Stevland Hardaway Morris (né Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include R&B, pop, soul, gospel, funk, and jazz.

Steveland Judkins Morris was only 11 years old when Motown signed him to a contract in 1961. A musical genius, Stevie could do it all: he sang, he played multiple instruments and he wrote music that was often ahead of its time.

Songs was the first album released on Wonder's new contract with Motown for an unprecedented $37 million. In addition to Wonder's having a high royalty rate and 50% ownership of his music publishing, most importantly, this contract gave him full artistic control over his projects.

Stevie Wonder, at forty-four, is revered as the composer of a thick catalogue of pop songs, many of them hits; as the blind former child prodigy who became an international star; as one of the most gifted and influential vocalists of his generation; as a pianist both fluid and intricately rhythmical; as a virtuoso ...

Stevie Wonder, original name Stevland Hardaway Judkins, also called Stevland Hardaway Morris, (born May 13, 1950, Saginaw, Michigan, U.S.), American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, a child prodigy who developed into one of the most creative musical figures of the late 20th century.

During the 1970s he was at the forefront of embracing new technologies in music pioneering the use of synthesizers, drum machines, and sampling. His nature documentary soundtrack “Steve Wonder's Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants” was one of the earliest digital recordings ever released.

Motown Records: Established 1960, Motown was and remains the company's main label for mainstream R&B/soul music (and, today, hip-hop music as well). The label's numbering system was combined with those of Tamla and Gordy in 1982, and the label (and company) was purchased by MCA in 1988.

In total, Gordy wrote or co-wrote 240 of the approximately 15,000 songs in the catalog of Motown's Jobete Music music publishing affiliate. Among the other artists who recorded his compositions are LaVern Baker, the Marvelettes, Mary Wells, the Temptations and Martha Reeves & the Vandellas.

As an irresistible force of social and cultural change, the legendary Motown portfolio made its mark not just on the music industry, but society at large, with a signature Motown Sound that has become one of the most significant musical accomplishments and stunning success stories of the 20th century.

Motown was also powerfully significant as a black-owned corporation employing multi-racial staff within its label teams; in an era when America was undeniably divided and the mainstream was an exclusionary zone (in 1967, the Detroit riots also erupted in response to police raids in black neighbourhoods), Hitsville ...

Other Facts Nominated for one Academy Award with one win. Born prematurely; doctors believe he was blinded when he was accidentally given too much oxygen in his incubator. Learned to play piano, drums and harmonica by age 9. His first stage name was Little Stevie Wonder.

Rock & roll's mystic poet Stevie Nicks is the first woman to be inducted twice into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Her global reach as a soloist or as part of Fleetwood Mac is rooted in her enduring legacy of songwriting and performance that connects with each fan, in the audience or listening from afar.

In addition to being an award winning musical innovator, Stevie Wonder is a humanitarian who has used his music to support a number of social causes. In support of making Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday a national holiday, Wonder released "Happy Birthday" (1980), a song celebrating Dr. King.

He's made a career of philanthropy, too: working on AIDS awareness, anti-apartheid efforts, and fundraising for blind children and children with disabilities.

Also called Motown sound . an upbeat, often pop-influenced style of rhythm and blues associated with the city of Detroit and with numerous Black vocalists and vocal groups since the 1950s, characterized by compact, danceable arrangements.

soul music Motown music is a pop music style associated with Motown Records. In 1959, Berry Gordy Jr founded Motown, originally named Tamla Records. The record label helped define the sound of soul music and popularized the genre in the 1960s.