Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder is the professional name of Stevland Hardaway Morris, an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer from Saginaw, United States. Born in 1950 and blind from shortly after birth, he is identified as a child prodigy and signs to Motown’s Tamla label at the age of 11, where he receives the name Little Stevie Wonder.

Career

As a teenager, Wonder becomes one of Motown’s most successful artists. He is known for his harmonica playing, his vocal style and for recording songs including “Uptight (Everything's Alright)”, “I Was Made to Love Her”, “For Once in My Life” and “My Cherie Amour”. His single “Fingertips” reaches number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963, making him the youngest solo artist to top the chart at the time.

He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century and as a pioneer across R&B, pop, soul, gospel, funk and jazz. During his peak years, he often works as a largely self-contained performer, and his use of synthesizers and other electronic instruments in the 1970s helps shape the sound and production of contemporary R&B. His work also helps establish the album as a cohesive artistic form, with socially conscious themes and complex arrangements.

Classic period and major albums

Wonder’s most critically and commercially successful period, often called his classic period, runs from 1972 to 1976 and begins with Music of My Mind and Talking Book. These albums mark a move away from the Motown sound towards a style centred on keyboards and synthesizers. He follows them with Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale and Songs in the Key of Life.

With those three albums, he becomes the first Black artist to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and he remains the only artist to win the award with three consecutive album releases. His later studio albums include Hotter Than July, The Woman in Red, In Square Circle, Characters, Jungle Fever, Conversation Peace and A Time to Love.

Collaborations, chart success and public work

During the 1980s, Wonder maintains an international profile through collaborations, including work with Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson, along with television appearances and involvement in charitable and political causes. He campaigns for the creation of a federal holiday in the United States in honour of Martin Luther King Jr.

Albums such as Hotter Than July, The Woman in Red and In Square Circle reach the top five of the Billboard 200. Singles including “Ebony and Ivory”, “I Just Called to Say I Love You”, “Part-Time Lover” and “That's What Friends Are For” reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the first artist to top the chart in three consecutive decades. He later returns to the top five with A Time to Love and remains active in music and public life.

Awards and recognition

Wonder is among the best-selling music artists, with sales exceeding 100 million records worldwide. He receives 25 Grammy Awards, the most awarded to a male solo artist, as well as an Academy Award. He is inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and he ranks highly in lists of the greatest singers and songwriters published by Rolling Stone.

In 2009, he is appointed a United Nations Messenger of Peace. In 2014, he receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2024, he is granted Ghanaian citizenship, reflecting his stated belief in his Ghanaian ancestry.