Growing up in Detroit, Billie Leonard and her twin sister, Ali, were dropped off the bus in front of Motown Records on their way to work. They left Detroit fifty years ago. Now, Billie, an East Cobb resident, has remained a huge fan of the Motown star, Smokey Robinson. In the past seven months, Billie went to a Smokey Robinson concert in Fayetteville, NC, and for the Fourth of July, flew to the Hollywood Bowl to see Smokey perform.
On Saturday, November 21, there was a tribute to famous civil rights activist Vernon Jordan. Held at the Alabama Theatre, 2,000 people attended and entertainment was provided by superstar Smokey Robinson. So, ever the fan, Billie Leonard and her boyfriend, James Strickland, headed to Birmingham. Attending the concert in Birmingham, she was dancing down front when she caught Smokey’s eye and was called on stage to sing with him. To close the concert, she helped get the audience singing one of Smokey’s songs called “Cruisin”. Afterwards, people were coming up to her and praising her performance. Commented Billie, “Being from Detroit, to be on stage with
Smokey was truly a thrill of a lifetime.”
Reprinted from EAST COBBER’s February 2016 issue
