Klipsch

INDIANAPOLIS (November 4, 2015) - Klipsch, a leading global speaker and headphone manufacturer, along with strategic partner Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, are pleased to announce the free live stream of the 20th Annual Music Masters series honoring Smokey Robinson. The all-star tribute concert takes place on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 PM EST and will be streamed live at Klipsch.com/music-masters.

The 2015 Annual Music Masters series and tribute concert is presented by Klipsch Audio and will feature Inductees Dennis Edwards, Martha Reeves and Mary Wilson, as well as the Robert Glasper Experiment. Scheduled performers include Avant, Avery*Sunshine, Bilal, JoJo, Eric Roberson, and Michelle Williams. Adam Blackstone (who has worked with artists such as Rihanna, Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake) will serve as the tribute concert’s Musical Director.

To open the tribute concert on Nov. 7, Case Western Reserve will bestow an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree to Smokey Robinson, recognizing his many musical and cultural contributions, which extend from enduring songs to his leadership in the music industry. The university awards Honorary Degrees to recognize those who exemplify in their work the highest ideals and standards of excellence in any valued aspect of human endeavor, including scholarship, public service and the performing arts.

About Smokey Robinson:

Save for founder Berry Gordy, no single figure has been more closely allied with the Detroit-based recording empire known as Motown than William “Smokey” Robinson. In addition to leading the Miracles, Robinson served as a Motown producer, songwriter, talent scout and Gordy’s most trusted confidant and right-hand man.

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles scored twenty-seven pop-soul hits at Motown between 1960 and 1971, including the classics “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” “Shop Around,” “Going to a Go-Go” and “I Second That Emotion.” The Miracles’ brightest moments on record - “Ooo Baby Baby,” “The Tracks of My Tears” and “The Tears of a Clown” foremost among them - still kindle memories for those who came of age in the Sixties.

Robinson also wrote and produced for numerous other Motown artists, including Marvin Gaye ("Ain’t That Peculiar,” “I’ll Be Doggone"), the Temptations ("Get Ready,” “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” “My Girl"), Mary Wells ("My Guy,” “You Beat Me to the Punch") and the Marvelettes ("Don’t Mess With Bill,” “The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game").

Robinson later turned to a solo career where he continued his hitmaking tradition with “Just to See Her,” “Quiet Storm,” “Cruisin’,” and “Being with You,” among others. In 2004, he released his first gospel album, Food for the Spirit. His most recent album, Smokey & Friends, peaked at #2 on the R&B charts and #12 on the Billboard 200 and included collaborations with Elton John, James Taylor, Mary J. Blige, and John Legend. Earlier this year, Robinson received a BET Lifetime Achievement Award.