Smokey Robinson's journey of faith: from fame to drugs to 'food for the spirit'

Ebony, June, 2004 by Aldore Collier

PEOPLE say Smokey Robinson has been lucky. He says the word is "blessed."

Money hasn't been a problem for him for more than 45 years.

Neither have women. They've worshipped and swooned over him since he began writing and singing songs that unlocked their hearts.

Nor has fame been elusive.

After writing more than 4,000 songs, including some of the most cherished and beloved music of our time ("My Girl, "My Guy," "Shop Around"), the list of his accolades is almost as long as his songwriting credits and includes numerous Grammy Awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In fact, he had it all--fame, money, beautiful houses, you name it--when he suddenly and inexplicably developed a debilitating cocaine addiction that left him" one foot from the grave."

"That was the lowest and stupidest point in my life," he says now, sighing, as he sits in the den of a Los Angeles-area mansion packed with awards and honors. "I could have dug it if I had been a teenager or in my 20s and experimenting with drugs. But no, I started doing drugs when my life was going exactly the way I wanted it to go. I loved my life--and here I get off into doing drugs."

Smokey's wife Frances, an interior designer, included her own touches to give each room its own character and personality, such as the living room (above) and the dining room (right). "I don't like walking into a home where everything is the same," she says. Smokey also had his own decorating ideas for the home that has bright and natural colors throughout. The master bathroom (below) has soft pink marble and features intricate, hand-carved wood in the vanity areas. It includes a steam room and sauna.

In Smokey's 1989 autobiography Smokey: Inside My Life, he chronicled how he mixed cocaine with marijuana and smoked it. Life has improved dramatically for him since that period in the '80s

How did he do it?

The word, he says, is "faith."

Robinson says he has always had an intimate relationship with God and that faith saved his life. One day, he went into a storefront church "as an addict. But when I came out, I was free. The Lord let me live so I could be a living witness for Him." Now, Robinson travels the country speaking at rehab centers, prisons, gang meetings, drug graduations. "I go anywhere I'm called to go," he says.

The speaking engagements stimulate him and excite him because they, like music, give him a chance to communicate across age and gender lines and to cite his example as a deterrent and a challenge.

Speaking out against drug use is just one of the activities of the 63-year-old legend. He still finds time to record both secular and spiritual music and to enjoy quiet, fun times with Frances, his wife of two years.

Smokey's first spiritual CD, Food For the Spirit, recently hit stores and is full of songs about his faith and God. He is working on more spiritual music as well as a secular album.

At this stage in life, the work is relaxing fun. So is spending quiet time at his 14,000-square-foot home in the scenic hills of the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles.

He bought the home shortly before his marriage to Frances Glandney, an interior designer. After the marriage, the couple virtually gutted the house and rebuilt a mansion that reflects in many ways Smokey Robinson's spiritual journey. "It took about a year to get the house the way we wanted it," his wife says, pointing out waterfalls that lead up to natural rock formations.

Even though she is a decorator, she quickly points out that Robinson is "an artist" with very good, creative instincts. It was Smokey who insisted that she remove the marble floors and install hardwood. That was his only initial request when his wife took on her design mission.

"I don't like getting my feet cold on floors," he explained.

The Tudor-style home sits on 4 acres, has 10 fireplaces, numerous custom-made chandeliers and expansive mirrors throughout. Rather than have a single theme for the home, Frances decided each room would have its own individual character and personality. "I don't like walking into a home where everything is the same," she says. "To me, that doesn't evoke an interest. I've done houses upon request for owners who wanted the same theme throughout, but I like a different personality in each room."

There is a Mediterranean and a Terra Cotta bedroom with bright or natural colors and the carpets blending in with the themes she used for the sofas, chairs, drapes and beds.

The rooms are comfortable without being formal. For Robinson and his buddies, Frances designed what she calls "the men's room" with rich woods, dark leather sofa, large television, a bar and some of his numerous awards.

For the ladies, she designed a fight and sunny "girl's room" near the living room.

The Robinsons had numerous mature trees brought onto the property and anchored because storms had damaged others. The outdoor area has a barbecue grill, pool, fireplace and so many fruit trees they could actually sell their own produce. Lemon, lime, persimmon, avocado, pomegranate, orange and tangerine trees line the hills of the backyard.