John Legend Was a Phenom in the Making Singing This Smokey Robinson Tribute
The Voice Coach held his own as a new artist singing "Quiet Storm" for Robinson himself in 2004.
The internet is a beautiful thing, isn't it? You never know what you'll find, whether it's Al Roker participating in hilarious TikTok memes or a jaw-dropping musical performance from nearly 20 years ago!
Today is a prime example of the latter. We've tracked down a genuinely special John Legend performance for the ages. Back in 2004, Legend performed at the 10th Annual BET Walk of Fame honoring the great Smokey Robinson, and the Voice legend earned a standing ovation with a phenomenal cover of Robinson's classic, "Quiet Storm."
Oh, and he pulled this off with Robinson himself watching from the front row in awe. How cool is that?
Watch the historic performance here.
We don't know what's better: the much-deserved standing ovation Legend received or the event's emcee introducing Legend as "one of our newest and brightest stars." Although the world-famous artist is now a household name, Legend was still a relative unknown in the music industry in 2004, releasing his first album, Get Lifted, that same year. How times have changed.
A lightbulb must have gone off in Robinson's head as he watched Legend dazzle on stage because the two paired up 10 years later in 2014 for an official studio-recorded duet of "A Quiet Storm."
Everything to know about "Quiet Storm" by Smokey Robinson
Released in March 1975 as the lead track off A Quiet Storm, the song is regarded as one of Robinson's underappreciated classics. While disco-influenced songs like "Baby That's Backatcha" garnered most of the attention (and critical acclaim) from the album, "Quiet Storm" still performed admirably, reaching #25 on Billboard's U.S. R&B charts.
RELATED: John Legend's Son Wren Flashes Four New Teeth for His 1st Birthday (PICS)
In 2024, it's still a fan-favorite song from one of Robinson's most well-regarded albums.
