Latest News 2013
December[22] Last night at the 18th annual House Full of Toys benefit concert, Stevie performed his 1976 masterpiece, Songs in the Key of Life in its entirety. For a full review of this remarkable event read the Rolling Stone review.
[09] UNCA To Honour Stevie Wonder at Award Ceremony, December 18th. At its annual award ceremony next week, the U.N. Correspondents’ Association (UNCA) will honour Stevie and Michael Douglas. Stevie will receive the UNCA Global Advocate of the Year award while Douglas will receive the UNCA Global Citizen of the Year award.
[06] With the sad passing of Nelson Madela last night this site will like to pay tribute to the immense contribution he made to humankind while he shared time with us on this earth. Below is a collage of images of Stevie with Nelson Mandela. Stevie wrote many songs and performed at many events condemning apartheid in addtion to being arrested in 1985 for protesting outside the South African embassy in Washington DC. In his Oscar acceptance speech for the song I Just Called to Say I Love You, Stevie dedicated it to the then imprisoned Mandela.
November
[24] On Friday night (Nov. 22) Stevie performed at the MNET Asian Music Awards where he received the Music Makes One Global Ambassador Award. View videos of his performances here and here.
[19] Ruben Studdard's forthcoming album Unconditional Love, to be released Febuary 4th, will feature Stevie on harmonica on The Carpenters classic, Close To You. The album also contains a duet with Laylah Hathaway of With You I'm Born Again which was originally recorded by Syreeta and Billy Preston.
[19] Stevie can be heard on Celine Dion's latest album Loved me Back to Life, dueting with her on a cover of his 1980's classic, Overjoyed.
[19] Esperanza Spalding's new single We Are America weighs in on the closing of Guantanamo Bay detention center. The accompanying video features cameos from Stevie, Harry Belafonte and Janelle Monáe.
[13] Stevie will appear at the 2013 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) in Hong Kong next week Friday November 22nd.
[13] As Hollywood gears up for the holiday season, organizers of the annual Hollywood Christmas Parade have revealed there would be performances from Stevie, LeAnn Rimes and William Shatner, Bill Ray Cyrus and others. The two-hour special will premiere on the Hallmark Channel on Dec. 11 before airing again on the Hallmark Movie Channel on Dec. 20 and 24. It will also air to over 1 million American servicemen and women worldwide on American Forces Television Network.
October
[29] Stevie's annual House Full of Toys benefit will be extra special this year as he is planning to perform his classic album Songs In The Key Of Life in its entirety for the first time. The concert will take place at the Nokia Theater in L.A. on 21 December.
[11] Hitmaker Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday (10 Oct). Stevie attended the ceremony honoring Babyface with the 2508th Star.
September
[29] Stevie gave an electrifying performance at New York's Central Park in front of thousands of fans and several world leaders Saturday night at the Global Citizens Festival raising awareness of world poverty.
[23] Today Stevie spoke at the United Nations on Disabilities and Development. The meeting was on the Realization of the Millennium Development Goals and Other Internationally Agreed Development Goals for Persons with Disabilities. The United States have not ratified the Disabilities Convention but Stevie said he didn't know the ins and outs of the stumbling blocks, but they will be overcome. We can't let the lobbyists win, he said.
Also Stevie met with young Vietnamese advocate Nguyen Phuong Anh to push jointly for greater inclusion for children with disabilities. Read UNICEF article and view video here.
[17] Stevie will give a special performance this Thursday, September 19, as part of the City of Hope cancer research and treatment institution’s annual Music and Entertainment Industry Group Gala. The fundraiser at Playa Vista, CA’s Hercules Campus, City of Hope will present Rob Light of the Creative Artists Agency with the Spirit of Life Award for his dedication to furthering the institution’s mission to cure cancer.
