His uncle Claude gave him the nickname 'Smokey Joe' when he was a child. Robinson's ancestry is also part Nigerian, Scandinavian, Portuguese, and Cherokee. was born to an African-American father and a mother of African-American and French descent in a poor family in the North End area of Detroit, Michigan. In 2022, he was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

He is a double Hollywood Walk of Fame Inductee, as a solo artist (1983) and as a member of The Miracles (2009). Robinson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and awarded the 2016 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for his lifetime contributions to popular music. Robinson returned to the music industry as a solo artist the following year. 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. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief songwriter and producer. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive.

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