Stevie Wonder - Top 20 Greatest Songs, Net Worth, Awards And Facts
Stevie Wonder is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer who has attained the rank of music legend and is regarded as an icon and source of inspiration for blind people worldwide.
Author:Emily SanchezReviewer:Elisa MuellerOct 12, 2022715 Shares119.2K Views
Stevie Wonder is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer who has attained the rank of music legend and is regarded as an icon and source of inspiration for blind people worldwide.
The legendary singer and songwriter is very happy to be an American and adores his hometown and nation.
Let's learn more about Stevie Wonder's birth date, his personal life, career, and many more!
Stevie Wonder Early And Personal Life
Stevie's mother relocated the family from Saginaw to Detroit when he was four years old, where he would spend most of his childhood.
He was a member of the Whitestone Baptist Church choir and went to Fitzgerald Elementary School.
He was the third of the family's six children. He was born six weeks early, which resulted in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), which led to visual loss.
He began playing musical instruments at a young age and subsequently established a singing duo with a buddy. The couple, known as 'Stevie and John,' performed on street corners and occasionally at parties.
Wonder sang his tune named 'Lonely Boy' to musician Ronnie White, co-founder of the musical group 'The Miracles,' when he was 11 years old.
Soon after, he was signed to Motown's "Tamla" label and given the moniker "Little Stevie Wonder."
As his debut single, he released the classic song 'I Call It Pretty Music, But the Old People Call It the Blues' in 1962.
His CD 'Recorded Live: The 12-Year-Old Genius' was published the following year. The album featured the track 'Fingertips,' which became a big success.
In the mid-1960s, Wonder had a string of additional successes, including 'With a Child's Heart' and 'Blowin' in the Wind.'
He had numerous successes between 1968 and 1970, including 'I Was Made to Love Her,' 'For Once in My Life,' and 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours.'
Stevie Wonder Age And Sun Sign
Stevie Wonder, whose full name is Stevland Hardaway Judkins, was born on May 13, 1950, in Saginaw, Michigan, USA, to Calvin Judkins and Lula Mae Hardaway. His zodiac sign is Taurus.
Stevie Wonder Career
In 1970, Wonder teamed together with his wife Syreeta to create his second album, 'Where I'm Coming From.' When it was released the next year, the record was a minor success.
His album 'Music of My Mind' was published in March 1972. The album signaled the start of Wonder's "classic phase." The following year, he released the album 'Talking Book,' which had songs like 'Superstition' and 'You Are the Sunshine of My Life.'
In the years that followed, he released numerous chart-topping albums, including 'Innervisions' (1973), 'Fulfillingness' First Finale' (1974), 'Songs in the Key of Life,' (1976), and 'Stevie Wonder's Journey Through The Secret Life of Plants,’ (1979).
Wonder became the most acclaimed black performer at the end of the 1970s as a result of the popularity of these albums.
During the 1980s, he rose to prominence with the publication of albums such as 'Hotter Than July' (1980) and 'Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium' (1983). (1982).
He recorded the soundtrack CD for the film 'The Woman in Red' in 1984, which included the Oscar-winning song 'I Just Called to Say I Love You.'
He published his debut album, 'Characters,' in 1987, followed by the soundtrack album for the 1991 film 'Jungle Fever.'
His album 'Conversation Peace' was published in 1995. It included songs like 'For Your Love' and 'Tomorrow Robins Will Sing.'
In the new millennium, he released his album 'A Time to Love' in 2005. In the years afterward, he has traveled North America and has played on several occasions, including the ‘Obama Inaugural Celebration' in 2009.
In 2016, he recorded a soundtrack for the animated musical 'Sing,' which included American singer Ariana Grande.
Among Wonder's most famous songs are "Superstition," "Sir Duke," "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," and "I Just Called to Say I Love You."
He has released several chart-topping albums throughout his long and successful career, including 'Innervisions,' 'Songs in the Key of Life,' and 'Hotter than July.'
Stevie Wonder Songs
Stevie Wonder, an American musician, has recorded 23 studio albums, three soundtrack albums, four live albums, 11 compilations, one box set, and 101 singles.
