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Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder at a conference in Bahia, Brazil
Stevie Wonder at a conference in Bahia, Brazil
Background information
Birth name Stevland Hardaway Judkins
Also known as Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris, Little Stevie Wonder
Born May 13, 1950 (1950-05-13) (age 58)
Saginaw, Michigan, United States
Genre(s) R&B, soul, funk, Motown, pop
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer
Instrument(s) Vocals, multiple instruments Harmonica
Years active 1961–present
Label(s) Motown
Website www.steviewonder.net

Stevie Wonder (born Stevland Hardaway Judkins on May 13, 1950, name later changed to Stevland Hardaway Morris)[1] is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. Bahia (baˈia is one of the 26 States of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast Events 1497 - Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Girolamo Savonarola. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States. Funk is an American musical style that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended Soul music, Soul "Motown" redirects here For the city see Detroit Michigan. Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure Singer-songwriter is a term that refers to Performers who write, compose and sing their own material including Lyrics A multi-instrumentalist is a Musician who plays a number of different instruments The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. A multi-instrumentalist is a Musician who plays a number of different instruments The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music "Motown" redirects here For the city see Detroit Michigan. Events 1497 - Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Girolamo Savonarola. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Singer-songwriter is a term that refers to Performers who write, compose and sing their own material including Lyrics A multi-instrumentalist is a Musician who plays a number of different instruments The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing A prominent figure of 20th century popular music, Wonder has recorded more than thirty top ten hits, won 25 Grammy Awards[2] (a record for a solo artist), plus one for lifetime achievement, won an Academy Award for Best Song and been inducted into both the Rock and Roll and Songwriters halls of fame. Popular music is Music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who during their lifetimes have made creative contributions of outstanding The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Ohio, United States The Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. He has also been awarded the Polar Music Prize.

Blind from infancy, Wonder signed with Motown Records as a pre-adolescent at age twelve, and continues to perform and record for the label to this day. "Motown" redirects here For the city see Detroit Michigan. He has nine U. S. number-one hits to his name and album sales totaling more than 100 million units. Wonder has recorded several critically acclaimed albums and hit singles, and writes and produces songs for many of his label mates and outside artists as well. A multi-instrumentalist, Wonder plays the piano, synthesizer, harmonica, congas, drums, bongos, organ, melodica, and clarinet. A multi-instrumentalist is a Musician who plays a number of different instruments The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers A harmonica is a free reed Wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes (reed chambers or The conga is tall narrow single-headed Cuban Drum of African origin probably derived from the Congolese Makuta drums or Sikulu The drum is a member of the percussion group technically classified as a Membranophone. The organ (from Greek όργανον – organon "organ instrument tool" is a Keyboard instrument of one or more divisions each The melodica is a Free-reed instrument similar to the Accordion and Harmonica. The clarinet is a Musical instrument in the Woodwind family The name derives from adding the suffix -et meaning little to the Italian word In his early career, he was best known for his harmonica work, but today he is better known for his keyboard skills. A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a Musical instrument, particularly the piano

Contents

Biography

Early life

Wonder was born in 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan. Wonder was born premature and was put into an incubator. When too much oxygen in the incubator caused cataracts to grow behind each eye, it left the infant blind for life. A cataract is a clouding that develops in the crystalline lens of the Eye or in its envelope varying in degree from slight to complete opacity

Early career, 1962–1971

In 1962, at the age of twelve, Wonder was introduced to Ronnie White of the popular Motown act The Miracles. Ronald "Ronnie" White ( April 5, 1938 - August 26, 1995) was an African American soul Singer and The Miracles (known from 1965 to 1972 as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles) is an American Rhythm and blues group from Detroit Michigan, notable White brought Morris and his mother to Motown Records. "Motown" redirects here For the city see Detroit Michigan. Impressed by the young musician, Motown CEO Berry Gordy signed Morris to Motown's Tamla label with the name Little Stevie Wonder. Berry Gordy Jr (born November 28, 1929, Detroit Michigan) is an American Record producer, and the founder of the Motown "Motown" redirects here For the city see Detroit Michigan.

At the age of thirteen, he had a major hit, "Fingertips (Pt. 2)", a 1963 single taken from a live recording of a Motor Town Revue performance. " Fingertips " is a 1963 number-one hit single recorded live by "Little" Stevie Wonder for Motown 's Tamla label The Motortown Revue was the name given to the package Concert tours of Motown artists in the 1960s The song, featuring Wonder on vocals, bongos, and harmonica, and a young Marvin Gaye on drums, was a #1 hit on the U. Marvin Pentz Gay Jr, known as Marvin Gaye ( April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Singer-songwriter S. pop charts and launched him into the public consciousness. Dropping the "Little" from his moniker, Wonder went on to have a number of other hits during the mid-1960s, including "Uptight (Everything's Alright)", "With a Child's Heart", and "Blowin' in the Wind", a Bob Dylan cover which was one of the first songs to reflect Wonder's social consciousness. " Uptight (Everything's Alright " is a 1965 hit single recorded by Stevie Wonder for the Tamla ( Motown) label " Blowin' in the Wind " is a Song written by Bob Dylan and released on his 1963 album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major He also began to work in the Motown songwriting department, composing songs both for himself and his label mates. One such example is "Tears of a Clown", the number one hit performed by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. "The Tears of a Clown" is a 1967 song by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for the Tamla ( Motown) label originally released on the 1967 album The Miracles (known from 1965 to 1972 as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles) is an American Rhythm and blues group from Detroit Michigan, notable

In 1968, he recorded an album of instrumental jazz tracks, mostly harmonica solos, under the pseudonym (and title) "Eivets Rednow", which is "Stevie Wonder" spelled backwards. The album failed to get much attention, and its only single, a cover of "Alfie", only reached number 66 on the U. S. Pop charts and number 11 on the U. S. Adult Contemporary charts. It was reissued briefly on compact disc in 1995, and is now a much sought-after collectible.

