Editing Stevie Wonder (section)

=== 1960s: Singles as a youth ===
[[File:Stevie Wonder 1967 (1).jpg|thumb|Wonder rehearsing for a performance on Dutch television in 1967|alt=|273x273px]]

In 1961, at the age of 11, Wonder sang his own composition, "Lonely Boy", to [[Ronnie White]] of [[the Miracles]];<ref name="Werner-2004">{{cite book|first= Craig |last= Werner|title= Higher Ground|publisher= Crown Publishers|year= 2004}}</ref><ref name=Icon313/> White then took Wonder and his mother to an audition at [[Motown]], where CEO [[Berry Gordy]] signed Wonder to Motown's Tamla label.<ref name="blindfaith"/> Before signing, producer [[Clarence Paul]] gave him the name '''Little Stevie Wonder'''.<ref name="incubator"/><ref name="rsweek">{{cite web |first= Stacey |last= Anderson|magazine= Rolling Stone |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/week-in-rock-history-elvis-dies-at-graceland-95357|title=Week in Rock History: Elvis Dies at Graceland |date=August 15, 2011}}</ref> Because of Wonder's age, the label drew up a rolling five-year contract in which royalties would be held in trust until Wonder was 21. He and his mother would be paid a weekly stipend to cover their expenses: Wonder received $2.50 ({{Inflation|US|2.5|1961|r=2|fmt=eq}}) per week, and a private tutor was provided when Wonder was on tour.<ref name=Icon313>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=YNae0zmGow4C&pg=PA313 |page=313|title=Icons of R&B and Soul|last=Gulla| publisher=Greenwood Publishing|year= 2008|isbn=9780313340468}}</ref>

Wonder was put in the care of producer and songwriter Clarence Paul, and for a year they worked together on two albums. ''[[Tribute to Uncle Ray]]'' was recorded first, when Wonder was still 11 years old. Mainly covers of [[Ray Charles]]'s songs, the album included a Wonder and Paul composition, "Sunset". ''[[The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie]]'' was recorded next, an instrumental album consisting mainly of Paul's compositions, two of which, "Wondering" and "Session Number 112", were co-written with Wonder.<ref name=Icon314>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=YNae0zmGow4C&pg=PA314 |page=314|title=Icons of R&B and Soul|last= Gulla|publisher=Greenwood Publishing|year= 2008|isbn=9780313340468}}</ref> Feeling Wonder was now ready, a song, "Mother Thank You", was recorded for release as a single, but then pulled and replaced by the Berry Gordy song "I Call It Pretty Music, But the Old People Call It the Blues" as his début single;<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VXSaGI4-SZ8C&pg=PA26 |page=26|title=Stevie Wonder: Rhythms of Wonder|first= Sharon |last= Davis| publisher= Robson| year= 2006|isbn=9781861059659}}</ref> released summer 1962,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8JRHnCMUVb8C&pg=PA194 |page=194|title=Motown: The Golden Years|first= Bill |last= Dahl|publisher=Krause Publications|date= February 28, 2011|isbn=9781440227837}}</ref> it almost broke into the ''Billboard'' 100, spending one week of August at 101.<ref>{{cite book|title=Sophomore slumps|page=176|first= Christopher |last=Golden|publisher=Carol Pub. Group|year= 1995}}</ref> Two follow-up singles, "Little Water Boy" and "Contract on Love",  both had no success, and the two albums, released in reverse order of recording—''The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie'' in September 1962 and ''Tribute to Uncle Ray'' in October 1962—also met with little success.<ref name=Icon314/><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V6Cu3SEKObkC&pg=PA27 |page=27|title=Stevie Wonder|first= Tenley |last= Williams|publisher=Infobase Publishing|date= January 1, 2002|isbn=9781438122632}}</ref>

