William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. 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 (front row, left) with The Miracles, circa 1962
Robinson in concert at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California, 2006
Robinson with Senator Doug Jones while testifying at the United States Congress to support the CLASSICS Act in 2018
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the artists, producers, engineers, and other notable figures and personnel who have influenced its development.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (left) sits on the Lake Erie shore next to the Great Lakes Science Center (right) in Cleveland's North Coast Harbor.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, showing Lake Erie in the foreground
The museum's New York City Annex (2008–2010) on Mercer Street, Soho