Stevie Wonder Biography
Why is Stevie Wonder considered one of the most influential musicians of all time? Because over the course of more than six decades, he redefined the sound of popular music, pushed creative boundaries in R&B, soul, pop, and funk, and used his artistry to inspire social change worldwide.
Stevie Wonder, born Stevland Hardaway Judkins on May 13, 1950, in Saginaw, Michigan, grew up to become one of the most celebrated musicians in history.
He was the third of five children born to Lula Mae Hardaway and the second of her two children with Calvin Judkins. Born six weeks premature, complications in the hospital incubator left him permanently blind, but his lack of sight never limited his vision for music.
When Stevie was four, his parents separated, and his mother moved with her children to Detroit, where he began singing in the Whitestone Baptist Church choir and soon developed skills on piano, harmonica, and drums.
His early passion for music led to street performances with a friend under the name Stevie and John. At just 11 years old, he was introduced to Motown Records by Ronnie White of the Miracles and signed to the Tamla label, where Berry Gordy gave him the stage name “Little Stevie Wonder.”
He quickly proved himself a prodigy, releasing The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie in 1962 before hitting No. 1 with “Fingertips” in 1963 at age 13, making him the youngest solo artist to top the Billboard Hot 100.
Through the mid-to-late 1960s, he dropped the “Little” and began scoring hits like “Uptight (Everything’s Alright),” “My Cherie Amour,” and “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours,” blending youthful energy with growing artistic maturity.
By the early 1970s, Wonder had secured creative control over his music, leading to a run of groundbreaking albums—Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness’ First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life—that married social commentary with innovative production and earned him multiple Grammy Awards, including three consecutive Album of the Year wins, a feat unmatched in history.
The 1980s saw even wider commercial success with chart-toppers like “I Just Called to Say I Love You,” “Part-Time Lover,” and high-profile duets with musicians like Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson.
Throughout the years, he employed the megaphone for activism, most dramatically to advocate for the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. to be observed as a U.S. federal holiday, a reality coming to pass in 1986.
In subsequent decades, Wonder continued to be an important figure, releasing the album A Time to Love in 2005, touring internationally, and recording with musicians from diverse genres.
His personal life has been marked by three marriages and nine children, and he, in 2024, was awarded Ghanaian citizenship to recognize his racial heritage for the continent of Africa.
More than the music, the career of Stevie Wonder is a testament to artistry, endurance, and the proposition that music has the capacity to entertain as much as transform the world.
Contents
Stevie Wonder Top Songs
- Superstition
- You Are the Sunshine of My Life
- Higher Ground
- Sir Duke
- I Wish
- Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours
- Isn’t She Lovely
- Living for the City
- My Cherie Amour
- I Just Called to Say I Love You
Stevie Wonder Discography
- The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie (1962)
- Tribute to Uncle Ray (1962)
- With a Song in My Heart (1963)
- Stevie at the Beach (1964)
- Up-Tight (1966)
- Down to Earth (1966)
- I Was Made to Love Her (1967)
- Someday at Christmas (1967)
- Eivets Rednow (1968)
- For Once in My Life (1968)
- My Cherie Amour (1969)
- Signed, Sealed & Delivered (1970)
- Where I’m Coming From (1971)
- Music of My Mind (1972)
- Talking Book (1972)
- Innervisions (1973)
- Fulfillingness’ First Finale (1974)
- Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
- Stevie Wonder’s Journey Through “The Secret Life of Plants” (1979)
- Hotter than July (1980)
- The Woman in Red (1984)
- In Square Circle (1985)
- Characters (1987)
- Jungle Fever (1991)
- Conversation Peace (1995)
- A Time to Love (2005)
Stevie Wonder Top Albums
- Talking Book (1972)
- Innervisions (1973)
- Fulfillingness’ First Finale (1974)
- Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
- Hotter than July (1980)
- In Square Circle (1985)
Stevie Wonder Awards
- 25 Grammy Awards, including three consecutive Album of the Year wins (Innervisions, Fulfillingness’ First Finale, Songs in the Key of Life)
- Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1996)
