STEVIE WONDER
BIO:
Dubbed “Little Stevie Wonder” by Motown’s Berry Gordy, he was signed to the label when he was only 12 years old and was just 13 when the live recording “Fingertips (Part 2)” hit no. 1 pop and R&B. Playing harmonica, drums and keyboards, as well as singing, the boy who had been blind from infancy proved aptly named. While still a teenager--dropping the “Little” from his stage name--he earned seven top 10 pop singles, including “For Once In My Life,” “My Cherie Amour,” “Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday,” “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” and “I Was Made To Love Her.”
By age 20, he was self-sufficient in the studio, writing, playing every instrument and serving as his own producer, including for such hits as “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours” and “If You Really Love Me.” He broadened his vision from pure pop to the socially conscious. He began exploring exotic musical ideas incorporating gospel, rock, jazz, reggae, and African and Latin American rhythms, and pioneered the use of synthesizers.
Turning 21 in 1971, Stevie holed up in a New York studio and refused to sign with Motown until he was given autonomy to record as he please. Motown agreed and the groundbreaking Music Of My Mind was released followed the next year. Later that year came Talking Book, which boasted the no. 1 pop and R&B hits “Superstition” and “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life.” Innervisions, featuring the Top 10 hit “Higher Ground,” “Don’t You Worry ’Bout A Thing” and the epic “Living For The City,” was a landmark LP that became the his first of three consecutive Grammy® Albums of the Year.
While the record was riding high, Wonder was in a near-fatal accident. He recovered to record another deeply felt album, Fulfillingness’ First Finale, in 1974, that featured the no. 1 pop “You Haven’t Done Nothin’” (with the Jackson 5 on background vocals) and no. 1 R&B “Boogie On Reggae Woman.”
Songs In The Key Of Life was an instant no. 1 album, the first by an American artist to debut at the top spot, where it remained for an incredible 14 weeks. It was highlighted by the no. 1 pop and R&B hits “I Wish” and “Sir Duke.” By the late seventies, Wonder was also leading the way in New Age instrumental music with the soundtrack album Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants, which featured the ballad hit “Send One Your Love.” He won 15 Grammys in just four years.
Wonder kicked off the eighties with his funk classic “Master Blaster (Jammin’),” a tribute to Bob Marley, and “Happy Birthday,” the theme song for the successful campaign to establish the birthday of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a national holiday. Both were included on the album Hotter Than July. Balancing public causes and private emotion, he scored with the no. 1 R&B “That Girl” in 1982. A champion of racial harmony, he joined Paul McCartney on the no. 1 pop “Ebony And Ivory” later that year.
Wonder contributed songs to the Gene Wilder film The Woman In Red in 1984, when the theme song, “I Just Called To Say I Love You,” hit no. 1 pop, R&B and adult contemporary. It also became Wonder’s first no. 1 in the U.K. With Elton John and Gladys Knight, he also appeared on Dionne Warwick’s 1985 no. 1 pop “That’s What Friends Are For,” which benefited AIDS research. That same year, he won the Oscar® for Best Song for “I Just Called To Say I Love You”; was spotlighted in “We Are The World,” the landmark charity effort for African famine relief; and “Part-Time Lover,” from the album In Square Circle, became the first single to simultaneously top the pop, R&B, adult contemporary and dance/disco charts.
The nineties and the new millennium were marked by collaborations with artists as diverse as Prince and Sting, Babyface and Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg and Andrea Bocelli, Sting and Tony Bennett, and projects as varied as the Broadway musical Rent and Spike Lee’s film Jungle Fever.
Wonder was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. As of mid-2008, Wonder has earned 25 solo Top 10 pop hits, among them seven no. 1’s, and won 22 Grammy Awards--plus a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 1996. His 2005 Motown album A Time 2 Love garnered six Grammy nominations and won two, including one for “So Amazing,” Wonder’s duet with Beyonce. .
For Rolling Stone magazine’s 2004 article “The Immortals – The Greatest Artists Of All Time,” Elton John wrote about Stevie Wonder: “When he comes into a room, people adore him. And there aren’t many artists like that. People admire you and they like your records, but they don’t want to stand up and hug you. But this man is a good man. He tries to use his music to do good. His message, I think, is about love, and in the world we live in today, that message does shine through.”
