Stevie Wonder biography, age, family, children, height, net worth 2025

Biography of Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder stands as one of music's greatest legends, a multi-instrumentalist whose countless hits have become timeless classics. Born blind, he's won twenty-five Grammy Awards and the Gershwin Prize while writing over two thousand compositions. His most famous songs include 'My Cherie Amour,' 'Superstition,' and 'Living for the City.' Russian fans especially love 'I Just Called to Say I Love You.'

Childhood, Youth, Family

Stevland Hardaway Morris (the artist's full name) was born in the spring of 1950 to Lula Mae Hardaway and Calvin Judkins in the American city of Saginaw, Michigan. Born prematurely, he was placed in a newborn incubator with intensive oxygen supply. Doctors didn't yet know how harmful excess oxygen could be for infants. The premature birth and excess oxygen caused retinal detachment. Stevland lost his sight shortly after birth—something even today's technology can't restore.

Calvin wasn't much concerned about his family—Lula and her three children, only two of whom, including youngest Stevie, were his biological kids. Nor was he interested in work. Eventually, constant fighting that turned physical exhausted Lula Mae's patience, and she filed for divorce—a brave move for a Black woman then. She took the kids and moved to Detroit, then considered America's most musical city.

Soon after, she remarried, and the children took the new last name Morris.

Young Stevie often worried about his mother. She often cried, partly over his blindness, and he'd reassure her that he was happy. In one interview, Wonder admitted his mother taught him never to give up and always see things through:

...To never be ashamed. Not to let my past hold me back. When I was a kid, children laughed at me because I was blind. But I just got more determined: 'How can I climb this tree and get an apple for that girl?' That's what mattered to me. We had sheds in our backyard, and we'd play this game jumping from the shed roof into the alley. Who could jump the farthest? The kids were like, 'Go, Steve, go!' but I missed when my brother Larry whispered, 'Mom's home.' So I'm standing on the shed roof and say, 'Ready? Here we go!' And I jumped right into my mother's arms. And she kicked that butt!

First Works

The boy was a true musical prodigy from the start. By age two, Stevie was enthusiastically drumming with spoons on anything he could reach while singing popular songs. His mother helped him learn Braille and the harmonica.

Though the family was very poor, neighbors gave the boy a drum set, and eventually a piano found its way into the house. He quickly started picking out tunes: first from his hero Ray Charles, another blind Black musician, then from other artists. Meanwhile, he joined the church choir and performed impromptu concerts for neighbors.

Little Stevie Wonder - Fingertips (1963)

In 1961, Stevie played his original song "Lonely Boy" for Ronnie White from the legendary group The Miracles. Blown away by the young performer's talent, White immediately set up an audition with Berry Gordy, president of Motown Records. They signed him on the spot and suggested the stage name "Wonder" – because he truly was a little wonder. That's how he was introduced: "Little Stevie Wonder."

His first single dropped that same year, and by age twelve, he'd recorded two albums: the instrumental 'The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie' and the vocal tribute 'Tribute to Uncle Ray'.

Musical Career

Stevie Wonder's breakthrough came with his live album 'Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius' and its standout track 'Fingertips', which hit number one on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1963. Stevie became the youngest performer in history to top this prestigious chart.

By the mid-sixties, Wonder had dropped "Little" from his stage name. He released several hit songs, including 'Uptight', 'With a Child's Heart', and a cover of Bob Dylan's 'Blowin' in the Wind'.

Stevie Wonder - Blowin' In The Wind

The early seventies brought a groundbreaking new contract spanning over a hundred pages. At just 21, Stevie seized control of his career, securing significantly higher royalties from Motown Records, plus creative freedom and ownership of his work.

His discography featured hits like 'My Cherie Amour', 'For Once in My Life', 'Superstition', and 'You Are the Sunshine of My Life'. For the first time, he produced and released albums 'Where I'm Coming From' and 'Music of My Mind', marking a dramatic departure from his earlier sound.

I always think about how to take my music to the next level. It's not about selling millions of CDs or making millions of dollars. God has given me an incredible gift – the gift of music – and it is a blessing that is self-sufficient. I can go anywhere in the world with nothing and still find a keyboard and play. No matter what, no one can take that away from me. Even if I were a slave or Blind Tom and had all my instruments taken away, I could still imagine music and hear chords in my head.

During the seventies, Stevie Wonder made history as the only artist ever to win the Grammy for Album of the Year three consecutive times for his albums 'Innervisions', 'Fulfillingness' First Finale', and 'Songs in the Key of Life'. These albums would later be covered by legendary artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, and Tina Turner.

In the early eighties, Wonder released 'Hotter Than July', featuring the hit song 'Happy Birthday'. The track was dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday was declared a national holiday.

Throughout the eighties, Wonder showed he was more than just a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He threw himself into charitable work, performing with Bruce Springsteen at benefit concerts for starving children in Africa and raising AIDS awareness with the song 'That's What Friends Are For'.

Later, with R&B producer Babyface, he recorded the duet 'How Come, How Long', highlighting the issue of domestic violence. Stevie also participated in public service announcements against drunk driving.

Babyface ft Stevie Wonder - How Come How Long

In addition, in the eighties, he and inventor Ray Kurzweil founded the company Kurzweil Music Systems, which, among other musical products, began producing famous synthesizers.

In the mid-80s, Wonder scored an Oscar for Best Original Song with 'I Just Called to Say I Love You' from the Gene Wilder film 'The Woman in Red'.

