Stevie Wonder made careful to pay honor to those who paved the way on Sunday night, despite the fact that the 2023 Grammy Awards may have been the most important night of the year for the most significant releases of the previous year (Feb. 5).
When Stevie Wonder took the stage to celebrate Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson as the MusiCares people of the year for 2023,
he immediately went into a rousing medley that was inspired by the music of Motown. Wonder began the show by performing a slick rendition of “The Way You Do the Things You Do” by The Temptations.
He was backed up by a complete four-man ensemble singing background vocals as he danced his way through the performance of the timeless hit.
The 2023 Grammy Awards were the largest night of the year honoring the year’s most notable recordings, but Stevie Wonder made sure to honor his predecessors on the same night (Feb. 5).
The legend then decided that having Robinson perform the song himself was the most fitting tribute. Robinson had the audience on its feet with a duet of “Tears of a Clown” with Wonder, who sang the emotional ballad that made Robinson famous.
As the last stop of his Motown tour, Wonder brought out country music’s biggest star, Chris Stapleton, to perform a duet on his funk-fueled hymn “Higher Ground.” With lyrics being traded back and forth, the duet deteriorated into a guitar and keyboard performance, with Stapleton holding his own next to the great.
When Robinson and Gordy were both given the MusiCares Person of the Year award in the same year, it was a first for the music industry.
On Saturday (Feb. 4), at the annual gala, Robinson spoke highly of his fellow honoree Gordy, stating, “In my life, I’ve been privileged to earn a few honors, but this one is truly the most precious to me because I’m accepting this award alongside my very closest friend in the world… Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be able to do that back where I came from. He, though, took me under his wing.
