Lula Mae Hardaway (January 11, 1930 – May 31, 2006) was an American songwriter and the mother of
soul music
Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...
ian
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...
. She spent her early adult life in
Saginaw
Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
, but from 1975 until her death in 2006, lived in Los Angeles, California.
Life
Hardaway co-wrote many of her son's songs during his teenage years, including the hit singles "
I Was Made to Love Her
"I Was Made to Love Her" is a soul music song recorded by American musician Stevie Wonder for Motown's Tamla label in 1967. The song was written by Wonder, his mother Lula Mae Hardaway, Sylvia Moy, and producer Henry Cosby and included on Wonder' ...
", "
Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours
"Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" is a soul song, by American musician Stevie Wonder, released in June 1970 as a single on Motown's Tamla label. It spent six weeks at number one on the U.S. R&B chart and peaked at number three on the U.S ...
", "You Met Your Match" and "
I Don't Know Why I Love You
"I Don't Know Why" (sometimes listed as "Don't Know Why I Love You") is a song by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder, from the 1968 album ''For Once in My Life''. It was released as a single on January 28, 1969, with " My Cherie Amour" on ...
", co-writing four songs on the 1968 album ''
For Once in My Life
"For Once in My Life" is a song written by Ron Miller and Orlando Murden for Motown Records' Stein & Van Stock publishing company, and first recorded in 1965.
It was written and first recorded as a slow ballad. There are differing accounts of ...
''.
For co-writing "Signed, Sealed, Delivered", she was co-nominated for the 1970
Grammy Award for Best R&B Song
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record four times, while Bab ...
.
In 1974, Hardaway was with her then 23-year-old son at the
Hollywood Palladium
The Hollywood Palladium is a theater located at 6215 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. It was built in a Streamline Moderne, Art Deco style and includes an dance floor including a mezzanine and a floor level with room for up to 4,000 ...
when he received his
first Grammy, one of several he received that night.
Legacy
Hardaway was the subject of a 2002
authorized biography
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...
entitled ''Blind Faith: The Miraculous Journey of Lula Hardaway, Stevie Wonder's Mother'' () by Dennis Love and Stacy Brown.
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
West Angeles Church of God in Christ is a Pentecostal megachurch and a member of the Church of God in Christ denomination. Its main place of worship, the West Angeles Cathedral, is located in the West Adams Historic District of Los Angeles, Califo ...
. There were remarks by Motown founder
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record la ...
and songs by gospel singer
Yolanda Adams
Yolanda Yvette Adams (born August 27, 1961) is an American gospel singer, actress, and host of her own nationally syndicated morning gospel show. She is one of the best-selling gospel artists of all time, having sold over 10 million album ...
and others.
She is interred at
Forest Lawn Memorial Park in
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...
.
WRNB
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References
External links
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1930 births
2006 deaths
Songwriters from Alabama
People from Eufaula, Alabama
Musicians from Saginaw, Michigan
American women songwriters
Songwriters from Michigan
20th-century American musicians
Stevie Wonder
20th-century American women musicians
Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
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