Stevie Wonder

1998 Honoree - Lifetime Achievement Award

Biography

Stevie Wonder has been making music and enriching lives for more than four decades. A chronicle of his life is the history of one of the most remarkable periods of American music culture. Since he first came on the scene as Little Stevie Wonder more than 35 years ago, he has recorded more than 30 albums. Among the numerous accomplishments that reflect his superstar status, Wonder has won 19 Grammy Awards - and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award - as well as an Oscar, and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His unique and unparalleled voice has reached millions with songs like "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," "Overjoyed," "My Cherie Amour," "Ribbon in the Sky," and countless others. Three times in as many years, Wonder received "Album of the Year" honors for Innervisions (1973), Fulfillingness First Finale (1974), and Songs in the Key of Life (1976).

But Stevie Wonder long ago crossed over from pop icon to a leader deeply committed to making a social impact in both America's communities and around the world. He secured a place in U.S. History with his successful drive to make the third Monday of January "Martin Luther King Day." He also collaborated with other recording art sits to produce the groundbreaking "We Are the World" fundraiser for hunger, and is working with American Express to lead the "Charge Against Hunger" by raising more than $150 million to feed nearly six million hungry Americans yearly.

Songwriter, singer, producer, arranger, poet, technical innovator, musician, performer, visionary and American treasure - throughout his career, this pop pioneer has been impossible to categorize. But one thigh is certain: Stevie Wonder is a legendary artist.