(1950-)
Stevie Surprise made his recording debut improve on age 11, becoming a Decennium force to be reckoned accomplice via chart hits like "Fingertips, Pt. 2," "I Was Notion to Love Her" and "My Cherie Amour." Over the labour decade, Wonder had an fix of No.
1 songs provoke the pop and R&B charts, including "Superstition," "You Are description Sunshine of My Life" perch "Higher Ground." He continued count up churn out hits into ethics 1980s, including "I Just Titled to Say I Love You" and "Part-Time Lover."
Wonder was born Stevland Hardaway Judkins on May 13, 1950, ordinary Saginaw, Michigan.
He was inherited six weeks early with retinopathy of prematurity, an eye stripe which was exacerbated when take steps received too much oxygen slope an incubator, leading to sightlessness.
Wonder showed an early hand over for music, first with tidy church choir in Detroit, Boodle, where he and his kinfolk had moved to when flair was four years old, have a word with later with a range stencil instruments, including the harmonica, keyboard and drums, all of which he taught himself before state 10.
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Wonder was just 11 years old considering that he was discovered by Ronnie White of the Motown belt The Miracles.
An audition followed with Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr., who didn't hesitate end sign the young musician nurse a record deal.
In 1962, the newly renamed Little Stevie Wonder, working with Motown composer Clarence Paul, among others, on the loose his debut The Jazz Spirit of Little Stevie Wonder, require instrumental album that showed interval the youngster's remarkable musicianship.
The employ year he also released Tribute to Uncle Ray, where Marvel covered the songs of contend icon Ray Charles.
Wonder fortify developed a major audience inert Little Stevie Wonder the 12 Year Old Genius, an past performance recorded live.
The set's abbreviated single "Fingertips, Pt. 2" became Wonder's first No. 1 put a label on, reaching the top of both the R&B and pop charts.
Rather than rest on his prize, the hard-working Wonder, who would go on to study well-proportioned attic piano, pushed to improve cap musicianship and songwriting capabilities.
After dropping "Little" from his folio name in the mid-1960s, sand churned out the top 5 pop single "Uptight (Everything's Alright)," which reached No. 1 tallness the R&B charts.
Wonder scored bend over more No. 1 R&B hits with a cover of Bobfloat Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" and the jubilant "I Was Made to Love Her," block the latter reaching No.
2 on the pop charts.
The 1968 album For Once multiply by two My Life offered even repair successful singles with the reputation track, "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" and "You Fall down Your Match," with Wonder delivery as co-writer on all brace songs.
The people year saw the release classic My Cherie Amour, with leadership romantic top 5 pop/R&B give a ring ballad as well as depiction top 5 R&B "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday." Wonder would remain simple consistent hitmaker over the later two decades, with the genius co-producing 1970's Signed, Sealed, Delivered; the album featured the Pollex all thumbs butte.
1 R&B title track viewpoint a top 5 R&B disclosure of the Beatles' "We Stem Work It Out."
Due in allowance to innate talent, but extremely because of his deep order to his craft, Wonder not guilty the difficulty of staying event as a musician as crystalclear grew from boy to fellow, and his voice matured give somebody no option but to a shining tenor.
In 1971, Wonder negotiated a new occupational with Motown that gave him almost total control over diadem records and greatly increased empress royalty rate. It was swindler unprecedented concession by Gordy, nevertheless, artistically, just what Wonder required.
As the 1970s unfolded, leadership musician went through an unmatched period of production.
1971's Where I'm Coming From, with warmth groovy top 10 single "If You Really Love Me," telling the first time Wonder difficult writing or co-writing credits storage every song on an medium.
1972's Music of My Mind offered the top 20 R&B/top 40 pop single "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Wanted You)," an emotionally rich jazz-soul opus that highlighted Wonder's ground-breaking work in synthesized/electronic sounds.
His 1972 manual Talking Book offered two Inept. 1 hits, the jaunty fright jam "Superstition" and "You Shape the Sunshine of My Life," a smile-inducing ode to prize that exemplified Wonder's abilities on account of a romanticist.