His debut album, The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie, came out when he was 12 years old in 1962, and his most recent, A Time to Love, came out in 2005.
He has ten US number-one pop chart songs, as well as 20 R&B chart hits, and has sold over 100 million records, 19.5 million of which are albums; he is one of the top 60 best-selling music artists in terms of combined singles and album sales.
Except for Songs in the Key of Life, which was published as a double album with a supplementary four-track EP, he has 30 major album releases, all of which are single albums.
There are 11 official compilation CDs, including a box set called The Complete Stevie Wonder, which was published in 2005.
He is ranked ninth on the list of musicians with the most number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.
Here Are The Top 20 Greatest Hits Of Stevie Wonder
1. Superstition
It is one of the most popular and successful funk tracks of all time, and it is arguably Stevie's most renowned song.
It was initially planned for British musician Jeff Beck to release it first, but Motown's Berry Gordy persuaded Stevie to release it since he thought it would be a great smash. He was correct!
2. Sir Duke
This funk hymn was created in memory of jazz icon Duke Ellington, who passed away in 1974. Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald are also mentioned in the lyrics.
Stevie subsequently explained: "I knew the title from the beginning but wanted it to be about the musicians who did something for us. So soon they are forgotten. I wanted to show my appreciation."
3. As
This soul anthem song indicates that the singer's love for his spouse will never fade, as he claims he will love until the physically impossible becomes real.
The title of the song is derived from the opening word of the song, which is repeated several times throughout.
George Michael produced an outstanding cover version of the song in 1999 as a duet with R&B artist Mary J Blige.
4. Living For The City
This was one of the first soul music tracks to overtly address systematic racism, as well as to incorporate street noises like traffic, voices, and sirens into the music recorded in the studio.
The song depicts the story of a young Mississippian who goes to New York City. He had many challenges in Mississippi, yet he was surrounded by kind people. In New York City, he is soon exploited and caught with narcotics. His hopes are dashed when he is sentenced to ten years in prison.
5. My Cherie Amour
This song, originally titled 'Oh, My Marsha,' was written about Stevie's lover while he was attending the Michigan School for the Blind in 1969.
After they split up, the lyrics and title were changed to 'My Cherie Amour.'
It was substantially sampled in Philip George's 2014 dance tune number two smash 'Wish You Were Mine.'
6. Higher Ground
This funk song is from Stevie Wonder's seminal 1973 album Innervisions. In May 1973, Wonder composed and recorded the song in a three-hour rush of pure brilliance. We wish we could wield such power!
Stevie, the film's inspiration, subsequently told The New York Times: "I would like to believe in reincarnation. I would like to believe that there is another life. I think that sometimes your consciousness can happen on this earth a second time around. For me, I wrote 'Higher Ground' even before the accident [a car crash].
"But something must have been telling me that something was going to happen to make me aware of a lot of things and to get myself together. This is like my second chance for life, to do something or to do more, and to value the fact that I am alive."
7. I Was Made To Love Her
It was one of Stevie's earliest singles, reaching the top five in the United States and the United Kingdom in 1967.
Stevie wrote the song with his mother, Lula Mae Hardaway, Sylvia Moy, and producer Henry Cosby.
8. Master Blaster (Jammin’)
This 1980 tune was an homage to reggae icon Bob Marley and was constructed around a strong reggae vibe.
In the autumn of that year, Stevie had been performing live with Bob Marley on his US tour. The "children of Jah" and the conclusion of Zimbabwe's civil war are mentioned in the lyrics. Marley passed away a year later.
9. Lately
This sad ballad from Stevie's 1980 album Hotter than July is one of his finest love ballads.
It was recorded by the R&B group Jodeci in 1993, and it reached the top five in the United States.
10. I Just Called To Say I Love You
In 1984, this became Stevie's biggest success, topping the charts in 19 different nations.
The song was created for the film The Woman in Red and won a Grammy and an Oscar for Best Song.
11. Part-Time Lover
Stevie had a number one hit in the United States with this synthpop-inspired tune in 1985.
Amazingly, it had Luther Vandross performing ad-libs and backup vocals, as well as Wonder's ex-wife Syreeta Wright and Earth, Wind, and Fire's Philip Bailey.
