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From Wondery, I'm Rach Jackson, and this is Who's Amazing Life.
You've heard of people who changed the course of history, but before they made their mark on the world, they were people like you and me still figuring out what they wanted to do with their lives.
On this episode, you will be that person everyone knows.
You might be a musician, or an athlete, a scientist, or a painter.
You may know what the person accomplished later in life, but now you can experience everything they faced along the way, from challenges and heartbreak to triumphs and excitement.
All the moments that built this person into someone who would change the world.
There will be clues, so pay attention, but only at the end will you find out who you are.
So sit back and imagine your amazing life as the musician.
Imagine, you're five years old and you're sitting in a chair at the barber shop.
Well, not sitting exactly.
More like wiggling.
A barber stands close by with his clippers buzzing.
Whoa, try and hold still there, son.
Sorry mister, but it's really hard to sit still, because hidden in your pocket is your toy harmonica.
Maybe if you keep your head still, you can get it without the barber noticing.
Slowly, you reach into your pocket.
Yes, there it is.
You bring the harmonica up to your lips and blow as hard as you can.
Hey!
The barber puts his hand on your shoulder to keep you from bopping around.
Your brothers, Milton and Calvin, who came with you today, burst out laughing.
Sorry, sir.
He can't help it.
Yeah, he's always banging out a rhythm or singing a song or playing that toy harmonica.
Your brothers are right.
You love music.
It's like there's a song inside you and it just needs to come out.
And when it does, you just gotta move and groove.
The barber sighs and sets down his clippers.
You like that toy, kid?
I love it.
Listen.
You hold the harmonica up to your lips and play.
The barber laughs.
How about we make a deal?
If you can sit still and let me finish your haircut, I'll give you a real harmonica to play.
You mean it?
Okay.
Okay, I'll sit still.
And hey, let me turn up the radio.
Because if you like music, you're gonna love this one, no doubt about it.
You do love this bluesy tune and even though you try to keep still, you can feel your body start to move again.
But you have to stop yourself.
A real harmonica is on the line.
You don't know how much longer you can keep still when, young man, You are done.
And I'll keep my end of the bargain.
The barber helps you down off your chair, reaches into a drawer, and pulls out a harmonica.
He places it in your outstretched hands.
The metal feels cool in your palm.
You hold it up to your mouth, but before you can test it out, the song on the radio abruptly halts.
We come to you with breaking news.
The Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr has called for black people in Montgomery Alabama to stop riding the city's public buses.
The boycott of the buses is in protest of the headline-making arrest of Ms.
Rosa Parks of Montgomery, Alabama.
The barbershop erupts into a heated conversation.
You're so confused.
But before you can ask any questions, your brothers take you by the hand and hurry you outside.
Milton, why did they put Rosa Parks in jail?
What did she do?
She didn't do anything but sit down on the bus.
But a lot of people had a problem with that, all because she's black, just like us.
Come on, let's go home.
Milton squeezes your hand tighter, like he does when he's worried.
You're worried too.
It's scary to think that people get treated unfairly just because the color of their skin.
And then you think are there people where you live here in Michigan who don't like you because of the color of your skin?
You squeeze Milton's hand back and then remember what's still in your other hand.
The harmonica.
Your harmonica.
It feels good to make music like this.
As the harmonica sounds fill the air, your brothers let out a little laugh.
It's like hearing the harmonica makes them feel a little better too.
Hey, that almost sounds like real music.
You keep playing.
There are a lot of bad things happening in the world, but when you hear music and play music, it makes you feel less afraid.
You wonder if music makes you feel better when life is hard.
Maybe you could bring that joy to other people too.
You just have to figure out how.
There's another reason why music is so special to you.
Many people have five senses, sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch.
But shortly after you were born, you became unable to see.
Because you are blind, you experience the world using your other senses.
And your favorite thing to experience is music.
By the time you're eight years old, not only can you play the harmonica, but you can sing, play the piano and the drums.
You're so good that you get an audition with the big-time record label called Motown.
Even though you're only 11 years old, the label signs you immediately.
You're so talented, people start calling you the eighth wonder of the world.
You begin touring live all across the United States with the famous Motortown Review.
You have your first chart-topping hit at 13 years old.
And at 15, you're second.
You love sharing your music and bringing joy to people everywhere you go.
But life isn't perfect.
Sometimes, when you're touring the country, you encounter people who treat you wrongly because you are Black.
You knew that racism existed, but experiencing it firsthand really hurts.
You try to just stay focused on the music.
But in some ways, that's becoming harder and harder to do.
That's why it feels so special when, as a teenager, you get the opportunity to meet the man you learned about years ago Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
He spent years fighting for civil rights and his vision for a better world.
You may not be a reverend like he is, but you do have a way to communicate and connect with people through song.
Meeting him means everything to you.
You've always believed that your music could help change the world and make it better.
And in some ways, it has.
Your music brings happiness to people around the country.
But Dr. King is fighting for permanent change.
You want to make an impact that doesn't fade with the last notes of a song.
You're 18 years old and you're in your classroom at the Michigan School for the Blind.
You're a celebrity these days, but your education is important to you.
So whenever you're back in Michigan, you go to school.
This one is in Lansing, about two hours from your home in Detroit.
You run your fingers along your braille textbook, but it's hard to concentrate.
The ticking clock by the door sounds like a rhythm, and you want to make music to the beat.
