Smokey Robinson and Gladys Knight

At the age of 15, Smokey Robinson joined forces with the first members of what would eventually be the powerhouse group, The Miracles. The group was one of the first to be taken on by the Motown Record label and The Miracle’s first single, “Shop Around”, became the first million-copy-selling track for the label. As lead singer and songwriter for the group, Smokey Robinson single-handedly drummed up extensive success for Motown after producing 26 top 40 hits for the band, including the number one single, “Tears of a Clown”.

Smokey Robinson’s golden song-writing touch saw him quickly become Motown’s go-to writer and he was sought to write songs for artists such as Mary Wells, The Temptations and Marvin Gaye. Many of Smokey Robinson’s songs for other artists, such as “My Girl” and “Operator”, became legendary and are still well known today.

In 1972, Smokey Robinson left The Miracles to focus on his job as Vice President of Motown. Unable to stay away from the music, though, he returned to the limelight in 1973 to launch his solo career. His debut solo album “Smokey” shot to the number 10 spot on the US R&B charts, but a bout of writers block meant that Smokey Roninson was unable to score a top twenty single on the US Billboard 200 until the release of “Cruisin’” in 1979.

The release of “Cruisin”, which got to number four on the Billboard 200, seemed to reignite Smokey Robinson’s career and his 1981 album, “Being With You”, hit the number 10 spot on the Billboard 200 and shot to number one on the US R&B chart. The album’s lead single of the same name is Smokey Robinson’s most successful solo track, going to number two on the US Billboard 200 and hitting the number one spot on the US R&B chart and on the UK singles chart.

Smokey Robinson’s talents have been recognized all over the world. The recipient of a Grammy Award and an Ivor Novello Award, the singer also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“Empress of Soul”. You can keep your “King of Rock’n’Roll”, “Lord of the Dance”, and “Pop Princess”, is there a nickname in music that sounds as deliciously regal as “Empress of Soul”? I really don’t think there is. It’s the kind of name that’s earned, not bestowed, and when the woman it describes is Gladys Knight, there’s no-one who it fits better.

Her first taste of fame came when she was a mere seven years of age. She won a TV Talent show contest, namely Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour in 1952, the following year she formed a musical group with her brother, sister and cousins who christened themselves The Pips. By the end of the decade they were touring together and they were signed to Motown by 1966.

At this point in time it was rare for a band to be so incredibly experienced live. Even The Beatles, famed for cutting their teeth in their residencies in Hamburg and the Cavern, had only spent three years regularly performing live. Knight and The Pips however, had over a decade’s experience by this point and it showed.

According to her memoirs, she and The Pips were kicked off a tour opening for Diana Ross and The Supremes because they were upstaging Ross night after night and getting a better reception from the crowd. While arguably a second tier Motown act they still had considerable success on the label, with songs like the first released version of “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” and the Grammy winning "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)".

Come 1973 however, they left for a better deal at Buddha records, where her first single was the monster hit “Midnight Train to Georgia”. Worked out pretty well for her, eh? It wasn’t just the music world she was conquering, as Knight made her acting debut in the 1976 film Pipe Dreams, that saw her get a Golden Globe nomination for Best New Actress.

Since then she’s recorded with the likes of Stevie Wonder and Elton John, along with recording the theme for the 1989 James Bond film Licence To Kill. While her work today might focus more on her church and philanthropy than that electrifying voice, if anyone’s earned the right to take a break now and again, it’s her. Also, if she does take to the road once more, you can bet that she’s be absolutely peerless.