By 1970, Wonder had scored more major hits, including "I Was Made to Love Her", "For Once in My Life", "My Cherie Amour", and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours". " I Was Made to Love Her " is a hit single recorded by American Soul musician Stevie Wonder for Motown 's Tamla label in 1967 " For Once in My Life " is a pop song written by Ron Miller and Orlando Murden for Motown Records ' Jobete publishing company in 1967 (see " Signed Sealed Delivered I'm Yours " (1970 is a Soul single by American musician Stevie Wonder, recorded for Motown 's Tamla Besides being one of the first songs on which Wonder serves as both songwriter and producer, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" is one of the main showcases for his backup group Wonderlove, a trio which included at various times Minnie Riperton, Deniece Williams, Angela Winbush, Lynda Laurence, and Syreeta Wright, whom Wonder married on September 14, 1970. Minnie Julia Riperton (November 8 1947 – July 12 1979 was an American singer and songwriter noted for her five-and-a-half Octave Vocal range, with her 1975 Deniece "Niecy" Williams (born June 3, 1950) is a Grammy Award -winning American Singer, Songwriter and Record Angela Winbush (born January 28, 1955) is an American R&B / Soul singer-songwriter who rose to fame first in the 1980s R&B duo Lynda Laurence (also spelled Lawrence, born Lynda Tucker on February 20, 1949 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania) is an American Syreeta Wright ( August 3, 1946 – July 6, 2004) who recorded professionally under the single name Syreeta, was an American Events 81 - Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Wonder and Wright divorced eighteen months later, but they continued to collaborate on musical projects. Wonder also played drums on the Jimi Hendrix cover of "I Was Made to Love Her" on the BBC Sessions album. James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix) (November 27 1942 – September 18 1970 was an American Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter

Along with Marvin Gaye, Wonder was one of the few Motown stars to contest the label's factory-like operation methods: artists, songwriters, and producers were usually kept in specialized collectives with little or no overlap, and artists had no creative control. When Gaye wrested creative control from Motown in order to release his innovative, socially conscious album What's Going On, Wonder was inspired to seek similar creative freedom from the label. What's Going On is a Studio album by soul musician Marvin Gaye, released May 21, 1971 on the Motown-subsidiary label Wonder argued with Berry Gordy over creative control a number of times, and Wonder allowed his Motown contract to expire. He left the label on his twenty-first birthday in 1971. His final album before his departure was Where I'm Coming From, which Gordy had strongly opposed releasing. Where I'm Coming From is a 1971 Album by Grammy Award -winning American Singer - Songwriter Stevie Wonder

Classic period, 1972–1976

Wonder independently recorded two albums, which he used as a bargaining tool while negotiating with Motown. Eventually, the label agreed to his demands for full creative control and the rights to his own songs, and Wonder returned to Motown in March 1972 with Music of My Mind, an album which is considered a classic of the era. Music of My Mind is a landmark album by Stevie Wonder, released on March 3, 1972 (see 1972 in music) Unlike most previous artist LPs on Motown, which usually consisted of a collection of singles, b-sides, and covers, Music of My Mind was an actual LP, a full-length artistic statement, and began a string of five albums released over a period of less than five years, that make up what is generally considered Stevie Wonder's classic period. A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of 7 inch Vinyl records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s This album also marked the beginning of a long collaboration with synthesiser pioneers Tonto's Expanding Head Band (Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil). Tonto's Expanding Head Band was an influential Electronic music duo from the early 1970s despite releasing a relatively small number of albums Robert Margouleff is a Grammy Award winning American Record producer, recording engineer, Electronic music pioneer audio expert Malcolm Cecil (born 9 January 1937, in London) is a British musician and Grammy Award -winning producer

October 1972's love album Talking Book featured the #1 pop and R&B hit "Superstition", which is one of the most distinctive examples of the sound of the clavinet. Talking Book, an album by Stevie Wonder released on October 27, 1972, is regarded by some fans as one of the best crossover records " Superstition " is a popular song written produced arranged and performed by Stevie Wonder for Motown Records in 1972 when Wonder was twenty-two years A Clavinet is an electrophonic Keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company The song, originally intended for rock guitarist Jeff Beck, features a rocking groove that garnered Wonder an additional audience on rock radio stations. Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (born June 24, 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck in Wallington, England) is an English Wonder also performed this song on an episode of the children's television show Sesame Street in the 1970s. Sesame Street is an American educational Children's television series and a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard combining Wonder's audience was further broadened when he opened for The Rolling Stones on their much-heralded 1972 American Tour. The Rolling Stones American Tour 1972, often referred to as the S Wonder's pop following was not neglected, however, as "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" went to #1 on the pop charts and has been a staple love song for the decades since. " You Are the Sunshine of My Life " is a 1973 pop single released by Stevie Wonder. Between them, the songs won three Grammy Awards. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences

Political considerations were brought into greater focus than ever before on his third consecutive masterwork of the decade and his career, Innervisions, featuring the driving, percolating "Higher Ground" (#4 on the pop charts) followed by the memorable epic "Living for the City" (#8), which found Wonder more evocatively describing a time and place in American life than he would anywhere else in his career. Innervisions is an album by Stevie Wonder, released on Tamla / Motown on August 3 1973 (see 1973 in music " Higher Ground " is a Funk song written by Stevie Wonder and first appearing on his 1973 album Innervisions. " Living for the City " is a 1973 hit single by Stevie Wonder for the Tamla ( Motown) label from his Innervisions Popular ballads such as "Golden Lady" and "All in Love Is Fair" were also present, in a mixture of moods that nevertheless held together as a unified whole. The album generated three more Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.

On August 6, 1973, just days after the release of Innervisions, Wonder was in a serious automobile accident while on tour, when a log from a truck went through a passenger window and struck him in the head. Events 1538 - Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. This left him in a coma for four days and resulted in a permanent loss of his sense of smell. In Medicine, a coma (from the Greek koma, meaning deep sleep is a profound state of Unconsciousness. Anosmia is the lack of Olfaction, or an absence of the ability to smell

Despite the setback, Wonder eventually recovered all of his musical faculties, and reappeared in concert at Madison Square Garden in March 1974 in a performance that highlighted both up-tempo material and long, building improvisations on mid-tempo songs such as "Living for the City". Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four Arenas in New York City. " Living for the City " is a 1973 hit single by Stevie Wonder for the Tamla ( Motown) label from his Innervisions The album Fulfillingness' First Finale appeared in July 1974 and set two hits high on the pop charts: the #1 "You Haven't Done Nothin'" (a political protest song) and the Top Ten "Boogie On Reggae Woman". Fulfillingness' First Finale is a landmark album by Stevie Wonder, released on July 22, 1974. The Album of the Year was again one of three Grammys won. This year Wonder took part in the bootleg album which would later be known as A Toot and a Snore in '74, the only known post-Beatles recording of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. A Toot and a Snore in '74 is a rare bootleg Album of the one and only jam session in which John Lennon and Paul McCartney played John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (born Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942 is an English rock Singer, Bass guitarist songwriter Composer, He also wrote the music and produced every song on the Syreeta Wright album Stevie Wonder Presents Syreeta, which is generally regarded as her best effort as an artist.

