Jim Gigliotti - Who Is Stevie Wonder?

Music had always been a big part of Stevie Wonders life. He was still a baby when he began pounding on bongo drums in his crib. When he was a little boy, he grabbed whatever spoons he could find in the kitchen and played on the pots and pans. When he was about five years old, a barber on his street gave him a harmonica, and Stevie learned to play it. Stevie never had any formal lessons, but he always seemed to know how to make music with any instrument that was available.

Stevie was born as Steveland Hardaway Judkins on May 13, 1950, in Saginaw, Michigan. His mothers name was Lula Hardaway, and his fathers name was Calvin Judkins. Stevie had two older brothers, Milton and Calvin Jr. Two more brothers, Larry and Timmy, and a sister, Renee, were born in later years.

Stevie was born about six weeks earlier than expected. He probably was not blind when he was born. But when babies are born too early, they usually remain in the hospital until they are strong enough to go home. The hospital puts them in an incubator, which is supposed to keep conditions just right for them to be healthy. Stevie was in an incubator for more than a month. He seemed healthy in every way, except that doctors noticed his eyes didnt seem to respond to movement or light. They had not developed properly.

Naturally, Lula was upset at the news. She begged the doctors to do something to restore Stevies sight, but there was nothing they could do. He was permanently blind.

Stevie couldnt see, but his hearing was incredible. When he was growing up, his siblings would drop a coin on a table. What is it, Stevie? they would ask. A dime, Stevie would reply, correctly. They would drop another coin. How about that one? they would ask. A quarter, Stevie would say. Right again. Stevies hearing was so good that he could identify the coin simply by the sound it made.

Stevie was so tuned in to sounds that naturally he was drawn to music. It started with the bongo drums in his crib. Stevies father gave those to him. Calvin Sr. had been a pretty good musician himself, and he taught Stevie songs and encouraged his sons love for music. However, Calvin didnt have a regular job. He would sometimes leave the family for long periods of time. No one knew where he was or what he was doing. When Calvin was around, he wasnt very nice to Stevies mother.

Lula thought that maybe in a bigger city Calvin could find a job and things would be better. So, when Stevie was four years old, the family moved about one hundred miles away to Detroit, on the eastern edge of Michigan.

Calvin joined Lula and the kids in Detroit, but he didnt change there. He still didnt work at a regular job, and he still went away sometimes.

Lula found a good job, though. Every morning, she would get up before the sun rose to work at a fish market. It was hard work, but she had a plan. At the time, the family lived in an apartment that wasnt in a nice part of town. Lula wanted a better life for her kids. So she saved a little bit out of each paycheck and stuffed it under a mattress to hide it from Calvin.

When she had enough money, she made the first payment on a house in a good neighborhood. She moved there with her children, leaving Calvin behind.