Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder, born Steveland Hardaway Judkins, the third of five children to Calvin Judkins and Lula
Mae Hardaway. Born six weeks premature, which gave him a condition that with to much oxygen in the
hospital incubator, retinopathy of prematurity, a disease that left him permanently blind. After
Hardaway’s mother’s divorce from his father, he became a choir singer and soloist at age eight. Having a
natural talent for music, he taught himself how to play a variety of instruments like piano, harmonica and
drums. After changing his last name to Morris because of an old family name on his mother’s side, he
released his first album, The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie, he was enrolled in the Michigan School for the
Blind. After a few years, Stevie sang one of his songs to Ronnie White from the Miracles, Ronnie took him
to an audition to sing for Berry Gordy, who signed with Stevie. But before signing, Motown producer
Clarence Paul gave him the stage name Little Stevie Wonder. As a 13 year old writing songs and playing
on tour, he was considered the youngest artist ever hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&B chart,
for the first time! During his growing up, Wonder’s voice began to change, and some Motown executives
began to question his ability to sing the songs that he used to. After becoming Stevie Wonder, he
collaborated with Sylvia Moy, they created the hit Uptight (Everything’s Alright), producing many other
hits with others during the mid-1960s. After producing the several hits, he produced his very first self-
produced hit single, Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours. At the age of 20 on September 1970, Stevie
Wonder married Syreeta Wright, a songwriter and for Motown secretary, working together with Wright
on his next album, Where I’m Coming From, compared with Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, as both
albums had similar themes. Also, during 1970, Wonder co- wrote the hit, It’s a Shame. And upon
reaching his 21st birthday, his Motown contract made all those years ago expired. After his old contract
expired, he signed another contract, which gave him a much higher royalty rate. In late 1972, Wonder’s
album Talking Book had the No. 1 hit, Superstition and You Are the Sunshine of My Life. Touring with The
Rolling Stones to lower the negative impact his being an R&B artist in America, also making Superstition
and You Are the Sunshine of My Life, winning two Grammy Awards. Writing new songs like I Wish, Sir
Duke and Isn’t She Lovely, he gained popularity as a master songwriter. During the 1980s, he wrote
Happy Birthday for his campaign to make Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday a national holiday. His 1983
lead single, I Just Called to Say I Love You, became one of his most popular songs ever released, winning
an Academy award for Best Song in 1985, also appearing on the Cosby Show episode, A Touch of
Wonder. In 1987, he appeared on Michael Jackson’s Bad album, singing a duet with him.
