Smokey Robinson discography | |
---|---|
Studio albums | 24 |
Singles | 58 |
The following is the solo discography of Smokey Robinson from 1973 to the present day. For information about Robinson's recorded output as a member of The Miracles, see The Miracles discography. For a list of successful songs written by Robinson, see List of songs written by Smokey Robinson.
Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [1] | US R&B [1] | UK [2] | |||
1973 | Smokey | 70 | 10 | — | |
1974 | Pure Smokey | 99 | 12 | — | |
1975 | A Quiet Storm | 36 | 7 | — | |
1976 | Smokey's Family Robinson | 57 | 9 | — | |
1977 | Deep in My Soul | 47 | 16 | — | |
Big Time (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | — | 39 | — | ||
1978 | Love Breeze | 75 | 19 | — | |
1979 | Where There's Smoke... | 17 | 8 | — | |
1980 | Warm Thoughts | 14 | 4 | — | |
1981 | Being with You | 10 | 1 | 17 | |
1982 | Yes It's You Lady | 33 | 6 | — | |
1983 | Touch the Sky | 50 | 8 | — | |
1984 | Essar | 141 | 35 | — | |
1986 | Smoke Signals | 104 | 23 | — | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart |
Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certification | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US [1] | US R&B [1] | |||
1987 | One Heartbeat | 26 | 1 |
|
1990 | Love, Smokey | 112 | 23 | |
1999 | Intimate | 134 | 28 |
Year | Album | Peak chart positions | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [1] | US R&B [1] | UK [2] | |||
1991 | Double Good Everything
| — | 64 | — | |
2004 | Food for the Spirit
| — | 44 | — | |
2006 | Timeless Love
| 109 | 18 | — | |
2009 | Time Flies When You're Having Fun
| 59 | 10 | — | |
2014 | Smokey & Friends
| 12 | 2 | 21 | |
2017 | Christmas Everyday (Amazon Original)
| — | — | — | |
2023 | Gasms
| — | — | — | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart |
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certification | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [1] | US R&B [1] | US AC [1] | UK [2] | |||
1973 | "Sweet Harmony" | 48 | 31 | — | — | |
"Baby Come Close" | 27 | 7 | — | — | ||
1974 | "It's Her Turn to Live" / | 82 | 29 | — | — | |
"Just My Soul Responding" | — | — | — | 35 | ||
"Virgin Man" | 56 | 12 | — | — | ||
1975 | "I Am I Am" | 56 | 6 | — | — | |
"Baby That's Backatcha" | 26 | 1 | — | — | ||
"The Agony and the Ecstasy" | 36 | 7 | — | — | ||
1976 | "Quiet Storm" | 61 | 25 | — | — | |
"Open" | 81 | 10 | — | — | ||
"When You Came" (Canada only) | — | — | — | — | ||
"An Old Fashioned Man" | — | — | — | — | ||
1977 | "There Will Come a Day (I'm Gonna Happen to You)" | 42 | 7 | — | — | |
"Vitamin U" | — | 18 | — | — | ||
"Theme from Big Time, Part I" | — | 38 | — | — | ||
1978 | "Daylight and Darkness" / | 75 | 9 | — | — | |
"Why You Wanna See My Bad Side" | — | 52 | — | — | ||
"Shoe Soul" | — | 68 | — | — | ||
"Ooo Baby Baby" | — | — | — | — | ||
1979 | "Pops, We Love You" (Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder) | 59 | 26 | — | 66 | |
"Get Ready" | — | 82 | — | — | ||
"Cruisin'" | 4 | 4 | 34 | — | ||
1980 | "Let Me Be the Clock" | 31 | 4 | — | — | |
"Heavy on Pride (Light on Love)" | — | 34 | — | — | ||
"Wine, Women and Song" (duet with Claudette Robinson) | — | — | — | — | ||
1981 | "Being with You" | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | |
"Aquí Con Tigo" ("Being with You" Spanish version) | — | — | — | — | ||
"You are Forever" | 59 | 31 | — | — | ||
"Who's Sad" | — | 62 | — | — | ||
1982 | "Tell Me Tomorrow - Part I" | 33 | 3 | 31 | 51 | |
"Old Fashioned Love" | 60 | 17 | 32 | — | ||
"Yes It's You Lady" | — | — | — | — | ||
1983 | "Blame It on Love" (Smokey Robinson with High Inergy; credited as Smokey Robinson & Barbara Mitchell on the Hot 100) | 48 | 35 | 5 | — | |
"Don't Play Another Love Song" | — | 75 | 36 | — | ||
"I've Made Love to You a Thousand Times" | — | 8 | — | — | ||
"Touch the Sky" | — | 68 | — | — | ||
1984 | "Ebony Eyes" (Rick James featuring Smokey Robinson) | 43 | 22 | 35 | 96 | |
"And I Don't Love You" | — | 33 | — | 90 | ||
"I Can't Find" | — | 41 | — | — | ||
1985 | "First Time on a Ferris Wheel" (Smokey Robinson and Syreeta Wright) | — | — | — | — | |
1986 | "Hold on to Your Love" | — | 11 | 18 | 83 | |
"Sleepless Nights" | — | 51 | — | — | ||
"Because of You (It's The Best It's Ever Been)" | — | — | — | — | ||
"Love Will Set You Free (Theme from Solarbabies)" (Canada only; last-ever Tamla release) | — | — | — | — | ||
1987 | "Just to See Her" | 8 | 2 | 1 | 52 | |
