Stevie Wonder is the pseudonym of the famous American soul singer, whose real name is Stevland Hardaway Morris.
The popular performer is blind almost from birth, but this did not prevent him from becoming one of the famous singers of the XNUMXth century.
He won the prestigious Grammy award 25 times and also had a great influence on the development of music in the last century.
The birth and early childhood of Stevie Wonder
The fate of the African-American singer was determined by a medical error. Stevie Wonder was born on May 13, 1950. He was born prematurely, so he was placed in a special incubator for premature babies.
The future performer had retinopathy, which is typical for many babies born before 40 weeks. This is a lesion of the membrane of the eye, most often caused by vascular disorders.
In the last century, doctors knew little about this, so they made a mistake. Stevie's incubator was given a very large amount of oxygen, which had a bad effect on the fragile vessels of the eyes. The child is completely blind.
The boy spent most of his early childhood at home. His mother did not let him go out alone, because she was worried about blindness. The loss of vision led to the fact that the child's other senses became aggravated.
The future singer began to sing in the church choir, and also studied musical instruments with the help of his mother. He quickly mastered harmonica, drums and piano.
According to Stevie Wonder, it was the tactile sensations that he received when playing various instruments that played a significant role for him.
First contract and records
The boy's talent was noticed early. Already at the age of 9, he successfully passed the audition, which determined his future career. He arranged a meeting with the CEO of the famous record company Motown Records.
Then the firm was led by Berry Gordy, who admired the talent of the child. Already at the age of 10, Stevie Wonder signed his first contract.
At the age of 11, his first album was released. At that time, the future star had the pseudonym "little Stevie Wonder". During the following year, another of his studio albums was released, where he performed instrumental solo compositions on harmonica.
The boy's talent was obvious, but the records did not have much success. The path of a solo artist to popularity began a little later.
Musical career and fame
A real "breakthrough" for the artist was the hit Fingertips (Part 2), which he recorded at the age of 13. Stevie himself acted as a vocalist, and also played a melody on the harmonica and bongos. The composition stayed in the American charts for a long time and brought the first popularity to the soul singer.
At the age of 14, the performer played the first role in the film, where he also had to sing. Already in the 60s, he gained real fame.
One after another, new hits by Stevie Wonder come out. A little later, he simultaneously acted as a composer at a recording studio with which he signed a contract.
The first attempt to create a real R&B album was Where I'm Coming From. At the same time, it also became a test pen for Stevie Wonder, since he released it on the eve of his majority (before he turned 21 years old).
The performer became the actual, and not just nominal, producer of this album.
Previously, he had a group of arrangers helping him, so other records did not yet contain the real "Stevie Wonder sound". In Where I'm Coming From, the compositions are no longer designed for a mass white audience, as was the case in earlier albums. Here they use atypical instruments (oboe, flute, etc.).
Another difference from other plastics was that all the songs were authored only by Stevie Wonder. For the first time, he completely composed the music for the released compositions, so it sounds like a "wander" melody.
The management of the recording studio realized that it was necessary to develop not only the talent of a musician as a singer. After all, he really revealed himself in the performance of his own compositions.
Immediately after coming of age and the release of a new album, the artist broke the contract with Motown. By this age, he had earned his first $1 million. And the studio management realized that they were losing a real star.
Negotiations for a new contract lasted a long time. In the document signed by Stevie, he was already a full partner, fully controlling the production process of his own compositions.
The peak of the musician's career was the 70s, during which he released several concept records. Having received freedom of action, the performer was able to record the most beautiful and melodic albums that brought him worldwide popularity.
Stevie Wonder's personal life
The first time the musician married before the age of majority. At the age of 20, he married Cyrite Wright, who also worked in a recording studio. The union broke up quite quickly, although the couple maintained warm friendly relations.
The next chosen one of the performer was Yolanda Simmons, who bore him two children. But they were not married. Later, Stevie married a second time to Karen Millard. This marriage also produced two children.
Soon the musician met model Tomika Robin Bracey, then divorced his wife. In the third official marriage, two children were born. The youngest daughter was born in 2014 (the performer at that time was already over 60 years old). The couple is still in a relationship.
Stevie Wonder is a legend in the world of music. He continues to perform and record compositions to this day. His uniqueness as a performer lies in the fact that he masterfully masters complex vocal technique.
The range of his voice is within four octaves. In addition, the singer is perfectly able to use various musical instruments (synthesizers, harmonica, drum kits, etc.).
Complex chords are connected in his compositions, and changes in style are impossible to predict. Therefore, it is difficult to sing Stevie Wonder's songs, and only he can do it well.
The singer became one of the most famous performers of our time. Together with Ray Charles, he is one of the most popular blind musicians in the world. During his career he has released over 30 albums.
