Compare & Contrast & THEN & NOW STEVIE TAYLOR LITTLE STEVIE WONDER Born blind, he dazzled the world with his singing and songwriting talents T Two remarkable journeys to stardom TAYLOR SWIFT And what a wonder he was. Stevie was born in 1950, blind in both eyes—but his blindness never held him Once bullied and ignored, she is now a worldwide superstar back. As a kid, he climbed trees. He played ball. He sang solos in his church choir. Above all, he made his own F music. He taught himself how to play the piano and other instruments. By the age of 4, he was writing songs for the harmonica and bongos. In 1954, Stevie and his family moved to Detroit. or a certain sixth-grader, a field trip to Nashville, Tennessee, was life-changing. She loved Taylor Swift, now and then the Country Music Hall of Fame. he year was 1961. A group of executives were In the 1960s, Detroit was home to one of the most packed into a recording studio. They were raving important record companies in the world: Motown about a musician who had just auditioned. He Records. Its president, Berry Gordy Jr., was known part was going to all the record at the Bluebird Cafe, a local spot where was only 10 years old, and his name, Stevland for finding superstars. When Little Stevie Wonder companies to drop off recordings musicians tested out new songs. It was there Hardaway Judkins, was a mouthful. But he was so walked into his studio, Gordy found one of his of her songs. None of the studio that Taylor got her big break. She was offered sensational that they had offered him a contract on the brightest stars yet. executives took her seriously— a record contract before she could drive a car! spot. They also gave him a new name: Little Stevie Wonder. the Wildhorse Saloon. But the best but they should have. Why? Within two years of his first audition, Stevie had his airwaves in 2006, she has been an international sensation. In 2009, Taylor became the youngest artist listened to Shania Twain and Dolly Parton albums until ever to win the Country Music Association Award for she knew every word of every song. She performed at Entertainer of the Year. Today, she is the world’s top- karaoke contests and county fairs near Wyomissing, selling digital artist, with more than 24.3 million digital Pennsylvania, where she grew up. At age 12, she taught tracks and 10 million albums sold. to win a Grammy for Best Album of the Year, for his album Innervisions. Since then, he has won 24 more Grammys, including a Lifetime Achievement Award. He has the most Grammys of any male solo artist in American history. When Stevie was just starting out in his career, people told him he’d never make it. Today, at age 60, he has more than 40 albums under his belt— and he is still performing. He smiles when he remembers those who doubted him. “People said that because I was blind, I couldn’t do what others did,” Stevie said. “I never believed that. And I never will.” • ©RAHAV SEGEV/RETNA/CORBIS; INSET: ©ANDREW ORTH/RETNA/CORBIS with singing since she was a little girl. She guitar. He wrote dozens of songs. Each year, his skills ©PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES; INSET: EVENING STANDARD/GETTY IMAGES voice, but he also played the piano, synthesizer, and bass grew. In 1973, Stevie became the first African-American SCHOLASTIC SCOPE • JANUARY 10, 2011 Taylor’s first album, Taylor Swift, hit the Taylor, now 21, has been obsessed And the hits kept coming. Not only did he have a soulful 18 The rest is history. From the moment Because that girl was Taylor Swift. first No. 1 single, “Fingertips: Part 2.” He was 12 years old. Stevie Wonder, now and then She devoured the barbecue at herself to play guitar and wrote her first song. While making music came easily to Taylor, making friends did not. Kids would move to a different table What makes Taylor so popular? Fearless, the title of her second album, says it all. “It’s all about following your gut,” she says. “And listening to your heart.” when she tried to sit with them at lunch. “They all thought I was weird,” Taylor remembers. “I spent a lot of time alone.” So Taylor focused on her music. Taylor’s parents knew their daughter had talent, so they moved to a suburb of Nashville, Tennessee—the center of the country-music industry. By the age of 14, Taylor was working part-time as a songwriter at Sony/ ATV Publishing, a music label. She also performed • COMPARE & CONTRAST Find two ways that Taylor Swift and Stevie Wonder are similar and two ways they are different. Then take this activity further. Go to Scope online and use GET THIS ACTIVITY ONLINE our guide to write a (painless!) compare-andcontrast essay. SCHOLASTIC.COM/SCOPE • JANUARY 10, 2011 19