordy in August 1957. Robinson had a “Big 10” notebook with 100 songs he had written while a high school student was with him at the time of the audition. Gordy was taken aback by Robinson’s vocal performance and much more so by their bold songwriting of Robinson. He assisted the Miracles in getting their debut record, “Got a Job,” which was a response to the Silhouettes’ popular song “Get a Job,” released on End Records. It was the start of a protracted and fruitful partnership.
However, it was reported that the song that made Robinson famous the song titled “Since I Lost My Baby.” It was covered by the Temptations in 1965. It quickly became popular in the United States, peaking at number 20 on the Billboard 100 list. In 1982, Luther Vandross released the album Forever, For Always, For Love, which featured a reworking of “Since I Lost My Baby.”
