Stevie Wonder, The #9 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Five

 

(Continued from Part Four)

 

Wonder released the album Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants" (a #4 release) in 1979, which was one of the first popular albums to feature digital recording.  "Send Her My Love" went to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, #4 overall, and #5 on the R&B chart in the United States and #7 in Canada.  

Stevie enjoyed great success with his 1980 album Hotter than July.  He brought back "All I Do", which he had written as a teenager in 1966 along with Clarence Paul and Morris Broadnax.  Tammi Terrell recorded the original version of the song.

Hotter than July reached #2 in the U.K., Canada and New Zealand and #3 in the United States and has sold over one million copies.  

 

Inspired by Reggae music, Stevie wrote this song after meeting Bob Marley.  "Master Blaster (Jammin')" landed in the Top 10 in virtually every country in the world, led by a #1 performance in New Zealand and Switzerland and a seven-week run at the top of the R&B chart in the United States, and was nominated for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male at the Grammy Awards.

 

"I Ain't Gonna' Stand For It" fell short of the Top 10 in the U.S., though it did hit #2 in New Zealand, #6 in Ireland, #9 in Canada and #10 in the United Kingdom.

Stevie used his song "Happy Birthday" to urge the United States to designate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as a national holiday.  

"Lately" was largely ignored in most countries, but it was a #3 smash in the U.K.

Stevie was nominated for three Grammy Awards in 1981--Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special and Producer of the Year for Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants and he received another for Best R&B Song for "Let's Get Serious", a song we wrote for Jermaine Jackson.

 

Here is another solid track from the album--"Rocket Love".

In 1982, Wonder released the compilation album of his work in the '70's, Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium, which included the new single "That Girl", another #1 R&B song (#1 for nine weeks) and #4 overall.

 

The album reached #4 in the U.S.  The funky "Do I Do" is another new song recorded for the album which peaked at #13 in the U.S., though it was a Top 10 effort in some countries.

 

Two of the all-time greats (as well as two of the greatest songwriters ever), Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder, teamed up for this plea for sanity:  "Ebony And Ivory" rocketed to #1 in the U.S., Canada, Germany and Ireland.

"Ebony And Ivory" is another of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.  Wonder garnered seven Grammy nominations:  Record of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (for "Ebony And Ivory"), Best R&B Song for both "That Girl" and "Do I Do", with the latter also picking up nominations for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s), and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "What's That You're Doing".

The legendary Wonder has put out an amazing array of incredible material.  We have Part Six next!