Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Stevie Wonder Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Little Stevie Wonder, as he was originally known when he signed with Motown, was given a rather interesting first name at birth. What was it?

Answer: Steveland

Stevie Wonder was born Steveland Hardaway Judkins in Saginaw, Michigan on May 13, 1950. Stevie showed musical promise as a young child when he first began playing the piano. He also excelled at the harmonica and percussion instruments. He learned he had a gifted voice when he began singing in his church choir.

After auditioning for Berry Gordy at Motown at the age of 12, Wonder was signed to the label where he has remained for over 40 years.

2. Little Stevie Wonder's first hit song was titled "Fingertips (Pt. 2)", a song recorded live featuring Wonder on vocals, harmonica and even the bongos. Which young man, who would later become a Motown artist, played the drums on this live track?

Answer: Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye went on to have quite a successful career at Motown, but at one time he was just a session musician for the label, which is how he ended up playing on the first major hit for Little Stevie Wonder. The song "Fingertips (Pt. 2)" appeared on the album "Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius" in 1963.

3. In 1985, Stevie teamed up with a trio of other popular artists to record the song "That's What Friends Are For". Which of these was not featured on this hit single?

Answer: Ray Charles

Wonder's collaboration with John, Warwick and Knight was a huge success. It reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the US Billboard R&B charts. The song was written by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager and it originally was performed by Rod Stewart for the soundtrack to the movie "Night Shift".

The song was covered by the quartet and released as a charity single to raise money for AIDS research, eventually garnering over three million dollars for the cause. The song also received critical praise, winning the Grammy award for Best Song and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group.

4. Which song did Stevie Wonder receive writing credits for which was performed by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles?

Answer: The Tears of a Clown

Stevie Wonder co-wrote the song "The Tears of a Clown" along with Smokey Robinson and Hank Cosby. The song was quite popular in the US and UK where it reached number one in both countries. The song was released with the song "Promise Me" as its B-side.

5. Which American singer performed a duet of the song "For Once in My Life" with Stevie Wonder in 2006?

Answer: Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett teamed up with some of the most popular artists of the day on his record "Duets: An American Classic". In addition to the song with Wonder, the album also featured Bennett paired with Sting, Tim McGraw, Barbara Streisand, Bono and George Michael. The song with Wonder won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

6. Which album, one of Stevie Wonder's most popular, featured the songs "I Wish", "Sir Duke" and "As"?

Answer: Songs in the Key of Life

"Songs in the Key of Life" was yet another number one album on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was released in 1976. The album featured several prominent jazz artists including Herbie Hancock, Minnie Ripperton and George Benson.

7. Stevie Wonder once even teamed up with a Beatle to record a duet. The song "Ebony and Ivory" was performed by Wonder and Paul McCartney and it was released in 1982. On which McCartney album did the song originally appear?

Answer: Tug of War

Although the song was recorded as a duet, it was written solely by McCartney and appeared on his album "Tug of War". "Tug of War" was the first release by McCartney after the death of John Lennon, and most of it was recorded just a few short months after the shooting of Lennon. The album was quite successful and was nominated for a Grammy.

8. Which song did Stevie Wonder make a guest appearance on, playing the harmonica?

Answer: Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues"

Stevie Wonder was a guest artist on several great hits either as a keyboardist, harmonica player or singer. He played on the song "Deuce" with Lenny Kravitz on a Kiss tribute album, he played harmonica on the Sting song "Brand New Day", he lent his vocals to the charity event "We are the World" and he even performed a duet with Michael Jackson entitled "Just Good Friends".

9. Which song did Stevie Wonder cover at the closing ceremonies of the Olympic games in Atlanta?

Answer: John Lennon's "Imagine"

In addition to Wonder's version of "Imagine", the closing ceremonies of the Olympics in Atlanta featured the likes of Trisha Yearwood, Gloria Estefan, B.B. King, Little Richard and Whitney Houston. The event was a tribute to popular American music.

10. Which American band covered the Stevie Wonder song "Higher Ground" on their album "Mother's Milk"?

Answer: Red Hot Chili Peppers

Stevie Wonder's version of the song appeared on his 1973 album titled "Innervisions". Wonder was experimenting with funk music at the time, and the result was this classic tune. The Red Hot Chili Peppers released their version of the song on their album "Mother's Milk" and released it as the second single from the album.

This album was the first to feature John Frusciante on guitar and Chad Smith on drums.

Source: Author ralzzz

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Stevie Wonder is a true American icon who has been an inspiration to so many since his beginnings in the early 1960s. This quiz will honor the career of this Hall of Famer.

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