Happy Birthday, Stevie Wonder
There’s never been a better time to tackle this trio of classic ‘70s hits
On this day in 1950, Stevie Wonder was born — and music hasn’t been quite the same ever since. Now widely regarded by fans, critics and peers alike as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, there are few musicians alive today so worthy of celebration.
And celebrated he has been: Wonder holds the record for most Grammy wins by a male solo artist (25), has been inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music, Rock and Roll, and Songwriters Halls of Fame, and even received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama, a long-time fan, in 2014.
So hit Play on the video below and read on for our own look back at Stevie Wonder’s life, along with a selection of classic tracks you can learn to play today. Yes, it’s a little odd to have Stevie sing “Happy Birthday” to himself, but nobody else does it quite as well.
Born Stevland Hardaway Judkins, Wonder was a premature baby and consequently developed a form of retinopathy that has left him blind ever since. Even this early setback seems not to have held him back, however. “Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes,” Wonder once said, “doesn’t mean he lacks vision.”
Wonder began to play piano at age seven, learning informally at the home of a pair of family friends, and by some accounts had essentially mastered the instrument by age nine. Unable to read conventional sheet music, he relied instead on a keenly developed sense of muscle memory and musical intuition — both of which contributed greatly to his distinctively fluid playing style as an adult.
Stevie Wonder’s approach to the instrument draws heavily on the extended harmony of jazz, combined with strong R&B and soul influences and filtered through his unique pop sensibilities. He has also taught himself to play drums and harmonica — playing both on many of his recordings — and makes extensive use of synthesisers and other keyboard instruments.
Musical success came early for “Little Stevie Wonder”, the name given to him by Motown founder Berry Gordy upon signing an 11-year-old Wonder to the label’s Tamla subsidiary. As part of this deal, he received an allowance of just $2.50 per week, equivalent to a little over $25 today, with all royalties to be held in trust until he became an adult.
Wonder’s first two albums, Tribute to Uncle Ray (mostly a collection of Ray Charles covers) and The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie were released to only moderate success in September and October of 1962 respectively. His third, Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius, however, contained “Fingertips” which was to be his first Billboard number one. The drums on this part-improvised instrumental were provided by another future Motown star, Marvin Gaye (you’ll also find several of Gaye’s songs in the ROLI Learn library).
Towards the middle of the 1960s, Wonder dropped the “Little” from his name and began to branch into both acting and songwriting for himself and other Motown artists. The rest of this decade saw the release of several albums and a scattering of hit singles, but none reached the heights of “Fingertips”.
The onset of the 1970s, however, saw Wonder enter what fans now know as his “classic period” — an unassailable run of five albums: Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness’ First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life.
Kickstarted by the renewal of his contract with Motown — which now granted Wonder complete creative control of his output — this sequence of albums allowed him to broaden his sonic palette, notably including synthesisers for the first time on Music of My Mind. This then-newly accessible technology, said Wonder, allowed him to “directly express what comes from your mind" and to "do things I've wanted to do for a long time, but which weren't possible.”
Music of My Mind reached number 21 on the Billboard charts, only later becoming more widely regarded as an essential album. Its followup, Talking Book, however, proved to be an instant hit, peaking at number three.
Talking Book lead single “Superstition” was to be a breakout hit for the adult Stevie Wonder, his first number one since “Fingertips”. It also netted Wonder his first two of many Grammy wins (for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male) and was recently ranked the 21st greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone.
Born from an improvised jam between Wonder and guitarist Jeff Beck (initially on drums), the “Superstition” demo took just a day to complete. Its distinctive riff remains the defining sound of the Hohner Clavinet, an electric keyboard instrument that uses rubber mallets to strike tensioned strings via a piano-like mechanism.
The precise timing needed to play “Superstition” with a suitable degree of funkiness may require a bit of practice, but the song’s infectious and instantly recognizable groove makes it well worth the effort. Things are made a little easier by the fact that the song is in E♭ minor and relies heavily on pentatonic notes, which places much of it on the piano’s black keys alone.
