Stevie Wonder

Stevland Hardaway Morris (né Judkins; born May 13, 1950), better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. A prominent figure in popular music, he is one of the most successful songwriters and musicians in the history of music. Through his heavy use of electronic instruments and innovative sounds, Wonder became a pioneer and influence to musicians of various genres including pop, rhythm and blues, soul, funk and rock.

Blind since shortly after his birth, Wonder was a child prodigy known as Little Stevie Wonder leading him to sign with Motown’s Tamla label at the age of 11. In 1963, the single “Fingertips” was a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 when Wonder was aged 13, making him the youngest artist ever to top the chart. Wonder’s critical success was at its peak in the 1970s when he started his “classic period” in 1972 with the releases of Music of My Mind and Talking Book, with the latter featuring the number-one hit “Superstition”. “Superstition” is one of the most distinctive and famous examples of the sound of the Hohner Clavinet keyboard. With Innervisions (1973), Fulfillingness’ First Finale (1974) and Songs in the Key of Life (1976) all winning the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, Wonder became the tied record holder, with Frank Sinatra, for the most Album of the Year wins with three. Wonder is also the only artist to have won the award with three consecutive album releases.

Wonder’s “classic period”, which is widely considered to have ended in 1977, was noted for his funky keyboard style, personal control of production, and series of songs integrated with one another to make a concept album. In 1979, Wonder made use of the early music sampler Computer Music Melodian through his composition of the soundtrack album Stevie Wonder’s Journey Through “The Secret Life of Plants”. It was also his first digital recording, and one of the earliest popular albums to use the technology, which Wonder used for all subsequent recordings. Wonder’s 1970s albums are regarded as very influential; the Rolling Stone Record Guide (1983) wrote they “pioneered stylistic approaches that helped to determine the shape of pop music for the next decade”.

Wonder has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He has won 25 Grammy Awards, making him one of the most awarded artists of all time. He was the first Motown artist and second African-American musician to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song, for the 1984 film The Woman in Red. Wonder has been inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, Rock and Rock Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame, and has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Wonder is also noted for his work as an activist for political causes, including his 1980 campaign to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a holiday in the United States. In 2009, he was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace, and in 2014, he was honoured by Barack Obama with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Beatles cover
Stevie Wonder covered "We Can Work It Out" on his 1970 album Signed, Sealed & Delivered, and released it as a single in 1971. The single reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Wonder's version earned him his fifth Grammy Award nomination in 1972, for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Cash Box described this version as a "spectacular dance track" which "returns Wonder to his earlier straight-ahead teen self complete with harmonica solo."

Wonder performed the song for McCartney after the latter was presented with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990. In 2010, after McCartney was awarded the Gershwin Prize by the Library of Congress, Wonder again performed his arrangement of "We Can Work It Out" at a White House ceremony held in McCartney's honour. Wonder performed it a third time in January 2014, at the 50th anniversary tribute of the Beatles' appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Collaborations with Paul McCartney
Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney first worked together on the classic smash hit "Ebony and Ivory" in 1982, which was number 1 in the UK and the US.

In 2004, Paul McCartney contributed to Stevie Wonder’s “A Time To Love” by playing guitar on the eponym song.

In 2012, Stevie Wonder contributed to Paul’s album “Kisses On The Bottom“, by playing on “Only Our Hearts“.

Discography

 * The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie (1962)
 * Tribute to Uncle Ray (1962)
 * With a Song in My Heart (1963)
 * Stevie at the Beach (1964)
 * Up-Tight (1966)
 * Down to Earth (1966)
 * I Was Made to Love Her (1967)
 * Someday at Christmas (1967)
 * Eivets Rednow (1968)
 * For Once in My Life (1968)
 * My Cherie Amour (1969)
 * Signed, Sealed & Delivered (1970)
 * Where I'm Coming From (1971)
 * Music of My Mind (1972)
 * Talking Book (1972)
 * Innervisions (1973)
 * Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974)
 * Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
 * Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants" (1979, soundtrack)
 * Hotter than July (1980)
 * The Woman in Red (1984, soundtrack)
 * In Square Circle (1985)
 * Characters (1987)
 * Jungle Fever (1991, soundtrack)
 * Conversation Peace (1995)
 * A Time to Love (2005)