Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder was Motown's golden child. In his more than 30 years at Motown, Wonder has been a musical icon: first, as a child prodigy; second, as a young man with a soulful, maturing and multifaceted talent; and finally, as an adult driven by the challenge of realizing his ever-deepening inner visions. Over the course of his career, Wonder has been a true musical pioneer whose work has embraced influences as diverse as reggae and jazz.
He created music that sounded startlingly fresh in the Seventies by bending synthesizer technology to his own funky, visionary ends. A true child of the Sixties, the idealistic Wonder's music has remained inseparable from his spirituality and humanitarian outlook. Over the years he has been a committed advocate of causes ranging from the anti-apartheid movement to advocacy on behalf of blind and mentally challenged children.
Smokey Robinson
Save for founder Berry Gordy, no single figure has been more closely allied with the Detroit-based recording empire known as Motown than William "Smokey" Robinson. In addition to leading the Miracles, Robinson served as a Motown producer, songwriter, talent scout and Gordy's most trusted confidant and right-hand man.
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles scored twenty-seven pop-soul hits at Motown between 1960 and 1971, including the classics "You've Really Got a Hold on Me," "Mickey's Monkey," "Going to a Go-Go" and "I Second That Emotion." They also explored the sweeter side of soul with a string of exquisite ballads sung by Robinson in a satiny falsetto. The Miracles' brightest moments on record - "Ooh Baby Baby," "The Tracks of My Tears" and "The Tears of a Clown" foremost among them - still kindle memories for those who came of age in the Sixties.
B.B. King
Riley "B.B." King has been called the "King of the Blues" and "Ambassador of the Blues," and indeed he's reigned across the decades as the genre's most recognizable and influential artist. His half-century of success owes much to his hard work as a touring musician who consistently logged between 200 and 300 shows a year. Through it all he's remained faithful to the blues while keeping abreast of contemporary trends and deftly incorporating other favored forms - jazz and pop, for instance - into his musical overview.
Much like such colleagues and contemporaries as Buddy Guy and John Lee Hooker, B.B. King managed to change with the changing times while adhering to his blues roots. As a guitarist, King is best-known for his single-note solos, played on a hollowbody Gibson guitar. King's unique tone is velvety and regal, with a discernible sting. He's known for his trilling vibrato, wicked string bends, and a judicious approach that makes every note count. Back in the early days, King nicknamed his guitar "Lucille," as if it were a woman with whom he was having a dialogue. In fact, King regards his guitar as an extension of his voice (and vice versa). "The minute I stop singing orally," King has noted, "I start to sing by playing Lucille."
Sting
Sting achieved superstardom as the frontman and songwriter of The Police. The band brought bristling energy and musical sophistication to the New Wave movement. Sting's keening voice and the band's uncluttered arrangements created a dynamic sound. As the Police's primary songwriter, Sting penned all of their hits including "Roxanne," "Message in a Bottle," "Don't Stand So Close to Me," "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" and "Every Breath You Take;" key tracks from each of their five studio albums.
In the mid-1980s, the Police disbanded and Sting launched into a solo career characterized by a restless desire for experimentation and eclecticism. His albums beginning with The Dream of the Blue Turtles draw on vast elements of classical music, funk, English folk music and reggae.
John Legend
Grammy Award-winning soul singer, songwriter and pianist John Legend has been making music since age five. Nurtured by a musical family, the young Legend embraced gospel, classic soul and hip-hop. Legend's first break came when he was tapped to play piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything" in 1998. Then Kanye West brought him on board to sing and play on his multi-platinum album The College Dropout.
Get Lifted, his first studio album, was released in 2005. On the strength of the single "Ordinary People," the album reached the Top Five of the Billboard 200. This led to three Grammy Awards: Best R&B Album, Best R&B Male Vocal Performance, and Best New Artist. Along the way, Legend has created a new brand of elegant, mannered soul.
Stevie Wonder will be performing material from his vast catalog of music and will be inviting these and other special guests onstage for never-before-seen collaborations. Check back soon to see who else he'll be performing with.