[08] Reverend Al Sharpton and MSNBC presented Advancing the Dream: Live from The Apollo on Friday, September 6th. The live, star-studded, two-hour television event included interviews and discussions with a diverse group of individuals including Stevie, Magic Johnson, Condoleezza Rice, Tyler Perry, Lisa Price, Sallie Krawcheck, Cory Booker, and Ron Blaylock. Videos of the event can be viewed here and here.
August
[28] To mark the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech, BBC Radio 4 asked notable figures to record a recital of the celebrated text. Listen to it in full here which features the voice of Stevie at the end.
[26] A fantastic new cover CD, Social Sounds of Stevie, has recently been released by an Italian band, Stevland, with lead vocals by Claudia Tellini. The release is unique in that it interprets social songs created by Stevie in a fresh free Jazz/Rock genre. More information and song previews can be found on their Facebook page. You can purchase the CD by contacting the band at this email address. Album details can be found here.
[05] On Friday night Stevie made a surprise appearance and performed with the group Ozomatli at the end of a Grand Performances concert titled Songs in the Key of L.A. in downtown L.A. that featured songs from the Los Angeles Public Library's sheet music archive. Stevie performed Overjoyed then thrilled the audience with an electrifying version of his seldom performed ode to the city, Land of La La.
July
[15] Stevie closed the Quebec Summer Festival last night. He dedicated his performance to the victims of the train tragedy in Lac-Mégantic and also to the family of Trayvon Martin. Adding that he will not perform again in Florida or any place else in the world where a "stand your ground" law exists.
[11] Timed around the annual United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, the Global Citizen Festival will return for a second year to continue efforts of building a movement to end extreme poverty by 2030. The festival will be held September 28 in Central Park, New York and will feature headliners Stevie, Kings of Leon, Alicia Keys and John Mayer. Further information here.
[01] Stevie performed at the BET 2013 Awards show last night to help pay tribute to Charlie Wilson of the GAP Band who received the BET Lifetime Achievement Award. He sang the group's hit Burn Rubber on Me.
June
[29] Stevie attended the signing ceremony of the Marrakesh Treaty that will allow greater access to books for the blind and visually impaired around the world following negotiations held by the World Intellectual Property Organization in Marrakesh. Earlier in the week he promised to attend the conference and give a concert to delegates should they ratify the treaty. More info available in this article and video.
[25] Stevie was on hand Saturday night at the opening of the new Hollywood Bowl season to induct his friend John Legend into the venue's Hall of Fame. It was a lively night: the Aerosmith songwriting team of Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, as well as Patti Austin, were also inducted. Wonder performed Ordinary People with Legend, but his main duties were as presenter. After the show Stevie spoke to Rolling Stone magazine about the project he is working on with David Foster called When the World Began. Full story here.
[21] This morning, Stevie addressed the plenary session of the World Intellectual Property Organization conference in Marrakesh, Morocco via video link, finalising a treaty to facilitate access for blind people to books.
In his message he encouraged WIPO delegates to facilitate cross-border exchange of special format works for blind and visually impaired people.
He said “All of you, great minds representing governments all around the world, have the opportunity to do right or wrong. Here in the final sprint of a marathon that has spanned many years, time is short. The time has come today, not tomorrow, today. The world’s blind and visually impaired are counting on you. I am counting on you. Don’t let me down, but most of all please don’t let them down. This is our legacy, your gift to future generations. So let’s at last finalise this new agreement and open the doors to the world of written treasures, moving towards a future where there are no barriers to the expansion of knowledge and the enjoyment of culture, even for the visually impaired. Do this, and I will come to Marrakesh, and we will celebrate together. Are you feeling it, can you relate? Do you know what I am saying, I know you do! So do it!”
View video here.
[19] Stevie is scheduled to perform on BET Awards 2013 that will air live in the US on June 30.
[19] Stevie will add harmonica to UK's X-Factor 2012 finalist, Jahmene Douglas' album track Give Us This Day on his forthcoming debut album due out on July 22nd.
