From the Founder’s Collection of Anecdotes, Part 7: Stevie Wonder at Our Booth

Rumors circulated for days at the NAMM Show. Stevie is coming. Stevie is here. The first few days passed, but Stevie was nowhere to be seen. Then suddenly the exhibition hall filled quietly, almost imperceptibly, and a cluster of people slowly moved through the aisles.

Stevie Wonder is here.

A superstar, right up close. We see ourselves as partners to artists, and many stars see us the same way—and that was exactly how this encounter unfolded. The crowd stopped in front of our booth, and it was clear that Stevie would not be able to make it all the way to the stand. So I took the new headphones with me, and we met out in the aisle.

Stevie Wonder had been using ULTRASONE headphones for years, so the conversation was simply about the new model. A quick greeting, a handshake, and then I presented the product. He explored it with his hands in a fascinatingly fluid motion.

Then I wanted to demonstrate the sound—and realized that the wrong cable was attached. So I had to switch cables. I called briefly to the booth that I needed the other one. But of course I didn’t want to keep him waiting awkwardly, so I had to think quickly about how to fill the time.

I started explaining how to change the cable, and he followed the explanation with his hands. With remarkable confidence, he replaced the cable himself and then asked if he had done it correctly.

Then he put the headphones on. Now it was time to find the right piece of music. The only track I had from him on my player was “Happy Birthday.” As soon as he heard it, he began gently swaying and quietly singing along.

After the test he said,
“Good sound—who is singing that?”

I replied just as playfully:
“No idea, but he must be a pretty cool guy!”

His response—“God bless you, my friend.”—came straight from the heart and reminded me once again of something important:

There are only people in this world, no matter how famous or wealthy they are.

And we should always treat each other well. 🎧