Stevie Wonder

USA, 1961–now

American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who began as a Motown child performer and went on to write and produce his own albums, including Songs in the Key of Life.

MusicRoots documents 6 artists who influenced Stevie Wonder and 11 artists Stevie Wonder influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced Stevie Wonder?

• Ray Charles — Ray Charles was Stevie's idol and proof that blindness was no barrier — his primary model from childhood.
• Little Richard — Little Richard was the first rock'n'roll energy that struck Stevie as a child.
• Sam Cooke — Sam Cooke showed how gospel feeling could reach everyone — the crossover model Stevie followed throughout his career.
• Duke Ellington — Ellington was Stevie's hero — 'Sir Duke' (1976) is his explicit tribute, and his instrumental writing looked directly to Ellington's jazz sophistication.
• Art Tatum — Art Tatum's cascading virtuoso piano was a model Stevie reached for in his instrumental writing — named alongside Ellington as the keyboard sophistication he chased.
• Nat King Cole — Nat King Cole's elegance and warmth were the sophistication Stevie always reached for.

Which artists did Stevie Wonder influence?

• Maroon 5 — Adam Levine has said he learned everything he knows about singing from Stevie Wonder — Wonder's melodic soul phrasing is the core of Maroon 5's vocal and funk-pop sound.
• Justin Bieber — Stevie Wonder's melodic soul writing is among the older influences Bieber has named.
• Traffic — Stevie Wonder's multi-instrumental approach and genre synthesis influenced Winwood's vision for Traffic.
• Prince — Stevie Wonder's one-man multi-instrumental mastery was the template for Prince playing everything himself.
• Eurythmics — Annie Lennox's grounding in soul — she immersed herself in Stevie Wonder and Motown — is the voice beneath the machines.
• Toploader — The infectious 1970s funk of Stevie Wonder is the clearest source of Toploader's soul-rock, and of Washbourne's keyboard-led arrangements.
• Johnny Hates Jazz — Stevie Wonder's soul songcraft was among the influences Clark Datchler named behind the band's polished pop-soul.
• Earth, Wind & Fire — Stevie Wonder's exuberant early singles were among the lessons Maurice White's band absorbed.
• Mariah Carey — Stevie Wonder is among the writers Carey names, and the model for a singer who writes and produces her own material.
• Jamiroquai — Jay Kay built Jamiroquai on a deep love of Stevie Wonder — the phrasing, grooves and social warmth are steeped in his '70s work.
• Boyz II Men — Stevie Wonder's soulful melodicism informs Boyz II Men's ballad craft — he even collaborated with them.