Stevie Wonder
About Stevie Wonder
Soul legend Stevie Wonder has recorded over 30 top ten hits and bagged himself 21 Grammy awards, a record for a solo artist. The talented R&B singer/songwriter has, famously, been blind since he was born-a premature baby, his blindness is now known to be a side effect of excessive oxygen in the incubator-but blindness has never stopped the multi-instrumentalist from following his muse to pop stardom. When his family moved to the soul music capital of Detroit, young Stevie began playing and singing in church, a hobby that was enthusiastically encouraged by his parents. At the age of 11, Stevie met Motown hit-maker Ronnie White from the popular band The Miracles. White introduced Stevie Wonder to Motown Record's legendary CEO Barry Gordy, who spotted his talent and signed him on the spot. At 13, Stevie had his first hit with "Fingertips Pt. 2," featuring Marvin Gaye on drums. Other 60's hits included "Uptight (Everything's Alright,)" "With A Child's Heart" and a cover of Bob Dylan's peace ballad "Blowin' In the Wind." But the prodigious Wonder was unhappy with the factory-like environment at Motown Records and quarreled with Barry Gordy. After tense negotiations, he stayed with the label and gained complete artistic control of his recording process. It was during this period that wonder released a string of classic 70's albums, including Music of My Mind and the tense, groove-heavy Talking Book (the later containing Wonder's signature singles "Superstition" and "You Are the Sunshine of My Life." In 1973, Stevie Wonder released what is widely considered his best album, the politically charged Innervisions which included singles "Higher Ground" and "Living For the City."
