American Decades
Wonder, Stevie 1950-
SINGER, COMPOSER
Prodigy.
As a child Steveland Morris had played harmonica, banged toy drums, and sang in the church choir, but no one was prepared for his Motown audition. When producer Berry Gordy saw that Morris, then age ten, and blind since birth, had mastered piano, organ, harmonica, and drums, he signed the young prodigy to a contract and changed his name to Little Stevie Wonder. In 1962 his first rhythm and blues album, Little Stevie Wonder: The Twelve-Year-Old Genius, was released. "Fingertips Pt. 2," a raucous live cut, became Wonder's first number one hit. He enjoyed an integrated audience during the 1960s, and the Rolling Stones were his opening act in 1964. Wonder's contributions to the Motown hit factory during his teens included the standards "Uptight" (1966), "I Was Made to Love Her" (1967), "For Once in My Life" (1968), and "My Cherie Amour" (1969). He cowrote all of these songs, which demonstrated...
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1970's The Arts
