Stevie Wonder is a pillar in the world of R&B. His talent for crafting pop music is nothing short of genius, and his albums continue to influence artists to this day. His life story is as inspirational as his joyous music. As an African-American and as a disabled performer, he's broken barriers to become one of the most respected performers in pop music history.

Wonder was born Steveland Hardaway Judkins in Saginaw, MI in 1960. Complications at birth are believed to have caused his permanent blindness. While the world's sights were taken from him, its sounds only grew more pronounced. From an extremely young age, it was clear that Stevie was a musical prodigy, and he would perform in his church choir. He found inspiration in his hero, Ray Charles.

After auditioning for Motown, he began performing under the name "Little Stevie Wonder." He released his debut album, The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie, in 1962. He was only 11 years old, and already showed immense promise on the album, which betrayed a keen understanding of jazz. His follow-up, a live album called The 12 Year Old Genius, became Motown's first chart-topping record.

Through the '60s and '70s, Wonder would live up to his stage name, expanding his appeal to white audiences after touring with the Rolling Stones and proving he was more than just a hit-maker--he was an artist as well. He experimented with electronic music and synthesizers, making atmospheric, spacey brand of R&B the likes of which was never heard of before. Music of My Mind and Talking Book were his two masterpieces, both released in 1972. To this day, both are still considered groundbreaking for putting emotion to song, whether Wonder's subject was societal ills or his own personal struggles.