Birthday profile

Bobby Smith (rhythm and blues singer)

Bobby Smith, American singer (died 2013)

Born
April 10, 1936
Died
March 16, 2013
Zodiac sign
Aries
Birth year
1936

About Bobby Smith (rhythm and blues singer)

Robert Steel Smith, professionally known as Bobby Smith, also spelled Bobbie, was an American R&B singer notable as the principal lead singer of the classic Motown/Philly group, The Spinners, throughout its history. He was the principal lead singer from its formation in 1954 when he was eighteen, until his death in 2013. The group had their first record deal when they signed with Tri-Phi Records in early 1961. All four of these Bobby Smith-led songs were Certified Gold by the R.I.A.A.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when Bobby Smith (rhythm and blues singer) was born

Bobby Smith (rhythm and blues singer) was born in 1936. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1936

  • #1 song"The Way You Look Tonight" – Fred Astaire
  • Top movieModern Times (Charlie Chaplin)
  • Top TV showBBC Television Service launches
  • Best-selling bookGone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentJesse Owens wins 4 gold medals at Berlin Olympics
  • Top headlineJesse Owens dominates the Berlin Olympics
  • Technology milestoneBBC launches the world's first regular television service
  • Defining fadSwing dancing
  • Notable inventionSun glasses (mass-produced)
  • World population2.26 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderFranklin D. Roosevelt
  • Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
  • U.S. population128.1M

1936 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Bobby Smith (rhythm and blues singer)'s birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19362026
Gas$0.19$3.45/gal
Average home$5,100$435,000
Average income$2,900$67,500
Minimum wage$0.25$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.25$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population128.1M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, MusicBrainz, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.