On October 5, 1975, Wonder performed the historical Wonder Dream Concert in Kingston, Jamaica, a Jamaican Institute for the Blind benefit concert. Events 869 - The Fourth Council of Constantinople is convened to decide about what to do about Patriarch Photius of Constantinople Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Kingston is the Capital and largest city of Jamaica and is located on the southeastern coast of the island country Along with Wonder Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, the three original "Wailers", performed together for the last time. Robert "Bob" Nesta Marley OM (February 6 1945 – May 11 1981 was a Jamaican Musician, Singer-songwriter and Rastafarian Peter Tosh, born Winston Hubert McIntosh ( October 19 1944 &ndash September 11 1987) was a a Reggae musician who was Bunny Wailer, also known as Bunny Livingston (born Neville O'Riley Livingston April 10, 1947 in Jamaica) is a Singer The Wailers are a Ska, Rocksteady, and Reggae group formed in Kingston, Jamaica in 1963, consisting of Junior

By 1975, in his 25th year, Stevie Wonder had won two consecutive Grammy Awards: in 1974 for Innervisions and in 1975 for Fulfillingness' First Finale. The following year, singer songwriter Paul Simon won the Grammy for Album of the Year for Still Crazy After All These Years. Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13 1941 is an American Songwriter, Musician, and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In his Grammy acceptance speech, Simon jokingly thanked Stevie Wonder for not releasing an album that year. Simon's joke proved prophetic.

Wonder released what he intended as his magnum opus, the double album-with-extra-EP Songs in the Key of Life, in September 1976. Magnum opus (sometimes Opus magnum, plural magna opera) from the Latin meaning great work, refers to the best the greatest A double album is an audio Album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold (especially records and Compact Discs. An extended play ( EP) is a Vinyl record, CD, or Music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify Songs in the Key of Life is an album by Stevie Wonder, released on Motown on September 28, 1976 (see 1976 in music Sprawling in style, unlimited in ambition, and sometimes lyrically difficult to fathom, the album was hard for some listeners to assimilate, yet is regarded by many as Wonder's crowning achievement and one of the most recognizable and accomplished albums in pop music history. The album became the first of an American artist to debut straight at #1 in the Billboard charts, where it remained for 14 non-consecutive weeks. Two tracks fairly jumped out of the radio with energy, becoming the #1 pop/r'n'b hits "I Wish" and "Sir Duke". " I Wish " ( 1976) is a hit Funk Song by Stevie Wonder. " Sir Duke " is a song composed and performed by Stevie Wonder, from his 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life. The baby-celebratory "Isn't She Lovely" was a future wedding and bat mitzvah fixture, while songs such as "Love's in Need of Love Today" (which years later Wonder would perform at the post-September 11, 2001 America: A Tribute to Heroes telethon) and the classical "Village Ghetto Land" reflected a far more pensive mood. " Isn't She Lovely " is a song by Stevie Wonder, from his 1976 album " Songs in the Key of Life " A wedding is the Ceremony in which two people are united in Marriage. In Judaism, Bar Mitzvah ( Hebrew: בר מצוה "one (m to whom the commandments apply" Bat Mitzvah (בת מצוה "one (f America A Tribute to Heroes was a Benefit concert organized by actor George Clooney and broadcast Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music "Pastime Paradise" would become an interpolation for Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" (one of the most popular hits of the 1990s), while Will Smith would use "I Wish" as the basis for the theme song to his movie, Wild Wild West. Artis Leon Ivey Jr (born August 1 1963 better known by his Stage name Coolio, is a Grammy Award -winning American Rapper and " Gangsta's Paradise " is a rap song by Coolio featuring L Wild Wild West ( 1999) is a Science fiction action-comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, starring Will Smith, Songs in the Key of Life won Album of the Year and two other Grammys.

Possibly exhausted by this concentrated and sustained level of creativity, Wonder stopped recording for three years releasing only the 3 LP Looking Back, an anthology of his first Motown period. A triple album is a musical work whose length forced it to be released on three LP records The first triple album is generally considered to be George Harrison 's Looking Back, also known as Anthology, is a triple LP anthology by Stevie Wonder, released in 1977 on Motown The albums Wonder released during this classic period were very influential on the music world; Rolling Stone Record Guide (1983) said that these albums "pioneered stylistic approaches that helped to determine the shape of pop music for the next decade"; Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time included four of the five, with three in the top 90; while in 2005 Kanye West said of his own work, "I'm not trying to compete with what's out there now. The Rolling Stone Album Guide, previously known as The Rolling Stone Record Guide, is a book that along with its sister publication Rolling Kanye Omari West (ˈkɑnjɛj born June 8 1977 is a ten-time Grammy Award -winning American Rapper, Record producer and Singer. I'm really trying to compete with Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life. It sounds musically blasphemous to say something like that, but why not set that as your bar?"[3]

Also adding to Wonder's legacy were hits written or cowritten for or covered by other artists. These include the Top Ten hits "Tell Me Something Good" (Rufus with Chaka Khan), Aretha Franklin's "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)", and Jermaine Jackson's "Let's Get Serious" (ranked by Billboard as the #1 R&B single of 1980). Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25 1942 Franklin has had a total of twenty number-one singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart, two of which became #1 hits on the

Commercial period, 1979–1990

It was in Wonder's next phase that he began to commercially reap the rewards of his legendary classic period. The '80s saw Wonder scoring his biggest hits and reaching an unprecedented level of fame evidenced by increased album sales, charity participation, high-profile collaborations, and television appearances.

