Judkins, Morris, and "Little Stevie"

Britannica and CNN Fast Facts agree he was born Stevland Hardaway Judkins and later took the surname Morris (his mother's married name / legal change). Motown marketed him as Little Stevie Wonder, then Stevie Wonder (Britannica; CNN Fast Facts). Blind from infancy, he signed with Motown as a child prodigy multi-instrumentalist.

"Stevie Wonder" is a stage name built on the nickname Stevie plus "Wonder"; Morris/Judkins are the legal birth identities documented in reference works.

Classic albums and activism

After early hits such as "Fingertips," Wonder negotiated artistic control and released a 1970s run—Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale, Songs in the Key of Life—that redefined soul and pop. Signature songs include "Superstition," "Higher Ground," "Living for the City," and "Isn't She Lovely." He has won dozens of Grammy Awards and an Oscar for "I Just Called to Say I Love You" (Britannica; CNN).

A lifelong activist, he campaigned for the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday and remains one of Motown's defining artists.

Songs in the Key of Life CD/vinyl Innervisions or Talking Book CD/vinyl Stevie Wonder biography books