- Academy Award for Best Original Song (“I Just Called to Say I Love You,” 1984)
- Presidential Medal of Freedom (2014)
- Induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame
- Numerous honorary doctorates from universities including Howard, Yale, and Johns Hopkins
- Polar Music Prize recipient
- United Nations Messenger of Peace (2009)
Stevie Wonder Singles
| Year | Single | Album | US Hot 100 | US R&B | UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | I Call It Pretty Music, But the Old People Call It the Blues | The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie | — | — | — |
| 1963 | Fingertips (Part 2) | Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius | 1 | 1 | — |
| 1963 | Workout, Stevie, Workout | — | — | — | — |
| 1963 | Castles in the Sand | — | — | — | — |
| 1963 | Hey Harmonica Man | With a Song in My Heart | — | — | — |
| 1964 | High Heel Sneakers | Stevie at the Beach | — | — | — |
| 1965 | Uptight (Everything’s Alright) | Up-Tight | 3 | 1 | 14 |
| 1966 | Nothing’s Too Good for My Baby | Up-Tight | — | — | — |
| 1966 | Blowin’ in the Wind | Up-Tight | 9 | 1 | — |
| 1966 | A Place in the Sun | Down to Earth | 9 | 3 | — |
| 1967 | I Was Made to Love Her | I Was Made to Love Her | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 1967 | I’m Wondering | — | 12 | 4 | — |
| 1967 | With a Child’s Heart | Up-Tight | — | — | — |
| 1967 | Someday at Christmas | Someday at Christmas | — | — | — |
| 1968 | For Once in My Life | For Once in My Life | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 1969 | My Cherie Amour | My Cherie Amour | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 1969 | Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday | My Cherie Amour | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| 1970 | Never Had a Dream Come True | Signed, Sealed & Delivered | — | — | 6 |
| 1970 | Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours | Signed, Sealed & Delivered | 3 | 1 | 15 |
| 1970 | Heaven Help Us All | Signed, Sealed & Delivered | 9 | 2 | — |
| 1970 | We Can Work It Out | Signed, Sealed & Delivered | 13 | 3 | 27 |
| 1971 | If You Really Love Me | Where I’m Coming From | 8 | 4 | — |
| 1971 | Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer | Where I’m Coming From | — | — | — |
| 1972 | Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You) | Music of My Mind | — | — | — |
| 1972 | Superstition | Talking Book | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| 1973 | You Are the Sunshine of My Life | Talking Book | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| 1973 | Higher Ground | Innervisions | 4 | 1 | 29 |
| 1973 | Living for the City | Innervisions | 8 | 1 | 15 |
| 1974 | You Haven’t Done Nothin’ | Fulfillingness’ First Finale | 1 | 1 | — |
| 1974 | Boogie On Reggae Woman | Fulfillingness’ First Finale | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| 1976 | I Wish | Songs in the Key of Life | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 1977 | Sir Duke | Songs in the Key of Life | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1977 | Another Star | Songs in the Key of Life | 32 | 18 | 29 |
| 1977 | As | Songs in the Key of Life | 36 | 36 | — |
| 1979 | Send One Your Love | Journey Through “The Secret Life of Plants” | 4 | 5 | — |
| 1980 | Master Blaster (Jammin’) | Hotter than July | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| 1980 | I Ain’t Gonna Stand for It | Hotter than July | 11 | 4 | 10 |
| 1981 | Lately | Hotter than July | 64 | — | 3 |
| 1982 | That Girl | Original Musiquarium I | 4 | 1 | 39 |
| 1982 | Do I Do | Original Musiquarium I | 13 | 2 | 10 |
| 1983 | Ebony and Ivory (with Paul McCartney) | — | — | — | — |
| 1984 | I Just Called to Say I Love You | The Woman in Red (OST) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1984 | Love Light in Flight | The Woman in Red (OST) | 17 | 1 | — |
| 1985 | Part-Time Lover | In Square Circle | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 1985 | Go Home | In Square Circle | 10 | 2 | — |
| 1986 | Overjoyed | In Square Circle | 24 | 8 | — |
| 1987 | Skeletons | Characters | 19 | 1 | — |
| 1987 | You Will Know | Characters | 77 | 1 | — |
| 1988 | My Eyes Don’t Cry | Characters | — | — | — |
| 1991 | Gotta Have You | Jungle Fever (OST) | — | 3 | — |
| 1991 | These Three Words | Jungle Fever (OST) | — | — | — |
| 1995 | For Your Love | Conversation Peace | 27 | 11 | 23 |
| 1995 | Tomorrow Robins Will Sing | Conversation Peace | — | — | 24 |
| 1996 | How Come, How Long (with Babyface) | — | — | — | — |
| 2005 | So What the Fuss | A Time to Love | — | — | 19 |
| 2006 | From the Bottom of My Heart | A Time to Love | — | — | — |