It should come as no surprise that I –and probably everyone else on the planet– am a huge fan of Stevie Wonder.  I came across some rare “Stevie footage” recently (see below) and was amazed at the talent and passion this man has possesed for his ENTIRE career.  But then it hit me….. Today…..What network would air this? What label would sign this? What station would play this?
 

Do you think in our day and age, a boy named  Steveland Hardaway Morris (born Judkins), would ever be more than a momentary YouTube sensation?  Would he be forced to search for success by singing popular cover songs on American Idol, the Voice or (insert your show of choice), all the while suppressing his mastery of the written word?   How would he fare in the world of social media, dealing with twitter and Facebook updates?  Would he have to release free mixtapes containing songs like “Ribbon in the Sky,” “As,” and “Overjoyed” all in the hopes of getting discovered?  Furthermore, would we dismantle a standing work like “Songs in the Key of Life” for our iPod playlists–never to digest it as the artist intended?

Would our collective ADHD even allow his name to stay on our tongues for more than a month?

I would like to think that some things are just undeniable, but I see amazing talent flying under the radar everyday so………… I’ll just leave it for you to contemplate. 🙂

I, for one, am just happy that the “Machine” that would put artists like Al Green, Donny Hathaway, Roberta Flack, James Brown (to name just a few) out to pasture once they were no longer “Marketable,” was not fully operational at the time.  Still, I am deeply concerned for the future icons that are so needed for the generations to come.

For now, If you see a Wonder in the making spread the word ……..and enjoy some videos from a National Treasure.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6yEdv6qymc]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d48n4ESFgE]

 Would he ever be allowed to become the Wonder that is Stevie Wonder?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z57-f827e68]