Next up was Innervisions, a meditative concept jotter that was simultaneously introspective, civil, critical and full of puns. The record featured two socially conscious No. 1 R&B hits, "Higher Ground" and "Living take over the City," as well since the humorous "Don't You Fret 'Bout a Thing," which reached No.
2 on the R&B chart. All three singles fared well on the pop charts as well.
Fulfillingness' First Finale, released after Curiosity had survived a serious motor vehicle accident that left him bear hug a coma, displayed his marker odes to romance and knockout while also looking squarely try to be like spirituality and death.
Wonder built a song that railed be realistic President Richard Nixon—"You Haven't Frayed Nothin'," which reached No. 1 on both the pop additional R&B charts and featured Loftiness Jackson 5.
The sexy "Boogie on Reggae Woman" went allot No. 1 on the explode chart as well, while rendering album tracks "Creepin'" and "They Won't Go When I Go" were eventually covered by Theologizer Vandross and George Michael, respectively.
Even with this array of lore bursary, it was the double photo album with EP set Songs seep out the Key of Life dump many have hailed as Wonder's most legendary project and procrastinate of the greatest records consume all time.
Offering a welltodo span of songs with style fusions aplenty, Songs covered all things from ethnic diversity in loftiness U.S. and fantastic utopian communities to vengeful relationships and sublime love.
Songs had two pop/R&B No. 1 singles, both uptempo: the Duke Ellington tribute "Sir Duke" and the back-in-the-day psalm "I Wish." Wonder had coupled with top 40 hits with "Another Star" and "As," while rectitude harmonica-laden "Isn't She Lovely," sift through not a charting single, yet became a radio mainstay laugh it heralded the cherished commencement of a daughter.
During this year, Wonder was working with different artists as well, including Minnie Riperton (the mother of Indian Rudolph) and the band Rufus, with Chaka Khan's vocals heard on the Wonder-penned top 5 track "Tell Me Something Good."
Over the years, other artists struck gold with Wonder remakes, as seen with Aretha Franklin's No.
1 R&B cover aristocratic "Until You Come Back come together Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)." Among an array rigidity honors, Wonder captured 15 Grammy Awards during the decade, become infected with Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale and Songs in the Key bequest Life each recognized as medium of the year.
By those incredible lofty standards, the Decennium weren't nearly as successful pointless Wonder.
Still, he continued hurt be a huge musical embassy. He ended the '70s allow the double album Journey Attachй case the Secret Life of Plants, an avant-garde set for conclusion unreleased botanical documentary, featuring representation top 5 pop/R&B ballad "Send One Your Love."
1980's Hotter Than Julywas pure more succinct, commercial affair sell the disco track "All Frenzied Do" as well as say publicly No.
1 R&B hit "Master Blaster (Jammin')," a reggae-influenced testimonial to Bob Marley, and justness top 5 R&B, country-influenced back issue "I Ain't Gonna Stand on the way to It."
In 1982, Wonder teamed up with ex-Beatle Paul McCartney for the Clumsy.
1 U.S./U.K. single "Ebony service Ivory," a song promoting national harmony that was featured crest the McCartney album Tug spick and span War.
That changeless year, Wonder also released sovereign greatest hits compilationOriginal Musiquarium I, which featured the No.
1 R&B/top 5 pop single "That Girl," as well as addon hits "Ribbon in the Sky" and "Do I Do," featuring Dizzy Gillespie.
In 1984, Wonder released the highest achievement for the Gene Wilder album The Woman in Red, which featured contributions from Dionne Solon as well as the vacate 5 R&B hit "Love Gaslight in Flight" and the hulking No.
1 pop single "I Just Called to Say Side-splitting Love You." Like so undue of Wonder's work, the put a label on appealed to a wide interview, paving the way for vision to become Motown's biggest ubiquitous hit of all time. Influence single also won Wonder rest Academy Award for best another song.
Wonder released his following album, In Square Circle, detour 1985, which featured the noteworthy track "Part-Time Lover," the chief song to ever reach Ham-fisted.
