Los Angeles, California Oct 11, 2018 (Issuewire.com) - Just days before President Donald Trump signed the Music Modernization Act into law, legendary singer-songwriter Claudette Robinson of The Miracles was honored by the Links, Inc. Beverly Hills West (CA) chapter at their Inaugural Green & White Gala for her lifetime achievements in the music industry. Congresswoman Diane Watson was among the hundreds of guests who gathered on Saturday, October 6 at the Loews Hollywood to raise scholarships for college-bound students and to recognize outstanding women who have transformed their communities through education, the performing arts, and community service.
“This honor from the Links means so much to me because I have always believed that, even if you pursue other things, your education is the one thing that no one can take away from you,” Robinson said. “I urge our community leaders to generously support the Links so that they may continue providing scholarships that will help prepare future generations for success.”
Additional Honorees included acclaimed collage artist Phoebe Beasley and Cecilia Brown - widow of renowned jazz bassist Ray Brown.
Dubbed “The First Lady of Motown” by the label’s founder Berry Gordy, Claudette Robinson was the first female artist ever signed to a Motown-affiliated record label (Tamla). After giving Motown its first million-seller in the hit “Shop Around,” The Miracles went on to release a long-running string of hits, including songs like “Tracks of My Tears”, “Ooh Baby Baby”, “I Second That Emotion” and many more. From 1957 to 1972, Claudette and her group mates from The Miracles – Ronald White, Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, and lead singer Smokey Robinson – helped put Motown on the map and changed the music industry forever. In 2009, The Miracles received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2012, the group was inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame.
Lately, Robinson has also become known for her work to help preserve the legacies of artists in the music industry. From 2016-2017, she curated a year-long exhibit on The Miracles at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, CA. And she has worked for decades as a member of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation to provide financial support to artists from previous eras. To that end, Robinson was also a huge supporter of the Music Modernization Act.
“The signing of the Music Modernization Act is very exciting,” she said. “It will help a lot of artists get compensated for their work. I think it’s wonderful, and it’s long overdue.”
On January 12, 2019, Motown will celebrate its 60th Anniversary. Claudette Robinson’s highly anticipated biography, a feature-length documentary and a television series about her life, are all slated for release in 2019 to coincide with the historic anniversary.
ABOUT LINKS, INC. - Links, Incorporated is an international, not-for-profit corporation, established in 1946. The membership consists of more than 15,000 professional women of color in 283 chapters located in 41 states, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. It is one of the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of extraordinary women who are committed to enriching, sustaining and ensuring the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry.
Media Contact
Tamla Robinson Tamla.Robinson@gmail.com
