William "Smokey" Robinson Jr., born February 19, 1940, is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, and record producer who founded and led the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles. As the group's chief songwriter and producer, Robinson shaped their sound from their 1955 origins as the Five Chimes until his retirement from the group in 1972 to focus on his role as Motown Records vice president. He returned to music as a solo artist the following year and left Motown in 1999. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, Robinson received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize in 2016 for his lifetime contributions to popular music. He is a double Hollywood Walk of Fame Inductee, honored as a solo artist in 1983 and as a member of the Miracles in 2009, and was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in 2022.
