A Tribute To Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder once said,”Just because a mean lacks the use of his eyes doesn't mean he lacks vision.” What Stevie is trying to say is that just because he can’t see doesn't mean he can’t imagine. Stevie Wonder is an influential person because he is a very successful blind musician and he is an inspiration to children and adults around the world. Steveland Judkins/Morris, better known to us as Stevie Wonder was born on May 13, 1950(biography.com). His parents were Lula Mae Hardaway and Calvin Judkinsn who gave birth and raised him in the inner part of Detroit(WIlliams). Stevie was the only child. When born, he encountered an eye disorder which increased severely causing him to go blind(biography.com). Despite the difficulties of being …show more content…
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The Life of Billy Joel Billy Joel was born on May 9, 1949 in Bronx, New York. He moved at the age of four to a small town on Long Island. This is where at the ripe age of four he discovered the art of music. Originally a classical music fan, Billy Joel honed his skills with classical piano training. This undoubtedly has had a major influence on his life and certainly his music.
Stevie Ray Vaughan was born in Dallas, Texas on October 3, 1954 to Jim and Martha Vaughan. Stevie Ray first got interested in the guitar around the age of eleven in 1963. By then his older brother (Jimmie Vaughan born in 1951.) had already been playing for a couple years. He taught Stevie Ray a few tricks, a couple blues chords, and minor pentatonic licks, but not much though. Stevie Ray was mostly self taught, he grew accustomed to never using his pinkie. Growing up he listened to great blues legends like the famous B.B. King, the not as famous, but close, who really didn't get the recognition he deserved, Albert King. He found their music gratifying, and admired them greatly, learning all their licks by ear, on stage he could mirror any solos they threw at him. Both Albert King and B.B. King played a very influential role in the development of Stevie Rays style. By the time he was fourteen he was already playing in Dallas blues clubs with bands like Blackbird, the Shanstones, and the Epileptic Marshmallow. Stevie Ray being so involved with his music barely had time for highschool. He dropped out in 1972.
Scott Joplin was born around 1868 near Linden, Texas. His parents were Florence Givins and Giles Joplin. In the 1870s, Joplin’s parents moved the family to Texarkana, Texas.
AIDS is the one of the most devastating diseases known to man as of today. “At the EJAF (Elton John AIDS Foundation) we believe that AIDS can be beaten” (Elton). Elton John AIDS Foundation is one of the most well-known charities in it’s field and is well respected throughout the world. Elton John decided to start this organization after losing two of his close friends, Freddie Mercury and Ryan White, to the disease. The foundation was initially set up in the United States (New York) in 1992, and then the United Kingdom (London) in 1993 (Elton). The principal advocacy of the foundation is to improve the quality of life of those diagnosed with or at high risk for HIV/AIDS.
Throughout America’s history there have been countless influential leaders that have proudly been American. Those have held positions of politicians, soldiers, and . Kanye Omari West has opened the eyes of today's generation and still continues to shape American history. His musical influence has transformed the lives of countless people. Inspiring many to stand up and fight for what they believe in is something Kanye West continues to do even today.. Also, opening the eyes of many to racial injustice towards African American citizens. I’ll further elaborate my claim in the following paragraphs using historical evidence.
His, "idea of blindness came from the movies", where, "...the blind move slowly and never laughed" (Carver 98). These misconceptions of blindness form barriers between the blind and the sighted. Carver breaks down these barriers as he brings the vastly different lives of these two men together. Those of us with sight find it difficult to identify with the blind. This man, like most of us, can only try to imagine what life is like for Robert.
My idea of blindness came from the movie. In the movie, the blind move slowly and never laugh. Sometimes they were led by seeing-eye dogs. The blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to”(4). This way, Carver shows how blindness can hold back people in the world today.
In the short story Cathedral, by Raymond Carver, there is a direct contrast between a blind man named Robert, and the narrator. The narrator has full use of his senses, and yet he is limited to the way he sees things, and the way he thinks. Robert however, has a very different outlook on life and how he sees things, as well as the use of his senses. At the end of the story, Robert has the narrator close his eyes to try and get him to experience the world the way he does. The narrator ends up being able to not only see the way Robert does, but he also is able to feel the world in a completely different way. The author suggests that the mind is most important in how people view things, and the judgements we make are based on what we see in our heads, instead of what is really there.
As one can see, there was a humongous amount of control that Motown and Berry Gordy had over Stevie Wonder’s youth. As result, after the contract change, Wonder was in a distinct position to change the course of his career through musical exploration. Ultimately, the freedom that he gains serves as a major reason towards the more socially conscious music to come in the mid to late 1970’s.
Blindness is most often perceived as just a physical disability especially when preconceived notions are embedded in one’s mind by society. Moreover an individual can be so ‘blind’ by worldviews and perceptions that the true humanity of someone that is actually blind can be overlooked. In Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” (1938- 1988), Carver depicts a man versus man conflict in which the narrator was totally consumed with jealously because his wife had a ‘odd’ relationship with a ‘ blind’ man she befriended while working for him one summer.
Cherry, Steven. "Stevie Ray Vaughan, October 3, 1954 - August 26, 1990". www.uark.edu/~scherry/srv. 23 Feb, 1994. Online. Aol
reloading and shooting and immediately grabbed and arrested Louis who was ultimately sent to The Colored Waifs Home for Boys, which was located on the outskirts of New Orleans then city limits (Bergreen 68-71, Teachout 19). This event would become a life changing event, as Louis for the first time in his life would be under the auspices of a structured control atmosphere, that would be positive juxtaposed with the mean streets of Storyville. Under the guidance of “Captain” Joseph Jones the head of the Boys Home, and “Professor” Peter Davis Louis began to bloom as a youngster, and with Davis’ mentorship his musicianship came alive (Teachout 68-71). Progressing through the different level within the hierarchy of the band, Davis taught and encouraged
The husband in Raymond Carvers “Cathedral” wasn’t enthusiastic about his wife’s old friend, whom was a blind man coming over to spend the night with them. His wife had kept in touch with the blind man since she worked for him in Seattle years ago. He didn’t know the blind man; he only heard tapes and stories about him. The man being blind bothered him, “My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing-eye dogs. A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to. (Carver 137)” The husband doesn’t suspect his ideas of blind people to be anything else. The husband is already judging what the blind man will be like without even getting to actually know him. It seems he has judged too soon as his ideas of the blind man change and he gets a better understanding of not only the blind man, but his self as well.
Carver wanted people to see the differences between looking and seeing, even physical vision. His book (Cathedral) explained, sometimes we need to look at the huge picture rather than details of it. Robert (The Blind Man) in the story; was being judged by his friend’s husband. The husband was taking the world’s side of everything rather then thinking for himself. Back in the 80’s, disability used to be less tolerant then today. People back then looked at disability as a bad thing, although they still do now. Carver explained more about how we need to be more tolerance and understanding in our thoughts, he shows this in Cathedral. Coming back to looking and seeing.
Michael Jackson is known for King of Pop. Jackson full name is Michael Joseph Jackson, he was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indian. Michael Jackson died June 25, 2009, in Los Angeles, California. Michael has a mother name Katherine Jackson and a father name Joseph Jackson. Michael was a singer, music producer, song writer, and a dancer, he also was married twice. Michael was married to Debbie Rowe, November 15, 1996, and had a divorce with her on October 8, 1999. He also was married to Lisa Marie Presley, May 18, 1994 and divorced her on January 18, 1996. (biography.com) & (cnn.com)