Not only did Keith remind us of Stevie, he was singing a song that was written by Stevie. Stevie Wonder wrote “I Can Only Be Me” for the School Daze soundtrack and he and Keith John have been really close friends for the past 30 years, which is also how long Keith has been Stevie’s only male backup singer.

Yep people, they have been singing together that long and Keith has been making some serious dough for all those years! No wonder Keith was reminding us of Mr. Wonder and if you’ve been to a Stevie concert in the last 30 years, you probably saw Keith there too.

It turns out their connection runs even farther back than 30 years. You see, when Stevie was Little Stevie, his label told him to mimic Keith’s dad, who was a well known singer from Detroit by the name of Little Willie John. Stevie ended up doing more than mimicking Keith’s dad, he idolized his dad and credits Little Willlie John for helping to mold him into the artist he is today.

So when Stevie met Little Willie’s son some years later, Keith said they just instantly clicked like they had known each other since they were babies. He also said that he could tell that Stevie had spent a lot of time studying his Pops.

Here’s an Old School fact about Keith’s dad, Little Willie John:
Little Willie John died from pneumonia while serving time in prison. He was imprisoned for manslaughter stemming from an altercation in a night club. A 204 pound man smacked Little Willie three times before Willie decided to react and he grabbed a knife and stabbed the man in his chest, killing him instantly.

Keith John and his brother, Kevin, have made sure that their Dad’s legacy continues. They are both singers and here is a video  of Keith John singing backup for Stevie Wonder live on stage…

Stevie Wonder and Keith are so close that when Keith’s dad, Little Willie John, was posthumously inducted into The Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, Stevie was the one who presented Keith and his Mom with the award…

In March of this year (2015) Keith John fell ill and had to be rushed to the hospital for an unknown illness. Stevie got on the mic at his Living For The City concert in New Orleans on March 23, 2015 and spoke about Keith’s absence and how it felt weird not to have him on stage after always having him there for 30 years. From what we know, Keith’s health is back up to par now.

Overall, it’s really good to see that Keith John didn’t just stop after School Daze because it would have been a shame to see all of that talent go to waste. Everyone’s not meant to be the star, some are meant to be a vital piece of the puzzle, or a star behind the star and that’s exactly what Keith John has become. Much respect.