Stevie Wonder
1950 – date

Born Stevland Hardaway Morris, known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, soul, gospel, funk and jazz.  A virtual one-man band, Wonder’s used of synthesizers and other electronic musical instruments during the 1970 like no-one else had before him.  Wonder has gone on to become one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

•He was considered a child prodigy because he was a skilled musician (piano, organ, harmonica, drums) by 8 years old.
•He made his first recording debut at the age of 12.
•He was blind, but not born blind; he became blind due to retinopathy of prematurity, which got worse after he received too much oxygen in an incubator.
•He was born in Michigan, USA.
•His first stage name was “Little Stevie Wonder.”
•He has received 25 Grammys and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.
•He was a huge advocate for social issues and used his single, Happy Birthday, to help create a national holiday for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday.
•He also supports social issues such as AIDS research and research for the blind community.
•Because of his commitment to social issues, he was named the United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2009.

•“Fingertips, Pt. 2”  was Stevie Wonder’s first number 1 song. He was the youngest person to top Billboard’s Top 100.

•“Happy Birthday” shows his commitment to advocating for social issues. This was written to spread the word about the movement to create a national holiday for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday.

•“Superstition” is the song that he won his first ever Grammy for (Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male Category).

•“Sir Duke”  was written as a tribute to Duke Ellington, but also broadened it out to honor Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and Glen Miller. These were some of his musical influences.

•Stevie W singing Don’t you worry ‘bout a thing