Cracker Barrel Old Country Store has announced a November 1st release of Smokey Robinson's Now and Then! The Cracker Barrel exclusive CD will feature 12 songs. Six are live versions of his well-known classics, including "Going to a Go-Go," "I Second That Emotion," The Tracks of My Tears," and "The Tears of a Clown," recorded in 2010 during various performances.
The other six are from his 2009 CD, Time Flies When You're Having Fun, including "Time Flies," Don't Know Why," and "Girlfriend." Now and Then serves up smooth ballads and some of the classic Motown hits that made Smokey Robinson one of the most beloved and influential figures in the history of popular music.
"We are very excited to work with Smokey Robinson," said Cracker Barrel Vice President of Marketing Peter Keiser. "After fifty years in the business, Smokey is still writing and performing songs that are very, very popular and he sounds great!" Keiser added, "Now and Then is a perfect CD project for Cracker Barrel because so many Americans, including me, have an emotional connection with Smokey Robinson. Who hasn't cried 'The Tears of a Clown'?"
Cracker Barrel's exclusive music program is known for featuring country and bluegrass artists and so this disc expands the appeal of the program, according to Keiser. "Our overall music offerings reflect who we are as a country, and so country music is an important part of the program. But it isn't the only part. We already have a wide variety of artists represented in our American Legends CD series, and we are pleased to be adding Smokey Robinson to our exclusive music program." Keiser added, "Cracker Barrel serves over 200 million meals a year. We've got a broad customer base and we want our music program to reflect that, and to be of interest to all our guests, not just country music fans. We believe that this CD will have very broad appeal."
