HOLLYWOOD- Meeting Smokey Robinson felt like meeting an old friend. His music has been part of so many lives, including mine, that there was a sense of familiarity. Having the opportunity to meet him gave those familiar songs a personal connection I will remember. His recent Legacy of Love Tour stop at the Count Basie Center for the Arts offered a timely reason to revisit his musical career.
Robinson’s September 19 appearance at the Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre connected New Jersey with a remarkable musical history. At 86, the Detroit native remains an active touring artist. For anyone who grew up with Motown, his name carries memories of radios playing in kitchens, records spinning at parties and slow dances that seemed far more important than anything happening outside the room.
Born February 19, 1940, Robinson became one of the central figures in the Motown story. His work with the Miracles helped establish a sound that traveled well beyond Detroit. Alongside Berry Gordy, he contributed to a company where memorable melodies, distinctive voices and carefully crafted songs became the foundation of an extraordinary run of recordings.
The Miracles’ catalog includes “The Tracks of My Tears,” “You Really Got a Hold on Me,” “I Second That Emotion” and “The Tears of a Clown.” These songs offer different shades of love, from devotion and longing to the pain concealed behind a smile. Robinson’s gift was making complicated feelings understandable without draining them of their mystery.
Consider the idea behind “The Tracks of My Tears.” A cheerful appearance can hide a broken heart. That observation still feels familiar in an age when people carefully choose what the world sees on social media. The technology has changed, but the distance between someone’s public smile and private sadness remains. A song written decades ago can still describe an experience we recognize today.
His influence also reaches beyond records bearing his own name. Robinson wrote or helped write songs associated with Mary Wells, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye and other Motown artists. “My Guy,” “The Way You Do the Things You Do” and “Ain’t That Peculiar” are part of that wider legacy. Many listeners have enjoyed his songwriting for years without realizing how often his work appears in their favorite playlists.
Behind the scenes, Robinson served as a producer, talent scout and Motown vice president. Those roles help explain the scale of his contribution. He was involved in building careers and developing the label’s musical identity while establishing his own. His place in music history rests on a body of work that includes both the familiar voice and the creative decisions behind other performers’ successes.
His solo career added another chapter. “Cruisin’,” “Being with You,” “Just to See Her” and “One Heartbeat” helped introduce him to listeners who had not experienced the Miracles’ original rise. His 1975 album, “A Quiet Storm,” also helped inspire the romantic radio format that adopted its name. Few artists can point to an album whose influence became part of the language of broadcasting.
There is something appealing about songs that allow emotion to unfold at its own pace. Robinson’s recordings invite listeners to pay attention to phrasing, melody and the small turns in a lyric. In a world full of quick clips and constant interruptions, that kind of listening offers its own pleasure. You can let a song finish its thought before moving on.
His current work continues that conversation. Robinson’s official biography identifies “Be Thankful” as a single he is promoting in 2026 from “What the World Needs Now,” an album of inspirational covers. He also launched the SiriusXM channel Smokey’s SoulTown in 2024, creating another place for audiences to hear soul music and connect with its history.
His career is also receiving attention for serious reasons outside music. Former employees have accused Robinson of sexual assault in a civil lawsuit. He has denied the allegations. PEOPLE reported in April that a trial was scheduled for October 2027. Those allegations deserve careful reporting, and his musical achievements should not be treated as an answer to them.
When considering the recordings themselves, their endurance is striking. A younger listener can discover a song through a playlist, while someone else remembers buying the original record. Both can respond to the same feeling. That shared recognition is one reason music can bring generations into a conversation that might otherwise never begin. That discovery keeps the music alive for another generation of listeners.
For East Coast audiences, Robinson’s recent visit was an opportunity to reconnect with that songbook. The lasting appeal is easy to understand: these songs give familiar emotions a melody worth returning to. Long after a concert date passes, listeners still have the records, the memories and the possibility of hearing something new in a song they thought they already knew.
Rose’s Scoop: This year is going really fast, can you believe two more months for Christmas!Until another Rose’s Scoop.
