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Stevie Wonder - The Power of Music

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Total English 3 (Heisei 17) pg. 43-47

Stevie Wonder is an African-American musician who is known to everyone. But he is more than just a musician.
Stevie was born in 1950. He soon lost his eyesight. When he was a little boy, Stevie often enjoyed listening to music on the radio. He used spoons to keep rhythm with the music. He became very good at playing the drums, the piano and so on. People who listened to his music were amazed.

When he was thirteen years old, Stevie made his first album. This made him a big star. After that, he had hit after hit. Stevie continued to make a lot of songs which touched people around the world.
In 1973, Stevie had a car accident and almost died. This experience changed his life. He decided to help others who had difficulties. He began to work for them through his music.

Stevie wrote a song that celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. King worked for equal rights for non-whites in the U.S. In 1968, he was killed for it. Stevie worked with the government to make King's birthday a national holiday. It became one in 1986.
In 1985, Stevie took part in the songs, We Are the World for hungry people in Africa, and That's What Friends Are For for AIDS research.

Stevie wants to make the world a better place. He joined demonstrations against apartheid. It was a system that gave advantages to white people in South Africa.
In 1985, Stevie was invited to the United Nations. There, he sang a song called It's Wrong (Apartheid).
In the song Black Man Stevie sang, "This world was made for all men, all people, all babies, all children, all colors, all races."

See also