This period had a muted beginning, for when Wonder did return, it was with a soundtrack album for the film Journey through the Secret Life of Plants (1979). A soundtrack album is any Album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular Feature film. Stevie Wonder's Journey through the Secret Life of Plants is an Album by Stevie Wonder, originally released on the Tamla Motown label on Mostly instrumental, the album was panned at the time of its release but has come to be regarded by some critics as an unusual classic. In this year Wonder also wrote and produced the dance hit "Let's Get Serious", performed by Jermaine Jackson. Jermaine LaJaune Jackson or Muhammad Abdul Aziz (born December 11, 1954) is an American Grammy Award -nominated Singer

Hotter than July (1980) became Wonder's first platinum-selling single album ("Songs in the Key of Life" had sold several million units), and its single "Happy Birthday" was a successful vehicle for his campaign to establish Dr. Hotter than July is an Album by Stevie Wonder, originally released on Motown 's Tamla label on September 29, 1980. Songs in the Key of Life is an album by Stevie Wonder, released on Motown on September 28, 1976 (see 1976 in music "Happy Birthday" is a 1981 single written, produced, and performed by Stevie Wonder for the Motown label Martin Luther King's birthday as a national holiday. Martin Luther King Jr ( January 15, 1929 April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, Activist and prominent leader Martin Luther King Jr Day is a United States Holiday marking the birthdate of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr The album also included "Master Blaster (Jammin')", his tribute to Bob Marley, "All I Do", and the sentimental ballad, "Lately", which was later covered by Jodeci and S Club 7. Robert "Bob" Nesta Marley OM (February 6 1945 – May 11 1981 was a Jamaican Musician, Singer-songwriter and Rastafarian " Lately " is a 1981 single written recorded and produced by singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder. " Lately " is a 1981 single written recorded and produced by singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder. S Club, formerly known as S Club 7, was a pop group created by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller.

In 1982, Wonder released a retrospective of his '70s work with Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium and included three more hit singles in his catalogue, including the ten-minute funk classic "Do I Do" (which included legendary jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie), "That Girl" (one of the year's biggest singles to chart on the R&B side) and "Ribbon in the Sky", one of his many classic compositions. Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I is a Compilation album of R&B / soul musician Stevie Wonder 's greatest hits from his 1970s Funk is an American musical style that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended Soul music, Soul John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( October 21 1917 &ndash January 6 1993) was an American Jazz Trumpeter Wonder also gained a #1 hit that year in collaboration with Paul McCartney in their paean to racial harmony, "Ebony and Ivory". Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942 is an English rock Singer, Bass guitarist songwriter Composer, " Ebony and Ivory " is a 1982 number-one single by Paul McCartney, performed with Stevie Wonder.

In 1983, Wonder performed the song Stay Gold, the theme to Francis Ford Coppola's film adaption of S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders. " Stay Gold " is the first single by Japanese group Steady & Co Francis Ford "Frank" Coppola (born April 7, 1939) is a five-time Academy Award -winning American Film director, Susan Eloise Hinton (born July 22, 1948) is an American Author of Novels for young adults and is most famous for her The Outsiders is a Film adaptation of the novel of the same name by S Often mistakenly attributed solely to Stevie Wonder, the music is by Carmine Coppola, while Wonder wrote the lyric. Carmine Coppola ( June 11, 1910 - April 26, 1991) was an Academy Award - and Golden Globe -winning as well as BAFTA

1984 saw the release of Wonder's soundtrack album for The Woman in Red. The lead single, "I Just Called to Say I Love You", was a #1 pop and R&B hit in both the United States and the United Kingdom, where it was placed 13th in the list of best-selling singles in the UK published in 2002. " I Just Called to Say I Love You " is a song written produced and performed by Stevie Wonder as part of the soundtrack to the 1984 film The It went on to win an Academy Award for "Best Song" in 1985. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. The following year's In Square Circle featured the #1 pop hit "Part-Time Lover". "In Square Circle" is a 1985 album released by Grammy Award -winning American R&B / soul Singer - Songwriter "Part-Time Lover" is a 1985 single by Stevie Wonder, from his album In Square Circle. He was also featured in Chaka Khan's cover of Prince's "I Feel For You", alongside Melle Mel, playing his signature harmonica, which was a huge hit. Chaka Khan (born March 23, 1953) is a multiple Grammy Award -winning American singer known for hit songs such as "I'm Every Woman" "I Feel Prince Rogers Nelson (born June 7 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American musician " I Feel for You " is a song written by Prince that originally appeared on his 1979 self-titled album. Melvin Glover (born May 15, 1961 in The Bronx New York) also known by his stage name Grandmaster Mele Mel, and formerly Grandmaster Melle In roughly the same period he was also featured on harmonica on Eurythmics' single, "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" and Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues", both huge hits. Eurythmics (often incorrectly referred to as The Eurythmics) is a British Musical duo, formed in 1980 by Annie Lennox and Dave " There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart " is a pop song written and recorded by Annie Lennox and David A Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 is an English pop / rock Singer, Composer " I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues " is a Song by British singer Elton John featuring Stevie Wonder on Harmonica.

By 1985, Stevie Wonder was an American icon, the subject of good-humored jokes about blindness and affectionately impersonated by Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live. Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy (born April 3 1961 is an Academy Award -nominated Golden Globe - Screen Actors Guild Award -winning American Saturday Night Live ( SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American Sketch comedy / Variety show based in New York City (Wonder sometimes joined in the jokes himself; in The Motown Revue Smokey Robinson presented Wonder with an award plaque, which he pretended to read for the audience – and to notice a spelling mistake. ) He was in a featured duet with Bruce Springsteen on the all-star charity single for African famine relief, "We Are the World", and he was part of another charity single the following year, the AIDS-targeted "That's What Friends Are For". " We Are the World " is a 1985 song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, produced and conducted by Quincy Jones and recorded " That's What Friends Are For " is a 1982 song written by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager and introduced by Rod Stewart for the soundtrack He also played the harmonica on the album Dreamland Express by John Denver in the song, If Ever, a song Wonder co-wrote with Stephanie Andrews. John Denver (December 31 1943 &ndash October 12 1997 born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr

In 1986, Stevie Wonder appeared on The Cosby Show as himself in the episode "A Touch of Wonder". The Cosby Show is an American television Situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, first airing on September 20, 1984

In 1987, Wonder appeared on the duet Just Good Friends for Michael Jackson's Bad album. Bad is the seventh Studio album by pop singer Michael Jackson, released on August 31 1987 by Epic/CBS Records. Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29 1958 is an American musician entertainer and businessman The song was performed live on one occasion in Australia when Wonder made a surprise appearance at the show.

