Stevie Wonder, best known for his funky soul hits in the 60’s and 70’s, has announced an October US Tour. This “Sing Your Song! As We Fix Our Nation’s Heart” tour was designed to lead up until the 2024 Presidential Election and will press people to choose “joy over anger, kindness over recrimination, peace over war.”
Born Stevland Hardaway Morris, Wonder became blind shortly after his birth in 1950 due to being born six weeks premature. This caused retinopathy of prematurity, a condition that mutates eye growth and could lead to detached retinas. But that did not stop his tenacity for music.
At 8, Wonder began singing with his church choir and became a soloist shortly after. A child prodigy, he began playing instruments just as early and learned to play piano, harmonica, and drums. He signed with Motown’s label Tamla at 11 and received the nickname Little Stevie Wonder.
Wonder joined the Motown Revue at 12 and toured theaters that accepted black artists, called the “Chitlin Circuit.”
At 13, Wonder was the youngest solo artist to hit the top of the chart with “Fingertips,” which placed number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, the height of his career happened in the 70s, which he called his “classical” period. “Superstition,” one of his most well-known hits was released in ‘72 and showcased his ability to be a one-man band. The use of synthesizers influenced artists of all genres: R&B, jazz, pop, funk, gospel, and pop.
“Innervisions” (1973), “Fulfillingness’ First Finale” (1974), and “Songs in the Key of Life” (1975) each won a Grammy for Album of the Year, making him the only artist to receive three consecutive Grammys.
Wonder considered the ‘80s to be his “commercial” period where he participated in charity events, created collaborations with high-profile artists such as Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney, and became active in political issues.
Throughout his career, Wonder has sold over 100 million records, won 25 Grammys and one Academy Award, and has been conducted into the R&B Music Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.
He has also worked to make his opinions count for something and spoken up for what he believed was right. In 1980, he held a campaign to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a Federal holiday. In 2009 he was named U.N. Messenger of Peace. In 2014, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
However, what really keeps Wonder going is knowing that he is giving back to the less fortunate. In 1975, he participated in the “Wonder Dream Concert” which took place in Kingston, Jamaica and benefitted the Jamaican Institute for the Blind.
In ‘84, his album “The Woman in Red” was released and went on to win an Academy Award the following year for the single “I Just Called to Say I Love You.” Wonder accepted the award in the name of Nelson Mandela, which resulted in him being banned from all South African radio. Later that year, he was honored by the U.N. Special Committee Against Apartheid due to his stance against racist conditions in South Africa.
The following year, Wonder created a single with Bruce Springsteen called “We Are the World” for African Famine Relief. In ‘86, he produced another charity single, this time for AIDS.
“Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broke Heart” was released on Aug 30, 2024, Wonder’s first new song in four years. Realizing that this Presidential Election is a pivotal time in American political history, he encourages people to take action to get out and make their voices heard.
“Now is the time to understand where we are and what it will take to win,” Wonder said, “win the broken hearts, win the disenchanted, win the angry spirits. As we stand between history’s pain and tomorrow’s promises, we must choose courage over complacency. It is time to get up and go vote.”
With only 10 dates, the “Sing Your Song! As We Fix Our Nation’s Heart” tour kicked off on Oct 8 in Pittsburgh and will span across the East Coast to the Midwest throughout the month. It will commence in Grand Rapids, MI on Oct 30. Tickets are still available.
