Smokey Robinson

Biography

William "Smokey×Smokey19 June 1973 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Holly4:372Never My Love / Never Can Say Goodbye3:523A Silent Partner In a Three-Way Love Affair4:374Just My Soul Responding5:215Sweet Harmony4:386Will You Love Me Tomorrow?4:407Wanna Know My Mind3:528The Family Song4:219Baby Come Close4:58" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief songwriter and producer. He led the group from its 1955 origins, when they were called the Five Chimes, until 1972, when he retired from the group to focus on his role as Motown Records vice president. Robinson returned to the music industry as a solo artist the following year. He left Motown in 1999.
Robinson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and awarded the 2016 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for his lifetime contributions to popular music. He is a double Hollywood Walk of Fame Inductee, as a solo artist (1983) and as a member of the Miracles (2009). In 2022, he was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

Early life and early career

William Robinson Jr. was born on February 19, 1940, to an African-American father and a mother of African-American and French descent, in a poor family in the North End area of Detroit. He had two maternal half-sisters, Rose Ella and Geraldine, and his parents divorced when he was three years old.
Robinson's ancestry is also part Nigerian, Scandinavian, Portuguese, and Cherokee. His uncle Claude gave him the nickname "Smokey Joe" when he was a child. In 2012, Robinson explained:

My Uncle Claude was my favorite uncle. He was also my godfather. He and I were really, really close. He used to take me to see cowboy movies all the time when I was a little boy because I loved cowboy movies. He got a cowboy name for me, which was Smokey Joe. So from the time I was three years old if people asked me what my name was I didn't tell them my name was William, I told them my name was Smokey Joe. That's what everyone called me until I was about 12 and then I dropped the Joe part. I've heard that story about him giving it to me because I'm a light skinned black man but that's not true.
When Robinson was 10, his mother died, and he began living with his older sister, Geraldine, with her husband, who had 10 children together. He attended Northern High School, where he was above average academically and a determined athlete. However, his main interest was music, and he formed a doo-wop group named the Five Chimes. He and Aretha Franklin lived several houses from each other on Belmont; he said he'd known Franklin since she was about five, overhearing her play the piano when he had come to play with her older brother Cecil after her family first moved to Detroit.
Robinson's interest in music started during childhood after he heard the groups Nolan Strong & the Diablos and Billy Ward and his Dominoes on the radio. He has cited Barrett Strong, a Detroit native, as a strong vocal influence. In 1955, he formed the first lineup of the Five Chimes with childhood friend Ronald White and classmate Pete Moore.
Two years later, they were renamed the Matadors and included Bobby Rogers. Another member, Emerson (Sonny) Rogers, Bobby Rogers' cousin, was replaced by his sister, Claudette Rogers (who would marry Smokey Robinson in 1959). The group's guitarist, Marv Tarplin, joined them sometime in 1958. The Matadors began touring Detroit venues around this time. Eventually they changed their name to the Miracles.

