This multi talented musician is surely one of the all time greats to come from the Motown Label. Steveland Judkins was born in Siginaw, Michigan, USA, on the 13th May 1950. After an unfortunate accident at birth where he was put into an incubator and given too much oxygen he lost his sight. However, this disability didn't hold him back and at a very young age he was already showing his musical inclinations by using just about anything that he could get his hands on as a musical instrument. By the time he was nine years old, this young talent had already learned how to play the piano, drums and the harmonica.

After singing in his local church choir he was introduced to Berry Gordy of Motown Records by Ronnie White, from the group The Miracles. Gordy was instantly impressed and signed Stevie to his record company. He then gave his new protegé the new name Little Stevie Wonder. For the early part of the 60s not that much happened for Wonder, but around the time of 1964 when his voice broke, so did his luck with his career and he scored a top hit with the song "Uptight (Everything's Alright)", a single which he co-wrote with Henry Cosby and Sylvia Moy.

As with most Motown artists at that time, he recorded songs that were recorded for him by the labels executives. However, from 1967 he played a big part by co-writing most of the tunes which he sung. Not only did he help to write most of his own songs, he also became more his own man, so-to-speak, when his contract from Motown expired in 1971. Instead of resigning immediately he decided to venture down a new avenue of music and started to use synthesizers. When he finally did res. They were that he would virtually work as a free artist and that he would have total control over his own work. After his signing, several hits, such as "Superstition" and "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life", hit the charts. He then went on to concentrate his efforts on a young lady's career who he had married two years earlier.
Syreeta, who was also contracted out to Motown, enlisted the help of her husband' successful musical techniques and enjoyed a period of hits. Unfortunately their marriage was not as fruitful as their music and the relationship soon fell apart. Personal problems seemed to be very apparent in Wonder's life at this time and in 1974 he faced more tragedy when he was involved in a near fatal car crash. A car which he was travelling in hit a logging truck. For four days he laid in hospital in a coma with multiple injuries. Although he did eventually recover from the tragedy the accident did rob him of his sense of smell.

In 1976, after returning to the stage after his already mentioned accident, he announced his quitting the music industry for 2 years to concentrate on working with children in Ghana. This statement wasn't totally true. Although he didn't do as much for the next few years in the music direction, he did continue his musical career. Causes for charity would now play a very big part in his life and through the years he has been a leading light for such benefits as Aids, black rights movements, famine relief and he even campaigned to make Martin Luther King's birthday a public holiday in America - a campaign he actually won.

In 1983 he starred in the 25th Motown Anniversary Show where he sang with many other famous artists from the famous label. His good nature came to the front line again in 1985 when he participated in the recording of the famine relief song "We Are The World".

Although he has remained in the music industry, not so much is heard from him today in comparison to the 60s and 70s. The reason probably being that he concentrates his efforts nowadays more so on political and environmental issues. The awards, records and achievements Stevie Wonder has received through the years are more than enough to fill any one's cabinet, no matter how big it is [and if I was to make a list of exactly what he has won, I would probably be looking for more space for our Homepage]. However, all joking apart, what this blind musician has accomplished despite his obvious disability must surely be a lesson to us all and certainly a credit to himself. Hopefully he won't put all his efforts into other projects away from the music scene as I for one would certainly miss the music which he has so far brought to us through the years.



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