Smokey singing Friday at Red Butte

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jun 19, 2009 | by Scott Iwasaki Deseret News

In August 2007, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recepient, Kennedy Center honoree and the "King of Motown," William "Smokey" Robinson Jr., performed in concert in Utah.

The show, featuring a hit-parade of Robinson's finest work, was held at the Deer Valley amphitheater.

The audience was enraptured by the man's personable demeanor but also his sometimes humorous anecdotes of his former Motown colleagues, including Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder and the Temptations.

But nothing could prepare the audience for his singing.

He still had his sweet, gentle, trademark pipes.

Some of the songs he dipped into were "You Really Got a Hold on Me," "Going to a Go-Go," "Tears of a Clown," "Being With You," "Ooo Baby Baby," "More Love," "Just to See Her" and "Cruisin'."

He even did a Temptations medley of the songs he wrote that included "Get Ready" and "My girl."

And when he sang, just like it says in the ABC song "When Smokey Sings," people "heard violins."

Well, Utah will get another chance to see Robinson tonight at Red Butte Garden.

The show officially marks only the second concert in the Beehive State of the former Motown Records vice president. And we're talking throughout his 50-plus years in the business.

Robinson was born in Detroit on Feb. 19, 1940, and sang in local groups throughout the 1950s. His award-winning group the Miracles started off as a doo-wop group called the Matadors.

Meeting Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. proved to be a life-changing moment, to say the least.

In 1959, the Miracles' first hit, "Bad Girl," just cracked the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 93, but it was the follow-up hit "Shop Around" that put the group on the map. The song landed No. 2 on the Hot 100.

Two years later, after a run of other Hot 100 charting tunes, the Miracles hit the Top 10 with "You've Really Got a Hold on Me," and later, "Mickey's Monkey."

In 1967, Robinson emerged, officially, as the group leader, and the group was renamed Smokey Robinson & the Miracles.

Their major hits included "I Second That Emotion," "Baby, Baby Don't Cry" and the No. 1 hit "The Tears of a Clown."

Robinson embarked on a solo career in 1972.

Throughout all this, Robinson wrote songs for the Motown pool.

Robinson's solo career was filled with Top 40 and Hot 100 hits; he had a resurgence with his No. 4 smash, "Cruisin'," in 1979. Then in 1981, he earned his first gold single, "Being With You," which sold more than 500,000 copies and remained at the No. 2 spot for three weeks.

Throughout the '80s, Robinson continued recording the hits - "Just to See Her" and "One Heartbeat."

He left Motown in 1990 but continued writing and recording.

He was a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2006 for his contributions to the arts and American culture. He also received an honorary degree from Howard University.

That same year, he re-envisioned pop standards such as Cole Porter's "Night and Day" and the Gershwins' "Our Love Is Here to Stay" for his album "Timeless Love."

And this past March, Robinson was a guest on "American Idol," where he sang some songs from his new album "Time Flies When Your Having Fun."

Undoubtedly that's what fans will say when the last note of his Red Butte Garden concert fades.

E-mail: scott@desnews.com

If you go ...

What: Smokey Robinson

Where: Red Butte Garden Amphitheater

When: June 19, 8 p.m.

How much: $60-$65

Phone: 801-585-0556

Web: www.redbuttegarden.org