Name______
42. Smokey Robinson (1940 – present)
Smokey Robinson was born into a poor family in the North End area of Detroit, Michigan. He was raised by his elder sister and her husband, after his mother died of a brain hemorrhage. His uncle Claude gave him the nickname "Smokey Joe" when he was a child. In high school, he was above average academically and a keen athlete, though his main interest was music and he formed a doo-wop group named the Five Chimes. Smokey Robinson's career, and life, is inextricably tied up with Motown Records' founder Berry Gordy. He and Gordy have had a professional and personal relationship since the late 1950s, when Robinson went to work for Gordy's budding musical empire not only as a performer with his group, The Miracles, but also as a songwriter/producer. Robinson and The Miracles began turning out an almost unbroken string of hits in the early 1960s on Gordy's Tamla label. Robinson's high, warm tenor was perfect for the romantic ballads that he wrote for the group, although they could also do hard, driving dance records. In addition to his writing/performing/producing chores for The Miracles, Robinson also turned out hit after hit for other Motown acts such as The Temptations ("My Girl"), and others for The Marvelettes and Marvin Gaye. He left The Miracles to go solo in 1972, and met with even more success, turning out hit record after hit record all through the 1970s and 1980s. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
Listen to: Cruisin’
As you listen to the music, answer the following questions. Short answers are fine.
- What are the instruments used to make the music? Name as many as you can.
- How does this music make me feel?
- Is there a singer? If yes, are they male or female?
- In what genre does this music best fit?
43. Tina Turner (1939 – present)
Anna Mae Bullock, popularly known by her stage name Tina Turner, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress and author. She is one of the most popular female rock artists of the world and is known as the ‘queen of rock’. Turner has received eight Grammy Awards in various categories and has been inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Grammy Hall of Fame. She has sold over 100 million copies of her albums worldwide, which is why she has been named as ‘one of the greatest singers of all time’ by Rolling Stone magazine. But all this success and fame was not easy to achieve for her––she had to start from scratch as she had no formal training in singing and music and on the top of that she faced a very difficult childhood. She met her husband, Ike Turner, when she was only 16, who helped her in getting recognized in the music industry and for many years she only sang duets with him. Her relationship with Ike was of an abusive nature as he was a raging alcoholic and a cocaine addict. He used to beat her and emotionally abuse her. She went through a major downfall in her personal and professional life after getting divorced from him. ‘Private Dancer’ is considered to be her comeback album, which sold 20 million copies and earned her prestigious awards. Turner is semi-retired now and has taken up the citizenship of Switzerland, which is where she lives now.
Listen to: Proud Mary
As you listen to the music, answer the following questions. Short answers are fine.
- What are the instruments used to make the music? Name as many as you can.
- How does this music make me feel?
- Is there a singer? If yes, are they male or female?
- In what genre does this music best fit?