My Favorite Music

Stay Gold - Stevie Wonder

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...