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Stevie Wonder

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Stevie Wonder was born Stevland Hardaway Judkins in 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan. He was born prematurely and was blinded by too much oxygen in the incubator. His mother moved with the children to Detroit, where he sang in a church choir and learned to play piano, harmonica and drums. Ronnie White of The Miracles heard him sing and arranged an audition at Motown. In 1961, at eleven, he signed to Tamla as Little Stevie Wonder.

Music and breakthrough

In 1963 Fingertips, recorded live in Chicago, became a number 1 in America: he was thirteen. Hits followed such as Uptight (Everything's Alright), I Was Made to Love Her, For Once in My Life and Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours, the first song he produced himself. At twenty-one he let his contract with Motown run out. He forced through a new contract with far more artistic freedom. Together with Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil and their enormous home-built synthesizer he made Music of My Mind and Talking Book (1972), with Superstition and You Are the Sunshine of My Life. Innervisions (1973), Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974) and Songs in the Key of Life (1976) followed.

Influence

On his records Wonder often played nearly all the instruments himself. With synthesizers and electronic keyboards he changed the sound of rhythm and blues in the 1970s, and he made albums that work as a whole, with lyrics about social issues. Like Marvin Gaye, he showed that a Motown artist could decide for himself what to record.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Superstition and notice the clavinet, the electric keyboard instrument that plays the funky main motif. Hear how the drums start alone and how the horns later reinforce the motif.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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Mentioned in other articles

See also

Categories: ArtistsFunk