Play 96 Stevie Wonder trivia questions about Motown, harmonica, synthesizers, classic albums, film songs, and civil rights. Song and album names appear in the questions so the quiz can be shuffled.
Little Stevie, Motown & Early Hits
Q: What is Stevie Wonder's birth name?
A: Stevland Hardaway Judkins, later known as Stevland Hardaway Morris.
Q: When was Stevie born?
A: May 13, 1950.
Q: In which state was Stevie Wonder born?
A: Michigan.
Q: Did Stevie Wonder become blind during infancy?
A: No. He became blind in infancy after complications associated with premature birth.
Q: What label signed him as a child?
A: Motown.
Q: What stage name did Motown initially use?
A: Little Stevie Wonder.
Q: Which instruments did Stevie Wonder play as a child?
A: Harmonica, keyboards, drums, and other instruments.
Q: Which record label signed Stevie Wonder as a child?
A: “Fingertips, Part 2.”
Q: How old was he?
A: 13.
Q: What is unusual about “Fingertips”?
A: It is a live recording built around harmonica, audience interaction, and spontaneous stage energy.
Q: What 1960s hit asks “For Once in My Life”?
A: “For Once in My Life.”
Q: Did Stevie write it?
A: No. It was written by Ron Miller and Orlando Murden.
Q: What song says “My Cherie Amour”?
A: “My Cherie Amour.”
Q: What does “cherie amour” mean roughly?
A: Beloved or dear love in French.
Q: What hit uses the title “Uptight (Everything's Alright)”?
A: “Uptight (Everything's Alright).”
Q: What changed as Stevie grew older?
A: He demanded more control over songwriting, production, and musicianship.
Q: What Motown model was he moving beyond?
A: The label's centralized producer-songwriter system.
Q: What instrument became central to his mature sound?
A: Synthesizers and electric keyboards.
Q: What did blindness prevent musically?
A: Very little; Stevie developed extraordinary command of multiple instruments and studio technology.
Q: What stereotype does his career challenge?
A: The assumption that disability limits creative or technical mastery.
Q: What happened to Stevie Wonder’s childhood Motown contract when he turned 21?
A: His childhood Motown contract ended, giving him leverage to renegotiate.
Q: What did Stevie Wonder gain when he renegotiated his Motown contract?
A: Much greater artistic control.
Q: What instrument remains a Stevie signature even after synthesizers?
A: Harmonica.
Q: What instruments does Stevie Wonder often play on other artists’ recordings?
A: Guest on harmonica, vocals, or keyboards.
Signed Sealed Delivered, Superstition & Classic Albums
Q: What 1970 hit says “signed, sealed, delivered”?
A: “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours.”
Q: What creative milestone did “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours” mark for Stevie Wonder?
A: One of Stevie's early productions with major personal authorship and control.
Q: What album began Stevie's mature classic run in 1972?
A: Music of My Mind.
Q: Which synthesizer system helped shape Stevie Wonder’s Music of My Mind?
A: Synthesizers, especially work associated with TONTO.
Q: What is TONTO?
A: A massive modular synthesizer system used by Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff.
Q: What 1972 album followed?
A: Talking Book.
Q: What famous riff opens “Superstition”?
A: A clavinet riff.
Q: What is a clavinet?
A: An electric keyboard instrument with a sharp, percussive funk sound.
Q: Who plays the famous “Superstition” clavinet?
A: Stevie Wonder.
Q: What guitarist was originally associated with the song's development?
A: Jeff Beck.
Q: With which band did Jeff Beck plan to record “Superstition”?
A: Beck, Bogert & Appice.
Q: What does “Superstition” warn against?
A: Blind belief in irrational signs and omens.
Q: What ballad from Talking Book won major Grammys?
A: “You Are the Sunshine of My Life.”
Q: What two vocalists sing the first lines before Stevie enters?
A: Jim Gilstrap and Lani Groves.
Q: What 1973 album is titled Innervisions?
A: Innervisions.
Q: What social song depicts urban drug addiction?
A: “Living for the City.”
Q: What technique does its extended version use?
A: Spoken street-scene drama and sound effects.
Q: What song criticizes President Richard Nixon?
A: “He's Misstra Know-It-All” is commonly read as political critique, though the character is broader than one person.
Q: Which major GRAMMY did Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions win?
A: Album of the Year.
Q: What serious accident happened to Stevie in 1973?
A: A car crash left him in a coma for several days.
Q: Did Stevie Wonder continue recording after his 1973 car accident?
A: Yes.
Q: What 1974 album followed?
A: Fulfillingness' First Finale.
Q: What song criticizes political hypocrisy with a catchy groove?
A: “You Haven't Done Nothin'.”
Q: What group provides backing vocals?
A: The Jackson 5.
