Song: Stay Gold Singer:Stevie Wonder Composers: Stevie Wonder and Carmine Coppola (Francis Ford Coppola's father} Personal Notations: I first heard this song when I watched the 1983 classic movie, "The Outsiders". The song was written for the movie. Thereafter, I went on a search for the song and have loved it every since. The song takes one back to your youth and the carefree life we lived back then; thinking it would last forever. The song was based on Robert Frost's 1923 poem, "Nothing Gold Can Stay." Wonder goes on, in his song, to caution that things do not stay the same as we travel through life but perhaps we could hold onto just a little bit of that Gold. Background: It's hard to give a shortened version of the amazing Stevie Wonder who has endured decades of music and still performs today. Wonder was a child prodigy and became a pianist, music producer, songwriter, musician, and singer. He was born May 13, 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan as Stevland Hardaway Judkins or Morris (I've seen both). Wonder was born 6 weeks early with retinopathy of prematurity; an eye disorder from receiving too much oxygen in the incubator leading to blindness. He had an early gift for music in the church choir in Detroit when he was only 4 years old. Before age 10 he learned how to play harmonica, piano, and drums. When Wonder was 11, he was discovered by The Miracles and signed by Barry Gordy, Jr. He was called Little Stevie Wonder but dropped "little" in the mid 1960's. Wonder has an extended family with several women. He married Syreeta Wright in 1970 but divorced 2 years later. His first child, Arisha was born 1975 and a son 1977 with Yolanda Simmons. In 1983 he had a son, Mumtag, with Melody McCulley. A daughter Sophia and son Kwame were born with an unknown woman. He married Karen Millard Morris (maybe this is where the confusion with his last name came from) in 2001. They had 2 sons, Kailand & Manala. They divorced in 2015. Thereafter, he had a relationship with Tomeeka Robyn Bracy and they had 2 children. It would be remiss of me not to list all of this great man's accomplishments: 1969 US Distinguished Service Award US Government 1974 Presidential Award National Assn. of Recording Merchandisers 1983 Induction Song Writers Hall of Fame 1984 Founders Award ASCAP 1985 Artist of the Decade National Assn. of Recording Merchandisers 1985 Best Original Song (I Just Called to Say I Love You) Academy Award - Oscar 1985 Best Original Song - Motion Picture (I Just Called to Say I Love You) Golden Globe 1986 W.C. Handy Award for "Outstanding Humanitarian Efforts" Black Gold Awards 1987 Honorary Doctorate in Music (Mus.D) Brown University 1989 Induction Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 1990 Honorary Global Founders “Don’t Drive Drunk” Award Recording Artists Against Drunk Driving 1994 Star Unveiled Hollywood Walk of Fame 1996 Lifetime Achievement Award National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences 1998 Ambassador of Peace Award United Nations 1999 Polar Music prize The Royal Swedish Academy of Music 1999 MusiCares Person of the Year GRAMMY Awards committee 1999 Kennedy Center Honor Kennedy Center 2000 Lifetime Achievement Award Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Awards 2001 Lifetime Achievement Award Ivor Novello Awards (UK) 2002 Lifetime Achievement Award Songwriters Hall Of Fame 2003 Walk of Fame Honor BET Honors 2004 Artistic Achievement award T.J. Martell Foundation 2004 Lifetime Achievement 2004 Billboard Century Award 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award City of Detroit 2006 Michigan Walk of Fame Michigan State 2006 National Artistic Achievement Award A Capitol Fourth 2006 Maria Fisher Founder's Award for Public Service Thelonius Monk Institute 2006 Lifetime Achievement Freedom Award Civil Rights Museum 2006 Legends in Songwriting Award Clive Davis Award 2007 American Troubadour Award ASCAP 2007 Living Legend Award American Society of Young Musicians 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award National Civil Rights Museum 2007 Hope of Los Angeles Award City of Los Angeles 2008 Hall of Fame Award National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People 2008 Gershwin Prize Library of Congress 2009 Spirit Award Montreal Jazz Festival 2009 UN Messenger of Peace United Nations 2010 Living Legend Award California's African American Museum 2010 AAPD Image Award The American Association of People with Disabilities 2010 Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres France's Arts & Literature Award 2010 Honorary Doctorate The Oberlin College 2011 Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts Degree Tulane University 2011 Hall of Fame Induction The Apollo Theater 2012 Musical Arts Award BET Honors 2012 Icon Award Billboard 2013 Distinguished Individual Award The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) 2013 Music Makes One Global Ambassador Award Mnet Asian Music Awards 2014 Epitome of Soul Award The Consortium Mmt (Memphis Music Town) 2014 ASCAP Centennial Award American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) 2014 The President's Medal of Freedom Bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress — The highest civilian award of the United States To date Stevie Wonder has won a total of 25 Grammy awards, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. 1973 Best Rhythm & Blues Song Superstition 1973 Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male Superstition 1973 Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male You are the Sunshine of My Life 1973 Album of the Year Innervisions 1973 Best Producer Innervisions 1974 Best Rhythm & Blues Song Living for the City 1974 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance Boogie On Reggae Woman 1974 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Fulfillingness' First Finale 1974 Album of the Year Fulfillingness' First Finale 1974 Best Producer Fulfillingness' First Finale 1976 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance I Wish 1976 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Songs in the Key of Life 1976 Best Producer Songs in the Key of Life 1976 Album of the Year Songs in the Key of Life 1985 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance In Square Circle 1986 Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal (awarded to Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight and Wonder That's What Friends Are For 1995 Best Rhythm & Blues Song For Your Love 1995 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance For Your Love 1996 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award General 1998 Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) (awarded to Herbie Hancock, Robert Sadin, and Wonder) St. Louis Blues 1998 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance St. Louis Blues 2002 Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals (awarded to Take 6 and Wonder) Love's in Need of Love Today 2005 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance From the Bottom of My Heart 2005 Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals (awarded to Beyoncé and Wonder) So Amazing 2006 Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals (awarded to Tony Bennett and Wonder) For Once In My Life https://youtu.be/Y3QhA2WiyFI Stay Gold Seize upon that moment long ago One breath away and there you will be So young and carefree Again you will see That place in time...so gold Steal away into that way back when You thought that all would last forever But like the weather Nothing can ever...and be in time Stay gold But can it be When we can see So vividly A memory And yes you say So must the day Too, fade away And leave a ray of sun So gold Life is but a twinkling of an eye Yet filled with sorrow and compassion though not imagined All things that happen Will age too old Though gold Written by Carmine Coppola, Stevie Wonder • Copyright © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group Espero http://www.steviewonder.org.uk/awards/awards.html http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005567/bio https://thejewelerblog.wordpress.com/2015/02/05/music-friday-stevie-wonder-sings... |