One of the greatest musicians and songwriters in living memory and covering a vast range of musical genres from pop to rhythm and blues to funk to jazz, Stevie Wonder is nothing short of a legend. One of the most influential songwriters of the 20th century, Wonder has been held in high regard by numerous other musical greats over the decades in which he’s been active.
In short, while some of the vegan celebrities we have featured on this site are certainly talented, few can quite contend with the genius that is Stevie Wonder. But the question remains, does Stevie’s genius extend beyond music and into his dietary choices? In other words, is Stevie Wonder a vegan?
Wonder Is a Self-Professed Vegan
The good news is that, yes, Stevie Wonder is a self-professed vegan. If you don’t believe us, here’s a vid of him confirming his vegan credentials when partaking in a spot of Carpool Karaoke with James Corden in 2015. As you will see in the video, Corden asks the great man if he recently became a vegan and Wonder confirms that it had been “about a year or nine months” by that point. This suggests he took the leap into a plant-based life in late 2014 or early 2015.
Further evidence was provided for Stevie Wonder’s vegan credentials when he was interviewed at the Global Green Pre Oscar party in 2016. When asked by Ken Spector (from HappyCow) about how his life has changed since becoming vegan, Wonder stated that, “I get hungrier sooner,” which amused the amassed fans. He went on to say, “I feel fresh”, adding that he had stopped eating pork and beef “some years ago” (when he was around 24 years old, shortly after), and that he’d been vegan for around two years (which backs up the above suggestion that he became a vegan around 2014).
“People have to make their choices in life”
When asked by the interviewer, the rather leading question, “Why should people out there become vegan like us?”, Wonder suggested that: “People have to make their choices in life, and so I say, for me, it feels good to not eat meat, I think you have to do what’s gonna be healthy for your body.” Clearly, he didn’t want to be seen to be telling people what to do with their lives, which is fair enough. He also talked about how he’s had various chefs working with him and that ultimately he just does the best that he can do.
Given that there has been no publicised evidence that suggests Wonder has since given up veganism, we are confident in asserting he is indeed a vegan. So, now that’s established, let’s take a little look at some of the musical legend’s life and achievements over the years.
A Brief History of Stevie Wonder
Born in May 1950, Stevland Hardaway Morris didn’t waste much time before getting involved with music. Despite being blind (something that occurred soon after he was born), Stevie showed early musical prowess and indeed was described as something of a musical prodigy and after beginning to learn piano, harmonica and drums, he began singing on street corners and at the occasional party with a friend.
At the age of 11, Wonder had an audition at legendary record company Motown and was promptly signed to their Tamla label. He had his first hit in 1963 with Fingertips – Part 2, from a live album recorded in Chicago. Indeed, he gained a reputation for brilliant live shows over the years and it wasn’t long before he landed another big hit with Uptight (Everything’s Alright) in 1965.
The 1970s
It was not until the 1970s that Wonder really hit the mega-bigtime though, with a string of what have become regarded as outstanding albums of the era. His 1972 release, Talking Book, included such classics as Superstition and You Are the Sunshine of My life, while Innervisions (the 1973 album) included Living for the City, Higher Ground, and Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing, amongst others. His 1976 album, Songs in the Key of Life, topped the charts in the US and Canada (though only making it to number two in the UK) and included a further batch of songs that have caught the public’s imagination over the years including, Sir Duke, I Wish, Pastime Paradise and Isn’t She Lovely.
Present Day
Though Wonder’s output of top-quality music slowed a little in the 1980s and 1990s, he had already cemented his position as a musical legend and – at the time of writing – still performs to packed out venues, festivals and arenas. He continues to thrive and he’s put in some amazing performances in the 21st century including headlining Glastonbury in 2010.
Awards
As if we need to list some of his many accolades to prove Stevie Wonder’s greatness, we’ll do it anyway. He has been awarded 25 Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award (in 1996) and, along with Frank Sinatra, he has been awarded the Grammy for Album of the Year three times. He also received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama, honorary doctorates from four universities and was made a United Nations Messenger of Peace.
Stevie Wonder’s Best 10 Songs Ever
For an artist who had his first hit at the age of just 13 and who is still going strong at the time of writing in his 70s, he sure has produced plenty of amazing songs from which to pick our top 10. There are so many top songs to choose from so you will no doubt have your own favourites that may or may not agree with ours. But, for what it’s worth, here are the songs we think are the best Stevie Wonder has ever made.
