Black History: Special Delivery!!
When we think about musical icons, Stevie Wonder definitely is one of the greatest of all time! His career spans nearly six decades and is still going strong. Today we will be sharing some little known facts about his life.
He wasn’t born blind.
Stevie Wonder’s (1950 – ) lost his sight due to medical complications. As an infant he was placed in an incubator where he received too much oxygen. He was also born with an eye disorder, retinopathy that was related to his premature birth. He was born 6 weeks early. This error combined with the complications associated with his premature birth resulted in permanent blindness.
He was the youngest solo artist to have a #1 Billboard song.
“Fingertips – Part 2”, reached #1 on the Billboard Top 100 when he was just 13 years old. The song also reached #1 the R & B charts in the U.S. This was also a first!
He has written hit songs for other artists.
“Tears of A Clown” for Smokey Robinson, “It’s A Shame” for the Spinners, “Tell Me Something Good” for Rufus, an “Let’s Get Serious” for Jermaine Jackson.
He uses a lot of harmonicas when on tour.
When touring, he goes through 2-3 harmonicas per week. He has played harmonica on hits from other artists such as Chaka Kahn, “I Feel For You”, Elton John’s, “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” and Sting’s “Brand New Day.
He is Vegan
A personal chef accompanies him while on tour.
He plays several different instruments.
A gifted musician, he plays the harmonica, drums, bass, and piano, which he taught himself before the age of 10.
He was given the name “Stevie Wonder” by Berry Gordy
Born Stevland Hardaway Morris, he was given the name, “Stevie Wonder” as around the age of 11 or 12 by Motown founder Berry Gordy
Sources:
https://oklahoman.com/article/feed/818238/27-fun-facts-about-stevie-wonder
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Stevie-Wonder
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