Stevie Wonder

My idea of a hero is someone who is brave and courageous. It should be someone that is good at something that makes them famous and known. My hero is someone that isn’t cocky and has overcome an obstacle in their life. They have to be happy with what they do and not care about people’s race, religion, sex etc… The main characteristic that my hero must have is that they don’t desire fame, but they have earned it. This is why I chose my hero Stevie Wonder.

Stevie Wonder (born with the name Steveland Morris), was born prematurely on May 13, 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan. In the hospital he was given too much oxygen in an incubator and permanently lost his ability to see. This did not stop him from becoming a well respected and successful American phenomenon and musical genius. He learned to play the piano at age 7, and perfected the drums and harmonica by age nine. At the age of 12 he had a contract with a major recording company and made his first hit single. He was given the name Little Stevie Wonder and the name Stevie Wonder has always stuck with him.

Stevie Wonder has done a lot in life and has acheived alot. Along with being and great entertainer and musician, he was also a know-how and confident businessman and political activist. When Wonder turned 21, he invested all of his money from his trust fund into a recording studio and became the first Motown artist that could make his own decisions. This benefited him in many ways. He had more creative freedom and better financial deals. His creative freedom helped him greatly in life. He could now record albums alone, and played all of the instruments and recorded entirely on his own. This helped him make possible 33 solo albums (along with 9 others done with other people), 17 Grammy’s, best song Oscar, spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, lifetime Grammy award, Kennedy Center Honors and 18 number 1 R & B singles.

With his money, creative freedom and helping spirit, Stevie Wonder has helped many people throughout the world. He helped make possible a national holiday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. One of his songs (“Happy Birthday”) helped get the legislation passed. Along with “Happy Birthday,” he wrote songs that helped draw attention to problems in South America. He also wrote songs to object nuclear weapons and promote peace. He recorded works that recommended racial harmony ("Ebony and Ivory"), opposed drunk driving ("Don't Drive Drunk”), supported gun control laws ("My Love Is With You"), and fought world hunger ("We Are the World"). Wonder helps AIDS awareness, anti-drug and anti-drunk driving efforts, and fundraising for blind, handicapped children and the homeless.

This is why I have chose Stevie Wonder as my role hero. He has had many achievements in life and has overcome the obstacle of being blind. This still didn’t stop him from becoming one of the best songwriters, musicians and singers of all time. He supports many foundations and has helped many people in life, one of them being Martin Luther King Jr. He is defiantly brave and courageous, but most of all he had acquired fame, but didn’t desire it. He does what he does, because he loves it. Stevie Wonder is a great role model and hero for me and should be for everybody.