Entertainment

Stevie Wonder: How He Became a Ladies’ Man

Published

9 years ago

March 3, 2015

Stevie Wonder performs during the finale of “Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life – An All-Star Grammy Salute,” at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

by Stacy M. Brown
Special to the NNPA from The Washington Informer

Stevie Wonder practices what he preaches. One of our greatest love-song writers, composer of “My Cherie Amour” and “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours,” recently fathered his ninth child — with a fifth woman.

“No one has been a greater advocate for the power of love in this world than I have, both in my life and in my music,” Wonder once said.

Just prior to his “Songs in the Key of Life” concert that aired Feb. 16 on CBS, friends described his remarkable knack for finding pretty ladies. They say the 64-year-old Casanova met his fiancée, 40-year-old Tomeeka Robyn Bracy, with that same instinct.

“Like he does with all of the other women, they were at the same gathering and he smelled the kind of perfume she was wearing, she walked past him and he said she seemed light on her feet so she must be a pretty lady,” the source said.

Wonder himself has previously described how he meets women, saying that he was taken by his first wife, the late Syreeta Wright, because “she was fresh.”

He said he sensed her sexiness by touching the sleeves of her blouse.

“A lady that wears an expensive top, is not loud when she speaks and smells good, that’s how I know,” he said. “I know a lady of the world when I’m around her, so I really don’t need anyone to tell me she’s the one or she’s not.”

One former girlfriend, whom Wonder met in a Los Angeles church during Sunday worship, said that the singer’s entourage helps as well.

“I mean look, he’s sitting in the pew right behind me. He’s Stevie Wonder. Later, I found out that one of his guys that were with him told him, ‘Wow, she’s got a nice butt and a face to match,’ ” she said.

“But, I remember him tapping me on the shoulder, and his pick-up line was asking me what was it that brought me to church. I said, ‘I’m here every single Sunday because I believe in God’ and he says that he could give me all of the things God has promised to give me, only I didn’t need to pray to him.”

Another ex-girlfriend, who dated the singer for nearly five years, said Wonder wooed her by repeatedly showing up at church, even staying late, stealing her heart by giving piano lessons and turning gospel songs into love songs.

“He’d change the words and insert my name and his name in there and he’d even talk about what he thought would be good baby names and how he’d buy the most fabulous of houses and how he knew I could help him to take care of himself and do his heart right,” she said. “So, naturally, it wasn’t hard to fall for.”

Wonder has been married twice but fathered children — aged two months to 40 — with five women. His first child, Aisha, was born in 1975 and became the subject of hit song “Isn’t She Lovely.” Even Wonder’s mom, who died in 2006, acknowledged some of her son’s antics.

“He’d pick out a woman like Diana [Ross], or Martha Reeves and, before they’d come into the building, he’d get someone to tell him what color dress they were wearing,” Lula Hardaway said.

“When they’d come in, Steve would run up to them and say, ‘I love that red dress. I love those black shoes,’ and they’d be stopped in their tracks.”

But Wonder would soon learn that Ross — who was having an affair with Motown Records founder Berry Gordy — was off-limits.

“He flirted, but when it came to Diana, we had to let him know that she was the boss’ woman and the boss doesn’t play,” said Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops.

Stacy Brown is the co-author of “Blind Faith: The Miraculous Journey of Lula Hardaway, Stevie Wonder’s Mother.”

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Oakland Post: Week of May 8 – 14, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May May 8 – 14, 2024

Published

3 days ago

May 10, 2024

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Rajah Caruth: Young Trailblazer of NASCAR

Imagine you’re only 22 years old and already making a name for yourself in NASCAR, one of the most thrilling sports in the US. That is the life of Rajah Kirby Caruth, an American professional stock car racing driver.

Published

1 week ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Rajah Kirby Caruth, an American professional stock car racing driver. (File Photo)

By Tamara Shiloh

Born June 11, 2002, in Washington, DC, he was drawn to the sport as a child after seeing the Disney Pixar film “Cars.”

Caruth dreamed of tooling around the track like the main character in “Cars,” Lightning McQueen. His enthusiasm grew when his parents surprised him with a trip to the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway when he was 12.

In 2018, while keeping busy with school, sports and a summer job, Caruth and his family held fundraisers so that he could buy an iRacing simulator. Then, at age 16, he traded a real driver’s license to race virtually in the eNASCAR Ignite Series, which led to him being recruited by the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program.

His first big opportunity came in 2019 when he competed in a “Legends” car at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Bojangles’ Southern Shootout and recorded two top-third in the semi-pro points.

People began to recognize Caruth’s talents. In 2020, he stepped up to the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series and became the first African American to win at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in a late model race. The next year, he won at Tri-County Motor Speedway and picked up his fourth overall late model victory.

