There were many stars in Motown’s firmament – among them, Stevie, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves and Diana Ross – but I happen to have loved the Four Tops most of all.
When I think of musical geniuses, I think of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson and Prince. That’s who comes to mind.
The one thing about Essex is that there’s a lot of people there that are into their soul music. And I’m talking ’80s and ’70s soul music, that was a big part of my childhood, there was Al Green, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, people like that.
We got word that Mick Jagger heard our first album and liked it. And he wanted us to open for the Stones in Hawaii. That just blew us away. But the next thing I heard was that Stevie Wonder opened for them here in the States and actually got booed at one show. So I was scared to death.
I’ve been fascinated with Stevie Nicks for a long, long time. I’ve written ‘Stevie Nicks’ inside everything I’ve made for the past 20 years.
There is something complete about Stevie Wonder, and one senses that he is not only exceptionally important today, but will continue to be for as long as he chooses.
I knew what the story behind ‘Dreams’ was. It was about Stevie Knicks’ relationship. But when I sing it, it’s about sharing some sage advice with somebody.
All my influences go into a pot like a big ole stew, and it tastes like all the years I spent trying to play the guitar like Stevie Ray Vaughn. It tastes like Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd. And if it comes out bluesy, then so be it.
Just coming from a musical family, I was always surrounded by it. On the car rides to school, my mom loved playing A Tribe Called Quest and the Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,’ and then my dad was listening to a lot of Bill Withers and Stevie Wonder.
To sing along with Stevie Wonder, you had to make your voice do things it was not accustomed to doing.
I grew up in Marcy Projects in Brooklyn, and my mom and pop had an extensive record collection, so Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder and all of those sounds and souls of Motown filled the house.
I probably wouldn’t be singing if not for Michael Jackson. When I started singing, I didn’t like my tone until my mom put me on to Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder, so listening to the way they used their instrument helped me get more comfortable with my own.
For the record, I am not Stevie Wonder’s wife, and no, I am not his child.
Early inspirations included Michael Jackson, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye, Lionel Richie… Those were the people I actually wound up studying just to hone my craft.
There were three great child singing stars: Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Jackie Washington.
I love Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Brandi, Sade, Nat King Cole. I like the Beatles. I listen to a lot of that.
I love producing, writing. I rarely write with other writers unless I have a real great respect for them. Like Burt Bacharach, or Carole Sager, or Stevie Wonder. Somebody like Smokey – like that. Otherwise, I choose to write alone.
What’s important is that people realize that I can’t be put into a box musically. I’ve studied all forms of music; I know probably more Jay-Z songs than the biggest Jay-Z fan. I’ve studied R. Kelly to the Isley Brothers to Stevie Wonder to Sting and Sade. You don’t have one personality every day. You don’t have one mood.
My father was in a dance band, and I wanted to do what he did, play the saxophone, but I couldn’t blow a note, so he suggested the guitar. Chromatic harmonica was actually my first instrument, and I got very good at it – not quite Stevie Wonder, but very good.
I had the great opportunity to work with some of the greatest artists – the Beach Boys, the Temptations, the Four Tops. Otis Redding. Wilson Pickett. Stevie Wonder. So many great singers. And don’t forget Clarence Carter!
There’s no place in the world you can go and not hear rock-and-roll, from Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder to Phil Collins.
Stevie Wonder, he gave me some good advice. Tell me to keep working.
Stevie Winwood played like I’d never heard anybody play before. It just gave me goose bumps.
Years on, Christine and John still have a deep love for each other, as do Stevie and I – we’ve been working together since I was 17.
I listen to Stevie Nicks.
For the kid in me that had a rockier edge and wanted to be Stevie Nicks, it’s been fulfilling that I’ve met Dave Navarro and Dave Grohl, these amazing artists that have given encouragement.
I think you have a lot of really good artists today. You have your Beyonce, Usher, Nicki Minaj and the like. But our generation, the artists were stronger. You’re talking about myself, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack, Gladys Knight, The Temptations, The Four Tops.
Adele’s voice is incredible. Chet Baker also has one of my favorite voices of all time, and so does Joni Mitchell. And Frank Black. Oh, and Stevie Nicks.
I grew up listening to pop music with my dad in the car, and we’d just listen to Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Earth Wind & Fire, KC and the Sunshine Band – all that good stuff. So to see it snaking its way back around again is really exciting, and I love listening to the radio.
When I was a young teenager, it was all about The Clash for me and that sort of English punk stuff. Then the Clash led me to all these other kinds of music: classic rock, Stevie Wonder, world music, and Brazilian music. I got serious about jazz when I was probably about 14 or 15.
You know, I was never totally thrilled with being a Fleetwood Mac member, but surprisingly, I was having such a good time reuniting with John, Mick, and Stevie.
I can’t ignore what I grew up listening to. My parents used to listen to Michael Jackson non-stop. They used to listen to Luther Vandross, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder.
For Stevie, the words are of prime importance; the song moves around the words, rather than the words moving around the song.
I wanted to be the country version of Stevie Nicks, but before you knew it, I was heading in a pop direction, touring the world, having No. 1 singles, and loving every minute of it.
I wish I was a prolific writing wondrous boy genius – I wish I was Stevie Wonder – but I wasn’t. I was me. I wrote terrible songs about girls I was head-over-heels about. As soon as a pretty girl looks at me, that’s it – I’m in love, and I should probably write a song about it!
Pages: 1 2