1957–1969: The Miracles and Motown

In August 1957, Robinson and the Miracles met songwriter Berry Gordy after a failed audition for Brunswick Records. At that time during the audition, Robinson had brought along with him a "Big 10" notebook with 100 songs he had written while in high school. Gordy was impressed with Robinson's vocals and even more impressed with Robinson's ambitious songwriting. With his help, the Miracles released their first single "Got a Job", an answer song to the Silhouettes' hit single "Get a Job" on End Records. It was the beginning of a long and successful collaboration. During this time, Robinson attended college and started classes in January 1959, studying electrical engineering. He dropped out after only two months, following the Miracles' release of their first record.
Gordy formed Tamla Records, which was later reincorporated as Motown. The Miracles became one of the first acts signed to the label, although they had actually been with Gordy since before the formation of Motown Records. In late 1960, the group recorded their first hit single "Shop Around", which became Motown's first million-selling hit record. Between 1960 and 1970, Robinson would produce 26 Top 40 hits with the Miracles as lead singer, chief songwriter and producer, including several top ten hits such as "You've Really Got a Hold on Me", "Mickey's Monkey", "I Second That Emotion", "Baby Baby Don't Cry" and the group's only number-one hit during their Robinson years, "The Tears of a Clown".
Other notable hits such as "Ooo Baby Baby", "Going to a Go-Go", the multi-award-winning "The Tracks of My Tears", "(Come Round Here) I'm The One You Need", "The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage" and "More Love" peaked in the Top 20. In 1965, the Miracles were the first Motown group to change their name when they released their 1965 album Going to a Go-Go as Smokey×Smokey19 June 1973 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Holly4:372Never My Love / Never Can Say Goodbye3:523A Silent Partner In a Three-Way Love Affair4:374Just My Soul Responding5:215Sweet Harmony4:386Will You Love Me Tomorrow?4:407Wanna Know My Mind3:528The Family Song4:219Baby Come Close4:58 Robinson & the Miracles.
Between 1962 and 1966, Robinson was also one of the major songwriters and producers for Motown, penning many hit singles such as "Two Lovers", "The One Who Really Loves You", "You Beat Me to the Punch" and "My Guy" for Mary Wells; "The Way You Do The Things You Do", "My Girl", "Since I Lost My Baby", "It's Growing", and "Get Ready" for the Temptations; "Still Water (Love)" for the Four Tops; "When I'm Gone" and "Operator" for Brenda Holloway; "Don't Mess With Bill", "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" and "My Baby Must Be a Magician" for the Marvelettes; and "I'll Be Doggone" and "Ain't That Peculiar" for Marvin Gaye.
After the arrival of Holland–Dozier–Holland and the team of Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, Robinson was eclipsed as a top writer and producer for the label, and other Motown artists such as Gaye and Stevie Wonder began to compose more original material. Later in his career, Robinson wrote lyrics and music for the Contours such as "First I Look at the Purse", as well as the Four Tops' "Still Water" and The Supremes' "Floy Joy". The other Miracles—Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, Ronnie White, and Marv Tarplin—collaborated with him as writers on many of these hits, and Pete Moore also doubled as co-producer with Robinson on several of them.
By 1969, Robinson wanted to retire from touring to focus on raising his two children with his wife Claudette, and on his duties as Motown's vice president, a job he had taken on by the mid-1960s after Esther Gordy Edwards had left the position. However, the success of the group's "Tears of a Clown" made Robinson stay with the group until 1972. His last performance with the group was in July 1972 in Washington, D.C..

1970–1979: Solo career

After a year of retirement, Robinson announced his comeback with the release of the Smokey album, in 1973. The album included the Miracles tribute song "Sweet Harmony" and the hit ballad "Baby Come Close". In 1974, Robinson's second album Pure Smokey×Pure Smokey15 March 1974 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1It's Her Turn to Live3:10A2The Love Between Me and My Kids3:00A3Asleep on My Love4:16A4I Am, I Am3:44A5Just Passing Through3:20B1Virgin Man5:09B2She's Only a Baby Herself3:53B3Fulfill Your Need2:52B4A Tattoo4:26 was released but failed to produce hits. Robinson struggled to compete with his former collaborators Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and former Temptations member Eddie Kendricks, as all three had multiple hit singles during this period.
Former Beatle George Harrison featured the track "Pure Smokey" on his 1976 album Thirty Three & 1/3 as a tribute to Robinson. Harrison's fellow Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney were also fans of Robinson's songwriting and the group covered "You Really Gotta Hold on Me" on their second UK album With the Beatles and US album The Beatles' Second Album, respectively.
Robinson answered his critics the following year with A Quiet Storm, released in 1975. The album launched three singles – the number-one R&B hit "Baby That's Backatcha", "The Agony & The Ecstasy" and "Quiet Storm" (the radio format quiet storm, originated by DJ Melvin Lindsey, is named after the album). However, Robinson's solo career suffered from his work as Motown's vice president, and his own music took the backseat. As a result, several albums including Smokey's Family Robinson×Smokey's Family Robinson1976 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1When You Came5:24A2Get Out Of Town4:43A3Do Like I Do4:40A4Open3:50B1So In Love4:40B2Like Nobody Can4:10B3Castles Made Of Sand4:49, Deep in My Soul×Deep in My Soul1977 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracksA1Vitamin U4:30A2There Will Come a Day (I'm Gonna Happen to You)3:53A3It's Been a Long Time (Since I Been in Love)3:43A4Let's Do the Dance of Life Together3:46B1If You Want My Love3:45B2You Cannot Laugh Alone3:43B3In My Corner4:43B4The Humming Song (Lost for Words)3:29, Love Breeze×Love Breeze1978 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracksA1Why You Wanna See My Bad Side3:45A2Love So Fine4:34A3Feeling You, Feeling Me3:52A4Madam X6:28B1Shoe Soul4:41B2Trying It Again4:53B3Daylight & Darkness4:00B4I'm Loving You Softly4:29 and Smokin, saw poor promotion and received bad reviews. At this point Robinson relied on other writers and producers to help him with his albums.
Following these albums, Robinson got out of a writer's block after his close collaborator (and fellow Miracle) Marv Tarplin, who joined him on the road in 1973 after Robinson left the Miracles, presented him a tune he had composed on his guitar. Robinson later wrote the lyrics that became his first solo Top 10 Pop single, "Cruisin'×Cruisin'August 1979 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksACruisin’4:11BEver Had a Dream3:44". The song hit No. 1 in Cash Box and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also became his first solo No. 1 in New Zealand. Robinson would follow a similar approach with his next album Warm Thoughts×Warm Thoughts1980 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracksA1Let Me Be the Clock5:10A2Heavy on Pride (Light on Love)4:07A3Into Each Rain Some Life Must Fall4:34A4Wine, Women and Song4:45B1Melody Man4:53B2What's in Your Life for Me4:43B3I Want to Be Your Love3:57B4Travelin' Through4:22, which produced another Top 40 hit, "Let Me Be the Clock", though it did not repeat the success of "Cruisin'".

