Celebrity Testimony 4: Smokie Robinson (Motown Legend)

Smokie Robinson Inside My Life Part 5 Chapter 38 Brother Brother: Months passed he went on tour and there was talk that the tour was bedlam talk that Marvin was so cocked out he was dropping his pants during the shows talk like he was acting crazy and falling into despair I tried contacting him but never got through. The on April Fools day 1984 the news came in. It was a cold shock a kick in the groin I heard it on the radio: Marvin Gaye was killed. Killed by his own father. My first thoughts were- its a mistake, its impossible, the news is wrong. But the news was right. I wept. I sang and spoke at his funeral. A friend- a beautiful man gone so early so foolishly. Now I was moving in the same direction. Why couldnt I stop myself? Why couldnt I turn it around?. My days were dark my nights were filled with fear. The knock on the door was loud an persistent. At first I thought I was dreaming. Then I got scared. Maybe it was the cops maybe a killer. Fear was all up in my face. " Open the door man! Open it now!" I knew Leon Kennedys voice. I let him in. "Smokie," he said "You look terrible. What in the world are you doing to yourself, man? Do you want to die?" "I aint dying just cooling out." "Coke's got you so disgusted with yourself, you cant stop. Cant you see the vicious cycle?" "Get off my back, Leon. You dont know what youre talking about," I lied. Dopers always lie to cover up. I didnt tell him about the stomach pains, the puss passing out of my body,the heart palpitations, the cold sweats. "You look like a ghost, Smokie. Your skins turning green, your eyes are all sunken into your head, youre wasting away to nothing." " I dont want to talk about this anymore. Im doing fine man, just leave me alone." "No Im not leaving at all. Im staying here and Im going to pray for you. I dont care how long it takes." Leon stayed and prayed for me all night; he prayed till the sun came up; he wouldnt leave me; he stayed at my house all the day and that night insisted that we go to a place called Ablaze Ministry. I called Ivory Stone, my close friend and back up singer, to come along.I'd been in contact with Ivory during those miserable months. Shed been about my only source of comfort. The few times I did eat she was the only one who fed me. When she first came to sing with me in 1975, I loved her immediately. Shes a warm and wonderful person, physically gorgeous, inwardly beautiful, the kind of woman any man would be proud to call his own. She turned me on to Jesus; shes been a strong spiritual amd emotional influence on my life. Ablaze wasnt a church just a small building in a working class neighborhood on Florence Avenue where people were up and singing. Everyone looked joyful and glad.It wasnt an all black hallelujah holy revival but rather a room filled with different type people- orientals, chicanos, whites and blacks. The leader was a heavy set black woman. "That's Jean Perez," Leon whispered in my ear. I'd never seen a preacher woman before and she was dynamite. She didnt come at you from the Bible; she came from the street, said how shed done it yourself- the drugs and drinking-and shed seen another way. She was real. Her speech was captivating. "I feel the anointing coming on," she said. " The anointing is very strong in my hands. Everyone who feels like theyve got arthritis, come up here now." Five or six people got up and started walking towards her while I started thinking,Oh boy, here comes the show. No aint this a mess! Leon brought me here to see some weird woman who's planted people in the audience to make us think shes a miracle worker. I stayed skeptical, even as she started healing people with arthritis,cancer, and heart disease. I watched as she touched them,prayed over them and caused them to pass out from the power of her prayers. "You", she said, pointing to me. "Would you please come up here?" I looked around embarassed, hoping she meant someone else. She didnt. Tentatively slowly I made my way to the podium where she stood. She hugged me as a mother would hug her child. I fel the heat of her breath as she whispered in my ear away from the microphone so only I could hear. " I know who you are." she said. "I didnt call your name because not everyone reconized you. You look so bad. I been praying for you for a year now. The Lord put you on my heart. He really loves you. Youre one of his children and he sent you here to night so I could heal you in the name of Jesus. I know about your pus, I know about your stomach, I know about your heart palpitations, and the way you sweat at night." I was stunned I hadnt told anyone about any of those things. "The drugs," she said still in a whisper, "are eating at your stomach lining. If you hadnt come here you would have died. Saying that she started praying over me. Suddenly she passed out, falling back behind the podium. Chills ran through me. I stood there stund. They tried to revive her tried to lift her up but she was a big woman and it wasnt easy. When she came to she looked at me and said, " I never pass out during prayer. Youre a powerful spirit in the Lord. I want you to stay after everyone leaves."\ After the service Ivory, Leon, and I followed her into a small room in the back. There she prayed on me agian, holding me close to her, her eyes closed tight, her heart beating loud. Then for the second time, she passed out. Whe she came to the woman said," Ooo wee, your spirit is strong smokey! Youre a positive influence on people and your influence was about to be taken from you. But now youre alright. Now youre cool. The Lord has his arms around you." " What does that mean?" I asked. " You'll go on with your life and you'll be a stronger person. The Lord doesnt want you to start preaching, doesnt want you to sing only gospel music. If you do your secular fans will drop you and the gospel fans wont take you seriously. Just be you. Doing what you do you can get millions to come over to the Lord from all over the world. Dont push your testimony. He will let you know when to give it and he will tell you how." I left the Ablaze Ministry that night feeling higher than at any moment in my life, higher than Id ever been on coke, so good and so high I felt like I was walking on air. Since that night-its been three years-I havent touched or wanted any form of any drug. Just like that the desire left me. Being in show business Im always around that stuff. There have been endless oportunities to get high. Miraculously, Ive not even been tempted. Miraculously I was saved. The Lord washed me clean.