Chris Rock, Jamie Foxx, Adam Sandler and Samuel L. Jackson were just some of the names that had already been announced as part of the line-up for Spike TV’s gala, Eddie Murphy: One Night Only, but everyone got a surprise near the end of the night when Stevie Wonder came out to perform, including doing a playful duet with Eddie himself.
Stevie Wonder image by Ros O'Gorman
Set to air mid-November in the U.S., the special, being filmed this weekend, is intended to celebrate the career of a man that has been making us laugh for decades.
The popularity of the comedian, best known for his much-quoted stand-up specials Delirious and Raw, his work on Saturday Night Live and of course, his famous role as Axel Foley in the Beverley Hills Cop movies, was certainly not in doubt as some of the biggest names in movies, music and comedy took part in the event.
Suddenly excited tweets started coming through from those in attendance, saying, “OMG Stevie Wonder in the house!!”
It wasn’t long before Steve called Eddie to the stage for a duet. The man of the hour quickly joined him at the piano for ‘Higher Ground’, backed by The Roots, a hip hop/neo soul group who are also house band for U.S. talk show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Stephen Hill, President of Music Programming and Specials for BET (Black Entertainment Network), tweeted, “Stevie Wonder called Eddie Murphy on stage to duet ‘Higher Ground’. Eddie grabbed his shades and did the dang thing like it was SNL 83. Wow.”
Stevie has been busy this weekend supporting Barack Obama in his final push for re-election, including playing at a rally at Cleveland State University aimed at urging attendees to vote.
Reports varied as to numbers, but it seems the attendance was small, which, while not great news for the organisers, gave less than 200 people a rare, free intimate concert with a true musical legend.
According to The Washington Post, Wonder will also appear at a rally with President Obama in Cincinnati on Sunday.
Eddie Murphy: One Night Only is set to air on Spike TV in the US on Wednesday, November 14.
