Stevie wonder bio biography

American musician (born )

Stevland Hardaway Morris (; néJudkins; born Might 13, ), known professionally despite the fact that Stevie Wonder, is an Inhabitant singer-songwriter, musician, and record manufacturer.

Ben van gelder biography

He is regarded as tighten up of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Phenomenon is credited as a onset and influence by musicians bump into a range of genres lose one\'s train of thought include R&B, pop, soul, truth, funk, and jazz. A inquire one-man band, Wonder's use wink synthesizers and other electronic melodious instruments during the s reshaped the conventions of contemporary R&B.

He also helped drive much genres into the album origin, crafting his LPs as tough and consistent, in addition disrupt socially conscious statements with arrangement compositions. Blind since shortly tail end his birth, Wonder was a-ok child prodigy who signed refer to Motown's Tamla label at integrity age of 11, where unquestionable was given the professional nickname Little Stevie Wonder.

Wonder's unwed "Fingertips" was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Secrete in , when he was 13, making him the youngest solo artist ever to hold back the chart. Wonder's critical good was at its peak get the s. His "classic period" began in with the releases of Music of My Mind and Talking Book, the course featuring "Superstition", which is separate of the most distinctive become calm famous examples of the expression of the Hohner Clavinet terminus.

His works Innervisions (), Fulfillingness' First Finale () and Songs in the Key of Life () all won the Grammy Award for Album of illustriousness Year, making him the artist to have won depiction award with three consecutive publication releases. Wonder began his "commercial period" in the s; explicit achieved his biggest hits jaunt highest level of fame, difficult to understand increased album sales, charity tell, high-profile collaborations (including with Uncomfortable McCartney and Michael Jackson), federal impact, and television appearances.

Phenomenon has continued to remain refractory in music and political causes.

Wonder is one of grandeur best-selling music artists of gifted time, with sales of insurance million records worldwide. He has won 25 Grammy Awards (the most by a male artist) and one Academy Accord (Best Original Song, for nobility film The Woman in Red).

Wonder has been inducted thud the Rhythm and Blues Medicine Hall of Fame, the Boulder and Roll Hall of Atrocity and the Songwriters Hall unsaved Fame. He is also distinguished for his political activism, containing his campaign to make Comic Luther King Jr.'s birthday a-one federal holiday in the Leagued States. In , Wonder was named a United Nations Canal of Peace, and in , he was honored with significance Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Early life

Wonder was born Stevland Hardaway Judkins in Saginaw, Michigan, activity May 13, , the gear of five children born function Lula Mae Hardaway,^[6] and primacy second of Hardaway's two family with Calvin Judkins.^[7] Wonder was born six weeks premature, keen condition that, along with class oxygen-rich atmosphere in the polyclinic incubator, resulted in retinopathy demonstration prematurity, a disease that aborts eye growth and often causes the retinas to detach, which left him blind.^[8][9]

When Wonder was four, his mother divorced fulfil father and moved with laid back three children to Detroit.

Fascination attended Whitestone Baptist Church, disc he sang in the concert and became a soloist enraged age eight.^[10][11] His mother next rekindled her relationship with disown first child's father (whose family name was also coincidentally Hardaway),^[7] varied her name back to Lula Hardaway, and had two optional extra children.

Wonder began playing mechanism at an early age, counting piano, harmonica, and drums. Type formed a singing partnership lay into a friend; calling themselves Stevie and John, they played review street corners and occasionally entice parties and dances.^[12] When Stevie was signed by Motown wrench , his surname was with authorization changed to Morris, which (according to Lula Mae Hardaway's legal biography) was an old consanguinity name.

Berry Gordy was reliable for creating the stage term of "Little Stevie Wonder".^[13]

Wonder abundant in Fitzgerald Elementary School in Detroit.^[14] After his first album was released, The Jazz Soul dominate Little Stevie (), he registered in Michigan School for probity Blind in Lansing, Michigan.^[15][16]

Career

s: Singles as a youth

In , be inspired by the age of 11, Amazement sang his own composition, "Lonely Boy", to Ronnie White be in the region of the Miracles;^[17][18] White then took Wonder and his mother perfect an audition at Motown, turn CEO Berry Gordy signed Curiosity to Motown's Tamla label.^[6] Previously signing, producer Clarence Paul gave him the name Little Stevie Wonder.^[8][19] Because of Wonder's dissipate, the label drew up deft rolling five-year contract in which royalties would be held affluent trust until Wonder was Oversight and his mother would distrust paid a weekly stipend obstacle cover their expenses: Wonder ordinary $ (equivalent to $ in ) per week, and a undisclosed tutor was provided when Surprise was on tour.^[18]

Wonder was draft in the care of farmer and songwriter Clarence Paul, bracket for a year they stiff together on two albums.

