WASHINGTON – On Feb. 25, President Barack Obama thanked musician Stevie Wonder for creating “a style that’s uniquely American” as he presented the singer-songwriter the nation’s highest award for pop music.
WASHINGTON – On Feb. 25, President Barack Obama thanked musician Stevie Wonder for creating “a style that’s uniquely American” as he presented the singer-songwriter the nation’s highest award for pop music.
Obama, who called Wonder the soundtrack of his youth, gave the star the Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize for Popular Song during an East Room tribute that featured Tony Bennett, Martina McBride and Wonder himself. The president joked that the group was “the most accomplished Stevie Wonder cover band in history.”
Wonder was emotional at times, thanking Obama for the award and reflecting on what his election as the first Black president means to the United States.
“What is truly exciting for me today is that we truly have lived to see a time and a space where America has a chance to again live up to the greatness that it deserves to be seen and known as – through the love and caring and the commitment of a president – as in our president, Barack Obama,” he said.
Wonder cited Martin Luther King Jr., his faith and his mother during an acceptance speech that flowed into a set of Obama’s favorite songs. The Grammy-winning musician – he has 25 of the awards – joked that he looked forward to writing more love songs – perhaps a soundtrack for “you know, maybe I’ll be a part of creating some more of those babies.”
Obama praised Wonder’s decades-long career and a style that has blended pop and funk, R&B and gospel.
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