.jpg)
*Motown legend Stevie Wonder broke out into song as he accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Civil Rights Museum Tuesday night in Memphis, Tenn.
The 56-year-old musician reportedly segued from an acceptance speech into a medley of his material that included the classics "My Cherie Amour" and "I Wish."
Playing an electronic keyboard, Wonder told an audience of about 5,000 that music is a gift he can share, challenging Memphis and the world to "use the gifts God has given us to help those less fortunate."
"You must use your eyes, voices, ears. Tomorrow is never promised to any of us. You must be the best you can be right now," he said.
After his speech, Wonder was serenaded by two blind students at Georgia Avenue Elementary — Caia Smith, 6, and Oveante Magsby, 9 — who sang "Ribbon In the Sky" and "You Are The Sunshine of My Life" as a musical tribute to the superstar.
The museum also awarded civil rights pioneer Dr. Joseph Lowery the National Freedom Award and Doctors Without Borders co-founder Bernard Kouchner the International Freedom Award.
Previous recipients of the annual awards include King's widow, Coretta Scott King, former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, Oprah Winfrey and Paul Rusesabagina, whose heroism in the face of genocide inspired the movie "Hotel Rwanda."