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- Twelve-year-old Little Stevie Wonder released his first single, "I Call It Pretty Music (But The Old People Call It The Blues)", issued by Motown Records. Marvin Gaye played drums on the recording, which reached No. 101 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- Thirteen-year-old Little Stevie Wonder began a three-week run at No. 1 on the US singles chart with “Fingertips Part II”. It was the first live recording to reach the top of the Billboard Pop Singles chart since Johnny Standley's 1952 comedy monologue “It's in the Book”. Stevie Wonder also became the youngest singer to reach the top of the US chart.
- Stevie Wonder became the first artist of the rock era to have both a number-one single (“Fingertips, Pt. 2”) and a number-one album (“The Twelve-Year-Old Genius”) simultaneously, while also being at number one on the R&B chart. “Fingertips” was in its fourth week at the top of the R&B chart.
- Stevie Wonder became the first artist to simultaneously hold No. 1 on the U.S. album and singles charts in the same week. His album „Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius“ topped the album chart and „Fingertips (Part 2)“ topped the singles chart; it was also the first live recording to reach No. 1 on the Hot 100. „Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius“ was the last album released under the name „Little Stevie Wonder“; on subsequent albums he used only the name Stevie Wonder.
- Stevie Wonder's version of “Blowin' In The Wind” reached No. 1 on the US R&B chart.
- Tamla Records released Stevie Wonder’s sixteenth studio album, “Innervisions.” The album reached No. 4 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart and No. 1 on the Billboard Soul LPs chart, and later won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
- Stevie Wonder suffered serious injuries in a car accident when the rented car he was riding in crashed from behind into a small logging truck on I-85 near Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and a log struck him in the face. He suffered a severe brain contusion, was in a coma for four days, temporarily lost his sense of smell and taste, and returned to the studio within a few weeks.
- Stevie Wonder released the album Innervisions, which became one of his most significant albums in soul and funk.
- Stevie Wonder signed a seven-year, seven-album deal with Tamla/Motown worth a total of $37 million. The contract included a guaranteed $13 million advance, high royalty rates, performance bonuses and extensive artistic control over his music.
- Stevie Wonder released the album Songs in the Key of Life, widely regarded as one of his most significant albums.
- Stevie Wonder's album Songs in the Key of Life debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, becoming only the third album in history to do so. It was his first release after signing a $13 million contract with Motown. The double album was certified platinum and produced the hits “Sir Duke,” “I Wish,” and “Isn't She Lovely.”
- Stevie Wonder performed the first of six sold-out concerts at Wembley Arena.
- Stevie Wonder released "I Just Called to Say I Love You" in the United Kingdom.
- Stevie Wonder achieved his first UK No. 1 single with “I Just Called To Say I Love You”, which remained at the top for six weeks.
- I Just Called To Say I Love You by Stevie Wonder was the No.1 Billboard Pop hit. The song came from the Gene Wilder film The Woman in Red and won an Academy Award.
- Stevie Wonder’s self-produced single “I Just Called to Say I Love You” began a three-week run at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. It became one of his biggest hits; the song also topped the US Adult Contemporary and R&B charts, the UK singles chart, and charts in many other countries. It was written for the film The Woman in Red and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
- Stevie Wonder filed for divorce from his second wife, Kai Millard Morris, after approximately ten years of marriage; irreconcilable differences were cited as the reason.
- A Los Angeles court finalized Stevie Wonder's divorce from fashion designer Kai Millard Morris. They married in 2001, separated in 2009 and Wonder filed for divorce in 2012. The couple received joint custody of two sons, and Wonder agreed to pay $25,000 per month in child support; court documents were signed with his thumbprint.