Stevie Wonder
The incomparable Stevie Wonder is certainly one of the biggest legends of R&B, with a career that encompasses countless hits singles and a lengthy series of Grammy-winning albums that redefined the rules of what Black artists were permitted to do.
Blind since shortly after birth, Little Stevie Wonder made his chart debut at age 13 with the infectious “Finger tips Pt 2”, which instantly made him another star in the Motown stable. Dropping the “Little” shortly thereafter, Wonder unleashed a solid string of hits that included “Uptight (Everything Is Alright)”, “Signed, Sealed Delivered (I’m Yours)”, and a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Blowing In the Wind”.
Beginning in 1972, after renegotiating his contract to gain complete artistic control (a first for a black musician), Wonder released a sequence of brilliant albums that achieved the increasingly rare feat of earning both critical acclaim and commercial success. These albums were made even more impressive for the fact that Wonder wrote and recorded virtually every note himself. An early proponent of the synthesizer, some his ground-breaking and effortlessly catchy songs from the time include “Superstition”, “Higher Ground” and “I Wish”. His productivity and consistency during this period rivals that of any one in the history of pop music.
Wonder’s output has slowed down considerably in recent years. His latest album, A Time To Love, came a full decade after its predecessor. Not resting on his laurels, Wonder has also become known for his activist work; he played a big part in the declaration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday as a holiday and has stumped for Mothers Against Drunk Driver (MADD) and anti-Nuclear proliferation groups.
David Sanborn contributes both saxophone and backing vocals to the song “Tuesday Heartbreak” from Wonder’s 1972 album Talking Book.
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