1980–1999

In 1981, Robinson topped the charts again with another sensual ballad, "Being with You×Being With You17 February 1981 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracksA1Being With You4:05A2Food for Thought4:09A3If You Wanna Make Love3:30A4Who's Sad3:45B1Can't Fight Love5:47B2You Are Forever4:39B3As You Do3:16B4I Hear the Children Singing3:44", which was another No. 1 hit in Cash Box and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also hit No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming his most successful single to date. The Gold-plus parent album sparked a partnership with George Tobin and with Tobin, Robinson released his next several Motown albums, Yes It's You Lady×Yes It's You LadyJanuary 1982 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1Tell Me Tomorrow6:25A2Yes It's You Lady4:43A3Old Fashioned Love3:12A4Are You Still Here2:33B1The Only Game In Town4:50B2International Baby4:07B3Merry Go Ride5:31B4I'll Try Something New3:34B5Destiny3:48, which produced the hit "Tell Me Tomorrow×Tell Me TomorrowFebruary 1982 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksATell Me Tomorrow (Long Version)6:25B1Being With You3:58B2Aqui Con Tigo ("Being With You" - Spanish Version)4:09", Touch the Sky×Touch the SkyJanuary 1983 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracksA1Touch the Sky5:45A2Gimme What You Want4:00A3Even Tho’3:47A4Gone Again3:40B1All My Life’s a Lie3:58B2Sad Time4:21B3Dynamite4:37B4I’ve Made Love to You a Thousand Times5:38 and Essar. In 1983, Robinson teamed up with fellow Motown label mate Rick James recording the R&B ballad, "Ebony Eyes×Ebony Eyes1983 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAEbony Eyes3:56B1, 2, 3 (You Her and Me)4:05".
In 1987, following a period of personal and professional issues, Robinson made a comeback with the album One Heartbeat×One Heartbeat24 February 1987 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Just to See Her4:042One Heartbeat4:073It’s Time to Stop Shoppin’ Around4:024Why Do Happy Memories Hurt So Bad4:065You Don’t Know What It’s Like3:556What’s Too Much4:237Love Brought Us Here3:588Love Don’t Give No Reason4:259Keep Me4:58 and the singles "Just to See Her" and "One Heartbeat", which were Top 10 hits on Billboard's Pop, Soul, and Adult Contemporary charts. They were aided by popular music videos. "Just to See Her" won Robinson his first Grammy Award in 1988. The album became one of his most successful ever, selling more than 900,000 copies in the United States alone. In the same year, Robinson released One Heartbeat, the UK group ABC released a tribute song, "When Smokey Sings".
He was inducted as a solo artist to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, later igniting controversy as the committee had inducted only Robinson and not members of his group, the Miracles, which Robinson saw as an affront. In 2012, however, the committee rectified the mistake announcing that the group would be inducted on their own merit. Though Robinson was not listed as an inductee, he was due to induct his former group at the ceremony in April 2012. Robinson performed a rewritten version of the song "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" on Sesame Street in 1989 called “U Really Got a Hold on Me”, alongside a grabby feminine-looking Muppet letter "U", that keeps squeezing and grabbing him.
After MCA purchased Motown in 1988, Robinson relinquished his position as vice president. Following the release of the album Love, Smokey×Love, Smokey1990 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Love Is The Light5:182(It's the) Same Old Love4:453Love 'n Life5:014I Can't Find4:065Take Me Through The Night3:536Everything You Touch4:127Don't Wanna Be Just Physical5:038Come to Me Soon4:369You Made Me Feel Love4:0710Jasmin4:2811Easy4:3512Just Another Kiss3:3213Unless You Do It Again3:36 in 1990, Robinson left Motown for a deal with SBK Records in 1991. However, the album Double Good Everything×Double Good Everything22 October 1991 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Why3:562Double Good Everything3:483Rewind3:434Be Who You Are4:335I Love Your Face2:356I Can’t Get Enough4:207Rack Me Back4:088When A Woman Cries3:339You Take Me Away3:5710Skid Row4:25 failed to chart. Robinson remained virtually quiet during the nineties (though he would make a notable cameo appearance in The Temptations 1998 miniseries), making a brief comeback in 1999 when he re-signed with Motown and issued the album Intimate×Intimate1999 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Sleepin' In4:072Easy to Love4:303Love Love Again4:124Intimate4:365I’m the One4:026Just Let Me Love You4:047All of Mine3:508The Bottom Line3:549Feelings Flowing4:1310Ready to Roll3:4811Tu Me Besas Muy Rico5:1312Intimate (reprise)1:22, which included the song "Easy to Love".

