Stevie Wonder is one of the most accomplished musicians of all time. The 65-year-old may be getting older, but he’s certainly far from being forgotten. Despite the fact that much of his life has been scrutinized under the public eye, there are still some interesting facts that many people don’t know about the singer. Here, we present our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about Stevie Wonder. Check out part one below, and stay tuned for part two, coming soon!
Number Fifteen: He Has Won More Awards Than You Could Ever Realize. Wonder has won an impressive 25 Grammys. His most recent award was for his song he made with Tony Bennett in 2007 called “For Once In My Life.” He also won an Oscar for Best Song for “I Just Called To Say I Love You,” which was featured in The Woman in Red.
Number Fourteen: He Has a Lot of Really Important Friends. Wonder has many admirers, including United States president Barack Obama, who has said that he is his favorite artist of all time. Wonder also got to sing at Nelson Mandela’s 80th birthday party.
Number Thirteen: He Values Family. Wonder has nine children, which he has fathered with five different women. All of his children have his original last name, Morris.
Number Twelve: He Was Insulted by Keith Richards. In the early 1970s, Wonder opened for The Rolling Stones when they were on tour to promote their album, Exile on Main Street. One night, Wonder’s drummer quit, and Wonder didn’t feel comfortable performing without him. He let the Stones know that he wouldn’t be able to open that night, and Richards got very upset and insulted him.
Number Eleven: He Is Political. Wonder was involved in politics before a lot of people thought it was “cool.” He has lobbied for gun control, fought against apartheid, and performed at benefits.
Number Ten: He Has Lost More Than His Sight. In addition to losing his sight shortly after he was born, Wonder lost his sense of smell in a car accident. He also lost his sense of taste as a result of the accident.
Number Nine: He Has Written a Lot. In addition to being an excellent performer, Wonder has also written songs for other people. He wrote “Tell Me Something Good” for Rufus & Chaka Khan, and he also wrote “Until You Come Back To Me” for Aretha Franklin.