Wonder has also recorded with Jon Gibson, a Christian Soul musician, in particular a remake of his own song, "Have a Talk With God", covered by Gibson on which Wonder plays harmonica. The two men met in the late 1980s.

Later career, 1991–present

After 1987's Characters LP, Wonder continued to release new material, but at a slower pace. He recorded a soundtrack album for Spike Lee's film Jungle Fever in 1991 with a video for "Gotta Have You", and released both Conversation Peace and the live album Natural Wonder during the same decade. Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20 1957 is an Emmy Award -winning and Academy Award -nominated American Film director, Jungle Fever is a 1991 Drama film directed by Spike Lee, starring Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra.

In 1996, Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life was selected as a documentary subject for the Classic Albums documentary series. Songs in the Key of Life is an album by Stevie Wonder, released on Motown on September 28, 1976 (see 1976 in music Classic Albums is a documentary series about pop and rock albums that are considered the best or most distinctive of a well known band or musician or that exemplify This series dedicates 60 minutes to one groundbreaking record per feature.

Wonder collaborated with Babyface for an emotionally-charged song about spousal abuse (domestic violence) called "How Come How Long" which was also nominated for an award and had video rotation on television.

That year, he performed John Lennon's song "Imagine" in the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games, held in Atlanta. John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (born The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games The 1996 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, were an International

Stevie Wonder also performed in a unique remix of "Seasons Of Love" from the Jonathan Larson musical Rent which can be found on disc two of the cast original Broadway cast recording. " Seasons of Love " is the most celebrated song from the Broadway musical Rent, written and composed by Jonathan Larson. Jonathan Larson ( February 4, 1960 – January 25, 1996) was an American Tony Award -winning Composer and Rent is a Rock musical, with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini 's Opera La Bohème Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located

In December 1999, Wonder announced that he was interested in pursuing an intraocular retinal prosthesis to partially restore his sight. For the non-functional prosthesis or glass eye see Ocular prosthesis and Craniofacial prosthesis. [4]

That same year, Wonder was featured on harmonica in the Sting hit "Brand New Day". STING ( S equence T o and with' IN' G raphics is a free Web-based suite of programs for a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between protein sequence Brand New Day is Sting's sixth solo album It peaked at #9 on the Billboard Top 200 and sold over 3000000 copies In March 2002, Wonder performed at the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Paralympics in Salt Lake City. The 2002 Olympic Winter Games including the 2002 Winter Paralympics, were held in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Salt Lake City is the Capital and the most populous city of the U

In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #15 on their list of the 100 Greatest Rock and Roll Artists of All Time. Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published [5]

On July 2, 2005, Wonder performed in the USA part of the "Live 8" series of concerts in Philadelphia. Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Wonder's first new album in ten years, A Time to Love, was released on October 18, 2005, after having been pushed back from first a May, and then a June release. A Time to Love is a 2005 award-winning studio album by Stevie Wonder, his first since 1995's Conversation Peace. Events 1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The album was released electronically on September 27, 2005, exclusively on Apple's iTunes Music Store. Events 489 - Odoacer attacks Theodoric at the Battle of Verona and is defeated again Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Apple Inc, ( formerly Apple Computer Inc, is an American Multinational corporation with a focus on designing and manufacturing Consumer electronics The iTunes Store is a software-based online Digital media store operated by Apple Inc The first single, "So What the Fuss", was released in April and features Prince on guitar and background vocals from En Vogue. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles En Vogue is a Grammy nominated American female R&B vocal quartet assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy. A second single, "From the Bottom of My Heart" was a hit on adult-contemporary R&B radio. The album also featured a duet with India.Arie on the title track "A Time to Love". IndiaArie (born India Arie Simpson on October 3 1975) is an American soul, R&B, and Neo soul Singer-songwriter

Wonder performed at the pre-game show for Super Bowl XL in Detroit in early 2006, singing various hit singles (with his four-year-old son on drums) and accompanying Aretha Franklin during "The Star Spangled Banner". Super Bowl XL featured the American Football Conference (AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC champion Seattle Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25 1942 Franklin has had a total of twenty number-one singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart, two of which became #1 hits on the " The Star-Spangled Banner " is the National anthem of the United States of America

In March 2006, Wonder received new national exposure on the top-rated American Idol television program. American Idol, with the full title American Idol The Search for a Superstar for the first season only is an American reality-competition Each of 12 contestants were required to sing one of his songs, after having met and received guidance from him. Wonder also performed "My Love Is on Fire" live on the show itself. Most recently, in June 2006, Stevie Wonder made a guest appearance on Busta Rhymes' new album, The Big Bang on the track "Been through the Storm" he sings the refrain and plays the piano on the Dr. Dre and Sha Money XL produced track. Trevor George Smith Jr, (born May 20 1972 better known as Busta Rhymes, is an American actor and Musician of Jamaican descent The Big Bang is the cosmological model of the Universe that is best supported by all lines of scientific evidence and Observation. Andre Romelle Young (born February 18 1965 primarily known by his stage name Dr Michael Clervoix III (born February 11, 1972) better known as Sha Money XL, is a Haitian-American Record producer. He appeared again on the last track of Snoop Dogg's new album, Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, "Conversations". Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr (born October 20 1971 His mother nicknamed him " Snoopy " as a child because of the way he dressed and because of his love of Tha Blue Carpet Treatment is the eighth solo Album released by rapper Snoop Dogg. The song is a remake of "Have a Talk with God" from Songs in the Key of Life. Songs in the Key of Life is an album by Stevie Wonder, released on Motown on September 28, 1976 (see 1976 in music

In 2006 duet with Andrea Bocelli in his album Amore with Harmonica and additional vocals on "Canzoni Stonate". Andrea Bocelli, Grande Ufficiale Ordine al merito della Repubblica Italiana OMRI (born 22 September 1958 is an Italian Operatic pop Tenor Amore is the eighteenth album by classical Italian Tenor Andrea Bocelli.

