Stevie Wonder
American singer-songwriter, musician, and producer celebrated as a pivotal figure in 20th-century music, known for fusing soul, R&B, funk, and pop while overcoming blindness since infancy.
Blind from infancy, Wonder signed with Motown at age 11. He released over 30 U.
S. top-ten hits, won 25 Grammy Awards, and pioneered the use of synthesizers in mainstream music. His 1970s albums, including 'Songs in the Key of Life,' are considered masterpieces. An activist, he championed civil rights and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
- Born six weeks premature, Wonder lost his eyesight due to retinopathy of prematurity. His exceptional musical talent emerged by age 4 when he mastered piano, drums, and harmonica.
- After a 1973 car crash left him comatose for days, Wonder experienced a profound spiritual awakening, influencing albums like 'Innervisions' (1973), which won Album of the Year at the Grammys.
- He fought to end apartheid, refusing to perform in South Africa. His 1980 campaign for MLK Day included the hit 'Happy Birthday,' and he witnessed the holiday's establishment in 1983.
- Wonder is one of few artists to win Grammy Awards in five consecutive decades. In 2014, President Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
