SATURDAY'S SINGLES : STEVIE WONDER and STEVIE WONDER

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Good morning gang and welcome to the return of Saturday's Singles. Today we serve of two servings of Saginaw, Michigan native, singer songwriter, pianist, and record producer Stevie Wonder ( Stevland Hardaway Judkins) as he celebrates his 73rd Birthday. Happy Birthday Stevie ! He was born in 1950 to parents Lula Mae Hardaway and  Calvin Judkins. In 1961 he signed with Motown and Berry Gordy christened him Little Stevie Wonder. Our first selection of the day is "Sir Duke", a song from his 18th studio album, Songs in the Key of Life. "Sir Duke" was released  March 22, 1977 on the Tamla label and produced by Wonder, Samuel Oakes, and Bertie Mitchell. It peaked at #69 in Australia, #24 in New Zealand, #22 in Belgium, #19 in the Netherlands, #10 in Germany, #4 in Switzerland, #3 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts, #2 in the UK, and #1 in Canada, #1 on the Hot 100, and #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs survey. It is b/w   "He's Misstra Know-It-All" from his 1973 album, Innervisions. The song is a tributeto Duke Ellington, a musical influence of Wonder. 

Produced, written, arranged and composed by Stevie Wonder
Vocals, Fender Rhodes electric piano, and percussion by Stevie Wonder
Trumpets by Raymond Maldonado and Steve Madaio
Drums by Raymond Pounds
Bass guitar by Nathan Watts
Lead guitar by Michael Sembello
Rhythm guitar by Ben Bridges
Alto saxophone by Hank Redd
Tenor saxophone by Trevor Lawrence

Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, piano, drums, handclaps, T.O.N.T.O. synthesizer, congas
Willie Weeks – electric bass

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Our second Stevie Wonder selection is "Love Light In Flight" a track from The Woman in Red soundtrack, which was released November 1984 on Motown Records was written and produced by Stevie Wonder.  The tune reached #54 in Germany, #44 in the UK, #43 in New Zealand, #39 in Canada, #27 in Belgium, #17 on the Hot 100, #10 on the Adult Contemporary charts, #4 on the  Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs survey, and #1 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary charts. It's B-side is the instrumental, "It's More Than You" also from The Woman In Red soundtrack. 

Stevie Wonder - synthesizer, drums, vocals
Lenny Castro - congas
Antoinette Wood, Finis Henderson, III, Gene VanBuren, Judy Cheeks, Lynn Davis, Portia Griffin, Susaye Greene, Windy Barnes - backing vocals

Stevie Wonder – piano, synthesizers, drums, harmonica, vocoder

Nathan Watts – bass guitar

Isaiah Sanders – piano, synthesizer, drums 
Ben Bridges – electric guitar

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