Q: Which major GRAMMY did Stevie Wonder’s Fulfillingness’ First Finale win?
A: Album of the Year.
Q: How many of Stevie Wonder’s 1970s studio albums won Album of the Year?
A: Three across Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life, with a gap year in which he did not release an eligible album.
Songs in the Key of Life, Sir Duke & Isn't She Lovely
Q: What 1976 album is often considered Stevie's masterpiece?
A: Songs in the Key of Life.
Q: What format was it originally released in?
A: Double album plus a bonus EP in original editions.
Q: What song celebrates Duke Ellington?
A: “Sir Duke.”
Q: What theme does Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke” celebrate?
A: Music is a universal language that can connect people.
Q: Which musicians are named in Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke”?
A: Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and others.
Q: What song celebrates the birth of Stevie's daughter?
A: “Isn't She Lovely.”
Q: What is the name of Stevie Wonder’s daughter celebrated in “Isn’t She Lovely”?
A: Aisha Morris.
Q: What sound appears in the song?
A: Baby sounds associated with Aisha.
Q: Was Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” originally a standard U.S. single?
A: No.
Q: What song is sampled by Coolio for “Gangsta's Paradise”?
A: “Pastime Paradise.”
Q: Did Stevie Wonder approve Coolio’s use of “Pastime Paradise” in “Gangsta’s Paradise”?
A: Yes, with conditions around lyrical content.
Q: What song has the title “As”?
A: “As.”
Q: What does Stevie Wonder’s song “As” promise?
A: Love lasting through impossible cosmic conditions.
Q: What song asks about a village ghetto land?
A: “Village Ghetto Land.”
Q: What contrasts with the poverty described in Stevie Wonder’s “Village Ghetto Land”?
A: Elegant string-like synthesizer textures contrast with lyrics about poverty and hunger.
Q: What song is titled “I Wish”?
A: “I Wish.”
Q: What does Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish” remember?
A: Mischievous childhood memories and nostalgia.
Q: What did Paul Simon joke about Stevie Wonder while accepting Album of the Year?
A: He thanked Stevie for not making an album that year.
Q: What instrument is Stevie playing on many tracks?
A: Multiple keyboards, synthesizers, drums, harmonica, and other instruments.
Q: Did Stevie Wonder produce Songs in the Key of Life?
A: Yes, with extensive creative control.
Activism, Later Hits, Awards & Hard Stevie Trivia
Q: What campaign did Stevie strongly support in the 1980s?
A: Establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a U.S. federal holiday.
Q: What song became tied to the campaign?
A: “Happy Birthday.”
Q: Was Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” written as a generic birthday song?
A: No. It was written as part of advocacy for King's holiday.
Q: When did the federal holiday become law?
A: 1983.
Q: Which president signed it?
A: Ronald Reagan.
Q: What 1984 soundtrack hit became one of Stevie's biggest pop singles?
A: “I Just Called to Say I Love You.”
Q: What film is it from?
A: The Woman in Red.
Q: What Academy Award did it win?
A: Best Original Song.
Q: What 1985 charity supergroup song included Stevie?
A: “We Are the World.”
Q: What Dionne Warwick collaboration included Stevie, Elton John, and Gladys Knight?
A: “That's What Friends Are For.”
Q: What cause did that recording benefit?
A: AIDS research.
Q: What song did Stevie record with Paul McCartney?
A: “Ebony and Ivory.”
Q: What do black and white piano keys symbolize in “Ebony and Ivory”?
A: Black and white piano keys as a metaphor for racial harmony.
Q: What instrument does Stevie guest on for many artists?
A: Harmonica.
Q: What famous song by Chaka Khan includes Stevie harmonica?
A: “I Feel for You” features Stevie Wonder on harmonica.
Q: What does Stevie's activism include?
A: Civil rights, disability rights, anti-apartheid work, humanitarian causes, and peace.
Q: What United Nations role has he held?
A: Messenger of Peace.
Q: What Presidential Medal did Stevie receive?
A: Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Q: Which U.S. president awarded Stevie Wonder the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
A: Barack Obama.
Q: Is Stevie in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?
A: Yes.
Q: What age distinction applied when he was inducted?
A: He was among the youngest artists inducted at the time.
Q: What album contains “Superstition”?
A: Talking Book.
Q: What album contains “Living for the City”?
A: Innervisions.
Q: What album contains “Sir Duke”?
A: Songs in the Key of Life.
Q: What instrument defines “Superstition”?
A: Clavinet.
Q: What producer partnership helped with early synth experiments?
A: Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff.
How Did You Score?
If Little Stevie, TONTO, Al Kooper belongs to Dylan but clavinet belongs here, Aisha, “Pastime Paradise,” MLK Day, the harmonica cameos, and the three-Album-of-the-Year run all came easily, your Stevie trivia is wonderful.
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