WONDER DEDICATES TOUR TO LATE MOTHER.

Soul legend STEVIE WONDER has dedicated his forthcoming European tour to his late mother - insisting he will keep her memory alive by performing. The star was devastated when Lula Mae Hardaway passed away in 2006 and took an extended hiatus from the music business. But it was only recently that Wonder realised his mother wouldn't have wanted him to give up his career - and he has now vowed to get back on stage and dedicate his live shows to spreading her message of goodwill. He says, "After I lost my mother in May of 2006, I had said that I wasn't going to perform for a while.

"But I got the message (from my mother) to go and spread the message, celebrating some of the feats that we have, such as coming together and fighting against apartheid. ...We cannot forever think that we will have the blessings that we have without staying on point." Wonder played his first U.S. tour in over a decade last year (07) and his upcoming European trek will begin in Birmingham, England on 8 September (08). It will conclude on 28 September in Paris, France.