It’s hard to believe Songs in the Key of Life was Stevie Wonder’s 18th studio album upon its release on Sept. 28, 1976.
However, the epic double LP — which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 the week after it arrived in stores — was almost never made.
In early 1975, Stevie was giving serious consideration to retiring from music at the age of 25 after a successful run of albums — Where I’m Coming From (1971), Music of My Mind (1972), Talking Book (1972), Innervisions (1973) and Fulfillingness’ First Finale (1974) — had placed him in an upper echelon of artistry eons away from his…