[09] Every year Los Angeles hosts Celebrate L.A. as a salute to the city's diversity. This year Bill Clinton made an appearance alongside Stevie, Placido Domingo, Wanda Sykes, Pepe Aguilar while Ryan Seacrest served as the MC. And the festivities became a sort of de facto farewell to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
May
[30] Stevie will induct critically-acclaimed recording artist John Legend into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame at this year's Opening Night at the Hollywood Bowl, Saturday, June 22.
[28] Stevie will make his way to Quebec City for the first time ever to close out the d'été de Québec Festival on Sunday July 14. He will headline the Bell Stage on the last night of the event. Details here.
[20] Stevie headlined the final day of the three day Hangout Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama, this weekend, closing the event with a marvellous display that included covers and renditions of classic tracks of his own.
[13] Happy Birthday To You - Stevie Wonder
[10] Earlier this week, Lauryn Hill was sentenced to three months in prison for tax evasion. In the aftermath of her trial, she took to her blog to thank her supporters including Alicia Keys and Stevie, who wrote letters to the judge on her behalf.
[03] Stevie is featured as himself in a new film called Twenty Feet from Stardom which receently premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival. The film features intimate interviews with Stevie and other artists such as Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen and Sting and opens in the US on June 14. View trailer here.
[03] Stevie will be headlining the closing night of the Hangout Music Festival on May 19th. Single day tickets are available here.
April
[25] Stevie performs lead vocals on his classic song, Signed, Sealed, Delivered covered by an acappella group, Straight No Chaser. The track will appear on the 10-member group's upcoming fourth studio album, Under The Influence, due May 7. Click here to listen.
[18] Stevie will receive the 2013 Service to America Leadership Award from the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation (NABEF) for his important work as an activist, Messenger of Peace and his dedication to helping people with disabilities and children and families in need. He will be presented with the award at NABEF's Celebration of Service to America Gala on June 3. Details here.
[18] The US TV show, Dancing with the Stars, will feature the music of Stevie on their show next week, April 22nd. Its the first time in its 16 seasons that an entire episode would be dedicated to one artist. Stevie will also appear on the show.
[15] Quincy Jones and Michael Caine, born within minutes of each other on opposite sides of the Atlantic, celebrated their 80th birthdays as honorees of a lavish benefit Saturday night at the MGM Grand. Stevie sang Happy Birthday, performed a duet with Nikki Yanofsky on Let the Good Times Roll and led an all-star finale of We Are the World.
[10] Motown: The Musical celebrated Family Night on April 5, 2013, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Photographer: (Bruce Glikas, © Broadway.com)
[09] Stevie's I Believe (When I Fall In Love) will be Josh Groban's second single from his latest album All That Echoes.
[09] At the Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday night, Hunter Hayes was joined by Stevie for for a rendition of Sir Duke. Stevie then closed out the night with a performance of Signed, Sealed, Delivered, which got the country music stars out of their seats for a fitting end to the ceremony.
[05] Last night, April 4, Stevie attended the SeriousFun Children's Network event honoring Liz Robbins in New York City.
[02] The Academy of Country Music has announced that Hunter Hayes and Stevie will perform together during the live broadcast of the ACM Awards on April 7.
March
[30] With the passing away earlier today of legendary producer, Phil Ramone, Stevie paid the following tribute: What a heart break to all of us who knew him and loved him. What a great man, what a kind spirit, such an incredible producer. The star of stars behind the stars. Truly a tragic loss for us on earth but what a wonderful blessing for heaven.
[22] Stevie was on hand yesterday as Motown house band, The Funk Brothers, received their Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame. Thirteen members of the band were named as official star honorees however only the two surviving members, Eddie Willis and Jack Ashford, were present for the ceremony.
[14] Recently Stevie visited song writer and producer, David Foster’s studio for a recording session. Greg Phillinganes and Jochem van der Saag were present for a recording of Stevie's 1971 hit Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer.
[14] The concert series Broadway Sings! is back with a tribute to Stevie at the Le Poisson Rouge, New York on April 14th. Click here for details.