Stevie Wonder also performed at Washington, D.C.'s 2006 "A Capitol Fourth" celebration, which was hosted by actor star Jason Alexander. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Jason Alexander (born September 23 1959 as Jay Scott Greenspan) is an American television cinema and Musical theatre comedic actor best known for his role

On August 2, 2007, Stevie Wonder announced the "A Wonder Summer's Night" 13 concert tour - his first U. Events 338 BC - A Macedonian army led by Philip II defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. S. tour in over ten years. This tour was inspired by the recent passing of his mother, as he stated at the conclusion of the tour on December 9 at the Jobing. com Arena in Glendale, near Phoenix. Boxer Mike Tyson appeared briefly on stage at the end of the musical program.

Stevie's current musical director is UAB professor Dr. Henry Panion. Henry Panion III is an American composer arranger conductor educator and Professor in the Department of Music at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Panion is a renowned arranger, composer and conductor, and a pioneer in the development of college music technology programs.

Stevie is currently working on a new album titled The Gospel Inspired By Lula which will deal with the various spiritual and cultural crises facing the world. [6]

On May 2, 2008, Stevie Wonder will close out the second Friday of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on the Acura Stage. Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, often known as Jazz Fest, is an annual celebration of the Music and Culture of New Orleans and New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, <http://www.nojazzfest.com>. Retrieved on 16 April 2008 

Tony Bennett recently told Billboard. com that he and Wonder are “just now sketching out" plans for a duo album, with no firm timetable yet for the recording. “I know he wants to do a jazz album," Bennett says. “I'm interested in that myself. " The pair's Grammy, for best pop collaboration with vocals, came for their rendition of “For Once in My Life" from Bennett's Duets: An American Classic which also took home the best traditional pop vocal album trophy. Bennett says that Wonder is “my favorite guy. "

On Monday September 8th, 2008, Stevie Wonder starts the European leg of his "Wonder Summer's Night Tour", the first time he has toured Europe in over a decade. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common His opening show is at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England. The National Indoor Arena or The NIA is a large Indoor arena and is owned by the NEC Group. Birmingham ( ˈbɜːmɪŋəm Ber -ming-um So far, Stevie has announced four UK gigs, also including one at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester (9th Septmber) and two at The O2 Arena in London on September 11th and 12th. The Manchester Evening News Arena or MEN Arena (commonly referred to as just The M The O2 is a large entertainment district including an indoor arena a music club a cinema an exhibition space piazzas and bars and restaurants built within a large dome-shaped London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Stevie's other stops in his tour also find him playing gigs in Holland, Sweden, Germany, Norway and Italy. The closing concert will be at The Bercy in Paris on September 28th. It has also been reported that Wonder will tour Australia and New Zealand for the first time in October. [7]

Impact

Wonder's success as a socially conscious musical performer influenced popular music. Among the musicians and performers who list Wonder as one of their major influences are Michael Jackson, Kelis, Jermaine Jackson, Carrie Underwood, Gloria Estefan, Alicia Keys, Tori Amos, Avia, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, George Michael, Nik Kershaw, Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Sting, John Ondrasik (Five For Fighting), India.Arie, Musiq Soulchild, Kuhbumser, John Legend, Jason Kay (Jamiroquai), Donell Jones, Brandy, Beyoncé Knowles, John Farnham, Jon Gibson, Aaliyah, Babyface, Justin Timberlake, Craig David, Utada Hikaru, Shogo Hamada, Shunsuke Kuroda (from the J-pop group Kobukuro), Jim Underwood, and the members of Jodeci, the Neptunes, Spitting Blood, Dru Hill, and Thunder. Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29 1958 is an American musician entertainer and businessman Kelis Rogers-Jones (née Rogers, born August 21, 1979) better known as Kelis (pronounced kuh-LEECE is a Grammy Award-nominated American Jermaine LaJaune Jackson or Muhammad Abdul Aziz (born December 11, 1954) is an American Grammy Award -nominated Singer Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10 1983 in Muskogee, Oklahoma) is an American Country Singer-songwriter. Gloria Estefan (born Gloria María Fajardo on September 1, 1957) is a Cuban American singer and songwriter Alicia J Augello-Cook (born January 25 1981 professionally known as Alicia Keys, is an American R&B, soul, and Neo soul Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos on August 22, 1963) is a Pianist and Singer-songwriter of dual British and American Avia is a Czech Aircraft and Automotive company notable for producing Biplane Fighter aircraft, especially the B-534 Mary Jane Blige (surname pronounced /blaɪʒ/) (born January 11, 1971) is an American Singer-songwriter, Rapper Kanye Omari West (ˈkɑnjɛj born June 8 1977 is a ten-time Grammy Award -winning American Rapper, Record producer and Singer. Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou (Γεώργιος Κυριάκος Παναγιώτου (born 25 June 1963 best known as George Michael, is a two-time Grammy Award winning Nik Kershaw (born Nicholas David Kershaw March 1 1958, Bristol, England) is an English Singer-songwriter, popular Anthony Kiedis (kiːdɪs "kee-dis" (born November 1 1962 is an American musician and the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Red Hot Chili Peppers are Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, CBE (born October 2, 1951) better known by his Stage name Sting, is a three time Academy Award Five for Fighting is the Stage name of American Singer-songwriter John Ondrasik. Five for Fighting is the Stage name of American Singer-songwriter John Ondrasik. IndiaArie (born India Arie Simpson on October 3 1975) is an American soul, R&B, and Neo soul Singer-songwriter Taalib Johnson (born September 16, 1977) better known by his stage name Musiq Soulchild or Musiq ('mjusɪk is a soul artist whose style John Stephens (born December 28, 1978) better known by his Stage name John Legend, is a Grammy Award winning American soul Jason "Jay" Kay (born Jason Cheetham on 30 December, 1969 in Stretford Trafford) is an English Musician. Jamiroquai is a Grammy Award -winning English Acid jazz / Funk / soul band Donell Jones (born May 22 1973, Chicago, Illinois) is an American R&B Singer, Songwriter and Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4 1981 commonly known as Beyoncé (biːˈɑn John Peter Farnham, AO (born July 1, 1949) is a British-born Australian pop Singer. Jon Gibson may refer to Jon Gibson (minimalist musician (born 1940 American flautist saxophonist and composer Jon Gibson (Christian musician Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16 1979 – August 25 2001 better known as Aaliyah (əˈliːə was a Grammy -nominated American Singer Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31 1981 He has English ancestry although he has also claimed some American Indian ancestry probably through unconfirmed Craig Ashley David (born 5 May 1981) is an English R&B Singer-songwriter. also known by her fans as, is a Singer-songwriter, Arranger and Record producer in Japan. is a Japanese Singer-songwriter and former member of the group Aido. is a Japanese band, which formed in 1998 and made its major label debut in 2001 Dr Jim Underwood is a professor of management at Dallas Baptist University and the author of numerous books about Business, including the best-selling More Than Jodeci is an American Musical group whose repertoire includes R&B, Soul music, and New jack swing. The Neptunes (or "Neptoons" is the name for the record production duo consisting of Dru Hill is an American singing group most popular during the late 1990s whose repertoire included R&B, soul, and Gospel music Thunder are an English Hard rock band who originally formed in 1989 when Terraplane broke up leaving lead singer Danny Bowes UK soul singer Nate James sang in his international hit single "The Message": 'Let's go back in time, back to Music of My Mind, with Stevie playing piano just for you'. The boxer with the name Nate James is listed under Nathaniel James Nathaniel James Harold Speas, commonly known as Nate James, (born on September [8]