Talking Book was followed a year later by another hit album. Innervisions sees Wonder further develop his sound and make even greater use of synthesis to achieve his musical vision. Many of the synth sounds here come from Malcom Cecil and Robert Margouleff’s colossal TONTO synthesizer, originally based around a Moog modular system and then expanded with many of the most popular synthesizers of the time and extensive custom circuitry.
The third single from Innervisions, “Don’t You Worry ‘bout a Thing” features a Moog synth bassline, played by Wonder himself, underpinning a latin-flavoured piano part based on Bobby Hebb’s “Sunny” chord progression — a highly influential track whose chords have also been repurposed into songs by Sly and the Family Stone and Bill Withers, as well as Janelle Monáe and Ariana Grande in more recent years.
Like “Sunny”, “Don’t You Worry ‘bout a Thing” is a call to look on the bright side and remain positive in the face of adversity — something both Hebb and Wonder had experienced plenty of in their lives. The song reflects a positive attitude that ought to serve as an inspiration to any budding pianist who chooses to tackle it: “Todo ‘stá bien chévere,” as Wonder sings. “Everything’s alright.”
Following Innervisions, Wonder released his seventeenth(!) studio album, Fulfillingness' First Finale to critical acclaim and commercial success, netting him three more Grammys, including Album of the Year (an accolade also awarded to Innervisions the year before).
In 1973, Wonder had been in a severe car accident that had left him in a coma for two weeks. Speaking from his hospital bed, he said at the time, “The only thing I do know is that I was unconscious and that I was definitely, for a few days, in a much better spiritual place that made me aware of a lot of things that concern my life and my future and what I have to do to reach another higher ground.”
Wonder’s original intent was for Fulfillingness to be a double album, but Motown had vetoed the idea. He finally got his wish when he capped off his classic period with 1976’s Songs in the Key of Life. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard chart, as did lead single “I Wish” and second single “Sir Duke”, Wonder’s ode to one of his own greatest influences, Duke Ellington.
The final Stevie Wonder track on our to-learn list comes from Songs in the Key of Life, but was never released as a single due to its six-and-a-half-minute length. “Isn’t She Lovely” has nevertheless become a classic and, given that it celebrates the birth of Wonder’s daughter, marks the perfect end to our own birthday tribute. It’s also an incredible reminder of his musical versatility, with almost every part on the recording played by Wonder himself.
“Isn’t She Lovely” is built around a pair of keyboard parts that play off of one another to create the track’s infectious groove. The Fender Rhodes spells out the chords while a less-common RMI Electra-piano adds a staccato rhythm part. For the most authentic vibe while learning, look for the Rhodes sound in the ROLI Learn app. You’ll also find a “Bright Synth” preset that makes a suitable stand-in for the RMI.
That wraps up our collection of classic tracks to learn for today, but Stevie Wonder’s career showed little sign of slowing down after the end of his “classic period”, evidenced by the fact that what follows is often referred to as his “commercial period”. From the 1980s onwards, his album sales continued to increase, he embarked on high-profile collaborations with the likes of Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson, and Eurythmics among others, and he further developed his sound in accessible, pop-oriented directions that brought his music to a wider global audience.
It’s during this time that Wonder also began to focus increasingly on activism alongside his music. He’s been an advocate for many causes over the years, from AIDS awareness and world hunger to environmental causes and the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. Some of his best known activism took place in 1980 as a leader of the successful push to recognise Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday as a federal holiday. The soundtrack? Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” from the top of this article, penned for MLK in 1980.
Learn to play like Stevie Wonder
Feeling inspired? The three “classic period” tracks above are all available as part of the ROLI Learn app’s ever-growing library of hits. You also get access to 1,000+ tracks from other artists, including many who have professed to have been influenced by Stevie Wonder over the years, including Prince, Frank Ocean, Beyoncé, ABBA, Alicia Keys, and Pharrell Williams.
Paired with Piano M or the new ROLI Piano, the app uses a video game–style interface to get you playing along with your favorite songs from day one. You also get access to more than 200 video lessons with real teachers, engaging games and exercises, and the new AI-powered Piano Assistant, which is always on hand to answer your questions or offer advice.