[06] Stevie has been announced as one of the headline acts at this years Hangout Music Fest at Gulf Shores, Alabama, May 17th to 19th. More information here
February
[27] Last night Stevie received the 2013 Distinguished Individual Award from The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. “As much as I am so appreciative of receiving this honor,” Stevie told the audience, “every time that I receive an honor I am challenged to go on my knees and ask God what more does he want me to do because this is only one small bit. Today is no exception to that.” Read more here and watch Fox5 video here.
[26] The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) will recognize Stevie with The 2013 Distinguished Individual Award on February 26, 2013 from 8:00 p.m.- 9:30 p.m. at the Howard Theatre, 620 T Street, NW. Included in the program will be a musical tribute to Stevie by music legend Dionne Warwick; hip hop artist Doug E. Fresh; French musician and harmonicist Frédéric Yonnet and singer Maysa Leak
[21] Keep Memory Alive's 17th annual Power of Love Gala will this year celebrate the 80th birthdays of Quincy Jones and Sir Michael Caine at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas. The star-studded tribute will take place on April 13, with a celebrity-guest lineup that includes Stevie, Barbra Streisand, Bono, Carlos Santana, Chaka Khan, Chris Tucker, Herbie Hancock, Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks, Patti Austin, Scarlett Johansson, Whoopi Goldberg, Will.i.Am and more.
[20] The United Nations Day Concert: A Message of Peace will premiere Saturday Feb. 23rd on BET, Centric, VH1 Soul, VH1 Classis and Palladia (7 p.m. EST). The musical celebration took place at the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters in New York last October.
[15] Stevie is not happy with Lil Wayne's vulgar lyrics to the song Karate Chop performed by the rapper Future. The song references Emmett Till, a black teen who was killed in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman. He says the rapper's disturbing verse should not have made it beyond the recording studio.
[11] At last night's 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards, two albums with contributions from Stevie were winners. Drake's album Take Care featuring Stevie's harmonica on the track Doing It Wrong took the Best Rap Album award and Paul McCartney's Kisses on the Bottom which won the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album included Stevie's harmonica on the track Only Our Hearts.
[04] This week Tuesday 5th to Thursday 7th BBC Four (TV) will be airing Danny Baker's Great Album Showdown at 9pm. The show discusses many of the great albums of the 60's and 70's. Thursday's episode will feature RnB albums. View promotional video here.
[04] Stevie was featured in two Bud Light SuperBowl Commercials last night during the game. View videos here and here.
[04] BBC Radio 2 - Favourite Album Vote. Songs In The Key Of Life is among 100 albums selected by BBC Radio in their competition to find the best Album. Visit the link here to choose your favourite. Voting closes at 6.59pm on Friday 22 February
[03] Applause and approval greeted Stevie as thousands stood for hours to hear his pre-Super Bowl concert that also featured guitarist Gary Clark Jr. and Janelle Monae.
January
[31] Stevie's recent visit to the United Nations Headquarters, UNTV interviewed him about his work as a human rights campaigner, musician and United Nations Messenger of Peace with a focus on persons with disabilities. View video here.
[31] The lead single titled Only One from P.J. Morton's (Maroon5 Keyboardist) upcoming album, New Orleans, features Stevie on Harmonica.
[22] On Super Bowl weekend, Stevie will join Gary Clark Jr. for a bash at the Bud Light Hotel in New Orleans on February 2nd.
[22] Stevie set aside a few moments yeserday to chat with Piers Morgan, reflecting upon the significance of Inauguration Day. As this years occasion falls on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, an official holiday Stevie campaigned hard to help become a reality he offered a nod to the progress the country has made:.
[18] On Wednesday Stevie visited the United Nations headquarters (New York) and met with the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and talked about his mission as Messenger of Peace and his plans for the comming year. For details and video click here.
[18] A crowd of 35,000 is expected for President Obama's inaugural Ball on January 21, with performers from Alicia Keys to Stevie ready to help celebrate the Commander-in-Chief's second term in office.