2000–present

In 2003, he once again split ties with Motown, releasing the gospel album Food for the Spirit×Food For The Spirit20 April 2004 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Jesus Told Me To Love You5:552Let Your Light Shine On Me4:413The Road to Damascus5:344Standing On Jesus3:195He Can Fix Anything3:506I Have Prayed On It5:487Gang Bangin'5:028I Praise & Worship You Father4:299We Are The Warriors5:43 on Liquid 8 Records in 2004. The music video for one of the album's singles, "Gang Bangin'", went viral in 2020. In 2004, Robinson sang the main title theme song "Colorful World" for the American children's animated series ToddWorld for Discovery Kids, TLC and Mike Young Productions. Robinson released the standards album Timeless Love×Timeless Love2006 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1You Go to My Head4:312I'm in the Mood for Love5:053Our Love Is Here to Stay5:294Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)3:205Night and Day5:516I'm Glad There Is You3:407More Than You Know3:178Speak Low4:099Time After Time5:1010I Can't Give You Anything but Love2:4911I Like Your Face2:5612I've Got You Under My Skin4:2913Tea for Two5:04 in 2006 on Universal Records.

In 2009, he issued the album Time Flies When You're Having Fun×Time Flies When You're Having Fun2 November 2009 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Time Flies4:592Don't Know Why3:543Girlfriend4:264You're the One for Me (feat. Joss Stone)5:055One Time4:486Please Don't Take Your Love (feat. Carlos Santana)4:507That Place4:548Love Bath5:339Whatcha Gonna Do5:1910Satisfy You4:4611You're Just My Life (feat. India.Arie)4:0912I Want You Back4:43 on his own label, Robso Records. It reached No. 59 on the Billboard album chart, his highest showing since One Heartbeat×One Heartbeat24 February 1987 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Just to See Her4:042One Heartbeat4:073It’s Time to Stop Shoppin’ Around4:024Why Do Happy Memories Hurt So Bad4:065You Don’t Know What It’s Like3:556What’s Too Much4:237Love Brought Us Here3:588Love Don’t Give No Reason4:259Keep Me4:58. He subsequently released "Now And Then" in 2010, which peaked at No. 131.
Smokey & Friends was released in mid-August 2014. It was an album of duets, including songs with Elton John, Linda Ronstadt, and James Taylor. It reached No. 12 on the Billboard album chart. Christmas Everyday was Robinson's first post-Miracles Christmas album, and it was released on November 10, 2017. In 2018, he appeared on an episode of CMT Crossroads alongside country singer Cam. In April 2017, Robinson visited Fremont-Lopez Elementary School in Stockton, California, where he served as a designated arts mentor under Turnaround Arts.
On July 31, 2018, Robinson appeared on the Fox network's show Beat Shazam as a special guest. Robinson appeared on the song "Make It Better" from Anderson Paak's 2019 album Ventura. In 2023, Robinson announced that he would release his first album in almost a decade in April 2023. The nine-track album was called Gasms×Gasms28 April 2023 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Gasms4:242How You Make Me Feel4:283I Wanna Know Your Body4:234I Keep Callin’ You4:035Roll Around4:246Beside You4:347If We Don’t Have Each Other4:198You Fill Me Up4:199I Fit in There5:47, and featured entirely new music. The first single from the album, called "If We Don't Have Each Other", was already available on streaming services by January 2023. Robinson released his twenty-fifth studio album, What the World Needs Now×What the World Needs Now25 April 2025 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Be Thankful for What You’ve Got3:452What a Wonderful World2:553Three Little Birds3:224Everything Is Beautiful3:235What the World Needs Now3:246Lean on Me3:257I’ll Take You There3:168You’ve Got a Friend5:159Be Kind to the Growing Mind4:4610Food for Thought4:10, in April 2025. The album is composed of inspirational cover songs.

