Smokey Robinson to receive Gershwin Prize!

**marv2** · 07-10-2016, 11:28 AM

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/m...rize/86709614/

WASHINGTON — Motown great Smokey Robinson, a Detroit native known for hits including The Tracks of My Tears, The Tears of a Clown and I Second That Emotion, was announced Tuesday as the eighth winner of the Library of Congress' Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

The library made the announcement through a news release Tuesday morning. The Gershwin Prize — which has previously been awarded to Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney, among others — honors living music artists whose lifetime contributions in popular music are considered to exemplify a standard of excellence. It is named for songwriters George and Ira Gershwin.

Robinson, 76, is expected to receive the prize in Washington, D.C., in November. In the past, awardees also have been honored by performances of their music by other artists.

"It gives me such joy and gratitude to be included among the past recipients of this most prestigious songwriting award," said Robinson, who was among the performers for the July 4th celebration on the National Mall on Monday night.

As the Library of Congress put it, Robinson, after a career that has spanned more than 50 years, "is considered the poet laureate of soul. His velvet falsetto and incomparable mastery of lyrical verse have created a tapestry of hits that have transcended generations and become a mainstay in American pop music." His work as a producer and record executive was also credited with helping to create the "musical revolution called the Motown sound."

"His rich melodies are works of art — enduring, meaningful and powerful. And he is a master at crafting lyrics that speak to the heart and soul, expressing ordinary themes in an extraordinary way. It is that quality in his music that makes him one of the greatest poetic songwriters of our time," said Acting Librarian of Congress David S. Mao.

Robinson, who performed along with and led the Miracles, is a Grammy winner, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a 2006 Kennedy Center honoree. He has also won the presidential National Medal of Arts award.

Among his hits are Going to a Go-Go [[1966), You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me [[1963), Ooo Baby Baby [[1965), The Tracks of My Tears [[1965), More Love [[1967), I Second That Emotion [[1967), Baby, Baby Don’t Cry [[1969), The Tears of a Clown [[cowritten with Stevie Wonder, 1970), Cruisin’ [[1979), Being with You [[1981), Just to See Her and One Heartbeat [[1987).

In 2007, the Library of Congress named The Tracks of My Tears to the National Recording Registry as one of the nation’s culturally, historically or aesthetically significant sound recordings.

Follow Todd Spangler on Twitter: @tsspangler.