Unexpectedly this news has come early, as one media source broke the embargo and Bestival gave us the go-ahead.

The announcement everyone has been on tenterhooks all week for finally hits the streets. You don’t get a bigger living legend in music than Stevie Wonder. He signed with the Tamla Motown label at the age of eleven, had his first hit at 13 and hasn’t stopped since. Bestival HQ tell us all about it, in their words – Ed

Ever since we found out that our Sunday night headliner was confirmed we’ve been madly desperate to shout it from the rooftops.

The Bestival bunker is fit to burst with utter joy as a real, bona fide musical giant will be amongst us this September!

“What a day!”

Rob da Bank says, “What can I say? What a day! I see part of my job at Bestival as giving you acts you may never have seen or will get the chance to see again”¦ So I’m hoping you feel as happy as I do as we announce the legendary Stevie Wonder as Sunday night headliner!

“A winner of 25 Grammy Awards, the most ever for a solo artist, this man’s music has always been part of the da Bank home listening experience and also a favourite at our Sunday Best and Bestival parties and this is a very rare chance to see a legend in action. See you there!”

Musical definition of sunshine

A man of unparalleled fame, Stevie Wonder is our musical definition of sunshine. From his first No 1 hit, ‘Fingertips, Part 2’ at the age of 13, to the present day, he is one of the most celebrated and prominent figures in popular music.

With a run of five classic mid-70s albums that included ‘Talking Book’, ‘Innervisions’ and ‘Songs in the Key of Life’ and platinum selling albums in the 80s, producing a string of hit singles including ‘Superstition’, ‘Higher Ground’, ‘Living for the City’ ‘Masterblaster (Jammin’)’ and ‘Happy Birthday’ which became the rallying song of Stevie’s efforts that helped make Martin Luther King’s birthday a national holiday in the US, his influence is timeless.

Live on the Isle of Wight

And, almost unbelievably, he is coming to the Isle of Wight to close Bestival 2012 with a live performance tour de force and we are about as excited as we’ve ever been!

For more details of all acts playing at Bestival check Events On The Wight.

Image: The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas under CC BY 2.0