Signed, Sealed, and Delivered: The Soulful Journey of Stevie Wonder - Hardcover

Ribowsky, Mark

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0470481501 ISBN 13: 9780470481509

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2010

Synopsis

The first definitive biography of music legend Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder′s achievements as a singer–songwriter, multi–instrumentalist, and producer are extraordinary. During a career that has spanned almost fifty years, he has earned more than thirty Top 10 hits, twenty–six Grammy Awards, and a place in both the Rock and Roll and Songwriter Halls of Fame—and he′s not finished yet. On the verge of turning sixty, he is still composing, still touring, and still attracting dedicated fans around the world. For the first time, Signed, Sealed, and Delivered takes an in–depth look at Stevie Wonder′s life and his evolution from kid–soul pop star into a mature artist whose music helped lay the groundwork for the evolution of hip hop and rap. Explores the life, achievements, and influence of one of America′s biggest musical icons, set against the history of Motown and the last fifty years of popular music Based on extensive interviews with Motown producers, music executives, songwriters, and musicians, including founding Temptation Otis Williams, Mickey Stevenson, surviving Funk Brother Eddie Willis, synthesizer genius Malcolm Cecil, guitar legend Michael Sembello, and many others Traces Stevie′s personal and musical development through the decades, from the early 1960s R&B of "Fingertips" to the social and political themes of "Living for the City" and other 1970s classics, through periods of musical and personal confusion, uncertainty, and, later, renewal Read Signed, Sealed, and Delivered to explore the life and work of one of pop music′s most compelling masters of invention.

About this title

Review

"...a good read..." ( Echoes , May 2010) "...a fluid and lively read, critical and celebratory..." ( Time Out , May 2010) From the rollicking debut of "Fingertips—Part 2" to the funk piano and synthesizers of "Superstition" to the political rap of "Superstition," Stevie Wonder′s brilliant music has managed to capture the hearts of his listeners while at the same time probing the limits of musical styles and moving soul and rhythm and blues to new musical levels. Born in poverty in Saginaw, Mich., Wonder lost his sight soon after he was born. His blindness heightened his sense of hearing, and he soon began to master the toy musical instruments that his absentee father brought him. Very soon, Wonder graduated from toys to the real things: his barber gave him a Hohner chromatic harmonica; his church choir director, as well as his neighbor, allowed him to play for hours on their pianos; and the local Lions Club gave a drum set to Stevie after hearing him play it. Soon Wonder was the hit of Motown, and his career took off like a comet, only to burn out and lose some of its fiery glow in the 1980s and 1990s. Music journalist Ribowsky ( The Supremes ; He′s a Rebel ) traces the rapid ascent of Wonder′s musical career as well as the tumultuous ups and downs of his personal life in this workmanlike and pedantic book. Ribowsky′s exploration of Wonder′s music is first–rate, but his tendency to overlook Wonder′s faults turns this into one fan′s hagiography. (May) ( Publishers Weekly , March 22, 2010)

‘...scrupulously researched and solidly written...’ (Hot Press, June 2010). ‘Ribowsky tells the eyebrow–raising tale with the equal amounts of respect and incredulity it deserves.’ (Record Collector, August 2010).

From the Back Cover

Praise for Mark Ribowsky "A dishy, insider look at Berry Gordy′s making of the Supremes . . . Ribowsky nicely intersperses some hindsight reflections by the main players . . . In this engaging, vivacious account, Ribowsky energetically and thoroughly underscores the Supremes′ significance as one of the first crossover successes." — Publishers Weekly on The Supremes: A Saga of Motown Dreams, Success, and Betrayal "Perfect . . . The virtue of Ribowsky′s book is that he brings the story down to earth without sacrificing its drama. Relying on frank and extensive interviews . . . Ribowsky spends time on details other writers have taken for granted." — Greil Marcus on He′s a Rebel: Phil Spector—Rock and Roll′s Legendary Producer Nobody would argue that Stevie Wonder had an easy start in life. Blinded within weeks of his premature birth, he was raised in stark poverty and abused by a brutish and alcoholic father who later abandoned the family. Through sheer talent, bold ambition, and a fierce desire for independence, he rose from the streets of Detroit to become a Motown prodigy, and from there to become, arguably, the most innovative, versatile, and influential musician, singer, and songwriter of the past fifty years. Signed, Sealed, and Delivered tells the story of Stevie Wonder in fascinating, delightful, and sometimes shocking detail. This powerful biography will have you laughing, crying, grinning, and grooving from beginning to end.

About this edition

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Ltd
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0470481501
• ISBN 13: 9780470481509
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 352