“… There are only two artists in the history of pop upon whom the epithet “genius” has been bestowed …
… and it is a peculiar quirk of coincidence that both have been blind black soulmen who played piano.
Or maybe not such a coincidence.
There’s every chance that Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records, was deliberately trying to establish a connection in the public mind between Ray Charles, the original genius of soul …
… and his new protégé, “Little” Stevie Wonder … when he titled Wonder’s 1963 breakthrough album The 12 Year Old Genius.
It wasn’t the first time he had tried to link the two talents: …
…a year earlier, Stevie’s debut album had been A Tribute to Uncle Ray, a collection of Charles covers which made little impact on the public consciousness …
… but which did enable the child prodigy to meet his hero.
Ironically, until then he had not realised that Brother Ray was, like himself, black – but then, how could he?
Perhaps the even greater irony is that both these entertainers, for whom colour was essentially just a concept, would become significant figures in the emancipation struggles of the civil rights era –
- Charles leading by example in refusing to play to segregated audiences …
… and Wonder creating some of the most articulate (and popular) musical commentaries on racial inequality.
As Wonder once said, “Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn’t mean he lacks vision.”
In such songs as “Living for the City” and “You Haven’t Done Nothin’”, he robustly confronted the ignorance and negligence of the Nixon administration’s attitude towards the black community.
Rarely, if ever, have black anger and black pride been as eloquently fused as in the string of extraordinary recordings he made between 1972 and 1980 …
… which includes at least three albums – Talking Book, Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life –
- that can stand shoulder to shoulder beside the pop landmarks of Pet Sounds, Revolver and Blonde on Blonde…”
(hear..!..hear…!..well said that music critic..!..)
go to source/story>>>Stevie Wonder: The vision of a genius – Profiles, People – The Independent