"One Heartbeat" | 10 | 3 | 2 | — | ||
"What's Too Much" | 79 | 16 | 15 | — | ||
1988 | "I Know You by Heart" (Dolly Parton with Smokey Robinson) | — | — | 22 | — | |
"Love Don't Give No Reason" | — | 31 | 24 | 89 | ||
1989 | "We've Saved the Best for Last" (Kenny G with Smokey Robinson) | 47 | 18 | 4 | — | |
"Indestructible" (Four Tops featuring Smokey Robinson) | 35 | 57 | — | 30 | ||
1990 | "Everything You Touch" | — | 4 | 2 | — | |
"(It's the) Same Old Love" | — | 68 | 32 | — | ||
"Take Me Through the Night" | — | — | 34 | — | ||
1991 | "Double Good Everything" | 91 | 23 | — | 102 | |
1992 | "I Love Your Face" | — | 57 | — | — | |
"Rewind" | — | 56 | — | — | ||
1999 | "Easy to Love" | — | 67 | — | — | |
2006 | "Our Love Is Here To Stay" (Digital single release) | — | — | — | — | |
2009 | "You're the One for Me" (duet with Joss Stone)(Digital single release) | — | — | — | — | |
"Don't Know Why" (Digital single release) | — | — | — | — | ||
2010 | "Love Bath" | — | 83 | — | — | |
2011 | "Mama You're My Daddy Too" (Digital single release) | — | — | — | — | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart |
Year | Song | Year-End position |
---|---|---|
1980 | "Cruisin'" | 13 |
1981 | "Being with You" | 13 |
1987 | "Just to See Her" | 87 |
Year | Song | Album |
---|---|---|
2010 | "The Tracks of My Tears" (with Stevie Wonder) | The 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Concerts [5] |
2019 | Make It Better (Anderson Paak featuring Smokey Robinson) | Ventura |
William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief songwriter and producer. He led the group from its 1955 origins, when they were called The Five Chimes, until 1972, when he retired from the group to focus on his role as Motown Records vice president. Robinson returned to the music industry as a solo artist the following year. He left Motown in 1999.
The Miracles were an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1955. They were the first successful recording act for Motown Records and are considered one of the most important and most influential groups in the history of pop, soul, rhythm and blues and rock and roll music. The group's international fame in the 1960s, alongside other Motown acts, led to a greater acceptance of R&B and pop music in the U.S., with the group being considered influential and important in the development of modern popular music.
"The Tears of a Clown" is a song written by Hank Cosby, Smokey Robinson, and Stevie Wonder and originally recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for the Tamla Records label subsidiary of Motown, first appearing on the 1967 album Make It Happen. The track was re-released in the United Kingdom as a single in July 1970, and it became a number-one hit on the UK Singles Chart for the week ending September 12, 1970. Subsequently, Motown released a partially re-recorded and completely remixed version as a single in the United States as well, where it quickly became a number-one hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B Singles charts.
Robert Edward Rogers was an American musician and tenor singer, best known as a founding member of Motown vocal group the Miracles from 1956 until his death. He was inducted, in 2012, as a member of the Miracles to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In addition to singing, he also contributed to writing some of the Miracles' songs. Rogers is the grandfather of R&B singer Brandi Williams from the R&B girl group Blaque and is a cousin of fellow Miracles member Claudette Rogers Robinson.
Warren Thomas "Pete" Moore was an American singer-songwriter and record producer, notable as the bass singer for Motown group the Miracles from 1955 onwards, and was one of the group's original members. He is also a 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, and a BMI and ASCAP award-winning songwriter, and was the vocal arranger on all of the group's hits.
"Shop Around" is a song originally recorded by the Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla subsidiary label. It was written by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson and Motown Records founder Berry Gordy. It became a smash hit in 1960 when originally recorded by the Miracles, reaching number one on the Billboard R&B chart, number one on the Cashbox Top 100 Pop Chart, and number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was the Miracles' first million-selling hit record, and the first-million-selling hit for the Motown Record Corporation.
