We already brought you part one of our list of 15 things you didn’t know about Stevie Wonder, and now we’re back with part two! Check out eight more fascinating details about the multi-talented musician’s life that you definitely (probably) did not know below. You might be surprised by what you learn!
Number Eight: He Is the Youngest Solo Artist to Hit Number One. When Wonder was just 13 years old, his song “Fingertips – Part 2” hit the number one spot on the Billboard Top 100. At the same time, the song also became the number one R&B song in the country.
Number Seven: He Sang to Frank Ocean. Many people have compared Wonder and Frank Ocean because they are both changing the world with their music. The two met at a party, and Wonder actually sang “No Church in the Wild” to Ocean.
Number Six: He Made the Moog Synthesizer Popular. The synthesizer wasn’t always as popular as it is now. In a 1972 interview, Wonder was forced to defend his early use of the Moog synthesizer. He said, “A lot of people don’t consider the Moog an instrument, in a sense…But I feel it is an instrument and is a way to directly express what comes from your mind.”
Number Five: He Performed on Sesame Street. Though Sesame Street is a children’s show, Wonder actually performed his song “Superstition” on the show. The song is one of his most popular.
Number Four: He Told Lil Wayne to Shut Up. Lil Wayne has gone on record to say that Wonder once told him to shut up at a party. He said that Wonder was in the middle of a performance, and he told Lil Wayne to shut up while he was performing.
Number Three: He Was the First Person to Own the E-Mu Emulator. Wonder was the very first person to experiment with sampling, and the E-Mu Emulator was one of the first affordable samplers.
Number Two: The First Song He Learned How to Play Was “Three Blind Mice.” In a somewhat coincidental twist, the very first song Wonder learned how to play featured three mice that shared the characteristic of blindness with him.
Number One: He Is Partially Responsible for Martin Luther King Junior Day. Wonder used his single, “Happy Birthday,” to rally for Martin Luther King Junior’s birthday to be a national holiday. Reagan finally approved it two years later.