Untitled Slide

BIRTH DATE

• Born May 13, 1950
• Lived in Saginaw Michigan
• Birth name is Stevland Hardaway Judkins

EARLY LIFE

• He was born blind as a result of receiving too much oxygen in the incubator as a premature baby.
• When he was four years old his mother, Lula Mae Hardaway left his father, Calvin Judkins. She moved herself and her children to Detroit Michigan. She changed Stevie's surname to Stevland Morris.
• Growing up he played various instruments such as the piano, harmonica, drums and bass, all of which were self taught.
• At 11 he signed with Motown records with the stage name "Little Stevie Wonder" .

PERSONAL LIFE

• Stevie Wonder filed for divorce from his wife of 11 years, fashion designer Kai Millard Morris.
• They have been separated since October 2009.
• This was the second marriage for Wonder and reportedly has nine children in all from his marriages and relationships.
• Wonder welcomed his ninth daughter named Nia last year with his 25 yr old girlfriend Tomeeka Bracy. The couple is now expecting triplets.

BAND MEMBERS

• Nathan Watts - bass and musical direction
• Stanley Randolph - drums
• Roman Johnson - keyboard
• Victoria Theodore - keyboards and vocals
• Kyle Bolden - acoustic and electric guitar
• Dwight Adams - trumpet
• Ryan Kilgore - saxophone
• Aisha Morris, Judith Hill, Keith John and Lanesha Baca - backup vocals

IMPORTANT DATES

• In 1989 he was inducted into the Rock and roll hall of fame
• In 2002 he was inducted into the songwriters hall of fame
• He released his first album at the age of 12( The Jazz soul of Little Stevie )
• He released his most recent album in 2005( A time to love )

RISE TO FAME

• Wonder faced difficulty of staying relevant as a musician as he grew from a boy to a man
• In 1971, Wonder started writing his own music, while he got a new contract with Motown
• This gave him control over his records and his popularity went up
• During the 70's he was becoming very popular because he sold 4 different albums

POPULAR SONGS AND HITS

• He released 23 studio albums, 3 song track albums, 4 live albums, and 98 singles
• Including his first song he wrote when he was 13 called "Fingertips"
• He was the youngest artist ever to top the charts of any song

RECORD LABEL

• Wonders first record deal came about when he was 11 years old and discovered by Ronnie White of Motown band "The Miracles". Stevie then received an audition with the Motown founder, Berry Gordy Jr. Who did not hesitate to sign with Wonder for a record label.

AWARDS

• Won 25 Grammy awards, some of which were, album of the year, Best R&B song, and Grammy Hall of Fame.
• Academy award for best original song
• Billboard Icon award

WONDER TODAY

• Wonder continues to perform in concerts and special events.
• He was a featured singer for the July 2015 Special Olympics
• On September 25th he was the headlining act at the Downtown Stage at Las Vegas' Life Is Beautiful Festival.
• In August Stevie did a couple impromptu short concerts in Washington, Philadelphia, and New York.

SONGS

• "Fingertips"
• "I just called to say I love you"