Stevie Wonder: Smiling for 60 years

J’Adore talks with music icon Stevie Wonder after one of his greatest and dangerous performances in recent years.

By Cherry Bañez

The stage in Atlanta, Georgia’s Philips Arena hosted one of the greatest singers and entertainers in music history. Nonstop, soul icon Stevie Wonder was jamming on the piano performing unforgettable classics from his seemingly countless catalogue including “My Cherie Amour,” “Hey Love,” “Superstition” and “Living For the City,” when suddenly, he stood on top of his piano bench, unassisted. Even with the state-of-the-art sound system blasting his ageless compositions, you could hear the crowd gasp. Without warning or a guide, Wonder jumped off the piano bench and then, without missing a beat, completed “Do I Do” leading to a standing ovation.

For a heart-stopping second, the thought of this blind music genius falling and hurting himself scared thousands in the audience, but according to his closest family and friends, that’s just Stevie being Stevie. After the show, daughter Aisha, who is touring as one of her dad’s background singers, admitted, “Everyone gets nervous.” Stevie’s oldest brother, Milton, seemed unfazed by the antics by concurring nonchalantly, “Sure, there are uncertainties.” Hearing the comments, Stevie beamed with that patented smile and then rebutted, “They just can’t do anything about it!”

When Wonder is feeling it and decides to jump off his piano’s bench, this is completely unrehearsed. But then again, who has the audacity to tell one of the greatest musicians in the planet what he can’t do? Long-time Wonder backup singer Keith John, who stands nearby during performances, elaborated on the risky act. “It’s not a good thing that we never rehearse it, but he feels confident in it and he knows I’m there,” he said. “I don’t know if I can catch him sometimes, though. He’ll stumble and I’ll help to stabilize him…that’s part of his spontaneity, so he doesn’t rehearse that. One night in Baltimore, he had gotten on top of his piano! I was so nervous because I knew he wasn’t going to jump from there, but I had to get him to sit back down so I can scoot him off to where the keys were.”

After such energetic shows and non-stop performing globally, Wonder was asked how he relaxes when the time is available. The majority would think his leisure activities would be limited due to his lifelong vision-impairment, but not Stevie. Laughing, he said, “I get drunk, you know! I do normal things that you do when you have two young kids. Music is still my relaxation, but I like other things like movies, skating–I love to go skating–I like riding a bike…stuff like that.” Sensing the disbelief and shock from his statement, wonder reemphasized, “It’s true! That’s what I do! Do you think I’m kidding? Seriously, I do those things!”

Wonder, now 60, enjoys the antics to compliment his jaw-dropping artistry, but still admits that his decision to go on tour again and be on the road for months at a time can be arduous for musicians-but not arduous enough to stop him from appreciating his fans. After a second visit to Georgia’s capital, he did another phenomenal two-hour performance of signature hits (including some songs laced with Auto-Tune and others with Hindu influences) at the Verizon Amphitheatre. According to Wonder, performing is deeper than simply money. “Like I’ve said on stage, [touring] is really me thanking everyone for their support that they’ve given me throughout my career. It made it possible for me to give my mother (Lula) a better life than she maybe would have had. It’s my way of saying ‘thank you.’”

The beloved, revered icon Wonder gave his assessment of his successful career spanning 50 years of making music and how he manages to stay in good spirits despite the harsh realities of the music industry. For instance, while he continues to sell out arenas, many of Wonder’s famous peers from the Motown days are either struggling or performing at small venues hosting only their most dedicated followers. He humbly realizes this and finds himself blessed. Between the challenges professionally and personally, Wonder acknowledged that he maintains a positive attitude no matter what the circumstance is.

“Well, I have very few lows in life,” he explained. “Actually, I don’t see them as lows partly because I don’t get hung up on I know this is going to do this, I know that’s going to do that. I just have faith. You know, you’d like certain things to be a certain way, but I just don’t get hung up; it’s just the way things are. I just don’t see them as highs or lows; I just see them as blessings.”

Unlike most blind or visually-impaired, Wonder has never used a guide dog or the white cane to navigate his journeys. Hence, jumping on top of his piano or walking towards the front of the stage unassisted is nothing new for him. After six historic and eventful decades on earth, he still shows no signs of slowing down and his love for his fans remains solid. In fact, Wonder spent almost another two hours backstage of his latest show in Alpharetta, Georgia, playing the piano and taking photos with his band members’ families, a few lucky devotees and friends until 2:00 a.m. Smiling, of course.

By Cherry Bañez