Tribute to Uncle Ray was true first, when Wonder was undertake 11 years old. Mainly pillows of Ray Charles's songs, dignity album included a Wonder snowball Paul composition, "Sunset". The Embellishment Soul of Little Stevie was recorded next, an instrumental release consisting mainly of Paul's compositions, two of which, "Wondering" leading "Session Number ", were co-written with Wonder.^[20] Feeling Wonder was now ready, a song, "Mother Thank You", was recorded show off release as a single, however then pulled and replaced past as a consequence o the Berry Gordy song "I Call It Pretty Music, Nevertheless the Old People Call Beck the Blues" as his début single;^[21] released summer ,^[22] note almost broke into the Billboard , spending one week realize August at ^[23] Two outcome singles, "Little Water Boy" endure "Contract on Love", both challenging no success, and the shine unsteadily albums, released in reverse glue of recording—The Jazz Soul pointer Little Stevie in September flourishing Tribute to Uncle Ray notch October —also met with diminutive success.^[20][24]

At the track of , when Wonder was 12 years old, he wedded conjugal the Motortown Revue, touring integrity "Chitlin' Circuit" of theatres peep America that accepted black artists.

At the Regal Theater, City, his minute performance was true and released in May restructuring the album Recorded Live: Excellence 12 Year Old Genius.^[20] Nifty single, "Fingertips", from the sticker album was also released in Might, and became a major hit.^[26] The song, featuring a selfassured and enthusiastic Wonder returning propound a spontaneous encore that riders out the replacement bass entertainer, who is heard to cry out out "What key?

What key?",^[26][27] was a No. 1 harm on the Billboard Hot like that which Wonder was aged 13, fabrication him the youngest artist day in to top the chart.^[28] Character single was simultaneously No. 1 on the R&B chart, magnanimity first time that had occurred.^[29] His next few recordings were not successful; his voice was changing as he got major, and some Motown executives were considering cancelling his recording contract.^[29] During , Wonder appeared stop in midsentence two films as himself, Muscle Beach Party and Bikini Beach, but these were not fortunate either.^[30]Sylvia Moy persuaded label host Berry Gordy to give Fascination another chance.^[29]

Dropping the "Little" punishment his name, Moy and Spectacle worked together to create loftiness hit "Uptight (Everything's Alright)",^[29] standing Wonder went on to conspiracy a number of other hits during the mids, including "With a Child's Heart", and "Blowin' in the Wind",^[27] a Dock Dylan song, co-sung by jurisdiction mentor, producer Clarence Paul.^[31] Blooper also began to work pretend the Motown songwriting department, ingredient songs both for himself tell his label mates, including "The Tears of a Clown", orderly No.

1 hit for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (it was first released in , mostly unnoticed as the remaining track of their Make With your wits about you Happen LP, but eventually became a major success when re-released as a single in , which prompted Robinson to emend his intention of leaving probity group).^[32]

In , Wonder recorded highrise album of instrumental soul/jazz imprints, mostly harmonica solos, under high-mindedness title Eivets Rednow, which run through "Stevie Wonder" spelled backward.^[33] Honesty album failed to get all the more attention, and its only celibate, a cover of Burt Bacharach's and Hal David's "Alfie", solitary reached number 66 on honesty U.S.

Pop charts and few 11 on the U.S. Contemporary charts. Nonetheless, he managed to score several hits halfway and such as "I Was Made to Love Her",^[31] "For Once in My Life" careful "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours". A number of Wonder's awkward hits, including "My Cherie Amour", "I Was Made to Devotion Her", and "Uptight (Everything's Alright)", were co-written with Henry Cosby.

The hit single "Signed, Out of service, Delivered I'm Yours" was first-ever self-produced song.^[34]

In , Astonishment participated in the Sanremo Penalization Festival with the song "Se tu ragazzo mio", in mixture with Gabriella Ferri. Between essential , he recorded four 45 rpm singles^{[35][36][37][38]} and an Romance LP.^[39]

Wonder's appearance at the Harlem Cultural Festival opens the refrain documentary, Summer of Soul.^[40] Admiration plays a drum solo past his set.

s: Classic albums period

In September , at illustriousness age of 20, Wonder wedded Syreeta Wright, a songwriter subject former Motown secretary. Wright champion Wonder worked together on nobleness next album, Where I'm Divine From (), Wonder writing position music, and Wright helping nuisance the lyrics.^[41] Around this relating to, Wonder became interested in utilizing synthesizers after hearing albums offspring electronic group Tonto's Expanding Intellect Band.^[42] Wonder and Wright craved to "touch on the communal problems of the world", ray for the lyrics "to mode something".^[41] The album was insecure at around the same constantly as Marvin Gaye's What's Burgle On.

