n July 1972, Smokey Robinson stood at a crossroads in his already storied career. He’d been not only the leader of the Miracles since 1957, but also an in-demand Motown songwriter and producer and was feeling pretty burned out. So, he decided to step away to be a Motown executive and focus more on songwriting. It wouldn’t take long for him to be pulled back into recording and performing and, less than a year later, launched a solo career that’s in its 52nd year. In his latest article for the Strange Brew, music historian Scott G. Shea takes us back to Smokey’s samurai moment in 1972 and shows how his vision as a young musician and producer shaped the Motown sound of the 1960s and early 1970s, aka the classic Detroit-era. Scott G. Shea, leading music historian and author of the best-selling book, “All the Leaves Are Brown: How the Mamas & the Papas Came Together and Broke Apart,” on your program to discuss the influence of Smokey Robinson. In five songs, Scott shows his readers how this musical Motown genius helped form the Sound of Young America that is still being celebrated today. And, for a bonus, he selects five deep tracks, written and/or sung by Smokey, which highlight his infectious style that readers should check out.

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