Stevie Wonder’s “Innervisions” album is forty years old today! What’s crazy is I was just listening to it no more than four weeks ago, thinking how relevant Stevie’s lyrics still are, but I put it on for the music. It was “Living for the City” that I wanted to hear in particular, but “Innervisions” is one of those records you can put on and just press play, still today. Back in the day when it was released, we had to put the needle on the record, as CD was something, on the way.
I’d write a piece about how vital the genius of Wonder’s music still is, but my friend Brian Ives already did. It was him actually that brought it to my attention that today was the 40th anniversary of one of Stevie’s master pieces. Check out his story here: http://news.radio.com/2013/08/02/not-fade-away-stevie-wonder-innervisions/
The Gershwin Award ’09
After reading it, I thought how fortunate we all are, to still have a musician like Stevie Wonder around. He’s been in the press recently for taking a stand announcing that he’ll no longer perform in Florida as long as the “Stand Your Ground” law is active: https://museumofuncutfunk.com/2013/07/18/stevie-for-treyvon-funk-florida/ And he has a show coming up in Central Park with Alicia Keys and the Kings of Leon. The concert occurs during New York’s United Nations General Assembly, which is dedicated to ending world poverty. http://festival.globalcitizen.org https://museumofuncutfunk.com/2013/07/11/wonder-at-global-citizen-festival-craving-the-kings/
Although Alicia Keys and Kings of Leon are unequivocally two of my favorite performing artists of today, it’s not even fair to compare them to the accomplishments of Stevie. Now at the age of 63, he released his first recording “The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie” in 1962.
Some of his more notable and favorites among his fans are: “Songs in the Key of Life”, “Music of My Mind”, “Hotter Than July”, “Fulfillingness’ First Finale,” “Talking Book” and “In a Square Circle.”
Stevie’s done a few soundtracks too. “Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants” was the first. His second, “The Woman in Red” scored him an Oscar award for the song “I Just Called to Say I Love You.” The third one was for the Spike Lee film “Jungle Fever.”
in honor of FUNKIN’ Great Wonder-ful Music
c-dub
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