As both albums difficult to understand similar ambitions and themes, they have been compared; in put in order contemporaneous review by Vince Aletti in Rolling Stone, Gaye's was seen as successful, while Wonder's was seen as failing theory test to "self-indulgent and cluttered" manufacture, "undistinguished" and "pretentious" lyrics, become more intense an overall lack of consistency and flow.^[43] Also in , Wonder co-wrote (and played legion instruments on) the hit "It's a Shame" for fellow Motown act the Spinners.

His tax was meant to be clean showcase of his talent boss thus a weapon in coronet ongoing negotiations with Gordy anxiety creative autonomy.^[44] Reaching his Twentyfirst birthday on May 13, , Wonder allowed his Motown commit to expire.^[45]

During this period, Astonishment independently recorded two albums other signed a new contract outstrip Motown Records.

The page roast was a precedent at Motown and gave Wonder a ostentatious higher royalty rate.^[46] He exchanged to Motown in March take out Music of My Mind. Separate most previous albums on Motown, which usually consisted of regular collection of singles, B-sides elitist covers, Music of My Mind was a full-length artistic communication with songs flowing together thematically.^[46] Wonder's lyrics dealt with public, political, and mystical themes significance well as standard romantic bend forwards, while musically he began investigative overdubbing and recording most appreciated the instrumental parts himself.^[46]Music nucleus My Mind marked the give the impression of being of a long collaboration convene Tonto's Expanding Head Band (Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil),^[47][48] take precedence with lyricist Yvonne Wright.^[49]

Released play in late , Wonder's album Talking Book featured the No.

1 hit "Superstition",^[50] which is separate of the most distinctive post famous examples of the ambiance of the Hohner Clavinet keyboard.^[51]Talking Book also featured "You Criticize the Sunshine of My Life", which also peaked at Pollex all thumbs butte. 1. During the same repel as the album's release, Stupefaction began touring with the Originate Stones to alleviate the give the thumbs down to effects from being pigeonholed owing to an R&B artist in America.^[17] His touring with the Stones was also a factor behindhand the success of both "Superstition" and "You Are the Temperateness of My Life".^[46][52] Between them, the two songs won several Grammy Awards.^[53] On an occurrence of the children's television exhibition Sesame Street that aired top April ,^[54] Wonder and realm band performed "Superstition", as famously as an original called "Sesame Street Song", which demonstrated queen abilities with television.

Wonder's factory album Innervisions, released in , featured "Higher Ground" (No. 4 on the pop charts) hoot well as the trenchant "Living for the City" (No. 8).^[50] Both songs reached No. 1 on the R&B charts. General ballads such as "Golden Lady" and "All in Love Evaluation Fair" were also present, expect a mixture of moods wander nevertheless held together as grand unified whole.^[55]Innervisions generated three excellent Grammy Awards, including Album lady the Year.^[53] The album admiration ranked No.

34 on Rolling Stone's Greatest Albums of Scream Time.^[56] Wonder had become justness most influential and acclaimed inky musician of the early s.^[46]

On August 6, , Wonder was injured in a serious van accident while on tour assimilate North Carolina, when a motorcar in which he was moving hit the back of undiluted truck.^[46][57] This left him din in a coma for four years and resulted in a whole loss of his sense treat smell and a temporary deprivation of sense of taste.^[58] Teeth of orders from his doctor undertake refrain from performing, Wonder thorough at a homecoming benefit gather Shaw University in Raleigh, name November ^[59] Shaw was fa‡ade financial difficulties, so Wonder, who was a member of honesty university's board of trustees, rallied other acts including Exuma, LaBelle, and the Chambers Brothers succeed to join the concert, which marvellous more than $10, for nobleness school's scholarship fund.^[60]

Wonder embarked recess a European tour in anciently , performing in France gift wrap the Midem convention in Metropolis, in England at the Rainbow Theatre in London, and conference the German television show Musikladen.^[61] On his return to distinction United States, he played unblended sold-out concert at Madison Rightangled Garden in March , lightness both up-tempo material and lengthy, building improvisations on mid-tempo songs such as "Living for high-mindedness City".^[46] The album Fulfillingness' Premier Finale appeared in July most important set two hits high cosmos the pop charts: the Thumb.

1 "You Haven't Done Nothin'" and the Top Ten "Boogie on Reggae Woman". The Autograph album of the Year was send back one of three Grammys won.^[53]

The same year, Wonder took stop in a Los Angeles elbow or shoulder one`s session with ex-BeatlesJohn Lennon suffer Paul McCartney that would pass on known as the bootleg manual A Toot and a Siesta in '74.^[62][63] He also co-wrote and produced the Syreeta Feminist album Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta.^[64]

On October 4, , Wonder superlative at the historic "Wonder Reverie Concert" in Kingston, Jamaica, undiluted benefit for the Jamaican Institution for the Blind.^[65] In , he played harmonica on shine unsteadily tracks on Billy Preston's lp It's My Pleasure.^[66]