Songbirds Minnie Riperton and Deniece Williams both began their careers in the 1970s as backup vocalist for Wonder as part of "Wonderlove". Minnie Julia Riperton (November 8 1947 – July 12 1979 was an American singer and songwriter noted for her five-and-a-half Octave Vocal range, with her 1975 Deniece "Niecy" Williams (born June 3, 1950) is a Grammy Award -winning American Singer, Songwriter and Record

Wonder's songs are renowned for being quite difficult to sing. He has a very developed sense of harmony and uses many extended chords utilizing tensions such as 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, b5s, etc. in his compositions. Many of his melodies make abrupt, unpredictable changes. Many of his vocal melodies are also melismatic, meaning that a syllable is sung over several notes. Melisma, in music is singing a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession In the American Idol Hollywood Performances, judge Randy Jackson repeatedly stated the difficulty of Wonder's songs. American Idol, with the full title American Idol The Search for a Superstar for the first season only is an American reality-competition Randall Darius "Randy" Jackson (born June 23 1956 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is best known as a judge on American Idol; he is Some of his best known and most frequently covered songs are played in keys which are more often found in jazz than in pop and rock. For example, "Superstition", "Higher Ground" and "I Wish" are in the key of E flat minor, and feature distinctive riffs in the E flat minor pentatonic scale (i. " Superstition " is a popular song written produced arranged and performed by Stevie Wonder for Motown Records in 1972 when Wonder was twenty-two years " Higher Ground " is a Funk song written by Stevie Wonder and first appearing on his 1973 album Innervisions. " I Wish " ( 1976) is a hit Funk Song by Stevie Wonder. A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five pitches per Octave in contrast to an heptatonic (seven note scale such as the Major scale e. largely on the black notes of the keyboard).

Wonder played a large role in bringing synthesizers to the forefront of popular music. With the help of Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil, he developed many new textures and sounds never heard before. Robert Margouleff is a Grammy Award winning American Record producer, recording engineer, Electronic music pioneer audio expert Malcolm Cecil (born 9 January 1937, in London) is a British musician and Grammy Award -winning producer In 1981, Wonder became the first owner of an E-mu Emulator. The Emulator is the name given to a series of disk-based digital sampling keyboards manufactured by E-mu Systems from 1982 until 1990 [9] It was Wonder's urging that led Raymond Kurzweil to create the first electronic synthesizers that realistically reproduced the sounds of orchestral instruments; Wonder had become acquainted with the inventor as an early user and evangelist of his reading machine, the technology for which would prove instrumental in the success of the Kurzweil K250. Raymond Kurzweil (kɚzwaɪl (born February 12 1948 is an inventor and Futurist. A reading machine is a piece of Assistive Technology that allows blind people to access printed materials The Kurzweil K250 aka "Kurzweil 250" "K250" or "K-250" manufactured by Kurzweil Music Systems was the first combined live performance and studio

Personal life

Wonder was born Steveland Judkins to Lula Mae Hardaway and Calvin Judkins in Saginaw, Michigan on May 13, 1950 (he changed his surname to Morris when his mother married). Lula Mae Hardaway (b January 11 1930, Eufaula Alabama - d May 31 2006, Los Angeles California) was the mother Events 1497 - Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Girolamo Savonarola. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Born prematurely, he became blind due to the high level of oxygen in his incubator. In 1954 his family moved to Detroit, where he became active in a church choir.

In 1973, while being driven to a concert in North Carolina, a large timber fell on Wonder's car. He sustained serious head injuries and was comatose for nearly a week, but was able to make a full recovery.

Wonder has seven children from various relationships and has been married twice: in 1970, to Motown singer Syreeta Wright (the marriage ended in divorce in 1972) and, since 2001, to fashion designer Kai Milla Morris. Syreeta Wright ( August 3, 1946 – July 6, 2004) who recorded professionally under the single name Syreeta, was an American [10].

His daughter, Aisha Morris, was the inspiration for his hit single "Isn't She Lovely. " Aisha Morris is a singer who has toured with her father and accompanied him on recordings, including his 2005 album, A Time 2 Love. A Time to Love is a 2005 award-winning studio album by Stevie Wonder, his first since 1995's Conversation Peace. Wonder has two sons with Kai Milla Morris; the older is named Kailand and the younger, Mandla Kadjay Carl Steveland Morris, was born May 13, 2005, his father's 55th birthday. Events 1497 - Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Girolamo Savonarola. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Wonder is interested in politics. He is an activist for civil rights and has endorsed 2008 United States Democratic Party presidential candidate Barack Obama. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party.

In 2006, his mother died in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 76.

