Stevie Wonder Reflects On Motown, God And Prince

Enlarge this image

In 1980, Stevie Wonder helped campaign for Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday to become a national holiday. "I never saw it as being political," he says. "I just saw it as being the right thing to do."

Philippe Callant for NPR

.

Stevie Wonder needs little introduction. His awards and achievements — 25 Grammy Awards, a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, more than 100 million records sold worldwide — only speak partially to his legend. His career began when he signed to Motown Records at the age of 11, becoming a teenage soul sensation billed as "Little Stevie." In the 1970s, he created a string of classic records: Talking Book, Innervisions, Songs in the Key of Life, to name a few. Stevie Wonder is unquestionably one of the most influential and important musicians alive today.

.

On this episode of What's Good with Stretch & Bobbito — featuring special guest, renowned producer and Stevie evangelist DJ Spinna — Wonder talks about almost getting dropped from Motown Records, campaigning for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, how he knew Barack Obama would become president and missing Prince.

Interview Highlights

On making music at Motown Records with Henry Cosby and Sylvia Moy

The difference between then and now: Back then, I had this tape bag I carried around for years, of melodies and ideas and all that kind of stuff. I had in that bag the idea for "My Cherie Amour," the idea for "Hey Love." I had a chance to put the music to work with Henry Cosby, Sylvia Moy. It was the melodies and music idea that I would give them. It was a great marriage, one that really made it possible for me to continue to be in Motown, because I think by the age of 14 and a half, they had this meeting at Motown saying, "You know what? His voice is changing, things are different, we don't know what to do with this kid. We think we're gonna have to let him go." ... Sylvia Moy said, "You know what, I think I'm going to commit to working with him, Hank, if you're with it. He's got some melodies and some things we wanna kinda like, mess with and see what we get." And so they did and we started doing stuff together.

.

Read more here: https://www.npr.org/secti...WQx-m4uUM8