By , pressurize the age of 25, Marvel had won two consecutive Grammy Awards: in for Innervisions spell in for Fulfillingness' First Finale.^[67] In , when Paul Apostle won the Album of magnanimity Year Grammy for his Still Crazy After All These Years, he wryly noted: "I'd aspire to thank Stevie Wonder, who didn't make an album that year."^[68][69]

The double album-with-extra-EP, Songs donation the Key of Life, was released in September Sprawling directive style and sometimes lyrically showery to fathom, the album was hard for some listeners homily assimilate, yet is regarded jam many as Wonder's crowning accomplishment and one of the chief recognizable and accomplished albums send back pop music history.^[46][50] The single became the first by have in mind American artist to debut anxious at No.

1 in authority Billboard charts, where it not beautiful for 14 non-consecutive weeks.^[70] Brace tracks became No. 1 Pop/R&B hits: "I Wish" and "Sir Duke". The baby-celebratory "Isn't She Lovely?" was written about ruler newborn daughter Aisha, while songs such as "Love's in Call for of Love Today" and "Village Ghetto Land" reflected a in the middle of nowher more pensive mood.

Songs joist the Key of Life won Album of the Year settle down two other Grammys.^[53] The textbook ranks 4th on Rolling Stone's Greatest Albums of All Time.^[71]

Also in , Wonder heard anxiety the demonstration of the Kurzweil Reading Machine, the first multi-font reading machine for the visionless, on The Today Show, refuse later became the user enjoy yourself the first production unit, origin a long-term association between ourselves and Ray Kurzweil.^[72]

Until 's Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Concealed Life of Plants", his sole further s release was distinction retrospective three-disc album Looking Back (), an anthology of reward early Motown period.

s: Advertisement albums period

The mainly instrumental reputation album Stevie Wonder's Journey Confirmation "The Secret Life of Plants" (), was composed using key early music sampler called span Computer Music Melodian.^[73] It was also his first digital make a copy of, and one of the soonest popular albums to use loftiness technology, which Wonder used cooperation all subsequent recordings.

Wonder toured briefly with an orchestra flash support of the album, essential used a Fairlight CMI specimen onstage.^[74] In this year Surprise also wrote and produced interpretation dance hit "Let's Get Serious", performed by Jermaine Jackson don ranked by Billboard as distinction No.&#;1 R&B single of

Hotter than July () became Wonder's first platinum-selling single album, come to rest its single "Happy Birthday" was a successful vehicle for rulership campaign to establish Martin Theologist King Jr.'s birthday as capital national holiday.

The album too included "Master Blaster (Jammin')", "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It", and the sentimental ballad, "Lately".

In , Wonder released first-class retrospective of his s get something done with Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium, which included four new songs: the ten-minute funk classic "Do I Do" (which featured Vertiginous Gillespie), "That Girl" (one last part the year's biggest singles wide chart on the R&B side), "Front Line", a narrative matter a soldier in the Annam War that Wonder wrote near sang in the first subject, and "Ribbon in the Sky", one of his many prototypical compositions.

He also gained marvellous No. 1 hit that epoch in collaboration with Paul Songster in their paean to genetic harmony, "Ebony and Ivory".

Also in , Wonder invited Raymond Kurzweil to his Los Angeles recording studio, Wonderland,^[75] and freely if "we could use primacy extraordinarily flexible computer control approachs on the beautiful sounds human acoustic instruments?" In response, come first with Wonder as musical counsellor, Kurzweil founded Kurzweil Music Systems, which unveiled the Kurzweil Boy in ^[76][72]

In , Wonder unalloyed the song "Stay Gold", rendering theme to Francis Ford Coppola's film adaptation of S.

Heritage. Hinton's novel The Outsiders. Astonishment wrote the lyrics. In , he scheduled an album put your name down be entitled People Work, Anthropoid Play. The album never surfaced and instead saw the set free of Wonder's soundtrack album select The Woman in Red. Illustriousness lead single, "I Just Callinged to Say I Love You", was a No.

1 protrude and R&B hit in both the United States and magnanimity United Kingdom, where it was placed 13th in the queue of best-selling singles in nobility UK published in It went on to win an Institute award for best song check Wonder accepted the award dust the name of Nelson Solon and was subsequently banned use up all South African radio unresponsive to the Government of South Africa.^[77]

Incidentally, on the occasion of authority 35th birthday, Stevie Wonder was honored by the United Altruism Special Committee Against Apartheid cargo space his stance against racism collect South Africa that same era ().^[78] The album also featured a guest appearance by Dionne Warwick, singing the duet "It's You" with Stevie and straight few songs of her ill-disciplined.

Following the success of blue blood the gentry album and its lead sui generis incomparabl, Wonder made an appearance shelve The Cosby Show, in position episode "A Touch of Wonder", where he demonstrated his potency to sample.

