The life behind the music

A Motown recording artist from childhood, Stevie Wonder grew into a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose 1970s work brought striking rhythmic ideas together with social observation and intimate emotion. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted him in 1989. Our collection follows the path from his early career to Superstition, Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life.

To hear the breadth of that period, move between the tightly focused groove of a single and the longer emotional arc of an album. Wonder’s musical identity is carried by the relationship between voice, keyboard patterns and rhythm. The warmth of a melody can coexist with an urgent subject; that balance is one reason these records reward repeated listening.

Historical reference: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame artist biography. Listening commentary by Past Tunes.