Stevie Wonder

Stevland Hardaway Morris Né Judkins May 13 1950 Known Professionally As Stevie Wonder Is An American Singer-Songwriter Who Is Credited As A Pioneer And Influence By Musicians Across A Range Of Genres That Include Rhythm And Blues Pop Soul Gospel Funk And Jazz. A Virtual One-Man Band Wonder's Use Of Synthesizers And Other Electronic Musical Instruments During The 1970s Reshaped The Conventions Of R&B. He Also Helped Drive Such Genres Into The Album Era Crafting His LPs As Cohesive And Consistent In Addition To Socially Conscious Statements With Complex Compositions. Blind Since Shortly After His Birth Wonder Was A Child Prodigy Who Signed With Motown's Tamla Label At The Age Of 11 Where He Was Given The Professional Name Little Stevie Wonder. Wonder's Single "Fingertips" Was A No. 1 Hit On The Billboard Hot 100 In 1963 At The Age Of 13 Making Him The Youngest Artist Ever To Top The Chart. Wonder's Critical Success Was At Its Peak In The 1970s. His "classic Period" Began In 1972 With The Releases Of Music Of My Mind And Talking Book The Latter Featuring "Superstition" Which Is One Of The Most Distinctive And Famous Examples Of The Sound Of The Hohner Clavinet Keyboard. His Works Innervisions 1973 Fulfillingness' First Finale 1974 And Songs In The Key Of Life 1976 All Won The Grammy Award For Album Of The Year Making Him The Tied-Record Holder For The Most Album Of The Year Wins With Three. He Is Also The Only Artist To Have Won The Award With Three Consecutive Album Releases. Wonder Began His "commercial Period" In The 1980s He Achieved His Biggest Hits And Highest Level Of Fame Had Increased Album Sales Charity Participation High-Profile Collaborations Including Paul McCartney And Michael Jackson Political Impact And Television Appearances. Wonder Has Continued To Remain Active In Music And Political Causes. Wonder Is One Of The Best-Selling Music Artists Of All Time With Sales Of Over 100 Million Records Worldwide. He Has Won 25 Grammy Awards The Most By A Solo Artist And One Academy Award Best Original Song For The 1984 Film The Woman In Red . Wonder Has Been Inducted Into The Rhythm And Blues Music Hall Of Fame Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame And Songwriters Hall Of Fame. He Is Also Noted For His Work As An Activist For Political Causes Including His 1980 Campaign To Make Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday A Federal Holiday In The U.S. In 2009 He Was Named A United Nations Messenger Of Peace And In 2014 He Was Honored With The Presidential Medal Of Freedom. Wonder Was Born Stevland Hardaway Judkins In Saginaw Michigan On May 13 1950 The Third Of Five Children Born To Lula Mae Hardaway And The Second Of Hardaway's Two Children With Calvin Judkins. He Was Born Six Weeks Premature Which Along With The Oxygen-Rich Atmosphere In The Hospital Incubator Resulted In Retinopathy Of Prematurity A Condition In Which The Growth Of The Eyes Is Aborted And Causes The Retinas To Detach So He Became Blind. read less