With eight Grammy wins and 28 nominations between them, Gladys Knight and Smokey Robinson are undisputed icons of American soul music.

Named among the greatest singers of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, Gladys Knight burst onto the music scene with Motown group The Pips in 1961 and spent the next six decades delivering number-one hits in pop, gospel and R&B. Although best known for her timeless singles "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Midnight Train to Georgia", Knight’s ceaseless energy has led her to record more than 38 albums as well as acting in film and television. In 2024, Knight added a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award to her seven-strong collection.

Smokey Robinson has penned and performed some of the 20th century’s most indelible hits, including “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” and “I Second That Emotion.” As frontman of the Miracles and a primary songwriter for the Motown label, he also wrote and produced countless chart-toppers for other greats of the era, such as the Temptations and Marvin Gaye. Robinson’s mastery of performance and songcraft has shaped a career spanning more than half a century, and this Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee shows no sign of slowing down.