Lula Mae Hardaway
Lula Mae Hardaway | |
---|---|
Born | Eufaula, Alabama, United States | January 11, 1930
Died | May 31, 2006 Los Angeles, California, United States | (aged 76)
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Songwriter |
Lula Mae Hardaway (January 11, 1930 – May 31, 2006) was an American songwriter and the mother of soul musician Stevie Wonder. She spent her early adult life in Saginaw, Michigan, but from 1975 until her death in 2006, lived in Los Angeles, California.[1]
Life[]
Hardaway co-wrote many of her son's songs during his teenage years, including the hit singles "I Was Made to Love Her", "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours", "You Met Your Match" and "I Don't Know Why I Love You", co-writing four songs on the 1968 album For Once in My Life.[1] For co-writing "Signed, Sealed, Delivered", she was co-nominated for the 1970 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.
In 1974, Hardaway was with her then 23-year-old son at the Hollywood Palladium when he received his first Grammy, one of several he received that night.[2]
Legacy[]
Hardaway was the subject of a 2002 authorized biography entitled Blind Faith: The Miraculous Journey of Lula Hardaway, Stevie Wonder's Mother (ISBN 0-7435-2695-3) by Dennis Love and Stacy Brown.[2]
When she died in 2006, she had 20 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A service for her was held at West Angeles Church of God in Christ. There were remarks by Motown founder Berry Gordy and songs by gospel singer Yolanda Adams and others.[2] She is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.[3]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Lula Mae Hardaway, 76, Stevie Wonder's Mother, Dies". The New York Times. 9 June 2006. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Jocelyn Y. Stewart (June 10, 2006). "Lula Mae Hardaway, 76; Stevie Wonder's Mother Helped Him Write Lyrics". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
- ^ WRNB
External links[]
- 1930 births
- 2006 deaths
- Songwriters from Alabama
- People from Eufaula, Alabama
- Musicians from Saginaw, Michigan
- American female songwriters
- Songwriters from Michigan
- 20th-century American musicians
- Stevie Wonder
- 20th-century American women musicians
- Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
- Songwriter stubs