At first, Stephen Chatman wasn't quite sure who he was hearing. He only knew he liked the voice, liked the harmonica, liked the way the music moved him.
Then he found out who was singing: a kid named Stevie Wonder.
"I love James Brown as an adult," says Chatman, the host of "Soul Show" Saturday afternoons on WYEP-FM. "But as a child growing up, it was 'Master Blaster,' 'Sir Duke,' 'Fingertips' -- those types of songs that really got me going. They said something to me as a black child, that I was beautiful, that I came from beauty."
Wonder performs Friday at the Mellon Arena, Uptown, his first Pittsburgh performance since July 22, 1972, when he appeared at the same venue -- then called the Civic Arena -- as the opening act for the Rolling Stones.
That's not a misprint. It is hard to imagine Wonder being second-billed to anyone -- let alone being paired with the ultimate rock 'n' roll band -- but at the time he was only 22.
Until 1972, Wonder had been notable for singles such as "My Cherie Amour," "I Was Made to Love Her" and "For Once in My Life." But the release of "Music in My Mind" that same year cast him in a new light. According to David Nathan, a writer, rhythm and blues historian and owner of the Web site www.soulmusic.com , the 1970s were when Wonder fully embraced his talents.
"It was an amazing decade of writing songs that were deep, songs that had messages, songs that have stood the test of time," Nathan says.
Wonder would follow "Music in My Mind" with "Talking Book," "Innervisions," "Fullingness' First Finale" and "Songs in the Key of Life," albums that are among the best from that period. On them, he wrote about the plight of urban African Americans in "Living in the City." He sang about spirituality in "Higher Ground," paid tribute to one of his influences, Duke Ellington, with "Sir Duke" and reminisced about his childhood in "I Wish." He still sang love songs, but they had a different feel, were less innocent, be they "Boogie on Reggae Women," "Golden Lady" or "Love's in Need of Love Today."
For Chatman, who grew up in the Hill District, Wonder's '70s material was nothing short of revelatory. Hearing the music gave him hope, and for a kid growing up in the "projects," hope was sometimes all he had.
Chatman says: "When he was on 'American Bandstand,' after you got over 'How can he do that⢠He can't see!' you just got lost (in the music). ... His capacity to write and play, to just be a spokesman for humanity, was unbelievable. That's the greatest thing about Stevie Wonder. He never was anything but a positive influence, and not just for black people."
Sean Rigs, a guitarist and songwriter for the Pittsburgh-based Boogie Hustlers, remembers hearing Wonder's music when he was a kid growing up in Clairton. While his father was into guitar rock, his mother played Motown, and that's the music Rigs gravitated toward.
"I just loved the soulful, from-the-heart approach to music," he says.
No one caught Rigs' attention more than Wonder and the way he transcended racial and generational boundaries. But Rigs also was in awe of Wonder's prowess as a musician, particularly on "Songs in the Key of Life."
"Not only did Stevie Wonder write and produce, he played a lot of different instruments on his records," Rigs says. "He played drums, he played synthesizers and keyboards, bass guitar and harmonica. He's a virtuoso who can pick up any instrument and, by his knowledge and by ear, play anything."
Chatman thinks Wonder belongs in a discussion of greatest American artists -- along with perhaps Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen -- of the past 50 years. But Nathan, a native of Great Britain, says Wonder is unique because of his multi-faceted artistry and his global appeal. While Springsteen and Dylan are seminal artists in America, they don't always translate well with foreign audiences.
"Bruce Springsteen's and Bob Dylan's music, as good as it may be, doesn't have quite the universal appeal," Nathan says. "Being from Britain myself, I know how people relate to Stevie Wonder, and it's not the way they relate to Dylan and Springteen. Bruce Springsteen is very much a product of America. Not that he doesn't have fans in Britain, but he's not seen in the same light. Here he's an American music hero. Stevie Wonder, to me, is more of global hero, musically."
Wonder in concert
The last time Stevie Wonder performed in Pittsburgh was 1972, as the opening act for the Rolling Stones at the Civic -- now Mellon -- Arena.
"I've never seen him live," says Stephen Chatman, a diehard Wonder fan who hosts the "Soul Show" Saturday afternoons on WYEP-FM. "I can't even remember Stevie Wonder ever being in Pittsburgh."
Because Chatman was only 7 in 1972, he can be forgiven for missing the concert.
But what to expect⢠David Nathan, a rhythm-and-blues historian, author and owner of the Web site www.soulmusic.com , says Wonder's concerts are always surprising.
"You really don't know what to expect," says Nathan, who has seen Wonder in concert at least six times, in England and in the United States. "You're always going to hear things that you love, but he's not one of those artists who goes out and does his greatest hits. At every concert I've ever seen, he throws in songs that are not the obvious things. He throws in album cuts. And because of his ability as a musician, he embellishes.
"He's not afraid to extend a piece of music and show his ability as an artist in performance, which a lot of people don't do. ... There's an element of spontaneous creativity that's inherent in every Stevie Wonder performance I've ever seen."
Wonder picks
Stephen Chatman, host of WYEP-FM's "Soul Show," selects his Top 5 Stevie Wonder songs:
1. "As": It's just my favorite, because it encompasses everything Stevie.
2. "I Wish": This was like the theme for hope for a better day for me. A return to the happiness of my youth, the just plain old fun with no worries ... racing home from the record store to put the 45 on the stereo.
3. "Happy Birthday": A tribute to one of my heroes, Martin Luther King Jr.
4. "Fingertips": Stevie playing out of his mind; he could have been a jazz legend, too.
5. "Superstition": Funk, funk and more funk. Additional Information:
Stevie Wonder
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Admission: $52-$210
Where: Mellon Arena , Uptown
Details: 412-323-1919
