Who Is Stevie Wonder questions
What is a famous quote of Stevie's?
"I have never thought of being blind as a disadvantage"
Which song did Stevie's mom earn a writing credit for?
"Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours."
What earned Stevie a Grammy award?
"You Are the Sunshine of My Life"
Who was Duke Ellington?
1899-1974; Edward Kennedy; Internationally famous pianist, songwriter band leader
Who was Nelson Mandela?
1918-2013; 27 years in jail for speaking out against apartheid; South African president
Who was Martin Luther King Jr.?
1929-1968; minister; civil rights leader from the 1960s; equal rights for African Americans; 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech in front of Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. during March on Washington; assassinated 1968 Memphis, Tennessee
Who was Ray Charles Robinson?
1930-2004; singer, songwriter, pianist; "The Genius"; "Father of Soul Music" find from an illness at age 7; Florida School for the Deaf and Blind; 1986 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
When was Stevie's first road tour?
1962 at the age of twelve
What was the U.S.A. for Africa?
44 musicians came together in Hollywood, California - "We Are the World"
What was Stevie's new five year contract with Motown?
5 years and one million dollars
Who was the "King of the Blues"?
B.B. King
Who was the man in charge of Motown?
Berry Gordy
Whose voice could Stevie imitate perfectly?
Berry Gordy
Where did the Motown company relocate to in 1972?
Capitol Records building in Los Angeles
Who was Stevie Wonder's producer?
Clarence Paul
What happened on November 2, 1983?
Congress passed and Ronald Reagan signed a law recognizing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as national holiday
When was Stevie Wonder born?
May 13, 1950
Who did Stevie dedicate his Academy Award for Best Original Song to?
Nelson Mandela
Who did Stevie dedicate his 1984 Academy Award to?
Nelson Mandela civil rights leader
What happened in November 2014?
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Who was Uncle Ray?
Ray Charles; no relation; 20 years older; also blind
What happened in 1989?
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the age of 38
Who did Stevie tour with in 1972?
Rolling Stones; one of the most popular rock and roll bands in the world
Where was Stevie Wonder born?
Saginaw, Michigan
Who was the lead singer of The Miracles?
Smokey Robinson
What was Apartheid?
South African system of racial segregation
What was Stevie Wonder's birth name?
Steveland Hardaway Judkins
What was Steveland's stage name?
Stevie Wonder
What happened in 1970?
Stevie and Syreeta (Rita) Wright got married
Why did Stevie's mom worry?
Stevie would be unhappy because he was blind
Who were the first big stars of Motown Records?
The Miracles
What was Stevie named in 2009?
United Nations Messenger of Peace
What happened at an outdoor concert when Stevie was eight years old?
bandleader paid Stevie 75 cents for playing the drums
Why was Stevie Wonder in an incubator after he was born?
born six weeks early
What happened in Birmingham, Alabama?
bullet holes on the side of the bus
Why was Stevie asked to leave his church choir?
church leader heard him singing R&B music
What happened in 1971 when Stevie was 21 years old?
contract with Motown expired and he went to work on his own
What is a synthesizer?
create music from electric signals and play with a keyboard
Who was "Isn't She Lovely" a tribute to?
daughter, Aisha
Why did Stevie keep a tape recorder with him?
did not want to forget any lyrics that came to mind
How was Stevie different from others that wanted to become stars?
eleven years old and blind
What is the Apollo Theater?
famous music hall in Harlem New York City; 1934
What did Lula do when she had enough money?
first payment on a house in a good neighborhood and moved
What happened in June of 1969?
graduated from the Michigan School for the Blind
What did the barber give Stevie at the age of five?
harmonica
Why did Stevie ruin recording sessions for other musicians?
he could not see the red warning light that recording session was in progress
What happened when Stevie was born?
he was in an incubator for more than a month
What did a neighbor give Stevie when she moved away?
her piano
What did Stevie's mom, Lula, do with part of her paycheck?
hid from dad, Calvin, under the mattress
Who was Ted Hull?
hired tutor
What happened in May of 1985?
honored by the United Nations for speaking out against apartheid
What was on the rise in the 70s?
illegal drug use, violence and crime
When was Stevie's first album released?
instrumental in September 1962
Why did Stevie nearly die in 1973?
involved in a terrible car accident
Who is Mick Jagger?
lead singer of The Rolling Stones
What did John Glover ask Ronnie White to do in 1961?
listen to Stevie Wonder sing
What happened in 2001?
married
What did Stevie tell his mom one day?
maybe God does not mean for me to see
What did the Talking Book album include?
message from Stevie in Braille
What is instrumental music?
music only; no words
What is Motown a shortened version of?
nickname for Detroit; Motor City/Motor Town
What did the doctor say was wrong with Stevie's eyes?
not respond to movement or light; not develop properly; blind
What did Stevie's mom teach him?
not to feel sorry for himself because he was blind
What is an opening act?
performer that plays before the main attraction
What is vinyl?
plastic
When Stevie was just eight years old, why was he given $0.75?
playing drums at an outdoor concert he attended
How was Stevie honored in 2014?
presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom
What did Stevie experience for the first time while on tour?
racism
What did Stevie host in 1981?
rally For Peace Press Conference with civil rights leader Jesse Jackson
What did Stevie do in the late 1970s?
re-signed with Motown for thirteen million dollars over seven years
What unusual thing did Berry Gordy do in 1963?
released Stevie's live Chicago performance on a seven-inch single
What is R&B?
rhythm and blues
What did Stevie do on his second album?
sang Ray Charles' popular songs
Why did Gordy not want to sign performers under the age of 18?
strict laws about hours allowed to work and time required for school
What is Braille?
system used by blind to read and write; raised dots represent letters and numbers; Louis Braille blind at age 3
What happened in August of 1973?
terrible car accident; log hit him in the face; nearly killed him; coma
What were hits?
top selling records
What were the Blues?
type of Folk Music created by black people in Southern United States; early 1900s
What did Steveland Judkins do in Detroit, Michigan in the fall of 1961?
walked into Motown Record Corporation
What could Stevie identify by the sound?
which coin was dropped on the table
Why did put his music career on hold in the early 1980s?
worked to make MLK Jr. birthday a national holiday
