Music Manager Marcy Kraft Captures Stevie Wonder with Performer in Hotel Lobby
By DONNA BALANCIA
When you’re in the music business you never know who you’ll run into … maybe even Stevie Wonder.
Marcy Kraft, a music manager in Hollywood, was walking a young musician from the band “The Villanovas” around the National Association of Music Merchants convention in Anaheim on Saturday when she had a great stroke of good luck.
While strolling through a hotel on property at the convention, she noticed Stevie Wonder enter the lobby and Marcy asked the young musician she was with if he wanted to try and get a photo with Stevie. At that same moment, she saw the performer in the lobby — Grayson Erhard — who without yet seeing Stevie Wonder coincidentally began singing and strumming “Superstition” on his guitar.
“The performer, Grayson, had no clue his life was about to change,” Marcy said. “The audience alerted Grayson that Stevie was there watching and Grayson turned to him and said, ‘I’m sorry Stevie, but I don’t know the words to the second or third verses.’ Next thing you know, Stevie was heading to the stage.”
Stevie Wonder Video
Marcy was already in place with her phone in her hand.
“It was the perfect coincidence,” Marcy said. “The musician just happened to be playing Superstition when Stevie Wonder was walking through the hotel lobby. Stevie was kind enough to stop and join the young man on stage, and even whispered the lyrics to the unknown verses to Grayson. Stevie Wonder is an amazing talent, a joy and a national treasure in any circumstance. But this was such a powerful moment.”
Marcy is fairly active on social media and posts many similar videos. But this is the first one that’s gotten 3.6 million views. The thing that was different this time, is that she set the post to “public.”
“I was hoping that the young musician on stage would somehow find my video so that he could remember this amazing moment,” Marcy said. She never dreamed that the video would hit more than half a million hits by mid-morning and over a million by the end of the day on Monday. But Wednesday it was up to 3.4 million views.
Stevie Wonder Facebook Video
“I got home Saturday night around midnight and figured,’OK I’ll post this video, it’s cute,’ and then by the morning it exploded and I had requests from news outlets,” she said. “I’m glad that I at least identified the performer and linked my video to his page. Stevie Wonder absolutely changes the energy when he enters the room. He’s a faithful visitor each year to the NAMM convention and it was truly a ‘wonder’ to be in his presence.”
Marcy worked at ICM Partners and Live Nation Entertainment before stepping out on her own to help elevate the careers of young artists.