- Superstition – An absolute classic that stands up well against any era of popular music, Superstition was released in 1972 and was Wonder’s second chart-topping single and the first since his 1963 hit, Fingertips, Pt. 2. It was ranked as the 12th best song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2021, just ahead of Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones and just behind God Only Knows by the Beach Boys. The funky Hohner Clavinet keyboard part of the song is considered one of the great riffs of popular music.
- You Are the Sunshine of My Life – The opening track on the 1972 album, Talking Book, You Are the Sunshine of My Life has a slower tempo and more chilled vibe than many of Stevie’s classics, but its soulful vocals and wide appeal helped it top the charts in the US and make the top 10 in many countries around the world. It went double-platinum in the UK despite only peaking at number 11 in the charts, but it is widely regarded as an absolute classic.
- Living for the City – One of the singles from the 1973 album, Innervisions, Living for the City is particularly distinctive for the narrative content of the song about a poor, young black man who moves to New York seeking a better life only to be sent to prison for a crime for which he was framed. One of the more political songs by Wonder, it was also one of the earliest popular hits to make use of sampling within the composition, some of which was resampled by Public Enemy in the 1989 track, Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos, as well as The City by Wu-Tang Clan.
- Higher Ground – Wonder reportedly wrote and recorded this funky masterpiece in the space of just three hours in the May of 1973. And, we’re very glad he had such a burst of inspiration on that particular day. As were Red Hot Chili Peppers, whose 1989 cover of the song gave them their first breakthrough single, charting at 11 in the US Alternative Airplay chart and 26 in the Mainstream Rock Chart. In the Chili’s version, Wonder’s wah-wah clarinet riff was played on bass guitar by Flea.
- I Just Called to Say I Love You – Seen by some as a little on the schmaltzy side, there is no doubt this track veers towards the more sentimental side of Wonder’s music. But on the other hand, over the years it managed to strike a chord with people across the generations and even those with the iciest hearts find it difficult not to be at least slightly thawed by this 1984 ballad.
- Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours – From its sitar-like guitar intro to the plodding bass and heartfelt vocals, this classic is a favourite at weddings to this day. Released in 1970, it topped the R&B chart in the USA and made it to number three in the Hot 100, but it retained its popularity over the years and went platinum in the UK in 2020.
- I Wish – One of the main singles from the highly influential double album, Songs in the Key of Life, I Wish contains funky bass and keyboard lines that proved very popular with the record-buying public. The song made it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and won Wonder a Grammy for Best R&B Performance (Male). Fans of Will Smith might well recognise the song… it was sampled for Smith’s 1999 single, Wild Wild West (which was made for the film of the same name).
- Sir Duke – Another chart-topper in the US, this 1977 single from Songs in the Key of Life was written as a tribute to another musical great, Duke Ellington, and other jazz greats are name checked in the lyrics, including Count Basie, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. The unmistakable trumpet intro to the song immediately catches the attention and the upbeat bass and vocals add a fantastically catchy vibe that has clearly done the trick for millions of fans.
- Pastime Paradise – Another track taken from Songs in the Key of Life, but never released as a single, the track has been sampled by more recent artists over the years including, most famously, Coolio who used the main hook in his 1995 hit, Gangsta’s Paradise.
- What Christmas Means to Me – With so many of Stevie Wonder’s songs being about the celebration of life and love, we thought we’d just have to include his big Christmas hit in our top 10. Well, we say “hit” but it didn’t have the same chart success as many of his other songs, and – truth be told – he didn’t even write it (it was penned by Allen Story, Anna Gordy Gaye, and George Gordy). But hey, we like it and it’s made our top 10.
Stevie Wonder & Veganism: Conclusion
As we have seen, unless he has had a recent change of heart, Stevie Wonder is indeed a vegan and he has also eschewed red meat for most of his adult life. Not only that, he is a musical legend who has influenced numerous other musicians and producers over the years. So, perhaps people will be just a little influenced by Wonder’s dietary preferences too. Whether that’s true or not, we’re glad a musician of Wonder’s undoubted stature and brilliance has joined the vegan party!