Stevie Wonder
Nationality: American
Famous: Black Singers Black Musicians
Also Known As: Stevland Hardaway Morris (legal), Little Stevie Wonder (stage)
Sun Sign: Taurus
Age: 68 Years
Born in: Saginaw
Famous as: Musician
Height: 1.84 m
Spouse/Ex-: Kai Millard Morris, Syreeta Wright
father: Calvin Judkins
mother: Lula Mae Hardaway
children: Aisha Morris, Kailand Morris, Keita Morris, Kwame Morris, Mandla Kadjay Carl Stevland Morris, Mumtaz Morris, Sophia Morris
City, States, Provinces & Districts: Michigan
Diseases & Disabilities: Visual Impairment
Founder/Co-Founder: Kurzweil Music Systems
Net worth: $110 Million as of May 11, 2017
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Stevie Wonder is an American musician, singer and songwriter, considered to be one of the most creative musical performers of the 20th century. Blind from birth, he was a child prodigy and became a skilled musician by the age of eight. After signing a contract with Motown label, he was renamed ‘Little Stevie Wonder’ and made his recording debut at the age of 12.Subsequently, he emerged as an able artist with his hit single “Fingertips” and later, his passionate delivery of the pounding single “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” confirmed the arrival of a compelling performer. In the following years, Wonder had numerous hits with several chartbusters including “I Was Made to Love Her” and “For Once in My Life”. In the 1970s, his albums produced a steady stream of classic hits such as “Superstition”, “You Are the Sunshine of My Life”, “Living for the City”, “I Wish” and ‘Sir Duke”. The 1980's saw Wonder scoring his biggest hits and reaching an unprecedented level of fame which was evident by the increased album sales, high-profile collaborations and television appearances. Throughout his career, Wonder has recorded many critically acclaimed albums and hit singles. He has 25 Grammy Awards to his name —the most ever won by a solo artist—and is considered to be among the best selling artists of all time
- Stevie Wonder was born on May 13, 1950, in Saginaw, Michigan, to Calvin Judkins, and his wife, Lula Mae Hardaway. He was the third of six children in the family and was born six weeks premature, which caused retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in his eyes and subsequently he lost his vision.From an early age, he started playing musical instruments and later formed a singing partnership with a friend. The duo played on street corners, occasionally at parties and dances, calling themselves Stevie and John.At the age of 11, Wonder sang his own composition titled “Lonely Boy” to the musician Ronnie White, co-founder of the musical group, ‘The Miracles’. Soon, he was signed to Motown's Tamla label and was given the name ‘Little Stevie Wonder’.In 1962, the popular song “I Call It Pretty Music, But the Old People Call It the Blues” was released as his début single. The following year, his album ‘Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius’ was released which included the single “Fingertips” that went on to become a major hit.In mid-1960s, Wonder went on to have a number of other hits such as “With a Child's Heart” and “Blowin' in the Wind”. Between 1968 and 1970, he managed to score several hits including “I Was Made to Love Her”, “For Once in My Life” and “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours”.Career
- In 1970, Wonder collaborated with his wife, Sylvia, and together they worked on his next album titled ‘Where I’m Coming From’. The album became a moderate success upon its release in the following year.In March 1972, his album ‘Music of My Mind’ was released which has been marked as the beginning of Wonder’s “classic period”. Same year, he also released the album ‘Talking Book’ which featured hits such as “Superstition” and “You Are the Sunshine of My Life”.In the following years, he came up with several blockbuster albums such as ‘Innervisions’ (1973), ‘Fulfillingness' First Finale’ (1974), ‘Songs in the Key of Life’ (1976), and ‘Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants” (1979). With the success of these albums, Wonder became the most acclaimed black musician by the end of 1970s.In 1980s, he achieved his biggest hits and highest level of fame with albums including ‘Hotter Than July’ (1980) and ‘Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium’(1982).In 1984, he recorded the soundtrack album for the movie ‘The Woman in Red’ which featured the Academy Award winning song “I Just Called to Say I Love You”.In 1987, he released his album entitled ‘Characters’ which was followed by the soundtrack album for the 1991 movie ‘Jungle Fever’.In 1995, his album ‘Conversation Peace’ was released which consisted of hits such as “For Your Love” and “Tomorrow Robins Will Sing”.In the new millennium, he came out with the album ‘A Time For Love’, in 2005. In the subsequent years, he toured North America and also performed on several occasions including the ‘Obama Inaugural Celebration’ in 2009.
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Major Works- Among Wonder's major works are singles such as “Superstition”, “Sir Duke”, “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” and “I Just Called to Say I Love You”. In his long and illustrious career, he has produced many chartbuster albums including‘ Innervisions’, ‘Songs in the Key of Life’ and ‘Hotter than July’.Recommended Lists:
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Awards & Achievements- Stevie Wonder has won 25 Grammy Awards in his career.In 1983, he was inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.In 1984, he won an Academy Award for Best Song for ‘I Just Called to Say I Love You’ from the movie ‘The Woman in Red’.In 1989, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.In 1996, he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.In 1999, he was awarded the ‘Polar Music Prize’ and ‘Kennedy Center Honors’.In 2002, he was conferred the ‘Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award’ by the Songwriters Hall of Fame.In 2004, he was honored with the ‘Billboard Century Award’.In 2006, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. Same year, he was inducted to the Michigan Walk of Fame.In 2009, he was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace.In 2014, he became a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Personal Life & Legacy- In 1970, Stevie Wonder married Syreeta Wright, the Motown singer/songwriter and frequent collaborator. Two years later, the couple got divorced amicably.Later, Wonder met Yolanda Simmons when she applied for the post of his secretary for his publishing company. In 1975, Simmons gave birth to their daughter, Aisha Morris.In 2001, he entered into a wed lock with Kai Millard Morris, a fashion designer. In 2009, the couple separated and Wonder filed for divorce in August 2012. The couple has two sons Kailand and Mandla Kadjay Carl Stevland Morris.Later, Wonder got involved in an affair with Tomeeka Robyn Bracy. In 2014, Bracy gave birth to the couple’s second child, Nia, who is the ninth child of Wonder.Net Worth
- Stevie Wonder has an estimated net worth of $ 110 million
Awards
Academy Awards(Oscars)1985 Best Music, Original Song The Woman in Red (1984) Golden Globe Awards1985 Best Original Song - Motion Picture The Woman in Red (1984) ASCAP Film And Television Music Awards2000 Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures Wild Wild West (1999) 1997 Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures Dangerous Minds (1995) 1992 Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures Jungle Fever (1991) Grammy Awards2007 Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals Winner 2006 Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group Winner 2006 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Winner Translate Wiki to Spanish, French, Hindi, PortugueseHow To Cite
Article Title- Stevie Wonder BiographyAuthor- Editors, TheFamousPeople.comWebsite- TheFamousPeople.comURL- https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/stevland-hardaway-judkins-2922.phpLast Updated- July 21, 2017People Also Viewed
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