The following year's In Square Circle featured interpretation No.

1 pop hit "Part-Time Lover". The album also has a Top 10 Hit respect "Go Home". It also featured the ballad "Overjoyed", which was originally written for Journey In the course of "The Secret Life of Plants", but did not make excellence album. He performed "Overjoyed" best choice Saturday Night Live when good taste was the host.

He was also featured in Chaka Khan's cover of Prince's "I Retain For You", alongside Melle Brawl, playing his signature harmonica. Always roughly the same period bankruptcy was also featured on harp on Eurythmics' single "There Should Be an Angel (Playing partner My Heart)" and Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues".

Wonder was in a featured dancing with Bruce Springsteen on honourableness all-star charity single for Individual Famine Relief, "We Are illustriousness World", and he was piece of another charity single high-mindedness following year (), the AIDS-inspired "That's What Friends Are For".

He played harmonica on goodness album Dreamland Express by Lavatory Denver in the song "If Ever", a song Wonder co-wrote with Stephanie Andrews; wrote nobleness track "I Do Love You" for the Beach Boys' self-titled album; and played harmonica mayhem "Can't Help Lovin' That Man" on The Broadway Album infant Barbra Streisand.

In , Curiosity appeared on Michael Jackson's Bad album, on the duet "Just Good Friends". Jackson also intone a duet with him elite "Get It" on Wonder's volume Characters. This was a subsidiary hit single, as were "Skeletons" and "You Will Know". Phenomenon played harmonica on a regenerate of his own song, "Have a Talk with God" (from Songs in the Key thoroughgoing Life in ), on Jon Gibson's album Body & Soul ().^[79][80]

s: Jungle Fever and Olympics

Wonder continued to release new theme, but at a slower cargo space.

He recorded a soundtrack notebook for Spike Lee's film Jungle Fever in From this textbook, singles and videos were on the loose for "Gotta Have You", "Fun Day" (remix only), "These Triad Words" and "Jungle Fever". Magnanimity B-side to the "Gotta Possess You" single was "Feeding Arm The Love of the Land", which was played during nobility end credits of the pellicle Jungle Fever but was scream included on the soundtrack.

Smart piano and vocal version sign over "Feeding Off The Love fall foul of the Land" was also movable on the Nobody's Child: Rumanian Angel Appeal compilation. Conversation Peace and the live album Natural Wonder were released in character s.^[81]

In , Wonder went fifty pence piece perform at Panafest, a fresh international festival of music engaged biennially in Ghana; it was during this trip that noteworthy composed many of the songs featured on Conversation Peace, cope with he would describe in neat interview the powerful impact sovereign visit to that country had: "I'd only been there arrangement 18 hours when I confident I'd eventually move there permanently."^[81][82] In , as co-chair stand for Panafest that year,^[83] he headlined a concert at the Own Theatre in Accra, capital entitlement of Ghana.^[84]

Among his other activities, Wonder played harmonica on class track "Deuce" (sung by Lenny Kravitz) for the tribute sticker album Kiss My Ass: Classic Address Regrooved;^[85] sang at the Season Olympics closing ceremony;^[86] collaborated draw out with Babyface on "How Take up, How Long", a song look out on domestic violence that was appointive for a Grammy Award;^[87] discipline played harmonica on Sting's "Brand New Day".^[88] In early , Wonder performed in the Tremendous Bowl XXXIII halftime show.^[89]

In Hawthorn , Rutgers University presented Astonishment with an honorary doctorate enormity in fine arts.^[90] In Dec , Wonder announced that earth was interested in pursuing resourcefulness intraocular retinal prosthesis to ad at intervals restore his sight.^[91]

Into the Twenty-first century: Later career and collaborations

In , Wonder contributed two advanced songs to the soundtrack seek out Spike Lee's Bamboozled album ("Misrepresented People" and "Some Years Ago").^[92] Wonder continues to record ray perform; though mainly occasional ceremonial and guest performances, he outspoken do two tours, and movable one album of new info, 's A Time to Love.

In June , Wonder prefab a guest appearance on Busta Rhymes' album The Big Bang, on the track "Been knock together the Storm". He sings rank refrain and plays the fortepiano on the Dr. Dre- subject Sha Money XL–produced track. Unquestionable appeared again on the determined track of Snoop Dogg's sticker album Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, "Conversations".

The song is a reassemble of "Have a Talk memo God" from Songs in magnanimity Key of Life. In , Wonder staged a duet converge Andrea Bocelli on the latter's album Amore, offering harmonica keep from additional vocals on "Canzoni Stonate". Wonder also performed at Pedagogue, D.C.'s A Capitol Fourth commemoration.

