Smokey Robinson is still as smooth as ever

OPINION: The Motown icon performed his hit song “Just to See Here” at TheGrio Awards, and that legendary voice still sounded amazing.

Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.

The legendary Smokey Robinson is 83 years old, and his iconic voice still sounds incredible. At TheGrio Awards, he sang his legendary song “Just to See Her” and don’t you know it, the smooth tones he made sounded the same as the sultry notes he sang when he first blew up back in 1960 with “Shop Around” by the Miracles. How does he still sound so great? I asked him when he sat down to talk to me at TheGrio Awards post-show.

“I think that it comes from taking care of yourself, man,” Robinson said. “I try to take care of myself. I try to eat as good as I can, and I work out all the time. I’ve been doing yoga for 45 years.” 

Robinson comes from the Motown school of recording artists who knew that it was about more than your voice and your songs. Motown had a so-called finishing school where they taught artists to have manners, grace and class because founder Berry Gordy knew that the manners, appearance and body language of his artists mattered, too. Robinson looks like he’s kept those lessons close throughout his life — he’s still thin, his hair looks full and his skin is glowing. He has a youthful air to him that’s magnetizing and attractive. He’s the youngest-looking octogenarian I’ve ever seen.  

The effect is that you want to listen to him not just because you like his songs, but because you like him. 

Robinson’s fanbase still loves him — I know because he’s still one of my mother’s favorite singers. He was in her top five back in the ’60s, and he’s still up there now. My mom doesn’t do concerts, but many people who are on Facebook do, and it’s because of them that Robinson is currently on tour. From February until June, they can catch him in Oakland, Seattle, Las Vegas, Providence, Nashville and other cities. Why is Robinson on tour now? Partly because he released a new album last year called “Gasms.” When asked what did that mean, he said, “It means what you want it to mean.” Some described the album as more overtly sexual than his previous work. Some of his shows are billed as for “18 plus only,” but I don’t know what he could do onstage that would shock a modern teenager.

But for Robinson, touring is not just about promotion. He says he does it because he still loves touring. “I love it even more now because it’s been a long time and for me to be able to still do it is a blessing. So, I look at it like that. It’s a blessing for me. And I can’t find anything that replaces it for me. I retired one time for about three years and after three years I was climbing the walls.”

Robinson’s music will be with us forever. His sweet, unforgettable voice laid over some of the greatest songwriting of our time has led to several enduring records that are still played all the time from movies to TV shows to cookouts. My favorite Robinson records, in no particular order, are “Cruisin,” “Tracks of My Tears,” “I Second That Emotion” and “Tears Of A Clown.” They’re some of the greatest records to come out of the incredible Motown family, and they’re all songs that are not only sung by Robinson but also written and produced or co-produced by him, too. He hasn’t been just an amazing singer, he’s been an amazing creator of music. Smokey Robinson has been one of the greatest singer-songwriters of his time. You know TheGrio Awards had to give him his flowers. 

Watch TheGrio Awards 2023 on Feb. 9 starting at 8 p.m. ET. Download theGrio app now to watch on demand or check your local cable listings for TheGrio.

Touré is a host and Creative Director at theGrio. He is the host of Masters of the Game on theGrioTV. He is also the host and creator of the docuseries podcast “Being Black: The ’80s” and the animated show “Star Stories with Toure” which you can find at TheGrio.com/starstories. He is also the host of the podcast “Toure Show” and the podcast docuseries “Who Was Prince?” He is the author of eight books including the Prince biography Nothing Compares 2 U and the ebook The Ivy League Counterfeiter.

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