This holiday season, a star-studded lineup of R&B artists was in attendance for NBC’s A Motown Christmas, with everybody from Jamie Foxx and Ashanti to Gladys Knight, The Temptations and Martha Reeves. Teaming up with co-host Halle Bailey is singer-songwriter-producer Smokey Robinson, who has been essential in soul-singing households for decades. From Saturday night partying to Sunday morning cleaning and all the days in between, Gen Xers, Millennials and even Gen Zers may have heard songs like “Shop Around,” “My Girl,” “My Guy,” “Tears Of a Clown” and “Cruisin’.” Fans love to blast his greatest hits all around their homes, but few may know exactly where Robinson lives.

Baby Smokey Robinson Almost Didn’t Make It Home

The Detroit native grew up on the north side on Belong Street, four doors away from another world-famous name, Diana Ross, who he met when she was 8 years old. Around the corner lived Aretha Franklin and The Temptations were walking distance from all three.

In a predominantly Black neighborhood, this multi-racial kid (African-American, Cherokee, French, Nigerian, Portuguese, Scandinavian) certainly stood out. Born with blond hair and blue eyes, Robinson almost didn’t make it home at all. Because of the then-infant’s appearance, he was placed on the white side of the nursery for two days before his mother found him. As he grew older, his appearance changed; his hair got darker, and Robinson’s eye color switched from blue to green to grey. During his childhood years, the multi-talent developed a love for cowboys. In turn, Robinson’s Uncle Claude gave his blue-greenish-eyed nephew a cowboy nickname: “Smokey Joe.”

At the age of 11, Smokey Robinson and his neighborhood friends started a group called The Five Chimes. By high school, they’d changed their name to The Matadors, where they’d practice and perform at Detroit’s Recreation Center or one of the local schools. Battling for attention from women, he and his group would perform against now-famous groups like The Four Tops. In the “hustle and bustle,” he knew he wanted to be a singer.

When his 43-year-old mother died of a brain aneurysm while he was 10 years old, his father moved back in. (The two had divorced when he was a 2-year-old toddler.) With two sisters (14 and 17), the 17-year-old returned and had 10 kids, all of which became more like Robinson’s sisters and brothers rather than nieces and nephews. And even in a neighborhood with his friends going in and out of juvenile homes, Robinson still graduated from high school in 1958 and went to college a year later while working for Western Union and delivering telegrams.

In Los Angeles, Singer’s Home Was Valued for Multi-Millions

While the childhood version of Robinson wanted to be a singer and a cowboy, he likely could’ve never dreamed of what lie ahead, much less how glamorous his future home might be. Originally built in 1882 in downtown Los Angeles, one of his homes was later moved to Encino in the 1920s. Hollywood began using ranch land like his for filming locations during the latter decades, which led to constant teardowns and new construction buildings. What was once 120 single-family homes valued at $2 million in 2017 became worth $5 million or more.

Robinson’s old 1.5-acre home was made up of manicured front hedges, original moldings and wainscoting (wood paneling). It boasted a balcony and a terrace, a window-lined sunroom, multiple fireplaces, five bedrooms (including a master suite), a sauna, a veranda, a screening room, a wine-tasting area and a gym. With an outside area that could rival the inside, guests were greeted by a manicured lawn, pool and a covered dining pavilion. In 2016, this home was posted for sale for $3.6 million. By 2018, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills personality Kyle Richards and her husband, real estate agent Mauricio Umansky, purchased the home for a record-breaking $8.25 million.

Robinson Collaborated on a Home Fit for a Chef

In 2002, Smokey Robinson purchased a home for $2.7 million and then listed it with Fred Calloway of Calloway Real Estate for $7.9 million. The three-story domed foyer featured six bedrooms, six bathrooms, a guest house, and a wood-and-iron spiraling staircase. With gold columns, a wood-paneled dining room, a soundproof home theatre, wine cellar, 10 fireplaces, a pool, a spa, a gym and outdoor waterfalls, this guard-gated community of Indian Springs was just as stunning. And for a chef (professional or amateur), the three gourmet kitchens were a dream come true.

Robinson’s Home Away From Home, the Golf Course

Throughout his rise to fame, Robinson found himself parting ways with his first wife, Claudette. In 1986, he married his second wife, an interior designer named Francis, in 2002. Since then, the two have lived in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and now Pittsburgh. Robinson never learned to play an instrument so neighbors didn’t have to worry about him playing at all hours, but he is responsible for writing (or collaborating on) more than 4,000 songs.

While the studio may seem like an obvious home for him, another place he feels most at home is a golf course. He even went as far as saying golf was his “first love” before music took over. Detailing golf’s significance on discipline, focus and perseverance, he said he tries to golf as much as possible whether he’s on the road and touring or at his now-undisclosed Pittsburgh home.