Monday 21 October 2002

BET pays musical tribute to Wonder

Stevie Wonder used the occasion of being honored for his lifetime achievements Saturday to introduce a little new music and make a plea for world peace. Wonder, 52, who is as well known for his humanitarian efforts as he is for his prodigious song catalog, was saluted at a star-studded black-tie gala as BET's eighth annual Walk of Fame enshrinee.

Jamie Foxx hosted the event, which included musical tributes by Dru Hill, Jill Scott, Gerald Levert, Musiq, Brian McKnight, Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey, Ja Rule, Eric Clapton, Kim Burrell, India Arie and Kelly Price. Wonder also received best wishes via video from Elton John, Chaka Khan and William H. Gray III, president of the United Negro College Fund, which benefits from the program. BET will televise the show Oct. 29 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

After spending more than an hour listening to renditions of his songs by other artists, Wonder thanked his family and talked about the "goodness of life". He said that although world leaders seem to be moving toward a global conflict, "we as a family (of people) should ask them a single question: 'Did you consult with God about this?' "

He then played the ballad I Can't Imagine Love Without, a song from a new album he says will be released in May. It would be his first new album since 1995's Conversation Peace. The 21-time Grammy winner closed out the show by bringing the audience to its feet with a rousing, choir-backed version of the love anthem As.

In an interview Thursday, Wonder said his new music will challenge people to deal with social issues. The singer, who helped spearhead efforts in the late 1970s and early '80s to establish the federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr., also questioned those who have criticized the movie Barbershop for its irreverent reference to King.

"It's amazing some of the things people take positions on," Wonder said. "Why don't you take the position of getting the various churches across the United States, which collect billions of dollars, to take some of that money and do some of the things that we can do for our families and our culture? The media takes things like this, and it becomes bigger than the real issue. The real issue is that we have hundreds of thousands of young men who may be marched off to fight a war and possibly not come back home. This was a movie. I had to laugh, but it didn't make me have any less respect for Martin Luther King Jr."

(USA Today)



COMMENTS
There are not yet comments to this article.

Only registrated members can post a comment.
© MCArchives 1998-2024 (26 years!)
NEWS
MESSAGEBOARD