Ed Sheeran came out to join Beyoncé on stage as they switched to performing Stevie’s song, Master Blaster. Beyoncé then introduced guitarist Gary Clark Jr. as they performed Stevie’s song, Higher Ground. “We love you, Stevie,” said Beyoncé as the group left the stage and LL Cool J took over the program.
LL Cool J announced, “Tonight we are honoring the most visionary musical artist in history. We are celebrating Stevie Wonder.” He then introduced nine-time Grammy winner and Oscar nominee John Legend who performed I Believe. They cut to Stevie in the audience and you could tell he was enjoying the performances.
Maya Rudolph was next and she said, “My mother, Minnie Riperton was blessed to call Stevie her friend. And when I say Stevie Wonder was playing in my living, I mean Stevie Wonder was playing in my living room.”
Maya then introduced six-time Grammy winner Lady Gaga who told the story of Stevie Wonder’s album is the first album when she was six years old that she put into the CD player. She then got down and performed, I wish, and when she finished Stevie through her kisses.
The program then rolled a montage of just a few of Stevie Wonder’s 25 Grammy wins and several quick clips of his performances. One clip even showed him accepting one of his Grammy awards with his mother, Lula Mae Hardaway. Another clip showed him getting very emotional when she had passed and he was honoring her memory at the Grammy Awards.
He also joked many times about being blind, which he does often. I have been friends with Stevie for decades, and he constantly jokes about being blind.
Jason Derulo was next to introduce a performance of Signed, Sealed, Delivered, for which Stevie won his first ever Grammy nomination. Ariana Grande and Baby Face did the honors of performing this song, and they ended by saying, “We love you, Stevie.”
LL Cool L came back to introduce Annie Lennox performing My Cherie Amour. Her deep, rich voice killed the song, and you could tell Stevie loved it.
Paul McCarthy remembered Stevie when he was a child and called him a genius and ended by saying, “You’re fucking great!”
Pharrell Williams was next and performed Don’t You Worry About a Thing with Ryan Tedder.
Tony Bennett was next and said that Stevie Wonder is “not acknowledged as one of the great jazz artists that ever lived,” before he sang Stevie’s song, For Once in My Life. The audience stood up for his rendition because Tony Bennett tore it up!
LL Cool J spoke as Ed Sheeran came back to perform I Was Made to Love Her using just his guitar. And again, the camera showed Stevie truly enjoying his rendition. The audience clapped along and gave him a standing ovation.
Tyler Perry was next and introduced the next performance saying this song was pointed toward Richard Nixon who resigned a few days after its release. The Band Perry did the honors of performing, You Haven’t Done Nothing.
LL Cool J introduced Mary Wilson of The Supremes. It was so good to see her. She spoke of the days they were all at Motown together and said please welcome the trio Jill Scott, Jenell Mona and India Arie to perform, I’ll Be Loving You Always.
Andrea Bocelli, the great opera singer who we all know is also blind, told Stevie his songs are so difficult to sing, but he wanted him to know he did his best as he sang, I just Want to Say I Love You.
LL Cool J introduced Jennifer Hudson who said, “this is one of my favorite songs, so Stevie I can only hope to touch you with this.” She sang All is Fair in Love. And threw a kiss as she said, “We love you so much, Stevie.”
At Stevie’s request, LL Cool J asked everyone to close their eyes and the whole audience closed their eyes so they can imagine how Stevie wrote the next song to celebrate the birth of his daughter, Aisha. Isn’t She Lovely was performed by Ne-Yo.
A surprise for Stevie was his daughter Aisha came out herself and sang to her father. Stevie appeared surprised to her singing her own words to his song. She came down to him in the audience and pulled him to his feet and said “I love you, daddy,” as she and Ne-Yo hugged him. And he said, “That sounds great Aisha.”
Jamie Foxx was next and said, “a lot of people try to imitate Stevie wonder but let’s be honest; Stevie Wonder has more talent in one of his braids than most people out there today.”
“Get on your feet right now because here is Stevie Wonder himself, the most important figure in the music of all time, Stevie Wonder.” Stevie was at the piano playing Songs in the Key of Life and rolled right into Sir Duke – You Can feel it All Over.
He next performed, You Are the Sunshine of My Life and then performed, Ribbon in the Sky. What a treat for this audience to have Stevie perform his own music for the last half of the broadcast.
Next Stevie broke out this harmonica to move into his performance of Overjoyed. He then yelled “Hit me” and performed Superstition.
Motown mogul, Berry Gordy was in the audience applauding as they went into the commercial break.
When they returned, LL Cool J said let’s take a moment to see how Stevie Wonder used music to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It was demonstrated through a montage of Dr. King’s speeches and many of the men who were there with through it all. Stevie’s song Happy Birthday was more than instrumental in moving Dr. King’s birthday to finally becoming a national holiday.
Stevie got his moment to speak and said, “I can not leave this state, this building, this planet without letting you all know how much I thank you, I love you.”
“I don’t have to know you and may never meet you, but I want you to know that I love you because the God that I serve says to love you.”
“It feels better to love than to hate. We must let the world know that love is king and queen.”
“You have given me love and I thank you for it. Thank you so much.”
Of Dr. Kings holiday, Stevie said, “it’s a day that we could celebrate every single person who lived and died for equality. Let’s do Happy Birthday right now.”
The stage was filled with everyone involved in his celebration and they sang to the close of the program.
What a magnificent celebration to life and incredible contributions to music and society.
Congratulations Stevie Wonder!
We all love you.
Tanya Hart