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 ...

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, s ...

. She spent her early adult life in Saginaw,

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 t ...

, 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", " 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''. 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 Ba ...

. 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 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. 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 l ...

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 albums ...

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, United States. At the 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from 191,719 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth-larges ...

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References

External links

* * 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) {{songwriter-stub