Monday Night I sat mesmerized with millions of Americans, paying homage to the genius of Stevie Wonder whose music has been the soundtrack of our lives for the past 40+ years. You don’t have to look deep into a SounDoctrine track to realize how personally my artistry has been influenced by his innervisions.
Although I got into the show about 20 minutes lates, right smack dab in the middle of Lady Gaga’s rousing performance of “I Wish,” I posed a question to myself concerning this man I’ve grown to love like a favorite uncle. If you were to dissect Steveland Morris into various components of his muse, what, for me, would be the most compelling?
Right off, he IS the total package. But which attribute wins me over first and foremost?
Is it his multidimensional musicianship?
His hypnotic voice?
His profound production and/or forward thinking technology applications coupled with his humanitarianism and completely selfless spirit?
As I pondered the many great voices from Jill Scott to Andrea Bocelli to the outstanding Tony Bennett to the myriad of musicians who adorned the platform, not least of all, musical director Greg Phillinganes, I wondered, what is this One Thing about Stevie that unites all of these exceptional stars?
I concluded: It’s All About The Songs
Always has been. Always Will Be. Always Should Be.
Musicianship, Showmanship, Vocal Talent, Production Skills, Arranging, Dance Routines, Million Dollar Light Shows and Superior Sound do play their parts, but each element must bow down – all the way down – to the raw emotions, contemplations and motivations prompted by a great song.
If Stevie were to somehow lose, or were not as proficient in any of the aforementioned talents, his songwriting has set him further apart from any of his contemporaries in the last four decades than anyone and his legacy will cast him as the Bach of the next few hundred years to come.
This is why we celebrate his genius.
This is why true EMs must make writing great songs a priority above all else…
Jere B's Approach 