Bloggin 'Bout Stevie

For this blog, I decided to write about my favorite musician, Stevie Wonder. I won't do a complete biography, but Steveland Hardaway Morris was born May 13, 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan. He started playing piano at age 7, and had t mastered by age 9, which is unprecedented, especially for someone who was born blind. Stevie has been performing since he was 13, and has won more grammys than any other artist with 25.

It may seem kinda weird that a white kid like me would appreciate an old school R&B singer like Stevie, but I believe music is hereditary. My parents grew up on this kinda stuff, then passed it on to me. I used to hate listening to all those "slow jams" and 10 minute R&B sessions (if anyone knows what I am talking about, a lot of older R&B songs repeat the chorus for maybe an additional 3-4 minutes after the song has basically ended), but once I caught wind of Mr. Wonder I was kind of taken by suprise.

The thing that really sets Stevie apart from the crowd is his songwriting ability. The emotion and passion in his lyrics is really amazing, proven by the fact that he was inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame back in 1983. There is always some deep meaning behind his words, which is something lacking in today's music. Stevie also writes music, and with all of his piano and harmonica skills, he really knows how to jam. He basically has two types of songs he does, mellow, intimate, songs with deep lyrics ("As", "My Cherie Amour") and uptempo jams ("Do I Do", "All I Do").

If you have never listened to Stevie, I suggest you look him up, at least to try to gain an appreciation for an artist with talent and influence right up there with the likes of Michael Jackson and The Beatles. Aside from everything else, just listen to his voice. Stevie Wonder is considered one of the greatest singers in the known world, by people who know what they're talking about. He is also a humanitarian who has more love in his heart than I've ever seen from a celebrity, which shows if you watch when he performed at his best friend Michael's funeral in July. This is cheesey but Stevie Wonder is a blessing and I hope I turned at least one of you guys on to listening to my favorite singer!!!