Stevie Wonder, born Stevland Hardaway Morris on May 13, 1950, is an American singer-songwriter credited as a pioneer and influenced by performers from various musical genres, including jazz, rhythm and blues, pop, soul, funk, and gospel. Wonder was a virtual one-person band that revolutionized R&B in the 1970s using synthesizers and other electronic instruments.
Incorporating socially conscious remarks into his LPs’ intricate compositions, he also contributed to bringing such genres into the album era. Wonder, a child prodigy who had been blind since shortly after his birth, signed with Motown’s Tamla label at 11 and was given the stage name Little Stevie Wonder.
Stevie Wonder Net Worth
The 200 million dollar net worth of American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer Stevie Wonder. Wonder is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and songwriter admired by many for his brilliance. At the age of 11, Stevie Wonder signed with Motown Records. “Superstition,” “Isn’t She Lovely,” and “I Just Called to Say I Love You” are a few of his 30 #1 singles.
You may also like:
Stevie Wonder Early Life
On May 13, 1950, Stevland Hardaway Judkins was born in Saginaw, Michigan. He is the third of Lula Mae Hardaway and Calvin Judkins’ six children. Wonder was released six weeks early. His blindness, caused by the oxygen-rich incubator and premature state, is formally termed retinopathy of prematurity.
When Stevie was four years old, his parents split up. With their mother, Stevie and his siblings relocated to Detroit. He participated in the Baptist church choir when he was younger. Early on, Stevie showed musical proclivities and could easily play the harmonica, piano, and drums.
Wonder’s blindness gave him a keener ear for sound, enabling him to produce lively music. Berry Gordy, the head of Motown, quickly saw his skill, and in 1961, he joined the label. He was 11.
View this post on Instagram
Stevie Wonder Career
Motown created a five-year contract with royalties held in a trust until Stevie turned 21 because Wonder was still a minor. He and his mother received a $2.50 weekly allowance to pay their living expenses, comparable to around $21 in today’s money. His debut CD, “Tribute to Uncle Ray,” which featured several renditions of Ray Charles songs, was published when he was 11.
The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie, an instrumental album, was then released. As 1962 came to a close, Stevie joined the Motortown Revue. His 20-minute performance at the Regal Theater in Chicago has recorded life, and the album “Recorded Live: The 12-Year-Old Genius” was released in 1963. The album’s single “Fingertips” was a tremendous success.
Between 1968 and 1970, Wonder enjoyed several singles, including “I Was Made to Love Her,” “For Once in My Life,” & “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours.” His first ever song he produced himself was the number-one single “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours.”
At 20, Wonder wed singer-songwriter Syreeta Wright, in September 1970. The following album, “Where I’m Coming From,” released in 1971, was co-produced by Wright and Wonder. On May 13, 1971, Wonder turned 21 and let his contract with Motown lapse.
A precedent at Motown, Wonder’s new contract with Motown Records provided him with a substantially greater royalty rate. In March 1972, Wonder returned to Motown with “Music of My Mind.” The number one singles “Superstition” and “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” were featured on the late 1972 release “Talking Book.” The two songs each received three Grammy Awards.
The 1973 album “Innervisions” included the songs “Living for the City” and “Higher Ground,” which peaked at No. 4 on the national charts (No. 8). The R&B charts ranked both tracks at the top. Three more Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, were produced by “Innervisions.” On Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 most excellent albums, the album comes in at 23.
Songs like “Superstition,” “Sir Duke,” “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” “Mon Cherie Amour,” and “I Just Called to Say I Love You” are among Wonder’s best-known tunes. The three albums “Talking Book,” “Innervisions,” and “Songs in the Key of Life” are among his most famous. Wonder is the most decorated male solo performer ever, with 25 Grammy Awards.
In addition to those above, he is admired for his work as a political activist, particularly his 1980 campaign to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a national holiday. The public elected Stevie Wonder the public to be a member of The Soul Music Hall of Fame in December 2012.
View this post on Instagram
Stevie Wonder’s Personal Life
Wonder has had three previous marriages and nine children with five different women. He wed Motown singer-songwriter, Syreeta Wright in 1970. In 1972, they got a friendly divorce. From 2001 through 2012, he was married to fashion designer Kai Millard. He got hitched to Tomeeka Bracy in 2017.
The oldest child of Wonder is Aisha Morris, born in 1975. Yolanda Simmons, who Wonder met when she applied for a secretarial position at his publishing company, is her mother. Wonder’s famous song “Isn’t She Lovely?” was inspired by her. She is a vocalist who has traveled and performed on albums with her father. In 1977, Keita Wonder and Simmons were also parents to Wonder.
Wonder and Melody McCully gave birth to a boy in 1983 named Mumtaz Morris. With a woman whose identity has never been made public, he had a son named Kwame and a daughter named Sophia. Kialand and Mandla are his two boys from his second marriage to Kai Millard.
In December 2014, Nia, Wonder’s eighth kid and his second with Tomeeka Robyn Bracy was born. Wonder and Bracy’s first child isn’t known by name.
Stevie Wonder Real Estate
Wonder paid $2.407 million in 2009 for a 4,511-square-foot, 1928-era Mediterranean house in Los Feliz, Los Angeles. He listed the house for $8.199 million four years later.
Stevie spent $14 million to buy a 20,000-square-foot mansion in Bel Air, Los Angeles, in December 2021. Member of the Saudi Royal Family, the seller.
Leave a Reply