Danyel Branch NMTCS

The Poet Laureate of Soul

The Poet Laureate of Soul celebrates 50 years of music


Words have always come easy for William "Smokey" Robinson. As a singer, songwriter, and producer, his career has spanned some five decades with a catalog of 4,000 tunes and 36 top-ten songs.

"When I sit down to write a song, I'm trying to write a song where if I wrote it 50 years before then it would have meant something and it's going to mean something today and 50 years from now it's going to mean something," said Robinson, who also brought Diana Ross and the Supremes to the label.

Robinson has a voice like butter, but don't let the smooth taste fool you. He always has something profound to sing and say. Recently the award winning performer made it no secret that he wasn't pleased with the film "Dreamgirls". He publicly expressed his disapproval of the film's inaccurate portrayal of Gordy, his best friend of 50 years.

"Motown is my heritage. It's my life. If I didn't speak out, I would be letting them step on my life," Robinson said. "The young people who don't really know the real story will look at this as being what really went on at Motown...I don't want that picture to be painted to young people about Motown and Berry Gordy. People should be proud of Berry Gordy. He bridged some gaps, broke down some racial barriers, some ethnic barriers, some intercontinental barriers, and all that with music. All over the world Motown music is loved and respected."

posted by Danyel Branch NMTCS @ 3:38 PM