Stevie Wonder is one-loved American icon and an indisputable genius not only of R&B but popular music in the globe. Blind virtually since birth, Wonder’s heightened awareness of sound helped him create vibrant, colorful music teeming with life and ambition.
He was born as Steveland Hardaway in Saginaw, Michigan on May 13, 1950. Born premature, baby Steveland was placed in an incubator for oxygen treatment and sadly, he received too much oxygen which caused him to suffer from premature blindness. Even as a child, Wonder was never deterred by his handicap. He began to learn the piano at the age of seven and mastered both the drums and the harmonica by the age of nine. In 1954, Wonder’s family moved to Detroit where Steveland joined his church’s choir. The already musically inclined child absorbed this gospel influence and increased even further his musical interest.
Stevie Wonder had forthright parents who brought him up as every of their other children, having to fend for himself and make it in the world. His parents quickly caught on to their son’s musical ambitions and allowed him to perform on Sundays during church services. Even when he was brought up in Detroit, Michigan, his parents made sure that all their children led as balanced a childhood as possible – whether it be in school, sports or music.
Just after his eleventh birthday, Stevie Wonder was presented to the CEO of Motown who saw great talent in the small virtuoso, which thus led to his being called, ‘Little Stevie Wonder’ both by other artistes and on his future records. By the mid-60s, Stevie had already had hits that topped the charts. At this time, he began experimenting with writing more of his own music and wrote music for others who played under the Motown label. By the early 70s, Stevie Wonder wanted more artistic control of his songs and when he was not allowed, he decided to leave Motown and released two of his own recordings on his own which did well. With that, Motown agreed to another contract with him and thereafter gave him all artistic rights to his music.
Throughout the seventies and eighties, Stevie continued winning awards and releasing hit songs. He even opened for The Rolling Stones in their tour across America in 1972. Here, he was given a chance to appeal to those who mostly listed to rock n’ roll. Those who heard Stevie Wonder play the concert often claim that they never heard pop music cross the border into the world of rock so well.
Following his rock n’ roll stint, Wonder then released another huge pop favourite, you are the ‘Sunshine of My Life’. He went onto release ‘Love’s in Need of Love Today’ and Pastime Paradise.’ He won three Grammy Awards and an Album of the Year award for his release of Inner visions. He then recorded ‘I Just Called to Say I Love You’, which topped both American and European charts. Even to this day, Stevie Wonder continues to release albums, most notably ‘A Time to Love’, 2005.
Awards; He received lots of the following awards from 1973 to 2006; Best Rhythm & Blues, Best R&B Vocal Performance, Best Album of the Year Inner visions,Best Album of the Year Fulfilling-ness, Best Producer Fulfilling-ness,
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award General, Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal and Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
Other awards and recognitions
1983: Inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
1984: Received an Academy Award for Best Song for ‘I Just Called to Say I Love You’ from the movie ‘The Woman in Red’.
1989: Inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
1996: Received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
1999: Received the Polar Music Prize[53] and Kennedy Center Honors.
2002: Received the George and Ira Gershwin Lifetime Achievement Award at UCLA’s Spring Sing. The same year, Wonder received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
2004: Received the Billboard entury Award.[74] Also in 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #15 on their list of the 100 Greatest Rock and Roll Artists of All Time.
2006: Was inducted as one of the first inductees into the Michigan Walk of Fame. The same year, Wonder received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.
2008: Ranked at number five on “The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artistes”, making him as the third most successful male artiste in the history of Billboard Hot 100 chart.
2009: Recipient of the second Gershwin Prize For Popular Song.
2009: Recipient of the Montreal Jazz Festival Spirit Award. This special award underlines a popular artiste’s extraordinary contribution to the musical world. The Montreal Jazz Festival Spirit Award is in bronze.
2009: Named a Messenger of Peace by the United Nations.
Source: entertainment.com
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