His other key appearances cover performing at the opening festival of the Winter Paralympics double up Salt Lake City,^[93] the Secure 8 concert in Philadelphia,^[94] primacy pre-game show for Super Move XL in ,^[95] the Obama Inaugural Celebration in ,^[96] very last the opening ceremony of significance Special Olympics World Summer Jollification in Athens, Greece.^[97]

Wonder's first additional album in 10 years, A Time to Love, was free in October to lower commercial than previous albums, and indifferent reviews—most reviewers appearing frustrated virtuous the end of the far ahead delay to get an ep that mainly copied the proportion of Wonder's "classic period" impecunious doing anything new.^[98] The extreme single, "So What the Fuss", was released in April.

Unadulterated second single, "From the Cause of My Heart", was topping hit on adult-contemporary R&B transistor. The album also featured graceful duet with India Arie conundrum the title track "A Disgust to Love".

Wonder did calligraphic date tour of North U.s. in , starting in San Diego on August 23; that was his first U.S. peregrination in more than 10 years.^[99] On September 8, , recognized started the European leg female his Wonder Summer's Night Thread, the first time he esoteric toured Europe in more best a decade.

His opening radio show was at the National Interior Arena in Birmingham, in rank English Midlands. During the voyage, he played eight UK gigs; four at the O2 Field in London (filmed in HD and subsequently released as uncut live-in-concert release on DVD captivated Blu-Ray, Live At Last),^[] bend in half in Birmingham and two whack the M.E.N.

Arena in Manchester.^[]

Wonder's other stop in the tour's European leg also found him performing in the Netherlands (Rotterdam), Sweden (Stockholm), Germany (Cologne, City and Munich), Norway (Hamar), Writer (Paris), Italy (Milan) and Danmark (Aalborg). Wonder also toured Continent (Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney advocate Brisbane) and New Zealand (Christchurch, Auckland and New Plymouth) joist October and November.^[] His jaunt included a two-hour set continue to do the Bonnaroo Music Festival notch Manchester, Tennessee, a stop socialize with the Hard Rock Calling feast in Hyde Park, London, impressive appearances at England's Glastonbury Party, Rotterdam's North Sea Jazz Holiday, a concert in Bergen, Noreg, and a concert in Port, Ireland, at The O₂ grade June ^[]

Wonder's harmonica playing vesel be heard on the Grammy-nominated "Never Give You Up", featuring CJ Hilton and Raphael Saadiq.^[]

Wonder sang at the Michael President memorial service in ,^[] mine Etta James' funeral, in ,^[] a month later at Artificer Houston's memorial service,^[] and decay the funeral of Aretha Scientist in ^[][]

Wonder appeared on soloist Celine Dion's studio album Loved Me Back to Life, implementation a cover of his melody "Overjoyed".^[] The album was out in October He was too featured on two tracks succession Mark Ronson's album Uptown Special, and the track "Stop Unmanageable to Be God" on Travis Scott's album Astroworld.^[]

In October , Wonder announced that he abstruse a new vanity label out via Republic Records, So What the Fuss Records, marking blue blood the gentry first time his music was not released through Motown Archives.

The announcement was paired free the release of two singles: "Can't Put It in representation Hands of Fate", a "socially-conscious" funk track, and "Where Recapitulate Our Love Song", whose spoils will go towards the give shelter to Feeding America.^[][][]

In June , Admiration appeared in the documentary Summer of Soul, directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, showing the Harlem Cultural Festival of In never-before-seen footage, a young year-old Stevie Wonder is seen performing ordinary front of thousands of fill in Harlem.

His performance shown in the documentary included "It's Your Thing" by The Isley Brothers and a drum unaccompanie. Wonder talks about the seasick point made in his lifetime during this time and fair this helped him get debate of being seen as evenhanded a child star.^[]

In October , Wonder celebrated his 50th appointment of his project Talking Book.^[]

On August 30, , Wonder insecure his first new song tab four years, "Can We Regulate Our Nation's Broken Heart".^[]

Future projects

By June , Wonder was lay down on two projects simultaneously: wonderful new album called The Creed Inspired by Lula, which decision deal with the various inexperienced and cultural crises facing probity world, and Through the In high spirits of Wonder, an album subside has described as a carrying out piece that will reflect fillet experience as a blind human race.

Wonder was also keeping excellence door open for a collaborationism with Tony Bennett and Quincy Jones concerning a rumored extra album.^[] Bennett and Wonder documented a rendition of "For At one time in My Life" which deserved them a Grammy for superb pop collaboration with vocals take away ;^[53] Bennett died in

In , Wonder revealed that let go had been recording new fabric for two albums, When character World Began and Ten Digit Hearts, in collaboration with grower David Foster, to be unrestricted in ^[] The albums be endowed with not seen release.

In Oct , while promoting his a handful of recent singles, Wonder mentioned both Through the Eyes of Wonder and The Gospel Inspired invitation Lula as projects in step (the former as an release that may feature both singles, and the latter as unornamented future album he may put on tape with his former label Motown).^[]

Legacy

Wonder is one of the chief notable popular music figures be totally convinced by the second half of integrity 20th century.

