Stevie Wonder - Early Blooming Child Prodigy
Stevland Hardaway Morris, Stevie Wonder, was born May 13, 1950. He was born in Saginaw, Michigan and was the third of six children from his parents Calvin Judkins and Lula Mae Hardaway. Stevie was born six weeks prematurely, which resulted in retinopathy of prematurity. The condition nullified the growth of his eyes and caused the retinas to detach; Stevie was blind. When Stevie’s mother left his father, they moved to Detroit with the children and around that time he started singing in the church's choir, which soon after that blossomed into him learning the piano, drums, and even the harmonica all by the age of nine. While performing in front of his friends in 1961, he was discovered by one of the …show more content…
Gordy signed the child prodigy with no hesitation. Stevie was teamed with producer and songwriter Clarence Paul, and he started going by Little Stevie Wonder. He released his first two albums when he was only twelve years old. “Tribute to Uncle Ray” was his first album at only twelve years old. The album contained covers of Ray Charles’ songs. Although neither of the albums sold well, things took a turn when he released the live album The 12 Year Old Genius. The album was so successful that it became Motown’s very first top charting LP. When Stevie started going through puberty the changes in his voice put a hold on his recording. Meanwhile he studied classical piano at the Michigan School for the Blind. In 1964, he dropped the “Little” and went on as Stevie Wonder. In 1964 he released his first original hit, “Uptight (Everything’s Alright).” This song reinvented his image, and the public began to see him as a more mature vocalist. After 1966, Wonder began to take charge in his career. He co-wrote his next few hits which made the R&B top ten. “For Once In My Life,” Stevie’s album released in 1968 was a wild success. He co-wrote over half the songs, and for the first time even co-produced. The record had
Stevland Hardaway Morris, Stevie Wonder, was born May 13, 1950. He was born in Saginaw, Michigan and was the third of six children from his parents Calvin Judkins and Lula Mae Hardaway. Stevie was born six weeks prematurely, which resulted in retinopathy of prematurity. The condition nullified the growth of his eyes and caused the retinas to detach; Stevie was blind. When Stevie’s mother left his father, they moved to Detroit with the children and around that time he started singing in the church's choir, which soon after that blossomed into him learning the piano, drums, and even the harmonica all by the age of nine. While performing in front of his friends in 1961, he was discovered by one of the …show more content…
Gordy signed the child prodigy with no hesitation. Stevie was teamed with producer and songwriter Clarence Paul, and he started going by Little Stevie Wonder. He released his first two albums when he was only twelve years old. “Tribute to Uncle Ray” was his first album at only twelve years old. The album contained covers of Ray Charles’ songs. Although neither of the albums sold well, things took a turn when he released the live album The 12 Year Old Genius. The album was so successful that it became Motown’s very first top charting LP. When Stevie started going through puberty the changes in his voice put a hold on his recording. Meanwhile he studied classical piano at the Michigan School for the Blind. In 1964, he dropped the “Little” and went on as Stevie Wonder. In 1964 he released his first original hit, “Uptight (Everything’s Alright).” This song reinvented his image, and the public began to see him as a more mature vocalist. After 1966, Wonder began to take charge in his career. He co-wrote his next few hits which made the R&B top ten. “For Once In My Life,” Stevie’s album released in 1968 was a wild success. He co-wrote over half the songs, and for the first time even co-produced. The record had