Smokey Robinson at Ohio University

I covered a lot of concerts and music groups without really knowing (or caring) who they were. I didn’t even bother to label the negative envelope in many cases, so I don’t know if the group went on to become famous or they were were just a garage band that somebody wanted to review.

These photos WERE labeled and dated, but I can’t, for the life of me, remember the concert. It said “Smokey Robinson 2/17/68.” I did some research and found that Smokey Robinson & The Miracles DID perform at Ohio University on that date. I must have covered this for The Ohio University Post.

Is he still alive?

Compounding my embarrassment, I asked Wife Lila, “Is he still alive?” she said that he was not only alive, but she had gone with a friend to see him perform in West Palm Beach not long ago. “He still puts on a fantastic show.”

When I went to the official Smokey Robinson website, I saw that a “legendary Rolling Stones photographer” was selling prints of Smokey on stage in 1968. Too bad I’m not legendary. These pix might be worth something.

Photo gallery of Smokey Robinson concert

Since I don’t have anything to add, I’ll just post the photos and let them speak for themselves. Click on any photo to make it larger, then click on the left or ride side of the image to move through the gallery.

10 Replies to “Smokey Robinson at Ohio University”

  1. A lot of concerts are forgettable–or at least we wish we could forget them–but Smokey Robinson–oh my! I have never had the privilege of seeing him perform live. Wonderful photos!

  2. It is a mircle you have these photos. I was crying the tears of clown when I saw them. You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me with these shots….

    1. It’s a bad idea to be crying ANY tears – clown or otherwise – at the computer. You’re apt to short out the keyboard.

      Glad to see you alive after the crash that totaled your Mercury.

  3. One of my friends had a son graduate from Berklee School of Jazz 3 years ago and the Guest Speaker was Smokey Robinson and I understand quite eloquent. Two of my local La Plata boys and Berklee alums are doing quite well in the Bigs..David Delhomme is the Keyboard Player with Jay Lenos Tonite Show Band and Billy Kilson is the drummer with Chris Botti.

  4. I saw Smokey and The Miracles twice in’68. They were at their peak. In February they headlined The Long Beach Arena show. The Supporting acts were Etta James, who was riding high on the charts with “Tell Moma”, The 5th Demension with “Up, Up and Away, Richard Street’s Monitors had “Greetings”. The Miracles had just gone top 10 with “More Love”, “Just a Mirage” and “Second That Emotion”. The Miracles were the top R&B Group in the country at that time My favorite group ever!

  5. Hi! These are some wonderful photos of Smokey Robinson and The Miracles! Actually, you’ve got a 2-for-1 thing going on here: true, you have photos of The Miracles, but you also have photos of another group, The Monitors. All the photos including a female (Sandra Fagin) amongst the males are of the Monitors. They may have been the opening act for Smokey Robinson and The Miracles at this appearance. The Monitors also recorded at the same company as The Miracles, Motown. The hit The Monitors were best-known for was “Greetings! This Is Uncle Sam.” Really enjoying viewing your photos here!

    1. Thanks for the compliment. Just goes to show how I often concentrated on capturing images without paying much attention to who my subjects were.

      If I had covered the Last Supper, I’d probably have had to ask someone later, “Who’s that guy in the middle?”

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