Stevie Wonder was discovered and signed to Motown when he was eleven years old. Throughout the sixties he performed songs from the label. But by 1970 he was writing his own songs and developing his own sound - a unique mixture of acoustic and electric instruments. In 1972, when he was twenty-two, Stevie Wonder released Talking Book featuring the hit Superstition. On the song he sings, plays drums, bass, Moog synthesizer, and the funky clavinet:Superstition |
The next year Stevie Wonder released his prophetic masterpiece Innervisions. The album was musically revolutionary in its use of synthesizers and unusual arrangements. And the profound lyrics touched on a wide array of subjects from poverty and drugs, to love, politics, and religion. Here is the number one single, Higher Ground:
Higher Ground |
Toward the end of the seventies Stevie Wonder met Bob Marley after a park concert in Philadelphia. Inspired by his music and message, Stevie composed this homage:
Master Blaster |