Today in History: Stevie Wonder was born. We list 10 of his greatest songs
One of the greatest Motown and love song artists of all time, Stevie Wonder, was born today 68 years ago.
Stevland Hardaway Morris, better known as Stevie Wonder, was born on 13 May 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan, USA and would go on to become one of the greatest and most successful artists of all time, winning 25 Grammy Awards.
Stevie Wonder was born six weeks prematurely which, along with the oxygen-rich atmosphere in the hospital incubator, led to retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a condition in which the growth of the eyes is aborted and the retinas die, resulting in blindness.
He did not let his blindness hamper his singing ability, however, as he signed for his first record label, Motown’s Tamla label, at the age of 11.
This was the start of the astronomical career that awaited him as he released his first two studio albums, The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie (1972) and Tribute to Uncle Ray (1972), a year later.
Wonder became the youngest person to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart, at the age of 13 (a record he still holds) with his single Fingertips, which was simultaneously the number one on the R&B chart, the first time this had ever occurred.
Wonder’s popularity and success would skyrocket in the 1970s with what are regarded as some of his best works, including the hit singles Superstition (which won him his first Grammy in 1973), Higher Ground, Living for the City, I Wish,Sir Duke,and Isn’t She Lovely, and his albums Talking Book (1972), Innervisions(1973), and Songs in the Key of Life (1976).
He gained further popularity in the 80s, releasing his first platinum-selling album entitled Hotter than July (1980) which included the single Happy Birthday which became the successful vehicle for his campaign to establish Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday as a national holiday.
1984 saw the release of Wonder’s soundtrack album for Gene Wilder’s comedyThe Woman in Red, which included the single I Just Called to Say I Love You.
The single won an Academy Award (Oscar) for best song in 1985, an award that he accepted in the name of Nelson Mandela. This resulted in him being banned from South Africa.
Incidentally, on his 35th birthday, the United Nations Special Committee Against Apartheid honoured Wonder for his stance against racism in South Africa.
Wonder’s career is simply phenomenal and we could go on and on talking about his successes, such as the 25 Grammys he won, the Presidential Medal of Freedom he was awarded in 2014, and his two honorary doctorates, but we only have so much time. In light of that, here are our Top 10 Stevie Wonder songs of all time:
10. Part-Time Lover (1985)
9. I Wish (1976)
8. As (1976)
7. My Cherie Amour (1969)
6. Higher Ground (1973)
5. Isn’t She Lovely (1976)
4. Sir Duke (1976)
3. Living for the City (1973)
2. I Just Called to Say I Love You (1984)
1. Superstition (1972)
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