Hotter Than July
Hi! It’s Charluxx.
Seeing as we are now in July, I thought it fitting to showcase the amazing Stevie Wonder.
Fitting as well because I wanted Stevie to be my first artist spotlight. He’s certainly my biggest influence musically, as well as a human being.
I was a ten year old living in Tunisia when I first heard Songs in the Key of Life. It completely blew me away. As a kid, I felt so bad for Stevie Wonder because of his blindness. Living in such beauty, I couldn’t imagine a world without sight. It made me sad. Such a world would surely be devoid of glee... until I heard Sir Duke. I knew then that Stevie was above it all, I knew he was a happy man. That song could only have been written by a joyous person. And just like that, the world made more sense. It was really a day that change the course of my life, I understood that whatever happened to me, I would be okay. Because of Stevie Wonder.
As a musician, I rank Stevie Wonder up there with Mozart. He is that special breed of talent whose impact will forever be felt. There was music before Stevie Wonder... and after. Well, you know how that goes. Whether you realize it or not, his influence is such.
We overuse the word genius, but for Stevie Wonder I'll make an exception. As someone (Rriv2014) said on YouTube "The title "Genius" seems to be below his skill level as a musician."
As an adolescent, I had a few posters in my bedroom, the usual fare: Star Wars, Spider-Man... but right above my bed, in a place of honour, Stevie Wonder and Martin Luther King.
He is that important to me.
I had my Stevie Wonder playlist on (again) at work recently when a colleague walked by, listened and said “You know, I bough a lot of records in my life and this guy is probably the only one whose albums only have good songs.” That made my day.
Whenever I feel down I play Sir Duke, because, how can you not be lifted by the shear energy and jubilation?
I love Stevie Wonder. Just yesterday in London’s Hyde Park he told the crowd “Those of you who know the right thing to do: do the right thing. Unity has never been this hard.” It’s funny because I read this quote in an article in The Guardian where he is described as “The R&B legend.” That is a misnomer if I ever heard one, Stevie Wonder is a Legend, period. Forget a single genre, that is way too restrictive to encapsulate the man.
Whenever I record a song, I always keep him in mind. Is this funky enough? How can I modulate this note or these notes to make it more classy, more groovy, more Stevie?
- Favourite Album: (Tie) Songs in the Key of Life and Hotter Than July.
- Favourite Song: Boogie On Reggae Woman. "Can I play?"
- Favourite Moment: This!
- Favourite Memory: Seeing Stevie live in Montreal with 100,000 people all cheering and dancing!
- Favourite Picture:
Here’s my Stevie Wonder playlist. It will bring you happiness.
With my heart full of love, thank you Stevie Wonder for enriching my life as a man and as a musician.
Peace and Love.
Charluxx.
p.s.: Stevie just announced that he will undergo kidney transplant in September. Please keep him in your thoughts. ❤️