Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder (Stevland Hardaway Judkins) was born on 13 May 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan. Since infancy, he was blind, yet thank to his mother treating him like a normal child, Stevie learned early how to solve troubles independently despite his severe disability. The boy gained his initial musical experience as a member of the church choir. After signing his first professional contract with Motown Records, the young artist went under the name Little Stevie Wonder. In a while, he shortened this pseudonym, yet never parted with his once acquired fame. The singer made his first hit when he was thirteen. The song was called Fingertips (Pt. 2) and becoming the American hit number one it proclaimed the emergence of a new star. In the sixties, Wonder topped the charts with a number of songs including the legendary Uptight (Everything’s Alright), and the cover of Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind. A brilliant performer, Stevie appeared an excellent author writing songs both for himself and other artists.

In the seventies, Wonder continued surprising and stunning the audience with his compositions. It was the period when he recorded the smashing songs My Cherie Amour, and Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours). The latter rose to fame as performed by the artist’s backup band Wonderlove. The outfit included Syreeta Wright, whom Wonder married and divorced eighteen years later. In 1971, the long-term cooperation between Stevie and Motown came to en end due to unsolvable organizational and creative disputes. Nevertheless, in a year, it was resumed after the company had made concessions. In March 1972, the artist released Music of My Mind, deemed by many as one of the singer’s best efforts to date. This release opened the golden era in Wonder’s career characterized by the issue of a streak of five magnificent albums. 1972 saw Stevie produce Talking Book with the acclaimed single Superstition. It was followed by Innervisions (1973), probably the best work in the singer’s entire discography. This record was the first one to bring Stevie Grammy. Shortly after, the singer suffered a car accident resulted in brief coma and permanent loss of smell. Immediately after the recovery in 1974, Wonder produced another album of the year, Fulfillingness’ First Finale. This title was inherited by his next effort, Songs in the Key of Life (1976). Only then, the artist took a break to accumulate material for his new records.

Wonder returned to the limelight in 1980 with Hotter than July. In two years, he added Original Musiquarium to his collection. In the eighties, Stevie remained a big figure in the showbiz, and yet his studio activity started to slow down. In the nineties, he recorded only two albums, and in the new millennium his discography has got bigger by just one new studio work, A Time to Love (2005). Stevie Wonder’s contribution to the world music legacy is imaginable. Nine of his songs became hits number one. The singer has set an absolute record by winning twenty one Grammies. A great number of his other awards include Oscar for the Best Song I Just Called to Say I Love You. His albums have sold over a hundred million albums worldwide. A wonderful vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Stevie Wonder gained his absolutely deserved place in The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2007 the musician released the album Number 1's, which includes such hits as Just Called To Say I Love You and So What The Fuss.