Stevie Wonder is a unique American singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist, working mainly in the genres of soul and rhythm and blues. He was born in a poor family and became blind even in infancy, but this did not stop him from conquering the whole world with his songs. Currently, Stevie Wonder has won 25 Grammy Awards.
The early years and the first contract with Motown
Stevie Wonder (real name - Hardaway Morris) was born on May 13, 1950 in one of the towns of Michigan. The baby was premature and after he was put in the so-called incubator for nursing, he completely lost his sight - this happened due to an excess of oxygen in the air mixture received through the tube.
Stevie Lula's mother loved him very much. But the family lived in poverty, and therefore the first cheap musical instrument that she could buy for her son (he adored music from an early age) was an ordinary cheap harmonica. The boy everywhere carried her with him and often played for passers-by on the street. Then he got a piano (his neighbor left him), and then a drum set (it was donated by a charity).
Stevie had not only a good ear, but also a beautiful voice. And this allowed him to sing in a church choir. There Jerry White once noticed him - one of the parishioners. He was struck by the vocal abilities of the boy, and he decided to send him to the Motown production center. Berry Gordy, the director of the center, appreciated the boy’s talent and signed a contract with him. At the same time, he asked Stevie to take a pseudonym - Wonder (which can be translated from English as a "miracle").
At first, the talented boy acted as the opening act for famous artists and went on tour with them. Because of this, I had to leave an ordinary school, but the producer understood that Stevie needed education, and therefore at some point he was sent to study in a special institution for the blind, so that he would take accelerated courses there.
Soon, Stevie from just a performer turned into a composer of the label Motown. During the sixties, he created some great hits - "Uptight", "My Cherie Amour", "For Once in My Life", "With a Child's Heart", etc.
The peak of Wonder’s career
The first Grammy figurine was awarded to Stevie in 1970 for the soul album "Signed, Sealed And Delivered". In the same 1970, Wonder married for the first time - to black singer Cyrite Wright. This marriage lasted only two years, but even after the divorce, Stevie and Cyrita remained friends.
Back in the sixties, Stevie Wonder met with the famous public figure Martin Luther King, and this greatly influenced the worldview of the musician. He became more interested in politics and soon realized that he would not be able to realize some of his new ideas on the Motown label. Therefore, in 1971, he broke off the contract with the production center and began to work independently.
At the end of 1972, the first album was released, recorded by Stevie without the support of Motown - it was called Talking Book. The album was a huge success. For two songs that were present on this album (You Are the Sunshine of My Life and Superstition), Steve became the Grammy winner three times. And the album Innervisions, which appeared a year later, brought him three more figurines of this prestigious award.
In 1976, Motown offered the musician a new very profitable multi-million dollar contract. After a little reflection, Stevie agreed - so the production center got back one of his main stars. In the same year, Stevie released the double studio album (eighteenth in a row) Songs in the Key of Life, and as a result, he became the most commercially successful career.
In the next twenty years, the musician noticeably reduced his creative activity - he created only four albums during this time. They also had brilliant hits, but the same great demand as in the past for Stevie's music was no longer observed.