12. Isn’t She Lovely
This song was created in 1976 to commemorate the birth of his daughter Aisha. The lengthier album version even begins with the sound of a baby wailing, and Aisha appears as a baby in the outro.
For the Diamond Jubilee Concert in 2012, Stevie sang a revised version with lyrics dedicated to The Queen.
13. Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours
This tune was released in 1970 and was the first to include his female backing singing trio, which included Lynda Tucker Laurence (who went on to become a member of The Supremes), Syreeta Wright (who also co-wrote the song), and Venetta Fields.
It has been covered several times throughout the years, including one in 2003 by Stevie and boyband Blue.
14. We Can Work It Out
Stevie recorded this soul version of The Beatles' hit from several years earlier in 1970.
He has played it for Sir Paul McCartney on several occasions, notably when McCartney received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990 and at a White House celebration in his honor.
15. Uptight (Everything’s Alright)
Stevie's first success, which he co-wrote, saved him from being dismissed after a few years of poor sales.
On the day of the recording, co-writer Sylvia Moy had just finished the lyrics, but they weren't in Braille for Wonder to read.
She was required to sing the song to him while he was recording it. She sang a line ahead of him, and he echoed what he heard.
16. For Once In My Life
It was initially a slow ballad written by Ron Miller and Orlando Murden for Motown Records and first recorded by Barbara McNair.
Stevie Wonder's cheerful rendition, on the other hand, became the most well-known. Despite the fact that Motown CEO Berry Gordy disliked Wonder's rendition, Billie Jean Brown, the director of the Motown Quality Control department, persuaded him to release it.
17. Never Dreamed You’d Leave In Summer
This ballad, from his 1971 album Where I'm Coming From, uses the metaphor of changing seasons to depict a broken love.
It was later recorded by various singers, most notably Joan Baez as a folk tune on her legendary 1975 album Diamonds and Rust.
18. Fingertips
This was the song that debuted 'Little' Stevie Wonder to the world, demonstrating what a genius he is despite being only 12 years old at the time.
The song was originally a jazz instrumental written by his teachers, Clarence Paul and Henry Cosby, and the live version was recorded in 1962 during a concert at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois.
The song is primarily an instrumental that was intended to highlight Stevie's abilities on the bongos and harmonica. It has only a few batches of improvised words.
Marvin Gaye, who had been playing drums for Stevie Wonder and other Motown singers before becoming a vocalist in his own right in 1960, contributed to the song's drumming.
19. I Wish
This song, taken from Stevie's classic Songs in the Key of Life album, is about his youth in the 1950s and early 1960s.
The song was a top-five success in the United Kingdom, and it topped the charts in the United States in 1976.
20. Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day
This was the first song to feature Stevie Wonder's clavinet piano abilities, and it was one of his first successful co-written compositions during his 1960s Motown heyday.
The artist warns a rival that their behavior of their lover would only lead to her falling into his arms.
A young Michael Jackson performed the song on his 1972 album Ben, which was sampled in Scanty Sandwich's 2000 dance hit "Because of You."
Stevie Wonder: The Blessing Is All Ours
Wonder had his first success at the age of 12, was generating pop and soul hits by the age of 15, and was still creating new and significant music in his mid-thirties.
His rule lasted as long as any of his contemporaries, yet it began 10 years earlier. Now that he has a family to spend time with, he performs when he wants, talks when he wants, and advocates for what he wants, such as vocally supporting Barack Obama in 2008.
Despite his delight, there are times when his life appears to be especially scarred by the loss of others, and you can understand where his grief stems from.
The killings of Marvin Gaye and John Lennon, as well as Michael Jackson's death, had a particularly negative impact on him. In the last 10 years, he has lost his brother Larry and what most people believe was his undying love, Syreeta Wright.
He lost Lula in 2006. He had told Oprah Winfrey two years before that if something happened to his mother, he wanted to die alongside her. It was a theatrical statement, but it was created from love. Stevie Wonder is at his best.
His music, message, and sheer life are antidotes to cynicism. Elton John told GQ, "You can almost see the warmth that spills out from Stevie."
"He exemplifies the ability of an individual to triumph over adversity. Perhaps that's why he radiates such positivity. He is a generous and good man who has used his music to make life better for others. People cannot help but respond with love and affection."