"Ooo Baby Baby" is a song written by Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore. It was a 1965 hit single by the Miracles for the Tamla (Motown) label.
"The Tracks of My Tears" is a 1965 song originally recorded by the Miracles on Motown Record's Tamla subsidiary label. It was composed by Miracles members Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, and Marv Tarplin. This million-selling ,multiple award-winning R&B hit has been inducted into The Grammy Hall of Fame, has been ranked by the Recording Industry Association of America and The National Endowment for the Arts at No. 127 in its list of the "Songs of the Century" – the 365 Greatest Songs of the 20th Century, and has been selected by Rolling Stone as No. 50 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", among many other awards. In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked the Miracles' original recording of "The Tracks of My Tears" as "The Greatest Motown Song of All Time".
The Temptations Sing Smokey is the second studio album by the Temptations for the Motown label, released on the Gordy Records subsidiary in 1965. As its name implies, it is composed entirely of songs written and produced by Smokey Robinson, and several other members of the Miracles as well.
"I Second That Emotion" is a 1967 song written by Smokey Robinson and Al Cleveland. First charting as a hit for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles on the Tamla/Motown label in 1967, "I Second That Emotion" was later a hit single for the group duet Diana Ross & the Supremes and the Temptations, also on the Motown label.
The Miracles were the Motown Record Corporation's first group and its first million-selling recording artists. During their nineteen-year run on the American music charts, the Miracles charted over fifty hits and recorded in the genres of doo wop, soul, disco, and R&B. Twenty-six Miracles songs reached the top 10 of the Billboard R&B singles chart, including four R&B number ones. Sixteen charted within the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, with seven reaching the top ten and two – 1970's "The Tears of a Clown" and 1975's "Love Machine" – reaching #1. A third song, the million-selling "Shop Around", reached #1 on the Cash Box magazine pop chart. The Miracles also scored 11 U.S. R&B top 10 albums, including 2-#1's.
Going to a Go-Go is the seventh studio album by the American R&B group Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. It was released on November 1, 1965, in the United States on Motown's Tamla label. It includes four of the Miracles' Top 20 hits: "Ooo Baby Baby", "The Tracks of My Tears", "Going to a Go-Go", and "My Girl Has Gone".
"Going to a Go-Go" is a 1965 single recorded by the Miracles for Motown's Tamla label.
"Cruisin'" is a 1979 single written, produced, and performed by the American singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson for Motown Records' Tamla label. One of Robinson's most successful singles outside of his work with the Miracles, "Cruisin'" hit number one on the U.S. Cash Box Top 100 and was also a Billboard Hot 100 hit, peaking at number four the week of February 2, 1980. It was a top-five hit on the Soul chart as well.
William L. Griffin is an American singer and songwriter. He replaced Smokey Robinson as the lead singer of The Miracles in 1972.
"Baby, Baby Don't Cry", released in December 1968, is a single recorded by the Miracles for Motown Records' Tamla label. The composition was written by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson, Motown staff writers Al Cleveland and Terry Johnson, a former member of The Flamingos. Robinson, Johnson, and Miracles member Warren "Pete" Moore were the song's producers.
"The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage" is a 1967 song recorded by the American R&B group The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla label. Written by Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Marv Tarplin and produced by Robinson, it is noted for being the first single to bill the group as "Smokey Robinson" & the Miracles, a billing already present on the group's albums by this time. Group members Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore were the song's producers.
"I'll Try Something New" is a song written by Smokey Robinson and originally released in 1962 by The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla subsidiary label. Their version was a Billboard Top 40 hit, peaking at #39, and just missed the Top 10 of its R&B chart, peaking at #11. The song was released later as a joint single by Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations, also becoming a charting version on the Billboard 100 pop singles chart, peaking for two weeks in April 1969 at number 25.
We've Come Too Far to End It Now was a 1972 single by Motown Records R&B group The Miracles on its Tamla Label subsidiary (T54220F) and taken from their 1972 album, Flying High Together, the group's final studio album with original lead singer Smokey Robinson. This song charted at #46 on the Billboard Pop Chart, and reached the Top 10 of its R&B chart, peaking at #9.
The Miracles Sing Modern was an unreleased 1963 album by Motown Records R&B group The Miracles. It was given the official catalog number of Tamla T234 and was due for release after The Miracles' 3rd album I'll Try Something New, having been mentioned on the sleeve notes of that album. It was intended for release in March 1963. However it was never given an official release date and Motown later decided to shelve the project.