Legendary Motown singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson is making history again.
The 67-year-old, who is credited with shaping the once fledgling Motown record label into a force to be reckoned with in the music industry (with his group the Miracles), is receiving the United Negro College Fund’s award of excellence.
The group says they decided to honor Robinson this year because he has been a longtime contributor to education and as such has helped “countless students get the college education they need and deserve.”
You can see Robinson receiving the award sometime in January. The presentation was recently taped at the United Negro College Fund’s 29th annual “Evening of Stars” concert at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, but won’t be broadcast until next year. The televised show will also show clips on how the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee shot to fame as the frontman for the Miracles, giving Motown its first No. 1 R&B hit with “Shop Around” in 1960. Robinson joins previous winners Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones and the late Lou Rawls as one of the few recipients to be honored with the prestigious award.
UNLIKELY ROCKER GETS OVERDUE RECOGNITION
Actor Kevin Costner loves to sing, so when he was offered the chance to rock and roll on the set of his new movie he jumped at it. Costner’s smooth tunes and moves drew a crowd of more than 1,000 at the Santa Fe Rodeo Grounds… sure, the performance had to do with his upcoming film “Swing Vote,” but, hey there’s nothing like living out your dream in front of the masses, right?
According to producers, “Swing Vote” is a political comedy scheduled to be released before next year’s election. The film features a presidential race between the Republican candidate played by Kelsey Grammer and the Democratic candidate played by Dennis Hopper that comes down to a single vote.
Last week, the Santa Fe Rodeo Grounds were transformed into the site of a presidential debate, complete with red, white and blue bunting and fake news vans. According to witnesses, there were also dozens of production crew members barking instructions to extras through a bullhorn. But, here’s the interesting part: According to those on the set, the people who showed up weren’t paid as extras; rather their “pay” came in the form of a “free concert” by Costner’s band, Modern West.