OLD ROCKER: Smokey Robinson earned Gershwin Prize

Too many times, performers, whether athletes or entertainers, have received awards that they did not necessarily earn.

In the case of Smokey Robinson, the recipient of the prestigious 2016 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the honor is extremely well-deserved and too long in coming.

The Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize is an award given to a composer or performer for his or her lifetime contributions to popular music.

Created in 2007 by the Library of Congress, the prize is named for brothers George and Ira Gershwin, whose contributions to popular music included songs “I Got Rhythm,” “Embraceable You” and “Someone to Watch Over Me,” the orchestral pieces “Rhapsody in Blue” and “An American in Paris” and the opera “Porgy and Bess.”

In announcing Robinson’s honor, acting Librarian of Congress David Mao said, “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.”

Called by Bob Dylan “America’s greatest living poet,” Robinson, 76, began his career more than five decades ago when he formed The Miracles while attending high school in his native Detroit.

The Miracles were Berry Gordy’s first vocal group, and it was at Robinson’s urging that Gordy started the Motown Records dynasty. As vice president of Motown Records for 30 years, Robinson helped lead the musical revolution known as the “Motown Sound.” He remained as vice president until the company was sold in 1988.

The Miracles’ first smash, “Shop Around,” in 1960 became Motown’s first No. 1 hit on the R&B charts and remained there for eight weeks.

In the ensuing years, Robinson wrote virtually all of the Miracles’ hits including “You Really Got a Hold on Me,” “Mickey’s Monkey,” “Ooo Baby, Baby,” “The Tracks of My Tears,” “Going to A Go-Go,” “Tears of a Clown” and “Second That Emotion.” Stevie Wonder co-wrote “Tears of a Clown” with Robinson.

Overall, the Miracles had 29 Top 40 hits while dominating the R&B scene during the 1960s and early 1970s.

Besides writing material for the Miracles, Robinson wrote and produced hits for other Motown stars including The Temptations (“My Girl,” “Get Ready” and “The Way You Do the Things You Do”) , Mary Wells (“You Beat Me to the Punch” and “Don’t Mess with Bill”) and Marvin Gaye (“Ain’t That Peculiar” and “Can I Get a Witness”).

Robinson is credited with writing more than 4,000 songs.

Among Robinson’s previous accolades are the Grammy Living Legend Award, Kennedy Center Honor and National Medal of Arts Award from the President of the United States. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Previous winners of the Gershwin Prize are Paul Simon (2007), Stevie Wonder (2009), Paul McCartney (2010), the songwriting duo of Burt Bacharach and Hal David (2012), Carole King (2013), Billy Joel (2014) and Willie Nelson (2015). The award was not given in 2008 and 2011.

Robinson will receive the Gershwin Prize in November in Washington.

The silky smooth singer got this award the old-fashioned way — he earned it.

This week in rock history: King Records released “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” by James Brown on July 17, 1965. It sold more than 2 million copies and won the Grammy for best R&B recording. … Roy Orbison’s first record, “Only the Lonely” jumped into the Top 5 on July 18, 1960. During the next six years, Orbison had 22 Top 40 hits. … Annette Funicello, 17, entered the Pop chart on July 20, 1960, with the Paul Anka-penned “Train of Love.” The song was the fourth of her five Top 40 hits, eventually reaching No. 36.

“Hard Headed Woman” by Elvis Presley topped the charts on July 21, 1958. At the time, Presley was in Fort Hood Texas, completing basic training in the U.S. Army. … After enjoying a pair of No. 3 hits with “See You In September” and “I Got Rhythm,” The Happenings entered the Top 40 with “My Mammy” on July 22, 1967. The quartet’s version would rise to No. 13. The song originally was made famous by vaudeville artist Al Jolson during the 1920s. … Frank Sinatra had the top selling album on July 23, 1966, with “Strangers In The Night.” It would be the most successful of his career. The title track would earn him Grammys for Record of The Year and Best Male Vocal Performance.

Barry Levine is an entertainment writer for The Albany Herald. He can be reached at [email protected].