Regardless of how hazy his statements about God's benefits appear, there is no doubt that he means what he says.
Rather than being a producer of music, he is someone who inhabits music, which accords with his concept of self as an agent of a greater force. "For me to say I've reached my peak is to say that God is through using me... and I just don't believe that," he stated in 2004.
His sincerity is kind, friendly, and informative. I could listen to Innervisions a thousand times and yet not know anything about Stevie Wonder other than what I knew the first time I heard it. But I'd learn a lot more about myself.
He usually uses the same term to describe his life, although it is definitely a more appropriate description for us. We are the ones who have been blessed.
"For as long as there's life, for as long as we have things happening in the world, for as long as people haven't been able to work it out, for as long as people are not trying to work it out, for as long as there's crime and destruction and hate, bigotry, for as long as there is a spirit that does not have love in it, I will always have something to say."
Go ahead, Stevie. Please continue.
Stevie Wonder Awards And Achievements
Stevie Wonder has received 25 Grammy Awards over his career.
He was recognized in the ‘Songwriters Hall of Fame' in 1983.
He received an ‘Academy Award' for ‘Best Song' in 1984 for ‘I Just Called to Say I Love You,' from the film ‘The Woman in Red.'
He was inducted into the ‘Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,' in 1989.
He got the ‘Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award' in 1996.
In 1999, he received the 'Polar Music Prize' and the 'Kennedy Center Honors.'
The ‘Songwriters Hall of Fame' recognized him with the ‘Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award' in 2002.
He received the 'Billboard Century Award' in 2004.
In 2006, he was honored by the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis with the 'Lifetime Achievement Award.' He was honored on the ‘Michigan Walk of Fame' the same year.
He was designated the ‘United Nations Messenger of Peace,' in 2009.
He was awarded the 'Presidential Medal of Freedom' in 2014.
A section of a roadway in Detroit was renamed ‘Stevie Wonder Avenue' in his honor in 2016. He was also given an honorary key to the city.
Stevie Wonder Net Worth
Stevie Wonder is a $110 million dollar net worth American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Stevie Wonder, a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and songwriter, is widely regarded as a genius.
At the age of 11, he was signed to Motown Records. "Superstition," "Isn't She Lovely," and "I Just Called to Say I Love You" are among his 30 number-one singles.
10 Interesting Facts About Stevie Wonder
- Stevie Wonder said in an interview with Larry King that he was not born blind.
- Stevie Wonder momentarily lost his sense of smell and taste as a consequence of a vehicle accident in 1973.
- He was the youngest solo artist to achieve a Billboard number one hit.
- He once performed "No Church in the Wild" for Frank Ocean.
- Wonder was instrumental in popularizing the Moog Synthesizer.
- He sang "Superstition" on Sesame Street.
- He once instructed Lil Wayne to be quiet.
- Wonder was the first person to acquire the E-Mu Emulator, an early sampler.
- Eivets Rednow by Stevie Wonder is really "Stevie Wonder" written backward.
- Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday is a National Holiday in part because of Stevie Wonder's hit "Happy Birthday."
Emily Sanchez
Author
Emily Sanchez, a Fashion Journalist who graduated from New York University, brings over a decade of experience to her writing. Her articles delve into fashion trends, celebrity culture, and the fascinating world of numerology.
Emily's unique perspective and deep industry knowledge make her a trusted voice in fashion journalism.
Outside of her work, she enjoys photography, attending live music events, and practicing yoga for relaxation.
Elisa Mueller
Reviewer
Elisa Mueller, a Kansas City native, grew up surrounded by the wonders of books and movies, inspired by her parents' passion for education and film.
She earned bachelor's degrees in English and Journalism from the University of Kansas before moving to New York City, where she spent a decade at Entertainment Weekly, visiting film sets worldwide.
With over 8 years in the entertainment industry, Elisa is a seasoned journalist and media analyst, holding a degree in Journalism from NYU. Her insightful critiques have been featured in prestigious publications, cementing her reputation for accuracy and depth.
Outside of work, she enjoys attending film festivals, painting, writing fiction, and studying numerology.
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