You wish your fingers were running across a piano right now instead of a textbook.
You follow the throng of other students as they make their way outside.
Your car is waiting for you and your driver opens the door.
Ready to head back to Detroit?
Very.
You climb into the back of the car and you feel yourself sink into the seat.
Mind if I close my eyes and get some rest on the drive?
No problem.
I'll just listen to the radio.
The driver starts the commute home as you lean your head against the headrest.
You've got homework you need to do and there's your upcoming tour, but if you're being honest, you don't want to think about any of that right now.
Your eyes feel heavy.
And before you know it, you're almost asleep.
Tragic breaking news.
We regret to inform our listeners that the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is dead.
The apostle of nonviolence and the civil rights movement, was killed this afternoon while standing on the balcony of his hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.
Your jaw drops wide open, but you're too stunned to say a word.
After a moment, you begin to cry.
I can't believe it.
Who would do this?
You can tell the driver is holding back tears, too.
I don't know, son.
There are people out there with a lot of hate in their hearts.
The rest of the drive home is in total silence.
You're devastated and angry that Dr. King is gone.
You share his dream of a country where everyone is treated equally.
Suddenly, your music career feels so small and so silly.
You want to do more, but right now, all you can do is cry.
A few days later, it's time for Dr. King's funeral in Atlanta, Georgia.
You are only 18 but, as a huge star in the music world, you are invited to attend among dozens of world leaders and global celebrities.
At the funeral, you meet a congressman who is on a mission to make Dr King's birthday, January 15th, into a national holiday.
You think it's a great idea.
Each year, the whole country would honor the life and work of Dr. King.
You promise the congressman you'll help in any way you can.
When you turn 21, you renegotiate your deal with Motown.
You're such a big star that they agree to everything you ask for, including more creative control over the kind of music you want to make.
Over the next five years, you write and produce five albums, and your lyrics dive into issues that are important to you.
You release hit after hit after hit, but you never forget your promise to help make Dr King's birthday into a national holiday.
You keep fighting, performing at rallies, gathering signatures on petitions, even strategizing with Dr King's wife Coretta.
You're determined to use your fame for something good.
If the public believes in you and your music, maybe you can convince them to believe in this too.
It's January 15th, the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
You're standing outside a park called The Mall in Washington, D.C., shivering in the cold.
You're here to lead another rally in support of establishing MLK Day.
The fight to create this national holiday has dragged on for 13 years.
But you're not giving up.
This is the spot where Dr. King made his famous I Have a Dream speech.
And today, you will speak about your dream of finally making this day official.
You're proud of your music career, but if you can successfully use your influence to make this happen, it might be the proudest achievement of your life.
Today, 100,000 people have come to listen to you and other speakers.
You've performed for big crowds before, but this feels different.
You step up to the microphone.
By commemorating Martin Luther King's birthday, we do more than honor one man, however extraordinary.
We honor the profound spirit of love and concern for humanity that gives us life and inspires us all.
You continue speaking your heart in a way only you can, using music as a metaphor to bring Dr King's ideals to life.
So let us commemorate Dr Martin Luther King Jr today and let our hearts beat to the rhythm of this march for life.
But how, in fact, can our hearts beat to the rhythm of this life if our soul cannot sing out to the sound of love?
How can we sing out love if our lips do not embrace the taste of peace and harmony and unity?
But how can our lips embrace these great feelings if our hands do not reach out and intermingle into a melting pot of one?
As you finish, the crowd begins to chant.
They're saying two words.
Happy birthday.
They're not asking for you to sing the usual happy birthday song.
You wrote your own version of happy birthday.
A joyful, powerful song in honor of Dr. King.
And the world loves it.
The crowd's cheers wash over you and you feel a spark of hope.
Listen to how many people believe in your cause.
Your music is the message that has brought these people together again and again to inspire real change in the world.
You wondered all those years ago if your music could have a greater impact, and now you know it does.
You will never stop using your music to make the world a better place.
Five years later, the third Monday of every January is finally marked on every calendar in America.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Day.
You are credited as one of the main people responsible for making it happen.
You keep creating music and sharing your joy, your smile and your vision of love and equality with fans around the world.
You pioneer the use of an instrument called a synthesizer and develop new music production techniques.
You sell over 100 million records worldwide.
Your shelves fill up with awards 25 Grammys, an Oscar for Best Original Song, a Golden Globe and seven different Lifetime Achievement Awards.
You earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
You receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama and are named a United Nations Messenger of Peace for your work as a social activist.
Your music has indeed changed the world.
Your family knows you as Stevlyn Hardaway Morris, but to the world, you are Stevie Wonder.
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Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at wondry.com slash survey.
From Wondery, this is Who's Amazing Life.
This episode contains reenactments and dramatized details.
While we can't know exactly what was said, we use many sources when researching our stories.
Some that were particularly helpful include Who HQ Who is Stevie Wonder by Jim Gigliotti, Mediumcom and C-SPANorg.
I'm your host, Rach Jackson.
This episode was written by Magda Leolis.
Sound design by Andre Pluss.
Additional audio assistance by Sergio Enriquez.
Desi Blaylock and Matt Gant are our managing producers.
Megan Begala, Jenny Bloom, and Jennifer Klein Walker are our senior producers.
Executive producers are Lauren Dee, Marshall Louie, and Aaron O'Flaherty for Wondery.
Wondery.
