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Quick Facts
- NAME: Stevie Wonder
- OCCUPATION: Songwriter, Pianist, Singer
- BIRTH DATE: May 13, 1950 (Age: 63)
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Saginaw, Michigan
- AKA: Steveland Judkins
- AKA: Steveland Morris
- Full Name: Steveland Hardaway Morris
- Originally: Steveland Hardaway Judkins
- AKA: Stevie Wonder
- AKA: Little Stevie Wonder
- ZODIAC SIGN: Taurus
Best Known For
Stevie Wonder is an American musician and a former child prodigy who became one of the most creative musical figures of the late 20th century. His hit songs include "Living in the City," "Boogie on a Reggae Woman" and "Isn't She Lovely."
Videos see all videos
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Stevie Wonder - Coma (2:25)
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Stevie Wonder - Martin Luther King Day
After numerous failed attempts to make Martin Luther King Day a National Holiday, Stevie Wonder took off three years from his career in order to lead the cause.
Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
"Songs in the Key of Life" was one of the most wildly anticipated album of the 70s and went on to win five Grammy awards.
Stevie Wonder - Coma
In August of 1973, Stevie Wonder fell into a coma after getting in a devastating car crash.
Stevie Wonder - Music of My Mind
With the breakthrough of "Music of My Mind," Stevie Wonder was able to rewrite his contract at Motown Records and the rules for pop artists for years to come.
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Play NowStevie Wonder. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 07:53, May 18, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/stevie-wonder-9536078.
Stevie Wonder. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/stevie-wonder-9536078 [Accessed 18 May 2013].
"Stevie Wonder." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 18 2013, 07:53 http://www.biography.com/people/stevie-wonder-9536078.
"Stevie Wonder," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/stevie-wonder-9536078 [accessed May 18, 2013].
"Stevie Wonder," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/stevie-wonder-9536078 (accessed May 18, 2013).
Stevie Wonder [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 18] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/stevie-wonder-9536078.
Stevie Wonder, http://www.biography.com/people/stevie-wonder-9536078 (last visited May 18, 2013).
Stevie Wonder. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/stevie-wonder-9536078. Accessed May 18, 2013.
Synopsis
Born blind on May 13, 1950, in Saginaw, Michigan, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Steve Wonder made his recording debut at age 12. He recorded his first hit single in 1963. Over the next decade, Wonder recorded several hit songs, including "Living in the City,
Quotes
"Music, at its essence, is what gives us memories. And the longer a song has existed in our lives, the more memories we have of it."
"Minds ripen at very different ages."
"Clearly, love is love, between a man and a woman, a woman and a man, a woman and a woman and a man and a man."
"Ya gots to work with what you gots to work with."
"What I'm not confused about is the world needing much more love, no hate, no prejudice, no bigotry and more unity, peace and understanding. Period."
" "Boogie on a Reggae Woman" and "Isn't She Lovely." His fertile period came to an end in 1979. Wonder's 1980s hits include "I Just Called to Say I Love You" and "Ebony and Ivory." He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.
Child Prodigy
Stevie Wonder was born Steveland Hardaway Judkins on May 13, 1950, in Saginaw, Michigan. Blind as a result of receiving too much oxygen in the incubator as a premature baby, Wonder showed an early gift for music, first with a church choir in Detroit, Michigan, where he and his family had moved to when he was 4 years old, and later with a bevy of instruments, including the harmonica, piano and drums, all of which he taught himself before age 10.
Debut Album
Stevie Wonder was just 11 years old when he was discovered by Ronnie White of the Motown band the Miracles. An audition followed with Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr., who didn't hesitate to sign the young musician to a record deal. In 1962, the newly renamed Little Stevie Wonder, working with a Motown songwriter, released his debut album, Little Stevie Wonder the 12 Year Old Genius.
The record, which included the hit "Fingertips," was an immediate hit. But rather than rest on his laurels, the hard-working Wonder, who would go on to study classical piano, pushed to improve his musicianship and songwriting capabilities. After dropping "Little" from his stage name in 1964, he churned out the successful single "Uptight (Everything's Alright)."
Acclaimed Musician
Due in part to his innate talent, but also because of his deep commitment to his craft, Stevie Wonder faced the difficulty of staying relevant as a musician as he grew from boy to man. In 1971, Wonder, who had begun writing his own music, negotiated a new contract with Motown that gave him almost total control over his records and greatly increased his royalty rate.
It was an unprecedented concession by Gordy, but, artistically, it was just what Wonder needed. As the 1970s unfolded, the musician went through an unrivaled period of production. Over the course of four outstanding albums, Talking Book (1972), Innervisions (1973), Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974) and Songs in the Key of Life (1976), Wonder created some of the most indelible songs in popular music history. The collection included a number of hugely popular singles, including "Living in the City," "Boogie on a Reggae Woman" and "Isn't She Lovely." In all, Wonder captured 15 Grammy Awards during the decade.
By those incredible lofty standards, the 1980s weren't nearly as successful for Wonder. Still, he proved to be a huge musical force, creating a collection of hits that included the soundtrack single "I Just Called to Say I Love You" for the Gene Wilder film The Woman in Red (1984). Like so much of Wonder's work, the song crossed racial lines, paving the way for it to become Motown's biggest international hit of all time.
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