SMOKEY ROBINSON: Busy as Ever At 72

Smokey Robinson, who just announced that he'll be doing his first one-man poetry show called Words in L.A. next weekend, is keeping himself busy. The 72-year-old former Miracle tells us:

• He was in the studio Thursday night with 12-year-old singer and actress Jadagrace Berry, a member of the Gordy family, cutting a song called "Intellectual" that was written by his backing singer Karri Benoit.
Smokey Robinson on his latest recording session. OC:...last night.

"A girl who sings with me, her name is Karri Benoit, wrote a wonderful, wonderful song called 'Intellectual.' And there's a young artist, part of the Gordy family, Jadagrace, and she actually has a TV show in Las Vegas and she's about maybe 12 and she's fantastic. And we recorded it on Jadagrace last night."

• He is starting work on his next album, which he'll be singing in Spanglish -- a combination of English and Spanish.
Smokey Robinson on the album he'll be working on next. OC:...embryo stage.

"I've been learning Spanish for about the last four-five years and I've been writing some songs in Spanish, and I'm doing an album of Spanish and English -- Spanglish. Right now I'm just doing it alone, because I haven't gotten into the studio yet, but I am going to invite some top Latino artists to be on there. But right now it's in embryo stage."


• He will be playing a benefit concert on September 29th for former Motown producer Frank Wilson and his wife Bunny -- who are both now pastors and are ailing -- at Ramon Cortines High School in downtown L.A.
• He will be in New York later this month to meet with Berry Gordy regarding the upcoming Motown stage musical "and see part of it."