Stevie Wonder was crushed by the death of his mother, Lula Mae Hardaway, in 2006.

It was the latest in a string of tough losses, with mentor Ray Charles, brother Larry Hardaway and singer and ex-wife Syreeta Wright all dying in the previous two years. So the R&B legend pulled the plug on his scheduled shows, with no plans to return to the road for the foreseeable future as he mourned.

So imagine his shock when his mother called with encouragement during a Father’s Day trip to Big Bear Mountain Resort in California.

“I said, ‘M-ma. What are you doin’?’ ” Wonder said, his voice quivering slightly during a recent conference call to promote his Wonder Summer’s Night tour, which will bring him to Auburn’s White River Amphitheatre tonight.

“I started jumping around the room, almost flying around the room,” he said. “Ma’s on the phone. How did she get on the phone?”

His mother asked how she sounded. Wonder thought she sounded great and asked if she was somewhere he could visit. Then disappointment.

“I woke up,” Wonder said. “I thought I was awake, but it was just a dream. So it was a heart-wrenching, emotional place for me then.”

But his mother wasn’t through, adding a bit of advice after he fell back to sleep. In another dream, she told him he had to continue to use his God-given gift, he recalled.

“She would always say to me nothing could ever separate us, not even death,” he said. “From that, I decided I wanted to go throughout the country, as I still am doing, thanking everyone for allowing me, through the success of my music, (to) give my mother a far better life than probably she would have ever had.”

Wonder dedicated his performance at Woodinville’s Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery last August – his first Seattle-area show in over two decades – to his mother. And fortunately for his local fans, he didn’t take so long to return, with tonight’s show in Auburn scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m.

He is among the most prolific and influential artists of the rock era, with dozens of hits and 45 years of material to choose from. But he rattled off a few set essentials that fans can bank on hearing tonight, including “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours,” “My Cherie Amour,” “Superstition” and selections from his classic 1976 album, “Songs in the Key of Life.”

“I’m not gonna say this is my last tour,” the 58-year-old singer said, his bringing the possibility up and a penchant for taking years off between treks suggesting this could be his last time around.

“I do enjoy being at home, being with family,” he said. “But I just think there’s a lot that needs to be said. And I’m just very thankful to God that I have the opportunity again to do this.”

Being on the road also gets his creative juices flowing, he said. And he sketched out plans for two projects, an album dedicated to his mother called “Gospel Inspired by Lula” and another called “Through the Eyes of Wonder.”

The theme of the former is “spreading the good word,” and it will include traditional gospel along with possible material done in Arabic and Hebrew styles.

“I’ve written a few things on the road,” he said. “As well, I’ve had songs throughout the years that I’ve never recorded. So a combination of those songs and some traditional things will make up … the project.”

Wonder has been blind since shortly after he was born. And regarding “Through the Eyes of Wonder” he said, “What I wanna do with our live performances is to create visuals for the people to give them my take on how I see the world, and how those various things have affected me. And there’ll be different songs from both projects that I’m gonna do (on tour.) And we’ve already done some new stuff.”

Regarding other projects, Wonder said he had discussed recording with jazz legend Tony Bennett and R&B star Alicia Keys, one of many artists he has influenced over the years.

“There are lots of artists that have been influenced by me. But there are those that I am inspired by as well,” he said, also citing India.Arie, John Mayer and Mariah Carey as favorites.

When asked what advice he’d give young performers, Wonder said it would be “no different than what I say to myself. As good as you might feel you are, you can always be better. And just continue to be inspired, and continue to inspire. And know that this is more than just something that you can assume that you were supposed to get. … It is an honor and a blessing, and treat it as such.”

He preached a message of unity at the end of last summer’s Woodinville show, and he echoed that message during the call.

“We have to really come together to the common ground and be about the perpetuation of life, no matter what religion or ethnicity or color that we are,” he said. “We have to be about the perpetuation of life. Those are some of the things I’m thinking about, and in my own way I will write about and sing about.”

Regarding his personal losses he said, “A lot of things have happened in the past 10 years. But the truth about life very clearly is (that) however bad you can feel about whatever, there’s nothing you can do about it. And that’s why it’s just important that we love and that we care and we take advantage of what we can while we’re here.”

Ernest Jasmin: 253-274-7389

What: Stevie Wonder in concert

When: 8 p.m. today

Where: White River Amphitheatre, 40601 Auburn-Enumclaw Road, Auburn

Tickets: $45 to $125

Information: Ticketmaster (253-627-8497 in Tacoma, 206-628-0888 in Seattle or www.ticketmaster.com)