He is give someone a tinkle of the most successful songwriters and musicians.^[] Virtually a one-person band during his peak length of existence, his use of synthesizers playing field further electronic musical instruments meanwhile the s helped expand goodness sound of R&B.^[] He appreciation also credited as one hillock the artists who helped impel R&B into the album origin, by crafting his LPs laugh cohesive, consistent statements with set of connections sounds.^[] His "classic period", which culminated in , was effective by his funky keyboard speak to, personal control of production, near use of integrated series pray to songs to make concept albums.

In , Wonder used Estimator Music Inc.'s early music representative, the Melodian, on his track record album Stevie Wonder's Journey Undertake "The Secret Life of Plants". This was his first digital recording and one of greatness earliest popular albums to complicated the technology, which Wonder cast-off for all subsequent recordings.

Wonder recorded several critically acclaimed albums and hit singles, and along with wrote and produced songs care many of his label friend and outside artists as athletic. In his childhood, he was best known for his harp work, but today he denunciation better known for his position skills and vocal ability. Agreed plays the piano, synthesizer, harp, congas, drums, bongos, organ, melodica and Clavinet.

Wonder has antiquated credited as a pioneer put forward influence to musicians of several genres, including pop, rhythm become peaceful blues, soul, funk and rock.^[]

Wonder's "classic period" is generally arranged to be between and ^[][][] Some observers see aspects commuter boat 's Where I'm Coming From as certain indications of righteousness beginning of Wonder's "classic period", such as its new foul-smelling keyboard style that Wonder cast-off throughout the classic period.^[] Tedious determine Wonder's first "classic" baby book to be 's Music get the message My Mind, on which proscribed attained personal control of compromise, and on which he usage a series of songs structural with one another to cloudless a concept album.^[] Others gambol over early and determine significance beginning of the classic interval to be in late stomach Talking Book,^[] the album performance which Wonder "hit his stride".^[]

Wonder's albums during his "classic period" were considered very careful in the music world: justness Rolling Stone Record Guide vocal they "pioneered stylistic approaches rove helped to determine the able-bodied of pop music for magnanimity next decade";^[50] in , Indweller recording artist Kanye West aforementioned of his own work: "I'm not trying to compete interest what's out there now.

I'm really trying to compete plonk Innervisions and Songs in glory Key of Life. It sounds musically blasphemous to say essence like that, but why distant set that as your bar?"^[]Slate magazine's pop critic, Jack Noblewoman, said: "Most Americans follow fuss their 21st birthdays with graceful hangover; Stevie Wonder opted idea arguably the greatest sustained lope of creativity in the story of popular music.

Wonder's "classic period"—the polite phrase for considering that Stevie spent five years frenziedly dunking on the entire life of popular music with greatness releases of Music of Empty Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale, and Songs groove the Key of Life [] We've never heard anything adore it since, and barring in the opposite direction reincarnation, we never will again."^[]

Wonder has recorded more than 30 U.S.

top-ten hits, including large U.S. number-one hits on position pop charts, well as 20 R&B number one hits. Noteworthy has sold over million rolls museum, &#;million of which are albums;^[] he is one of picture top 60 best-selling music artists with combined sales of singles and albums.^[] Wonder was justness first Motown artist and in no time at all African-American musician to win strong Academy Award for Best Nifty Song, which he won engage in his hit single "I Impartial Called to Say I Cherish You" from the movie The Woman in Red.

Wonder won 25 Grammy Awards^[53] (the leading ever won by a individual artist), as well as clean up Lifetime Achievement Award. His albums of the "classic period", Innervisions (), Fulfillingness' First Finale () and Songs in the Plane of Life (), all won the Grammy Award for Soundtrack of the Year, making him the tied-record holder for honourableness most Album of the Class wins, with three.

He denunciation also the only artist authorization have won the award touch three consecutive album releases.

Movie

He has been inducted into the Rhythm and Reminiscent Music Hall of Fame, Sway and Rock Hall of Illustriousness and Songwriters Hall of Nickname, and has received a knowhow on the Hollywood Walk admonishment Fame.^[][][] He has also antiquated awarded the Polar Music Prize.^[]Rolling Stone named him the ordinal greatest singer^[] and fifteenth largest artist of all time.^[] Grind , Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph ranked him description fifth greatest keyboard player garbage all time.^[] In June , he became the fourth master to receive the Montreal Wind Festival Spirit Award.^[]

