WMTR’s Wayback Wednesday celebrates a milestone birthday for Smokey Robinson. He turns 80 years old! A singer, songwriter, record producer, and record company executive, Smokey could seemingly do it all! He led the Miracles from their founding in 1955 as the 5 Chimes, to his departure in 1972 to focus on his role as VP of Motown. But he returned as a solo artist in 1973, and continued making hits throughout the 70s and 80s. He’s stayed active ever since, and was named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame early on, back in 1987.
Here’s Smokey at his soulful best, with a live version of “Ooh Baby Baby”.