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| quote = Most of these songs hit the charts in a big way before Stevie turned twenty-one [in 1971]. Because he's grown up fast, the love lyrics are less teen-specific than a lot of early [[Smokey Robinson|Smokey]], say, but the music is pure [[puberty]]. Stevie's rockers are always one step ahead of themselves—their gawky groove is so disorienting it makes you pay attention, like a voice that's perpetually changing. The ballads conceive [[coming of age]] more conventionally, and less felicitously. But he sure covered [[Tony Bennett]] better than [[the Supremes]] or [[the Temptations|the Tempts]] could have, now didn't he?
| source = —Review of ''Stevie Wonder's Greatest Hits Vol. 2'' in ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]'' (1981)<ref>{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|publisher=[[Ticknor & Fields]]|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: W|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=W&bk=70|access-date=March 9, 2019|via=robertchristgau.com|title-link=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies}}</ref>
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At the end of 1962, when Wonder was 12 years old, he joined the [[Motortown Revue]], touring the "[[Chitlin' Circuit]]" of theatres across America that accepted black artists. At the [[Regal Theater, Chicago|Regal Theater]], Chicago, his 20-minute performance was recorded and released in May 1963 as the album ''[[Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius]]''.<ref name=Icon314/> A single, "[[Fingertips]]", from the album was also released in May, and became a major hit.<ref name=Tenley>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V6Cu3SEKObkC&pg=PA28 |page=28|title=Stevie Wonder|last= Williams|publisher=Infobase Publishing|date= January 1, 2002|isbn=9781438122632}}</ref> The song, featuring a confident and enthusiastic Wonder returning for a spontaneous encore that catches out the replacement bass player, who is heard to call out "What key? What key?",<ref name=Tenley/><ref name=Gilliland>{{cite web |author-link=John Gilliland|first= John |last= Gilliland |work=[[Pop Chronicles]] Show 25 – The Soul Reformation: Phase two, the Motown story [Part 4] |title=Track 5-Stevie Wonder|publisher= UNT Digital Library |url=http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19780/ |date=February 1969}}</ref> was a No. 1 hit on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] when Wonder was aged 13, making him the youngest artist ever to top the chart.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5740767/lordes-royals-crowns-hot-100|title=Lorde's 'Royals' Crowns Hot 100|first= Gary |last= Trust|magazine=Billboard|date=October 2, 2013}}</ref> The single was simultaneously No. 1 on the R&B chart, the first time that had occurred.<ref name=Tenley30>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V6Cu3SEKObkC&pg=PA30 |page=30|title=Stevie Wonder |last=Williams|publisher=Infobase Publishing|date= January 1, 2002|isbn=9781438122632}}</ref> His next few recordings were not successful; his voice was changing as he got older, and some Motown executives were considering cancelling his recording contract.<ref name=Tenley30/><ref name=McFerrin>{{cite web|accessdate=May 6, 2025|url=https://johnmcferrinmusicreviews.org/wonder.htm|title=Stevie Wonder:I'm Just Saying, For A Blind Guy He Sure Really Likes To Watch NBA Games|first=John|last=McFerrin|work=John McFerrin's Reviews of Music|date=July 13, 2018}}</ref> During 1964, Wonder appeared in two films as himself, ''[[Muscle Beach Party]]'' and ''[[Bikini Beach]]'', but these were not successful either.<ref>{{cite book|title=Stevie Wonder: Musician|first= Jeremy K. |last=Brown|page=36|publisher=Infobase Publishing|year= 2010}}</ref> Motown producer/songwriter [[Sylvia Moy]] persuaded label owner Berry Gordy to give Wonder another chance.<ref name=Tenley30/>

