It's virtually impossible to imagine a world without Motown Records.
None of their sweet soul music blasting from car windows and storefronts. No Supremes or Temptations or Stevie Wonder providing the rhythms for TV and film. No Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On," or Martha and the Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street," or Smokey Robinson and the Miracles' "Tracks of My Tears." What kind of world would that be?
For Motown's existence, boom and continued success, one indomitable, canny visionary can take the lion's share of credit: Berry Gordy, who founded the Detroit label back in 1959. Equally as influential to Motown's legacy is Smokey Robinson — Gordy's creative and business partner, and best friend of more than 65 years.
Both loom so large in music, and their stories are so intertwined, that picking just one as the MusiCares Person Of The Year — an honor previously bestowed on Joni Mitchell, Quincy Jones, Aerosmith, and other luminaries — would be a half-measure. For the first time, MusiCares has expanded the honor to include two Persons Of The Year of equal and parallel esteem.
Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson fulfill the Person Of The Year dictum to a tee: Together and apart, their creative accomplishments and philanthropic work have few equivalents. And prior to the 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards®, which occur Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, MusiCares will throw a gala to remember, to celebrate the two men while raising funds toward the music charity’s programs and services that assist the music community all year long.
"I am grateful to be included in MusiCares' remarkable history of music icons. The work they do is so critical to the well-being of our music community, and I look forward to a most exciting evening," Gordy said in a statement. Added Robinson: "I am honored that they have chosen me and my best friend and Motown founder Berry Gordy to share this beautiful honor and celebrate with you all together."
*Berry Gordy. Photo: Mario Escobar*
Motown has influenced all sorts of music and inspired generations of artists throughout the decades, and Robinson's unforgettable recordings, like "Shop Around," "I Second That Emotion" and "Mickey's Monkey," are forever beloved. Not only via Robinson's pipes, but those who interpreted material he wrote or co-wrote, like Marvin Gaye ("I'll Be Doggone" and "Ain't That Peculiar"), the Temptations ("My Girl"), Mary Wells ("The One Who Really Loves You"), the Marvelettes ("You're My Remedy"), and the Jackson 5 ("Who's Loving You").
Not to mention the Beatles, who were deeply influenced by Robinson and covered "You Really Got a Hold On Me" on 1963's With the Beatles. (George Harrison included a tribute to Robinson, "Pure Smokey," on his 1975 solo album Extra Texture (Read All About It); Paul McCartney once remembered, "Smokey Robinson was like God in our eyes.")
*Smokey Robinson. Photo: Donaldson Collection/Getty Images*
If Gordy and Robinson represent the divine to some, Genesis 1:1 was their meeting in the summer of 1957. Gordy — a high-school drop-out, ex-boxer and Korean War veteran who quit his job at Ford to pursue songwriting — discovered Robinson by way of his vocal harmony group, the Matadors, which featured Robinson's then-wife, Claudette.
An enamored Gordy took the group under his wing, renaming them the Miracles and highlighting Robinson as the leader; he produced their first single, "Got a Job," an answer song to the Silhouettes' hit single, "Get a Job." Eventually, on a drive from Detroit to Flint, Michigan, Robinson convinced Gordy to seriously ponder starting his own label.
In 1959, Gordy did just that. He founded Tamla Records with an $800 loan from his family, along with a publishing arm, Jobette, and the rest is history. Robinson not only became Gordy's first writer and debut Motown signee, but, in 1962, he rose to become Motown's vice president. In 1972, Robinson left the Miracles to pursue a solo career, but their brotherhood remained ironclad.
Motown hasn't just gifted the world with an ocean of spectacular music; as one of the most successful, Black-owned businesses in American history, it lit a beacon for Black leadership and innovation forevermore. And it wouldn't be the same without Robinson's vision and artistry, and how it synergized with Gordy's to change the face of music and American culture.
And that's why Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson aren't just Persons Of The Year. They're trailblazers whose legacies have — and forever will — stand the test of time.
This article appears in the 2023 GRAMMYs program book, which will be released soon.
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