Then, he became the first person of color to win at the South Carolina track.

In 2021, Caruth announced he would compete full-time in the ARCA Menards Series East for Rev Racing, where he finished third in the standings, including a series of top-five finishes. He made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut on a bigger stage as well.

Then, in 2022, thing really took off. A new chapter found Caruth at NASCAR’s unofficial Triple A league with GMS Racing, where he drives full-time for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, with a sponsorship from The Wendell Scott Foundation. After a few setbacks, he broke into the top 10 several times, finishing at a career-high 6th at Darlington Raceway.

Fast-forward to 2024, and Caruth’s took the third major step in his career. He is now driving full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Spire Motorsports and has been making the news for putting on stellar performances. Oh, and he won at Las Vegas: his first career victory.

From an impressionable young racing fan to a professional NASCAR driver, Caruth is charting a new path, creating history, and inspiring people to always remember that if you have the talent, the drive, and most of all, the heart, anything can be achieved.

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Bay Area

Mayor Breed Proposes Waiving City Fees for Night Markets, Block Parties, Farmers’ Markets, Other Outdoor Community Events

Mayor London N. Breed introduced legislation on April 26 to encourage and expand outdoor community events. The first will waive City fees for certain events, making them less costly to produce. The second will simplify the health permitting for special event food vendors through the creation of an annual permit. Both pieces of legislation are part of the Mayor’s broader initiative to bring vibrancy and entertainment to San Francisco’s public right of ways and spaces.

Published

1 week ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Outdoor community events are integral to San Francisco’s vibrant culture and sense of community. iStock image.

Mayor’s Press Office

Mayor London N. Breed introduced legislation on April 26 to encourage and expand outdoor community events.

The first will waive City fees for certain events, making them less costly to produce. The second will simplify the health permitting for special event food vendors through the creation of an annual permit. Both pieces of legislation are part of the Mayor’s broader initiative to bring vibrancy and entertainment to San Francisco’s public right of ways and spaces.

Outdoor community events are integral to San Francisco’s vibrant culture and sense of community. These events include night markets, neighborhood block parties and farmers markets, and bolster the City’s economy by supporting local businesses and attracting tourists eager to experience San Francisco’s unique charm and food scene.

They offer residents, workers and visitors, opportunities to engage with local artists, musicians, and food vendors while enjoying the San Francisco’s stunning outdoor spaces and commercial corridors.

The legislation will allow for more and new community gatherings and for local food vendors to benefit from the City’s revitalization.

“San Francisco is alive when our streets are filled with festivals, markets, and community events,” said Breed. “As a city we can cut fees and streamline rules so our communities can bring joy and excitement into our streets and help revitalize San Francisco.”

Fee Waiver Legislation

The events that can take advantage of the new fee waivers are those that are free and open to the public, occupy three or fewer city blocks, take place between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., and have the appropriate permitting from the ISCOTT and the Entertainment Commission.

The applicant must be a San Francisco based non-profit, small business, Community Benefit District, Business Improvement District, or a neighborhood or merchant association. Fees eligible for waiver include any application, permit, and inspection/staffing fees from San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, Department of Public Health, Fire Department, Entertainment Commission, and Police Department.

Currently, it can cost roughly anywhere between $500-$10,000 to obtain permits for organized events or fairs, depending on its size and scope. Organizations and businesses are limited to a maximum of 12 events in one calendar year for which they can receive these fee waivers.

Food Vendor Streamlining Legislation

The second piece of legislation introduced will help special event food vendors easily participate in multiple events throughout the year with a new, cost-effective annual food permit. Food vendors who participate in multiple events at multiple locations throughout the year will no longer need to obtain a separate permit for each event. Instead, special event food vendors will be able to apply and pay for a single annual permit all at once.

“Many successful food businesses either begin as pop-up vendors or participate in special events to grow their business,” says Katy Tang, Director of the Office of Small Business. “Giving them the option for an annual special event food permit saves them time and money.”

Currently, food vendors are required to get a Temporary Food Facility (TFF) permit from the Department of Public Health (DPH) in order to participate in a special event, among permits from other departments.

Currently, each special event requires a new permit from DPH ranging from $124-$244, depending on the type of food being prepared and sold. Last year, DPH issued over 1,500 individual TFF permits. With the new annual permit, food vendors selling at more than four to six events each year will benefit from hundreds of dollars in savings and time saved from fewer bureaucratic processes.

“This legislation is a step in the right direction to make it easier for food vendors like me to participate in citywide events,” said Dontaye Ball, owner of Gumbo Social. “It saves on time, money and makes it more effective. It also creates a level of equity.”