Music legend Stevie Wonder is set to be awarded the Freedom of Newcastle.
The American singer-songwriter is in line to get Newcastle’s top civic award in recognition of his work as a cultural “pioneer” and his efforts to commemorate the life of Martin Luther King. If approved by councillors next week, the Superstition star would join the likes of Sir Bobby Robson, Alan Shearer, and Nelson Mandela on the city’s roll of honour.
The 72-year-old played Newcastle City Hall in 1965, when he was just a teenager on tour with a group of Motown icons including The Supremes, and again in 1967. The acclaimed chart-topper was also instrumental in the 1980s campaign to have Dr King’s birthday made a national holiday in the USA, a cause he promoted through the release of his famous single Happy Birthday.
