by Margo Macabee

Created on: October 30, 2009   Last Updated: October 31, 2009

It was a very humble beginning for Stevland Hardaway Judkins. Born blind, poor and black on May 13 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan, he was third of six children to Calvin Judkins and Lula Mae Hardaway Judkins. But Lula Mae left Calvin in 1954 and moved them to Detroit, changing her last name back to her old family surname.

Only four years old and now named Stevland Morris, his uncle gave him a small harmonica and toy drums for Christmas and soon after received a set of real drums by a local Kiwanis Club. In the next six years, Stevland joined the church choir and sang the gospel. He learned to play bass and also mastered the harmonica, piano and drums by the time he was ten years old. And he found musical interest listening to what was not yet officially referred to as Motown.

It was 1961 when Ronnie White, a relative of popular group 'The Miracles', happened by the Detroit street corner eleven year old Stevland was singing on. Thoroughly impressed, White made the very pivotal move for Stevland of introducing him and his mother, Lula Mae to none other than Barry Gordy, founder of Motown Record Corporation and producer, Mickey Stevenson; who soon commented about Stevland's unique talent, That boy's a wonder! And Motown Records under Tamla label had a signed contract for the artist known as Little Stevie Wonder.

Late in the year 1961 'I Call it Pretty Music but the Old People Call it the Blues' was Little Stevie Wonder's first small hit but his first two albums released in 1962 under the Tamla Record label 'The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie Wonder' and 'Tribute to Uncle Ray' did not fare well on the pop charts.

Little Stevie Wonder was thirteen in 1963 and his first major hit single, 'Fingertips Part 2' topped the charts for three weeks in August. A feat unheard of, the hit song's album entitled 'Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius' also went to number one the same time. And he was discovered again, this time by the public itself.

With the new public interest, in 1964 Little Stevie Wonder performed for his first film debut at fourteen years old in 'Muscle Beach Party' and a few months later its sequel 'Bikini Beach', singing 'Happy Street' and 'Happy Feelin' (Dance and Shout)'. But nature was rearing its head and Little Stevie Wonder's voice changed while on tour with iconic groups 'The Supremes' and 'The Temptations'. After the tour and in the recording studio, Motown discovered the keys he could sing in just a few months before were all too high and Little Stevie

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