Celebrating Our Own: Ray Charles, Smokey Robinson, Cicely Tyson And More To Be Inducted Into Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame

The 2022 inductees for the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame have been revealed. The inductees include actress Cicely Tyson, musicians Smokey Robinson and Ray Charles and Motown founder Berry Gordy who will receive the honor in an induction ceremony in February.

According to WSB-TV, the new Atlanta-based organization will also recognize Lauryn Hill, Prince, Lionel Richie, Mary J. Blige and other notable Black music artists. This past year saw the first inductees for the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame, including Michael Jackson, Usher,

Beyoncé, OutKast and Missy Elliott.

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The Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame’s list of inductees for 2022 features a list of star-studded entertainers and music artists. Tyson, who passed away in January 2021, earned her spot long ago as an icon of Black entertainment, acting in films and series like The Marva Collins Story, The Help, Roots and Fried Green Tomatoes. The Harlem native also starred in The Diary of Miss Jane Pittman, portraying the titular character whose life spanned from slavery to the Civil Rights Movement. 

Robinson and Gordy have had a long-standing relationship, with each contributing to the overall success of Motown Records. In a 2016 interview, Gordy spoke highly of the Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter, saying, “He did more for me than I did for him because he was the soul of Motown, and he wrote the first company song, and he wrote hits for all of the early acts. Mary Wells, and the Miracles and just different things.”

Along with the Miracles, Robinson climbed the charts with “The Tears Of A Clown,” “I Second That Emotion,” and “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me.” The Detroit-born singer also made a name for himself as a solo artist, releasing “Daylight & Darkness” in 1978 and “Cruisin’” in 1979.

Charles, a multi-genre artist and pianist who became blind as a young child, revolutionized music in the 1950s and 1960s with hits “Hit the Road Jack,” “Georgia On My Mind,” “I Got a Woman,” and “Hallelujah, I Love Her.” The Georgia native

snagged a whopping 17 Grammy awards before his death in 2004.

Who’s your favorite artist on the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame’s 2022 list of inductees? Share your thoughts in the comment section.