Stevie Wonder(1950 — ?)
Stevie Wonder
États-Unis, Ghana
5 min read
Stevie Wonder is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, a major figure of soul music and Motown. Blind since birth, he became one of the most influential and award-winning artists in twentieth-century popular music.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Born on May 13, 1950, in Saginaw, Michigan, blind from birth.
- Signed with Motown at age 11 and had his first hit with “Fingertips” (1963).
- Released the landmark album “Songs in the Key of Life” (1976).
- Composed “Happy Birthday” (1980), a song campaigning to make Martin Luther King Day a national holiday.
- Winner of 25 Grammy Awards, one of the most decorated artists in history.
Works & Achievements
Live recording that propelled the thirteen-year-old artist to the top of the American charts.
Album marking his creative turning point, featuring the hits “Superstition” and “You Are the Sunshine of My Life.”
Socially engaged album, honored with several Grammy Awards, blending funk, soul and synthesizers.
Double album regarded as his masterpiece, a vast musical fresco on love, society and spirituality.
Upbeat tribute to Duke Ellington and the jazz greats, now a classic.
Worldwide-famous ballad, awarded the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Anthem-like song from the campaign to establish Martin Luther King Day.
Anecdotes
Born prematurely, Stevie Wonder lost his sight shortly after his birth in Detroit due to retinopathy caused by excess oxygen in the incubator. Far from holding him back, this blindness sharpened his ear: as a child, he was already playing piano, harmonica, and drums in his Detroit parish.
Discovered at eleven, he signed with Motown under the name “Little Stevie Wonder.” At thirteen, his live recording “Fingertips (Part 2)” became the number-one selling record in the United States, making him one of the youngest artists ever to reach that peak.
Upon coming of age in 1971, Stevie Wonder renegotiated his contract to gain total artistic control. This freedom launched his most creative period, during which he explored synthesizers and produced albums that became classics.
In 1973, a serious car accident left him in a coma for several days. When he woke, it is said that a close friend hummed one of his songs near his ear to bring him back to consciousness; he returned to performing a few months later.
Stevie Wonder campaigned for Martin Luther King's birthday to become a national holiday. His song “Happy Birthday” (1980) accompanied this campaign, which succeeded in 1983 when President Reagan signed the law establishing Martin Luther King Day.
Primary Sources
“I have never considered being blind a handicap. It's just a part of who I am.”
“We must honor a man who gave his life so that others could live free and in dignity.”
The artist's dedication thanking God and inviting the listener to celebrate love and unity through music.
Key Places
Industrial city in Michigan where Stevie Wonder was born in 1950. His family later moved to Detroit.
Birthplace of Motown and the city where the artist grew up. It is there that he was discovered and signed his first contract.
House-studio where Motown recorded its hits. Stevie Wonder shaped his first successes there as a teenager.
Federal capital where his campaigns to have Martin Luther King Day recognized as a national holiday came to fruition.
City where Stevie Wonder later based his activities and where he received many honors from the music industry.
