We all know Stevie Wonder to be the musical genius who sold over 100 million records worldwide. But why did Paul Simon of Simon & Garfunkel thank him when he received his award in the 1976 Grammys?
During Paul Simon’s acceptance speech for the Best Album in the 1976 Grammys, he jokingly thanked Stevie Wonder for not releasing an album that year. Wonder had won the grammy’s for the past two years and eventually won the next one in 1977.
Who is Paul Simon?
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer, songwriter, actor, and producer best known to be the other half of the duo Simon & Garfunkel. His musical career spanned over 60 years, and he is quite known to be one of the best songwriters in music history.
Simon was born on October 13, 1941, in New Jersey. His parents were educators. They moved to New York in 1945, and he spent the rest of his childhood in the big city.
His musical career started at a young age. He met Art Garfunkel when they were both 11 years old, and they performed in a production of Alice in Wonderland for their 6th-grade graduation. They began performing together at school functions by the time they were 13.
They wrote the song The Girl for Me when they were at that age, and it soon became the neighborhood hit. By 1957 the duo recorded the song Hey, Schoolgirl under the pseudonym Tom & Jerry. The name was given to them by the label Big Records. That single reached the 49th spot on the pop charts.
Today at 79, Simon has retired from touring but continues to make music. (Source: Britannica)
Who is Stevie Wonder
Steveland Judkins was born on May 13, 1950, in Saginaw, Michigan. He was an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He was born blind but was a skilled musician by the age of 8. This got him the name, Little Stevie.
At 12 years old, he was able to record his first single. And his first hit was recorded by the time he reached 13. Without a doubt, he was going places.
By 1964 he was no longer called little, and his songs were topping the charts. He won several awards from 1974 until 2007. In fact, he even won the Grammy’s best album award for two consecutive years.
Today, Stevie Wonder is 71 years old and continues to make music with Motown Records. (Source: Biography)
What was the Story Behind the Acceptance Speech of Paul Simon?
When Paul Simon was announced to be the winner of the 1976 Grammy for Album of the Year with the release of his album Still Crazy After All These Years, he thanked his team, producers, and his collaborating partner Art Garfunkel. He also jokingly thanked Stevie Wonder for not releasing an album that year since he had been favored to win the award as he did two years before.
And most of all, I’d like to thank Stevie Wonder, who didn’t make an album this year.
Paul Simon
(Source: Stacker)