Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris was born on May 13,1950 in Saginaw, Michigan. He is formally known by his stage name Stevie Wonder. He is an American song writer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. Stevie Wonder was pronounced blind shortly after birth due to him being a premature baby. While growing up Stevie developed a passion for music. He taught himself how to play the bass, piano, drums, and harmonica. He showed an early gift for music first with a church choir in Detroit. At age eleven, he was discovered by Ronnie White of the Motown band, the Miracles. In 1962, he was signed to Motown's Tamla label with the name "Little Stevie Wonder".
In 1964, after dropping "Little" form his stage name he successfully made a hit single called "Uptight (Everything's Alright)". In 1971, he begun writing his own music due to his new contract with Motown. This gave him almost total control over his records and increased his royalty rate. In 1984, the song "I just called to say I love you" crossed racial lines, paving the way for it to become Motown's biggest hit of all time, winning him an Oscar. In addition, he teamed up with Paul McCartney for the number one single, "Ebony and Ivory" in 1982.
The 1980's were a reflection of Stevie Wonder's greatness for tackling social issues through his music, successfully spearheading a movement to create a national holiday for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Besides his career, he was married twice. First to Syreeta Wright (1970-1972) then to Kia Milla Morris (2001-present). He also has seven children.
Stevie has been honored with numerous awards over the course of his long career. He has won 25 Grammy's, including his Grammy of Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1989, he was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of fame and in 2009 was recognized with the Second Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for popular songs.