(Continued from Part Five)
In 1983, Wonder was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and he received the Founders Award from ASCAP the following year. Stevie wrote the lyrics to "Stay Gold" for the movie The Outsiders. He also recorded one of his biggest career hits, and another in that distinguished list--"I Just Called To Say I Love You", for the movie The Woman in Red. It reached #1 in every country in the world and garnered a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture, beating out a stellar lineup of "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins, Kenny Loggins' "Footloose", "Let's Hear It For The Boy" from Deniece Williams and Ray Parker, Jr.'s "Ghostbusters".
The soundtrack was a Top 10 album in every major country in the world and sold over one million copies. Wonder won an Academy Award for Best Song from a Motion Picture and he was nominated for Song of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male for "I Just Called To Say I Love You", Best Pop Instrumental Performance for the instrumental version of the song, and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male for the soundtrack album at the Grammy Awards. Stevie also received American Music Award nominations for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Video Artist. In 2002, the song was ranked as the 13th best-selling single of all-time in the U.K.
Stevie was honored by the United Nations Special Committee Against Apartheid for his work against racism in South Africa. In 1985, Wonder released the album In Square Circle. "Overjoyed", which Stevie performed live on May 7, 1983 on Saturday Night Live, was a #1 AC smash.
In Square Circle reached the Top 10 in virtually every country, including a #2 peak in Sweden, won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male, and has sold over two million copies. Stevie also performed "Go Home" on SNL, which helped propel it to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #10 overall.
Stevie played harmonica on Chaka Khan's "I Feel For You" and on Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues".
Wonder also took part in the charity project "We Are The World", a #1 smash in 1986.
Stevie joined Elton John, Dionne Warwick, and Gladys Knight for this spectacular #1 benefit for AIDS research, which was nominated for Record of the Year at the Grammys and captured the award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal--"That's What Friends Are For".
Stevie played harmonica for John Denver on his album Dreamland Express, wrote a song for the Beach Boys' 1985 album, played harmonica on "Can't Help Lovin' That Man" on the respected The Broadway Album for Barbra Streisand, and joined Michael Jackson in the duet "Just Good Friends" for MJ's album Bad.
In 1987, Stevie received an Honorary Doctorate in Music from Brown University. Wonder released the album Characters, which went Platinum. "Skeletons" went to #1 on the R&B chart and peaked at #19 on the Popular chart. It earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Song and the album was nominated for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.
"You Will Know" is another of Stevie's career best.
In 1989, Stevie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Stevie recorded music for the movie Jungle Fever in 1991 (with both the title song and "Gotta' Have You" nominated for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television at the Grammy Awards).
Stevie joined Whitney Houston for "We Didn't Know, Houston's sixth single from her album I'm Your Baby Tonight in 1992.
Wonder released another Gold album in 1995 (Conversation Peace), which gave Wonder Grammys for Best R&B Song and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for the song "For Your Love".
In 1994, Stevie received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1996, he released the album Song Review: A Greatest Hits Collection, which went Platinum.
In 1996, Wonder received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy Awards and was honored with an honorary Doctorate of Music by University of Alabama-Birmingham.
His pace of both studio albums and live appearances has slowed in the years since. He joined Babyface for a song about domestic violence called "How Come, How Long" (which received Grammy nominations for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and Best Short Form Music Video) and played harmonica on "Brand New Day" by Sting in 1999.
In 1998, Stevie received the Ambassador of Peace Award from the United Nations. Stevie won Grammys for Best R&B Vocal Performance and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) for the song he recorded with Herbie Hancock--"St. Louis Blues" in 1999.
In 1999, Wonder was awarded Kennedy Center Honors, received an honorary doctorate degree in fine arts from Rutgers University, and was named MusicCare's Person of the Year.
In 2002, Stevie received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Songwriter's Hall of Fame. Another compilation work considering is The Definitive Collection, released in 2002, which has sold over one million copies. Stevie's duet with George Michael, a cover of Wonder's "Love's In Need Of Love Today" from Songs in the Key of Life, won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
Wonder was nominated for another Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "Christmas Song" in 2003; his work with Take 6 in 2004 earned another nomination in the same category.
Wonder received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Billboard Music Awards. With help from Prince and En Vogue, here is "So What The Fuss".
Stevie recorded songs for Spike Lee's Bamboozled album and released the Top Five album A Time to Love in 2005. Stevie won Grammy Awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance (for "From The Bottom Of My Heart"), Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "So Amazing", with "How Will I Know" also being nominated in that same category and Wonder picking up additional nominations for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance (for "So What The Fuss", the title song for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and another nomination for Best R&B Album.
Stevie released the album 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Stevie Wonder that year as well.
Wonder won the most recent of his 25 Grammys (Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals) for his work with Tony Bennett on Stevie's song "For Once In My Life") in 2007.
In 2008, Wonder received the Gershwin Prize from the United States Congress and in 2009, he was named U.N. Messenger of Peace by the United Nations.
Stevie continued to sing and play for other artists such as Elton John, Rod Stewart, Gloria Estefan, Cyndi Lauper, India Arie, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, and Warren G. He performed at the 2002 Winter Paralympics in Salt Lake City and the Capitol Fourth celebration in Washington, D.C. in 2006, the pre-game show for Super Bowl XL in 2006, the Inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama in 2009, and the opening ceremony for the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, Greece.
Stevie recorded the single "All About The Love Again" for the presidential election and inauguration of Barack Obama. The song earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance.
In 2010, Wonder received the Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres from France. He also was given an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Oberlin College. The following year, he received an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts Degree from Tulane University. In 2012, Stevie received the Icon Award from the Billboard Music Awards.
In 2014, Stevie received the President's Medal of Freedom through an act of the U.S. Congress. It is the highest civilian award in the United States. In 2017, Wonder married Tomeeka Bracy and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music by prestigious Yale University.
Wonder performed at the funeral of Aretha Franklin in Detroit, Michigan on August 31, 2018 and closed the ceremony by singing the Lord's Prayer and "As".
Stevie was named one of the United Nations Messengers of Peace and earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Barack Obama in 2014. In 2016, the city of Detroit renamed a portion of his childhood street as "Stevie Wonder Avenue" and he was awarded an honorary key to the city from Mayor Mike Duggan.
Wonder performed at the funeral of Aretha Franklin in Detroit, Michigan on August 31, 2018 and closed the ceremony by singing the Lord's Prayer and "As".
In 2020, Stevie announced the beginning of So What the Fuss Records, which would release his material in the future. He released two singles on the label, including "Where Is Our Love Song", which benefitted the organization Feeding America.
Critics will come and go, but the highest and most important praise comes from your peers. Elton John had this to say:
Let me put it this way: Wherever I go in
the world, I always take a copy of Songs in
the Key of Life. For me, it's the best album
ever made, and I'm always left in awe after
I listen to it. When people in decades and
centuries to come talk about the history of
music, they will talk about Louis Armstrong,
Duke Ellington, Ray Charles and Stevie
Wonder [...] he [Wonder] evolved into an
amazing songwriter and a genuine
musical force of nature. He's so
multitalented that it's hard to pinpoint
exactly what it is that makes him one of the
greatest ever. But first, there's that voice.
Along with Ray Charles, he's the greatest
R&B singer who ever lived.
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