Lula Mae Hardaway

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Lula Mae Hardaway
Born	(1930-01-11)January 11, 1930 Eufaula, Alabama, U.S.
Died	May 31, 2006(2006-05-31) (aged 76) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Songwriter
Spouse	Calvin Judkin (divorced)
Children	Stevie Wonder

Lula Mae Hardaway (January 11, 1930 – May 31, 2006) was an American songwriter and the mother of 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

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Lula Mae Hardaway was born in Eufaula, Alabama, on January 11, 1930, the daughter of sharecropper Noble Hardaway.^[1] Her childhood years were marked by much hardship and she was moved around among relatives before eventually reaching Saginaw, Michigan, where she married the much older Calvin Judkin, father of her children. The blindness of her third child, Stevland, is attributed to having been born weeks prematurely and then receiving too much oxygen in an incubator.^[2]^[3] After moving with her family to Detroit, she divorced.^[1] It was in Detroit that the musical talents of Stevland – who by the age of 10 "was playing and singing gospel tunes in church, and then joining adults singing rhythm and blues on the street corners" – came to the notice of Berry Gordy, founder of Motown Records, who dubbed him "Little Stevie Wonder".^[4]

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.^[5]

Legacy

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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.^[5]

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.^[5] She is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.^[6]

References

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^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Lula Mae Hardaway, 76, Stevie Wonder's Mother, Dies". The New York Times. The Associated Press. 9 June 2006. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
^ Stewart, Jocelyn Y. (June 11, 2006). "Lula Hardaway, pop star's mother". Seattle Times.
^ Gates, Henry Louis; Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, eds. (2004). "Wonder, Stevie". African American Lives. Oxford University Press. p. 907. ISBN 978-0-19-516024-6.
^ Love, Dennis; Brown, Stacy (2002). Blind Faith: The Miraculous Journey of Lula Hardaway, Stevie Wonder's Mother : an Authorized Biography of Lula Hardaway. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-684-86979-7 – via Google Books.
^ ^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

[edit]

Lula Mae Hardaway at AllMusic
Lula Mae Hardaway at IMDb

v t e Stevie Wonder
Discography
Studio albums	The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie Tribute to Uncle Ray With a Song in My Heart Stevie at the Beach Up-Tight Down to Earth I Was Made to Love Her Someday at Christmas Eivets Rednow For Once in My Life My Cherie Amour Signed, Sealed & Delivered Where I'm Coming From Music of My Mind Talking Book Innervisions Fulfillingness' First Finale Songs in the Key of Life Hotter than July In Square Circle Characters Conversation Peace A Time to Love
Live albums	Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius Stevie Wonder Live Live at the Talk of the Town Natural Wonder
Soundtracks	Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants" The Woman in Red The Last Dragon Jungle Fever
Compilations	Looking Back Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I Song Review: A Greatest Hits Collection At the Close of a Century The Definitive Collection The Complete Stevie Wonder
Singles	"Fingertips" "Hey Harmonica Man" "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" "With a Child's Heart" "Blowin' in the Wind" "A Place in the Sun" "Someday at Christmas" "Hey Love" "I Was Made to Love Her" "I'm Wondering" "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" "You Met Your Match" "Alfie" "For Once in My Life" "I Don't Know Why" "My Cherie Amour" "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" "Never Had a Dream Come True" "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" "Heaven Help Us All" "We Can Work It Out" "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" "If You Really Love Me" "What Christmas Means to Me" "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)" "Superstition" "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" "Higher Ground" "Living for the City" "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" "He's Misstra Know-It-All" "You Haven't Done Nothin'" "Boogie On Reggae Woman" "I Wish" "Sir Duke" "Another Star" "As" "Pops, We Love You (A Tribute to Father)" "Send One Your Love" "Master Blaster (Jammin')" "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" "Lately" "Happy Birthday" "That Girl" "Ebony and Ivory" "Do I Do" "Ribbon in the Sky" "Front Line" "I Just Called to Say I Love You" "Love Light in Flight" "Part-Time Lover" "That's What Friends Are For" "Go Home" "Overjoyed" "Stranger on the Shore of Love" "Skeletons" "You Will Know" "Get It" "Gotta Have You" "For Your Love" "So What the Fuss" "From the Bottom of My Heart" "All About the Love Again" "Faith" "Can't Put It in the Hands of Fate"
Featured singles	"My Love" "How Come, How Long" "California Roll"
Other songs	"You and I (We Can Conquer the World)" "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" "Golden Lady" "All in Love Is Fair" "They Won't Go When I Go" "Love's in Need of Love Today" "Knocks Me Off My Feet" "Pastime Paradise" "Isn't She Lovely" "Black Man" "We Are the World" "Just Good Friends" "Seasons of Love" "True to Your Heart" "Stop Trying to Be God"
Songwriting credits	"It's a Shame" "Tears of a Clown" "Tell Me Something Good" "Uptown Festival" "Let's Get Serious" "You're Supposed to Keep Your Love for Me"
Tours	Songs in the Key of Life Tour
Related articles	Lula Mae Hardaway Syreeta Wright KJLH SuperEgo Wonderin' "Wonder-ful" Super Bowl XXXIII halftime show
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