Stevie Wonder was born six weeks premature, which led to a condition called retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). This condition was exacerbated when he was placed in an incubator with too much oxygen, causing his retinas to detach and resulting in permanent blindness. Despite this, Wonder was a child prodigy, signing with Motown at age 11 and being marketed as 'Little Stevie Wonder.' He mastered the piano, harmonica, and drums early on. Over the decades, a persistent but baseless 'conspiracy theory' suggested that Wonder was not actually blind, often citing a 2010 incident where he caught a falling microphone stand during a performance with Paul McCartney. However, Wonder’s blindness is medically documented. He has won 25 Grammys, the most by any solo male artist, and remains a pioneer in the use of synthesizers in soul and pop music.