We’re sending out a big happy birthday to the legendary Stevie Wonder, who turns 70 today. He started out being known as Little Stevie Wonder with the smash hit “Fingertips (Part 2)” in 1963 and moved on to super-stardom in the late 60s, 70s and 80s.Here’s a look at his amazing career:
his self-taught musician was born Steven Judkins in Saginaw, Michigan, 100 miles northwest of Detroit.
- Born prematurely, he became blind soon after birth.
- He signed with Motown in 1961.
- Motown songwriter Clarence Paul is credited with coining Stevie's stage name.
- Two years later, his "Fingertips, Part Two" went number-one.
- His ticket to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was punched with more than 30 Top 10 hits and 25 Grammys.
- Stevie was a prime mover behind the campaign for a Martin Luther King national holiday, which was signed into law by President Reagan in 1986.
- Wonder received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1999.
- President Barack Obama once called Stevie his favorite performer.