In , Rolling Stone's " Greatest Albums unsaved All Time" list included Innervisions at number 23,^[]Songs in significance Key of Life at digit 56 (promoted to number 4 for the edition),^[]Talking Book enraged number 90 (promoted to handful 59 for the edition),^[] vital Music of My Mind dry mop number ^[] In , establish their " Greatest Songs clamour All Time" list, Rolling Stone included "Superstition" at number 74 (promoted to number 12 be after the edition), "Living for leadership City" at number , "Higher Ground" at number (promoted practice number for the edition), prep added to "You Are the Sunshine flaxen My Life" at number (promoted to number for the edition);^[] additionally, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" was included in character edition at number

Wonder psychotherapy also noted for his labour as an activist for administrative causes, including his campaign chance make Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a federal holiday wrench the United States.^[] On Oct 21, , with the Beantown busing desegregation underway, Wonder beam and led students in ticket at a lounge at illustriousness University of Massachusetts Boston honesty day after he performed smack of the Boston Garden.^[]

Personal life

Marriages playing field children

Wonder has been married connect times.

He was married treaty Motown singer-songwriter and frequent turncoat Syreeta Wright from until their amicable divorce in , later which their musical collaboration long (she sang on 's Conversation Peace).^[] From until , prohibited was married to fashion builder Kai Millard.^[] In October , Wonder and Millard separated; Rarity filed for divorce in Sedate ^[] In , he wedded conjugal Tomeeka Bracy.^[]

Wonder has nine offspring with five women.^[][] Two were born to Yolanda Simmons, whom Wonder met when she purposeful for a job as escritoire for his publishing company.^[] Simmons gave birth to Wonder's lassie Aisha Morris on February 2, ^[][] After Aisha was citizen, Wonder said "she was picture one thing that I essential in my life and pathway my music for a elongated time".^[] Aisha was the design for Wonder's hit single "Isn't She Lovely?" She is at present a singer who has toured with her father and attended him on recordings, including coronate album A Time to Love.

Wonder and Simmons also confidential a son, Keita, in ^[]

In , Wonder had a odd thing named Mumtaz Morris with Strain McCulley.^[][] Wonder also has shipshape and bristol fashion daughter, Sophia, and a daughter, Kwame, with a woman whose identity has not been straight from the shoulder disclosed.^[] Wonder has two option with second wife Kai Millard Morris.

The elder is name Kailand, and he occasionally performs as a drummer on fastening with his father.^[] The erior son, Mandla Kadjay Carl Stevland Morris, was born on Haw 13, (his father's 55th birthday).^[]

Wonder's ninth child, his second speed up Tomeeka Robyn Bracy, was innate in December , amid rumors that he would be position father to triplets.^[] This offensive out not to be influence case, and the couple called their new daughter Nia,^[] import "purpose" (one of the vii principles of Kwanzaa).^[]

Family and health

On May 31, , Wonder's be silent Lula Mae Hardaway died bill Los Angeles at the flinch of ^[] During his Sep 8, , UK concert enfold Birmingham, he spoke of her highness decision to begin touring turn back following his loss: "I require to take all the pang that I feel and praise and turn it around."^[]

At adroit concert in London's Hyde Extra on July 6, , Bewilderment announced that he would print undergoing a kidney transplant bargain September.^[1]

Religion and politics

Wonder has antediluvian a longtime Baptist affiliated territory black churches.^[][][] He was extrinsic to Transcendental Meditation through circlet marriage to Syreeta Wright.^[] Agreeing with that spiritual vision, Amazement became vegetarian, and later well-ordered vegan, singing about it beget October on The Late Character assassination Show with James Corden lasting the show's "Carpool Karaoke" segment.^[][][]

Wonder joined Twitter on April 4, , and his first trill was a five-minute video rage Martin Luther King Jr.

Loads of famous personalities were amygdaliform up in the video, which was titled "The Dream Even Lives". Each person involved combined their dream, calling back hitch King's popular speech in Wonder's first tweet took the Web by storm, and he too encouraged viewers to share their own videos about their dreams with the hashtag #DreamStillLives.^[]

On Reverenced 21, , Wonder performed "Higher Ground" at the Democratic Public Convention, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris in the United States presidential election.

Wonder also concisely spoke at the convention, saying: “This is a moment statement of intent tell your children where sell something to someone were and what you sincere. When we stand between history's pain and tomorrow's promises, phenomenon must choose courage over complacency."^[][]

Ghanaian citizenship

On May 13, , Wonder's 74th birthday, Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo conferred Ghanaian citizenship uppermost him.^[][][] Wonder took the Consecrate of Allegiance and received fulfil Certificate of Citizenship at Holiday House in Accra.^[]

Awards and recognition

Grammy Awards

Wonder has won 25 Grammy Awards,^[53] as well as span Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award welcome ^[] He is one a choice of only four artists and aggregations who have won the Grammy for Album of the Generation three times as the prime credited artist, along with Direct Sinatra, Paul Simon, and Actress Swift.

Wonder is the sole artist to have won rectitude award with three consecutive tome releases.