Discography

Main article: Stevie Wonder discography

U. This is a discography for R&B / Soul musician Stevie Wonder. A dash ("—" indicates that a release failed to chart on a particular music chart or that a particular S. and UK Top Ten singles

Thirty-four of Stevie Wonder's singles, listed below, reached the Top Ten on Billboard's Hot 100 chart in the United States, or in the United Kingdom. See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

Top Ten U. S. and UK Albums

Twelve of Stevie Wonder's albums, listed below, reached the Top Ten in either the United States or the United Kingdom. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

Awards and recognition

Wonder has received 25 Grammy Awards:

Year Award Title
1974 Best Rhythm & Blues Song "Superstition"
1974 Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male "Superstition"
1974 Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male "You are the Sunshine of My Life"
1974 Album of the Year Innervisions
1975 Best Rhythm & Blues Song "Living for the City"
1975 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "Boogie On Reggae Woman"
1975 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Fulfillingness' First Finale
1975 Album of the Year Fulfillingness' First Finale
1977 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "I Wish"
1977 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Songs in the Key of Life
1977 Best Producer of the Year N/A
1977 Album of the Year Songs in the Key of Life
1986 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance In Square Circle
1987 Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal
(awarded to Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Wonder)		 "That's What Friends Are For"
1996 Best Rhythm & Blues Song "For Your Love"
1996 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "For Your Love"
1999 Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s)
(awarded to Herbie Hancock, Robert Sadin, and Wonder)		 "St. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award has been awarded since 1969. The Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance has been awarded since 1968. The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance has been awarded since 1966. The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys The Grammy Award for Producer of the Year Non-Classical has been awarded since 1975. The Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal has been awarded since 1966 Dionne Warwick (born Marie Dionne Warrick on December 12, 1940) is an acclaimed five-time Grammy Award -winning singer actress activist Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 is an English pop / rock Singer, Composer Gladys Maria Knight, "The Empress of Soul" (born May 28, 1944) is a seven-time Grammy Award -winning American The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s has been awarded since 1963. Louis Blues"
1999 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "St. Louis Blues"
2003 Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
(awarded to Wonder and Take 6)		 "Love's in Need of Love Today"
2006 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance "From the Bottom of My Heart"
2006 Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
(awarded to Beyoncé and Wonder)		 "So Amazing"
2007 Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals (awarded to Tony Bennett and Wonder) "For Once In My Life"

Between 1965-1980 a self-produced artist won an additional grammy as a producer as well as an artist. The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal has been awarded since 1970 Take 6 is an influential American A cappella Gospel music Sextet formed in 1980 on the campus of Oakwood College in Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4 1981 commonly known as Beyoncé (biːˈɑn Tony Bennett (born Anthony Dominick Benedetto; August 3 1926) is an American Singer of popular music, standards

Wonder has also received an Academy Award for Best Song for "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from The Woman in Red. The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture " I Just Called to Say I Love You " is a song written produced and performed by Stevie Wonder as part of the soundtrack to the 1984 film The In 1989, Wonder was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Ohio, United States He is also an inductee to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. Wonder received the Polar Music Prize and Kennedy Center Honors in 1999. The Polar Music Prize is an international music prize and awarded to individuals groups or institutions in recognition of exceptional achievements in the creation and advancement of music The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to artists in the performing arts In 2002, he was presented with the George and Ira Gershwin Lifetime Achievement Award at UCLA's Spring Sing. He was awarded the Billboard Music Award for the Century Award in 2004, and was one the first inductees into the Michigan Walk of Fame. See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry The Michigan Walk of Fame, styled on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame, will honor Michigan residents past or present who have made significant contributions to

Likewise, several artists have acknowledged Wonder's contributions to music, including opera star Luciano Pavarotti, who once referred to him in a concert as a "great, great musical genius" and Diana Ross called Wonder "Motown's musical genius". WikipediaWikiProject Opera#Infoboxes. Thank you--> Luciano Pavarotti, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI ( October 12, Diana Ross (born March 261944 is an American twelve-time Grammy and Oscar -nominated singer Record producer and actress whose musical repertoire


See also

Notes

  1. ^ Stevie Wonder's mother's authorized biography, Blind Faith: The Miraculous Journey of Patricia Hardaway, Stevie Wonder's Mother (2002, Simon and Schuster) states that his surname was legally changed to Morris when he signed with Motown in 1961. When adding to this page please ensure that your claims are sourced Pre-Hot 100 era 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 This is a list of artists and the titles of their number one singles in order of total number one singles on the U
  2. ^ Search for "Stevie Wonder" at Grammy.com
  3. ^ Jones, Steve (August 21, 2005). "West hopes to register with musical daring". USA Today.
  4. ^ Stevie Wonder hoping for experimental eye surgery. CNN. com (1999-12-03). Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French Retrieved on 2007-06-04. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China.
  5. ^ The Immortals: The First Fifty. Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone.
  6. ^ Mehr, Bob (November 30, 2007). "Stevie Wonder on tour to thank fans". Memphis Commercial Appeal.
  7. ^ Stevie Wonder to tour Down Under. The Daily Telegraph. News Limited.
  8. ^ http://www.lyricsmania.com/lyrics/nate_james_lyrics_4750/set_the_tone_lyrics_15598/the_message_lyrics_180930.html
  9. ^ Chadabe, Joel (1997). Electric Sound. Prentice Hall, 188. Prentice Hall is a leading educational publisher It is an Imprint of Pearson Education Inc ISBN 0133032310.  
  10. ^ Associated Press (2005-06-15). Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 763 BC - Assyrians record a Solar eclipse that will be used to fix the Chronology of Mesopotamian history Stevie Wonder's birthday present: a baby boy. MSNBC. com. Retrieved on 2007-06-04. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China.

External links


Persondata
NAME Wonder, Stevie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Judkins, Stevland Hardaway; Morris, Stevland Hardaway
SHORT DESCRIPTION American singer, songwriter, and record producer
DATE OF BIRTH May 13, 1950
PLACE OF BIRTH Saginaw, Michigan, United States
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
MusicBrainz is a project that aims to create an Open content Music database Pogus Caesar is a British artist television producer and director allmusic (previously All Music Guide) is a Metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing Events 1497 - Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Girolamo Savonarola. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the
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