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Stevie Wonder
Born
in Michigan in May 1950, Stevie Wonder (born Steveland Judkins) was
not born blind. The blindness happened shortly afterward as a result
of having received too much oxygen in the hospital incubator.
Stevie spent a total of 52 days in an incubator. Wonder was only
11 when Ronnie White of The Miracles brought him to the attention of
the Motown label after hearing him singing in a gospel choir.
He had just turned 13 when Fingertips - Part 2 swept to
the top of the American charts. A concurrent album, prophetically
titled The 12-Year-Old Genius also made Number One.
Eleven more Top 10 singles, including Uptight, I Was
Made To Love Her and For Once In My Life led to
another chart topper, Superstition, in 1972, by which time
his genius was in no doubt.
Wonder's 1972 tour with The Rolling Stones introduced him to a
huge white audience, but this period was difficult, with his
marriage ending, followed by a serious car crash. Nevertheless, his
super-stardom continued through the seventies with hit albums like Songs
In The Key Of Life and Hotter Than July, and his 1984
chart-topping single I Just Called To Say I Love You showed
undiminished strength.
Throughout the early 70s, Wonder practically swept all possible
Grammys, winning Best R & B Artist, Best Album, Best Song, Best
Male Vocal, etc. Stevie amassed numerous awards and was recently
awarded the Grammy's Lifetime Achievement Award.
However, many believe his masterpiece to be 1976's double album, Songs
in the Key of Life. It is certainly his most polished and
musically varied work. His 1976 record deal was worth $13 million -
the largest ever at that time.

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