Smokey Robinson Essentials

Editors' Notes He was one of Motown's in-house songwriters in the early '60s, and if he'd done nothing else, his legacy would be secure. But Smokey Robinson is one of the greatest soul singers of all time, with a sweetness and warmth in his voice that few could match. Getting his start as a '50s doo-wop kid, Robinson formed The Miracles with a gang of Detroit buddies, caught the million-dollar ear of Motown's Berry Gordy, and history was set. After the Miracles disbanded in the early '70s, Robinson reinvented himself as the king of grown-up soul, and his smoother-than-smooth hits helped launch an entire genre.