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Smokey Robinson to perform at the Rose

In this June 28, 2015, file photo, Smokey Robinson performs at the BET Awards in Los Angeles. Robinson will perform Friday, Oct. 14, at The Rose in Pasadena.

In this June 28, 2015, file photo, Smokey Robinson performs at the BET Awards in Los Angeles. Robinson will perform Friday, Oct. 14, at The Rose in Pasadena.

(Chris Pizzello / AP)
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R&B singer Smokey Robinson is a critical element of American art and culture. Robinson’s beatific elegance and the smoldering, measured grace and sublime euphony of his music have made him one of the most successful talents in pop history: as leader of the Miracles, he conjured 37 Top 40 hits, has sold over 60 million records and written more than 1,000 songs.

But these staggering numbers pale to insignificance when one examines the man, the artist. At age 76, Robinson, who will appear Oct. 14 at the Rose, retains the same creative drive and involvement with music that brought him fame over 50 years ago.

“I write all the time, all the time,” Robinson said. “I’m preparing to go into the studio now. I’ve never stopped writing and I hope I never do. Sometimes, you work at it; other times, it just flows. It can start with a phrase, or a melody or a single word. There is no pattern to songwriting, it just happens. It happens as it happens.”

His songs have a shimmering alchemical quality that’s loaded with emotional appeal. From the seductive vulnerability of “Tracks of My Tears” to the poised ardor of “Cruisin’,” Robinson’s consistence and conviction result in music that’s delivered from the highest level. Already the recipient of innumerable prestigious awards, from the National Medal of the Arts to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Robinson is looking forward to another particularly distinguished recognition, the Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

“I am getting the Gershwin award in November, and that is one of the most precious things in life, because that’s what I grew up hearing, my mom and sisters would play all those songs by the Gershwins, Cole Porter and Duke Ellington, Count Basie,” he said.

“I was influenced by a lot of people. I grew up in a house with music constantly playing, all the time, from when I was a baby on up. And later as I grew, I was listening to Jackie Wilson, and there are so many other influences in my life — Barrett Strong, Berry Gordy, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, on and on.”

With Gordy, of course, Robinson graduated from teenage doo-wop crooner to Motown powerhouse, providing Gordy’s label with its first hits and launching one of the most enduring careers of 20th century. For Robinson, his success and creative motivation all come down to one thing.

“Emotion,” he said. “Emotion is the same as music, we don’t control emotion, we can’t control it — and thank God for that. If we did, no one would fall in love. Love, all emotion controls itself, and you really can’t put it into a song, yet music is an emotional art form, that’s what makes it the international language.”

Robinson’s performances are part showmanship, part ritual, part rapture. And it’s no stale oldies revue. His voice remains a clear toned, expressive instrument, and Robinson exercises an almost mystical power over his audience, creating a vibrant, charged atmosphere that fosters an extraordinary emotional exchange between listener and performer.

Few singers evoke such profound response and at the Rose, Robinson will take this sense of intimacy further, bringing his “Up Close and Personal” set to Los Angeles for the first time. It’s a loose, open format that allows for tale telling and reminiscence, spontaneous song requests and conversational back-and-forth with attendees.

“I tried retirement, and it wasn’t for me,” Robinson said. “The reason I do shows is I just don’t get that feeling anywhere else. That’s why I still perform. And believe it or not, when I do those songs every night, they are new to me. They really are, and there’s such a great feeling between me and the audience, it becomes like a one-on-one party.

“Music is a gift,” he said. “We all get one from God and some people never even know what their gift is, or how to use it. It doesn’t have to be music, it can be anything — but mine was music, and I am so thankful and blessed that I have it in my life.”

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Who: Smokey Robinson

Where: The Rose, 245 E. Green St., Pasadena

When: Friday, Oct. 14, 9 p.m.

Cost: $88 to $168

More info: (888) 645-5006

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JONNY WHITESIDE is a veteran music journalist based in Burbank and author of “Ramblin’ Rose: the Life & Career of Rose Maddox” and “Cry: the Johnnie Ray Story.”

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