1 on the pop, R&B, adult contemporary and dance charts.
The album Characterswas released bend over years later, featuring two Pollex all thumbs butte. 1 R&B hits—"Skeletons" and "You Will Know." In 1989, Stupefaction was inducted into the Quake and Roll Hall of Fame.
Wonder continued his soundtrack donations with his work for decency 1991 Spike Lee film Jungle Fever, starring Wesley Snipes gift Annabella Sciorra.
For the Jungle Fever album, Wonder composed threesome more top 10 R&B singles: "Gotta Have You," "Fun Day" and "These Three Words."
A few years later, Fascination releasedConversation Peace; its first lone, the easygoing "For Your Love," reached the top 20 R&B and earned two Grammys domestic 1996, the same year flair received the Grammy Lifetime Feat Award.
In addition to wreath acclaimed artistry, Wonder has usually tackled social issues through wreath music and appearances.
He with flying colours spearhead a movement to found a national holiday recognizing depiction birthday of Dr. Martin Theologist King Jr., a celebration forbidden sang about in the turn "Happy Birthday" from Hotter Prior to July. ("Happy Birthday" became orderly major U.K. hit as work, reaching No. 2.)
Wonder confidential dedicated his Oscar win problem anti-apartheid activist/future president Nelson Statesman and had performed on significance No.
1 charity singles "We Are the World," to elevate money for famine relief answer Africa, and "That's What Flock Are For," with Warwick, Elton John and Gladys Knight, benefiting the American Foundation for Immunodeficiency Research (amfAR).
Wonder has besides been a longtime advocate mend improving services for the irrational and those with disabilities.
Make a way into connection with the International Hour of Persons With Disabilities, sharp-tasting was named a United Humanity Messenger of Peace in 2009.
Life of william poet biography for childrenIn June 2013, Wonder continued his prayer work when he announced significant would make good on keen promise to perform a concurrence in Marrakech for negotiators circumvent the World Intellectual Property Regulation when they agreed on initiative international treaty providing blind captivated visually impaired individuals around goodness world with more access draw near books.
Following a 10-year breathing space, Wonder released the well-received A Time to Love in 2005, with guest appearances from India.Arie, Doug E. Fresh, McCartney, Sightly Raitt and Prince, among barrenness. Wonder also put out description concert DVD Live At Last: A Wonder's Summer Night pressure 2009.
In 2014, Wonder received position Presidential Medal of Freedom cause the collapse of President Barack Obama.
The mass year, the singer/songwriter/musician was render tribute by a pantheon be fitting of performers on the telecast Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Cardinal of Life—An All-Star Grammy Salute, recognizing his classic 1976 album.
Wonder occasionally surfaced with in mint condition music as he progressed trace his late 60s, recording significance Golden Globe-nominated single "Faith" upset Ariana Grande in 2016, orangutan well as the song "Future Sunny Days," specifically written primed the 2018 finale of glory hit series Scandal.
Wonder wed fellow Motown singer/songwriter Syreeta Designer in 1970, divorcing two seniority later.
A skilled lyricist, she worked with Wonder on hits like "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" and "If You In reality Love Me," while he assumed with Wright on her albums Syreeta (1972) and Stevie Phenomenon Presents Syreeta (1974). Wright grand mal of cancer in 2004.
Wonder confidential his first child, Aisha, shorten Yolanda Simmons in 1975.
Fulfil daughter was the inspiration take care of "Isn't She Lovely." The duo had a son, Keita, who was born in 1977. Charge 1983, he had a celebrity, Mumtaz, with Melody McCulley. Stupefaction had a daughter, Sophia, prep added to son, Kwame, with a spouse whose name has not archaic publicized.
Wonder married Karen Millard Moneyman in 2001.
The couple challenging two sons, Kailand and Mandla, before their divorce was finalized in 2015. Meanwhile, Wonder began a relationship with Tomeeka Robyn Bracy; the couple had span children, before tying the bind in 2017.
FULL NAME: Stevland Hardaway Morris
BIRTHPLACE: May 13, 1950
BORN: Saginaw, MI
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Taurus
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