Marriages and family

Robinson married a fellow Miracles member, Claudette Rogers, in 1959. The couple had two children: a son, Berry Robinson (born 1968), named after Motown's founder Berry Gordy, and a daughter, Tamla Robinson (born 1971), named after the original "Tamla" label set up by Gordy that would eventually become Motown.
According to Robinson, he had affairs with women while married to Claudette, among them an approximately year-long affair with Diana Ross. According to Robinson, Ross ended it because she felt uncomfortable as she was friends with Claudette, whom Robinson admitted he still loved. (A representative for Ross had no comment on Robinson's claim.) Robinson says that Polyamory (loving more than one person) in that way simultaneously is natural.
Robinson also had a son named Trey (born 1984) with another woman during his marriage to Claudette. After Robinson admitted to having fathered a child with a woman other than his wife, he filed for legal separation and later filed for divorce that was finalized in 1986. The Robinsons had also separated in 1974 and during that separation, Robinson engaged in an extramarital affair that inspired the song "The Agony & The Ecstasy" (later featured on A Quiet Storm).
Robinson married Frances Gladney in May 2002. They own a home in Pittsburgh and use it as a winery.

Interests and ventures

Robinson has not eaten red meat since 1972. He practices Transcendental Meditation. Robinson has golden green eyes, which he believes were passed down from his French great-grandmother.
Beginning in November 2023, Robinson is the current owner and host of the SiriusXM channel Soul Town, a station that plays R&B and soul hits from the 1950s to the early 1980s. Released under the banner Smokey×Smokey19 June 1973 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Holly4:372Never My Love / Never Can Say Goodbye3:523A Silent Partner In a Three-Way Love Affair4:374Just My Soul Responding5:215Sweet Harmony4:386Will You Love Me Tomorrow?4:407Wanna Know My Mind3:528The Family Song4:219Baby Come Close4:58's Soul Town, Robinson occasionally appears on the channel, recalling his best moments with Motown and meeting other artists as well as pick his favorite songs during that time period.

Legal issues

On May 6, 2025, it was reported that Robinson and his wife were being sued by four former female housekeepers who were alleging sexual battery, assault and false imprisonment from 2012 to 2024 seeking damages of $50 million. The women also claimed that Robinson's wife Frances created a hostile work environment by using "ethnically pejorative words and language." Robinson has denied the allegations and filed a counter-complaint accusing them of slander, intentional infliction of emotional distress and financial elder abuse. The plaintiffs filed a police report after filing the $50 million lawsuit. Robinson had previously been the subject of another accusation which was dismissed. In November 2025, two additional employees, a man who worked as a car valet and a woman who worked as a housekeeper for Robinson, joined the May 2025 lawsuit.

Honorary awards

On February 22, 1983, Robinson was awarded an individual star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Four years later, in 1987, he was inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Robinson's single "Just to See Her" from the One Heartbeat album was awarded the 1988 Grammy Award for Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. This was his first Grammy. Two years later, in 1990, he was inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 1993, he was awarded a medal at the National Medal of Arts. Two years before, he won the Heritage Award at the Soul Train Music Awards. In 2005, he was voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. At its 138th Commencement Convocation in May 2006, Howard University conferred on Robinson the degree of Doctor of Music, honoris causa. In December 2006 Robinson was one of five Kennedy Center honorees, along with Dolly Parton, Zubin Mehta, Steven Spielberg and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
On March 20, 2009, the Miracles were finally honored as a group with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Robinson was present with original Miracles members Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, (Bobby's cousin) Claudette Rogers, and Gloria White, accepting for her husband, the late Ronnie White, whose daughter Pamela and granddaughter Maya were there representing him as well. Robinson's replacement, 1970s Miracles lead singer Billy Griffin, was also honored. Controversially, original Miracle Marv Tarplin was not honored, against the wishes of his fellow Miracles and the group's fans, who felt that he should have also been there to share the honor. Later, Tarplin did receive his star.
He was also inducted with the rest of the original Miracles, Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, Ronnie White, and Claudette Robinson, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, 25 years after Robinson's controversial solo induction in 1987. In 2009, Robinson received an honorary doctorate degree—along with Linda Ronstadt—and gave a commencement speech at Berklee College of Music's commencement ceremony.He was also awarded Society of Singers Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. In 2015, he was given a BET Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2016, Robinson received the Library of Congress' Gershwin Prize for Popular Song; and, on August 21, 2016, he was inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in his hometown of Detroit. In 2019, he received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council members Jimmy Page and Peter Gabriel. In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Robinson at No. 23 on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.