![]() In 1954, his family moved to Detroit, where the already musically inclined Wonder began singing in his church's choir from there he blossomed into a genuine prodigy, learning piano, drums, and harmonica all by the age of nine. A premature infant, he was put on oxygen treatment in an incubator it was likely an excess of oxygen that exacerbated a visual condition known as retinopathy of prematurity, causing his blindness. Wonder was born Stevland Hardaway Judkins in Saginaw, Michigan, on (his name was later altered to Stevland Morris when his mother married). collaboration "Where Is Our Love Song" (2020), a response to global unrest. Recording less frequently since then, he released A Time to Love (2005) in his fifth decade of activity, during which he also earned his 25th Grammy Award for his and Tony Bennett's duet remake of his own "For Once in My Life." Wonder has continued to tour, most notably performing the entirety of Songs in the Key of Life, across the U.S., and has also released the occasional single, such as the Gary Clark, Jr. The next decade, Wonder remained active as trends came and went, delivering additional platinum albums such as Hotter Than July (1980), In Square Circle (1985), and Characters (1987) amid inductions into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Talking Book (1972) and Innervisions (1973), Top Ten LPs answered with chart-toppers Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974) and the diamond platinum Songs in the Key of Life (1976), were crafted as complex, kaleidoscopic statements enriched by Wonder's pioneering use of synthesizers. In the '70s, Wonder scored five number one hits, from "Superstition" to "Sir Duke," and with the likes of Motown label mate Marvin Gaye and Isaac Hayes brought R&B into the album age as one of the era's greatest musical auteurs. ![]() A child prodigy, Wonder first topped the Billboard pop chart at the age of 13 in 1962 with "Fingertips." That mere hint of his talent as a multi-instrumentalist was followed by eight more Top Ten hits, "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" and "My Cherie Amour" among them, before the end of the decade. Combined with his elastic voice, peerless melodic facility, gift for complex arrangements, and taste for lovely ballads, his broad appeal over the decades has been unmatched. Wonder's recordings are a richly eclectic and singular brew of soul, funk, rock & roll, Broadway/Tin Pan Alley-style pop, jazz, reggae, and African elements. ![]() The musician's heightened awareness of sound - a consequence of his blindness - has helped him create vibrant music teeming with joyous positivity, even when he's written about heartbreak and addressed issues of race, spirituality, and society in general. The Huxtable family subsequently enter and Stevie gets them to join in with his performance by way of sampling their voices into his Synclavier and finally, singing I Just Called To Say I Love You.Stevie Wonder is a soul music giant, a beloved American icon, and an indisputable genius of popular music. In this video, from an episode of The Cosby Show, he is seen with a Synclavier in the studio. In the late 70s, before samplers and drum machines dominated the soundscapes of hip hop, Stevie was using some of the first samplers, and was influential in his use of other pieces of technology like the Talkbox. You may know him as the guy behind the piano or keyboard with the dark shades, but you may not readily think of Stevie Wonder as a drummer or a sampler. ![]() Stevie Wonder, the legendary funk and soul musician, is 63 today.Ī trailblazer from the moment he joined Motown, Stevie Wonder’s career has spanned six decades and seen his work inspire some of the greatest musicians we have ever known (including a certain Michael Jackson, whom he wrote for and duetted with on a few occasions).
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