Dropping the "Little" from his name, Moy and Wonder worked together to create the hit "[[Uptight (Everything's Alright)]]",<ref name=Tenley30/> and Wonder went on to have a number of other hits during the mid-1960s, including "With a Child's Heart", and "[[Blowin' in the Wind]]",<ref name=Gilliland/> a [[Bob Dylan]] song, co-sung by his mentor, producer Clarence Paul.<ref name=pc50>{{Pop Chronicles|50|2}}.</ref> He also began to work in the Motown songwriting department, composing songs both for himself and his label mates, including "[[The Tears of a Clown]]", a No. 1 hit for [[Smokey Robinson and the Miracles]] (it was first released in 1967, mostly unnoticed as the last track of their ''[[Make It Happen (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles album)|Make It Happen]]'' LP, but eventually became a major success when re-released as a single in 1970, which prompted Robinson to reconsider his intention of leaving the group).<ref name=Tenley36>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=V6Cu3SEKObkC&pg=PA36 |page=36|title=Stevie Wonder |last= Williams|publisher=Infobase Publishing|date= January 1, 2002|isbn=9781438122632}}</ref>
[[File:I Was Made to Love Her - Billboard ad 1967.jpg|thumb|''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' advertisement, June 17, 1967]] 
In 1968, Wonder recorded an album of instrumental soul/jazz tracks, mostly harmonica solos, under the title ''[[Eivets Rednow]]'', which is "Stevie Wonder" spelled backward.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HISHiLVxVnIC&pg=PA13 |page=13|title=The Sound of Stevie Wonder: His Words and Music|first= James E. |last= Perone|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|date= January 1, 2006|isbn=9780275987237}}</ref> The album failed to get much attention, and its only single, a cover of Burt Bacharach's and Hal David's "[[Alfie (Burt Bacharach song)|Alfie]]", only reached number 66 on the U.S. Pop charts and number 11 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary charts. Nonetheless, he managed to score several hits between 1967 and 1970 such as "[[I Was Made to Love Her (song)|I Was Made to Love Her]]",<ref name=pc50/> "[[For Once in My Life]]" and "[[Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours]]". A number of Wonder's early hits, including "[[My Cherie Amour (song)|My Cherie Amour]]", "I Was Made to Love Her", and "Uptight (Everything's Alright)", were co-written with [[Henry Cosby]]. The hit single "[[Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours]]" was his first-ever self-produced song.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/aug/02/readers-recommend-playlist-songs-inspired-by-india|title=Readers recommend playlist: songs inspired by India|last=Boyland|first=George|date=August 2, 2018|website=The Guardian|language=en|access-date=August 7, 2018}}</ref>

In 1969, Wonder participated in the [[Sanremo Music Festival]] with the song "Se tu ragazzo mio", in conjunction with [[Gabriella Ferri]]. Between 1967 and 1970, he recorded four 45 rpm singles<ref>{{Cite web|title=Discografia Nazionale della canzone italiana|url=http://discografia.dds.it/scheda_titolo.php?idt=4174|website=discografia.dds.it|access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Discografia Nazionale della canzone italiana|url=http://discografia.dds.it/scheda_titolo.php?idt=3971|website=discografia.dds.it|access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Stevie Wonder – Se Tu Ragazza Mia / Shoo Be Doo Be Doo Da Day|url=https://www.discogs.com/it/Stevie-Wonder-Se-Tu-Ragazza-Mia-Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day/release/3684899|website=Discogs|year=1969 |language=it|access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Stevie Wonder – Il Sole È Di Tutti|url=https://www.discogs.com/Stevie-Wonder-Il-Sole-Di-Tutti/release/1218611|website=Discogs|year=1967 |language=en|access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref> and an Italian LP.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Discografia Nazionale della canzone italiana|url=http://discografia.dds.it/scheda_titolo.php?idt=4229|website=discografia.dds.it|access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref>

Wonder's appearance at the 1969 [[Harlem Cultural Festival]] opens the 2021 music documentary, ''[[Summer of Soul]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://greenpleasantland.com|title=This Green and Pleasant Land|author=Greene, Bryan|publisher=Poverty and Race Research Action Council|date=June 2017}}</ref> Wonder plays a drum solo during his set.