Stevie Wonder will make his return to Scotland for the first time in almost 40 years on his ‘Songs In The Key of Life’ 50th anniversary tour.
The legendary artist has announced dates across the UK in October and November to celebrate five decades of his diamond-selling 1976 record.
Wonder will kick things off in the UK in Birmingham at the Utilita Arena before heading south to The O2 in London. His final date in England will be at the Co-Op Live in Manchester before he rounds of the short tour at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro.
Where is Stevie Wonder playing in the UK on his ‘Songs In The Key of Life’ 50th anniversary tour?
October:
13 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham
November:
3 – The O2, London
8 – Co-op Live, Manchester
11 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow
He made his most recent appearance in Scotland back in May 1989 when he performed at the Edinburgh Playhouse having also played the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre on the same tour.
Songs In The Key Of Life includes Sir Duke, Isn’t She Lovely, As and Love’s in Need of Love Today. It won the Grammy for Album of the Year and was later inducted into the US Library of Congress National Recording Registry.
The OVO Hydro concert on 11 November will also be the final UK date of the tour, with Wonder performing his landmark 1976 album in its entirety.
Wonder’s influence can also be traced through generations of Scottish musicians, with his combination of soul, pop, funk and sophisticated songwriting helping shape the musical landscape in which artists from Scotland have worked for decades.
The 76-year-old remains one of the most decorated musicians in Grammy history, with 25 awards, while Songs In The Key Of Life earned him his third Album of the Year Grammy.
His decision to include Glasgow on such a limited UK run underlines the city’s continuing importance as a destination for the world’s biggest touring artists.
Tickets for the Hydro concert go on general sale at 10am on Friday, 11 September.