Stevie Wonder - I Just Called To Say I Love You

He became the first African-American musician to win an Oscar. During the award ceremony, he dedicated his victory to Nelson Mandela, which led to an immediate ban on broadcasting his songs in South Africa, where apartheid was still in effect, and Mandela was imprisoned.

Wonder then stepped back from active touring for nearly two decades. When he released 'A Time To Love' in 2005, fans rejoiced. The artist received another Grammy for this album. It remains his 23rd and final studio album to date.

In 2007, Wonder launched a major U.S. tour honoring his late mother, donating all proceeds to charity.

Throughout the 2010s, he performed at major events, including the opening ceremony of the World Summer Special Olympics in Greece.

In 2021, Wonder released a new song 'Finish Line' in a duet with Elton John. Critics marveled that his voice sounded as vibrant and clear as ever.

A year later, singer Eddie Vedder released an album featuring Stevie Wonder as a guest musician playing harmonica on the track 'Try'.

Stevie Wonder's Personal Life

The legendary musician has been married three times and has nine children with five different women.

At 20, he married Motown employee Syreeta Wright, who helped him launch his solo career. They were together for two years before divorcing but remained friends.

Wonder then began a relationship with Yolanda Simmons, who gave birth to two children, Aisha and Keita. After splitting from the mother of his first two children, Stevie had a relationship with singer Melody McCully. In this relationship, he had a son, Mumtaz.

The musician had two more children, Sophia and Kwame, with another partner whose identity was never made public.

In 2001, Wonder married fashion designer Karen Millard. She gave birth to two sons, Kailand and Mandla.

Eleven years later, Stevie filed for divorce and started dating model Tomeeka Robyn Bracy. In 2013, she gave birth to a son with Stevie, and in 2014, a daughter, Nia.

Stevie Wonder with his children and grandchildren

Three years later, the couple held a lavish wedding in Jamaica with all of Wonder's children in attendance. The devoted father shared in an interview:

I have great respect for my children's mothers. They raised the children well. But I'm not the kind of father who just sends money. I guide them as their father and talk to them as a friend. I always want my children to feel they can tell me anything... I remember writing 'Isn't She Lovely?' - I almost cried thinking about it. The sound of my daughter Aisha splashing in the bath created the picture. It's an emotion frozen in time that can never be taken away.

Stevie Wonder Now

In 2023, Wonder delivered a standout performance with Motown legend Smokey Robinson and country star Chris Stapleton at the Grammy Awards. He performed three of his classic hits and participated in two duets.

At the MusiCares Persons Of The Year Gala, Stevie thrilled the audience with a performance of 'Higher Ground' from his legendary album 'Innervisions.'

In recent years, Wonder has scaled back his solo performances, citing health concerns and wanting to spend more time with his family. However, he continues to record new songs, including for other musicians.

Interesting Facts

As a kid, Stevie was obsessed with pop singer Neil Sedaka, earning him the nickname "white boy" from other children.

But I was just a lover of all music. I liked Smokey Robinson's song 'I'll Try Something New.' When I sang that song, girls would come up to me, and my heart would race. I couldn't see the girls, but I could feel their energy. I thought, 'Man, they're really into this.'
In 1973, Wonder was in a devastating car accident that left him in a coma for four days. When he woke up, he'd lost his sense of smell. He credits music with helping him bounce back quickly.

In 2020, the artist underwent a kidney transplant operation, and afterward, he said he felt five years younger.

Barack Obama is a huge Stevie Wonder fan. He even walked down the aisle to the musician's song 'You And I.' For Obama's inauguration, Wonder wrote 'All About the Love Again' and debuted it at the ceremony. There was a memorable moment when Michelle Obama accidentally let Wonder stumble at an event while guiding him to his instrument. Stevie bounced right back and cracked a joke, saying he didn't see the step because he was too busy looking at his companion.

Important Life Events

1961: Signed a contract with Motown.
1962: Dropped his debut album The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie.
1963: Dropped the live album Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius.
1969: Dropped the album My Cherie Amour.
1970: Married label colleague Syreeta Wright.
1971: Dropped Where I'm Coming From and signed a new deal with the label.
1972: Divorced Syreeta Wright. Dropped Music of My Mind.
1973: Dropped Innervisions, which snagged "Album of the Year" and three Grammy Awards.
1974: Dropped Fulfillingness' First Finale, earning "Album of the Year" and a Grammy.
1976: Dropped Songs in the Key of Life, scoring "Album of the Year" and another Grammy.
1980: Dropped Hotter than July and founded Kurzweil Music Systems.
1983: Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
1985: Won an Oscar for Best Original Song in the film The Woman in Red with the song I Just Called to Say I Love You.
1989: Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
1995: Dropped Conversation Peace.
1996: Received Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
1999: Received the Swedish Polar Music Prize and honored by the Kennedy Center.
2001: Married fashion designer Karen Millard.
2002: Received the Gershwin Prize from Barack Obama.
2004: Ranked 15th on Rolling Stone's list of "100 Greatest Artists of All Time."
2005: Dropped A Time to Love.
2006: Inducted into the Michigan Walk of Fame.
2008: Ranked 5th on Rolling Stone's list of "100 Greatest Artists of All Time."
2009: Awarded the second Gershwin Prize. Named United Nations Messenger of Peace.
2010: Awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.
2012: Divorced Karen Millard.
2014: Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
2016: Childhood street in Detroit renamed Stevie Wonder Avenue.
2017: Married model Tomeeka Robyn Bracy.
2021: Released the song Finish Line in a duet with Elton John.
2023: Performed at the Grammy Awards ceremony.

Photos: Stevie Wonder