Stevie Wonder's 'Songs in the Key of Life'

 Stevie Wonder was only 13 when he found himself at the top of the charts with his breakthrough instrumental hit “Fingertips, Pt. II.” It was a virtuoso performance improvised on the harmonica. The spontaneity is clearly evident in the live recording when you hear the bandleader frantically asking, “What key? What key?”Thirteen years later, Wonder answered that question with an amazing collection of music that revealed him to be an artist in command of all of his skills: singer, keyboard artist, drummer, harmonica player, songwriter, lyricist, arranger, bandleader, producer, and more. As if in reply to that original question of “What key,” Stevie Wonder named his new album Songs in the Key of Life.It’s a collection of music that remains a remarkable milestone not only in Stevie Wonder’s career, but in the world of music itself. Prince called it the best album ever recorded. Elton John takes a copy of it with him wherever he travels. “For me, it's the best album ever made,” he has said, “and I'm always left in awe after I listen to it.” Kanye West cited it as one of the albums he competes with as he creates his own music. “It sounds musically blasphemous to say something like that,” he once said, “but why not set that as your bar?”For our next tribute, Great Moments in Vinyl presents the extraordinary Songs in the Key of Life. Stevie Wonder was only 24 when he began work on the album. And though it took him two years to finish, the songs that spill across those four LP sides and two EP sides are a tour de force of creative variety and musical skill. No wonder Stevie Wonder himself once told Q magazine, “Of all the albums, Songs in the Key of Life I'm most happy about.”Join us Saturday, October 26th at Martyrs’ for a full night of this legendary music.

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