Legendary soul singer Smokey Robinson is at a point in his life and career where
he’s ready to tell it all, including his past affair with fellow Motown icon Diana Ross.Robinson sat down for a tell-all interview on VladTV where he opened up about his history with Ross which dates back to their upbringing in Detroit. The “Cruisin” singer first met Ross when he was 12 years old and lived four doors down from the future Supremes lead singer.
Eventually, Ross moved away to the Brewster projects and formed her own singing group in hopes of landing a record deal with Motown Records.
“After we started [at] Motown, she called me one day and she said, ‘Smoke, I got this group, you know, and uh, I want you to hear us so you can sign us up at Motown,” he recalled. “So I said, ‘OK.’ I didn’t know she was a singer until then.”
Ross has been open about her close friendship with Robinson throughout the decades. But never claimed to be romantic with him until her memoir.
When Vlad asked Robinson about Ross’ revelation in her book, he admitted they dated for a lot longer than they should have.
“Well, it lasted, uh, probably longer than it should ’cause I was married at the time,” he recalled.
“Yeah, that happened later. After I got married. You know, after I got signed up at Motown, that’s when that started.”
“I lived on the north side of Detroit,” Ross told Interview Magazine in 1981. “Right down the street from me, there was a young man by the name of Smokey Robinson. I was very proud to live down the street from him because he was our only celebrity in town. He was singing with the Miracles.”
By 1959, Robinson was married to his first wife, Claudette Rogers Robinson, who was a member of his group, The Miracles. They had two children before divorcing in 1986 after Smokey had a child out of wedlock with another woman.
Robinson remarried twice after that and is currently married to Frances Glandney, who he’s been married to since 2002.