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Latest Articles
Stevie Wonder to Play 10 Shows This October
by Josh Sharpe - September 19, 2024
Stevie Wonder will be playing select dates in October, at the height of a critical election season and a pivotal juncture in American politics and culture, in a call for “joy over anger, kindness over recrimination, peace over war.”...
Cher Debuts First Christmas Album With Darlene Love, Stevie Wonder, Michael Bublé & More
by Michael Major - October 20, 2023
Christmas, Cher’s first new studio album in five years, includes 13 songs - several holiday classics and four originals. It also has a star-studded list of musical besties including Darlene Love, Stevie Wonder, Michael Bublé, Cyndi Lauper and Tyga....
Cher Drops Christmas Song Ahead of New Album Out This Month
by Michael Major - October 06, 2023
Christmas, Cher’s first new studio album in five years, includes 13 songs - several holiday classics and four originals. It also has a star-studded list of musical besties including Darlene Love, Stevie Wonder, Michael Bublé, Cyndi Lauper and Tyga. Pre-order the new album and check out the tracklist...
Paul Simon Tribute Concert to Premiere on CBS
by Michael Major - December 14, 2022
The two-hour special tribute features a star-studded performer lineup of GRAMMY-winning artists, past nominees and iconic voices including Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, Eric Church, Rhiannon Giddens, Susanna Hoffs, Jonas Brothers, Angélique Kidjo, Ledisi, Little Big Town, Dave Matthews, Brad Pai...
Spotify Releases New Live at Electric Lady EP From Father John Misty
by Michael Major - September 15, 2022
The newest six-track EP features acclaimed singer/songwriter and musician Father John Misty covering several hits from his newest album “Chloë and the Next 20th Century,” and a new rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever).” ...
Singer-Songwriter Kimberly Brewer Releases New Single Featuring Maysa
by Team BWW - February 05, 2022
Kimberly Brewer is a singer, songwriter and author, best known for her collaborations and featured work as a vocalist with Stevie Wonder. She recently released a song entitled, “No More Pain,” featuring vocalist Maysa Leak, known to her fans as Maysa. “No More Pain,” is best described as smooth, sou...
Lisa Dawn Miller, Daughter of Legendary Ron Miller, Signs Publishing Agreement with Sony Music Publishing
by Chloe Rabinowitz - January 20, 2022
Lisa Dawn Miller who manages the legacy song catalogue of legendary songwriter, Ron Miller (1932-2007) announced she has signed a new publishing agreement with Sony Music Publishing to administer her father's songs. The new deal expands upon a decades-long partnership between the Miller songs and So...
VIDEO: Watch the Trailer for SUMMER OF SOUL!
by Sarah Leiber - June 16, 2021
The feature includes never-before-seen concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension and more....
BWW Exclusive: THE 101 GREATEST MOTOWN SONGS OF ALL TIME - with Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, the Jackson 5 & More
by Peter Nason - June 11, 2020
BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the 101 greatest Motown songs from 1960-1994. See if your favorite songs or artists made the list!...
VIDEO: See Lizzo, Eddie Murphy, and Kenan Thompson in a Promo for This Week's SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
by Sarah Leiber - December 20, 2019
Eddie Murphy hosts Saturday Night Live on December 21, 2019 with musical guest Lizzo....
Questlove to Make Directorial Debut with BLACK WOODSTOCK
by Kaitlin Milligan - December 02, 2019
Producers Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein have announced the start of production on Black Woodstock, a feature documentary about the Harlem Cultural Festival directed by Ahmir a?oeQuestlovea?? Thompson. This film marks Thompson's feature directorial debut and focuses on the 1969 outdoor festiva...
LISTEN: Ed Sheeran Releases New Version of Hit Single PERFECT with Beyonce
by Tori Hartshorn - December 01, 2017
After an announcement yesterday, Ed Sheeran has released a new rendition of his hit single PERFECT with Beyonce. The British singer-songwriter made the announcement yesterday via his Instagram account. Click here to check out the announcement!...
PJ Morton Debuts on Six Billboard Charts with 'Gumbo' Album
by Caryn Robbins - May 16, 2017
Maroon 5's keyboardist, PJ Morton, has debuted on six different Billboard sales charts with his brilliant fourth album, “Gumbo' (Morton Records/Empire)....
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