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The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie (1962)

Where the lyrics of The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie take you, and where it was really made.

Wonder made his debut album as a child and did not sing on it at all; he played percussion, keyboards, and harmonica.

Key places

Recorded at Hitsville USA, Detroit (1962)

Recording site Hitsville USA — The album was recorded in the studio at Hitsville USA in Detroit. The map point is set at the city centre, so it does not mark the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie: debut studio album by Little Stevie Wonder
• Released September 1962 on Tamla Records
• Showcases the 12-year-old Wonder's talents as a composer and instrumentalist
• Wonder does not sing on this album at all
• He plays percussion, keyboards, and harmonica
• Like the album Eivets Rednow, the record puts the focus on his instrumental playing

Background

• Clarence Paul and Henry Cosby wrote and produced most of the album
• Wonder co-wrote two of the tunes
• The original studio version of 'Fingertips' is included on the album
• A live version of 'Fingertips' would become Wonder's first hit single
• The album therefore sits at the start of Wonder's recorded career, before that hit

Recording

• The album was made in the studio at Hitsville USA in Detroit

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Stevland Hardaway Morris, known as Stevie Wonder, was born May 13, 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan, and became blind shortly after birth.
• He signed with Motown's Tamla label at age 11 in 1961, receiving the name Little Stevie Wonder.
• His single "Fingertips" topped the Billboard Hot 100 when he was 13, the youngest solo artist ever to do so.

Career

• Music of My Mind and Talking Book (1972) marked the start of his classic period, moving away from the Motown sound toward synthesizer- and keyboard-driven music.
• Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale and Songs in the Key of Life (1973–1976) won three consecutive Grammy Awards for Album of the Year, and he is the only artist to have done so.
• In the 1980s he campaigned to make Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a federal holiday and scored several number-one hits, including "Ebony and Ivory" and "I Just Called to Say I Love You".
• He has sold more than 100 million records and won 25 Grammy Awards, the most by a male solo artist.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Bruce Eder of Allmusic praised the album
• Eder called it still an amazing musical document, showcasing Wonder's skills as a percussionist, chromatic harmonica player, keyboardist, and composer
• Eder said Wonder was prodigious in all four of those categories
• Eder wrote that the skills are highlighted throughout the record
• Eder said much of the instrumental music was extremely sophisticated for its time

Reappraisal

• Eder wrote that the album's jazz reference in its title is not a matter of optimistic convenience or self-aggrandizement
• Eder argued that a lot of the album is legitimate jazz

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• AllMusic's review says Wonder was 11 when the album came out, while the album text describes him as 12
• The live version of 'Fingertips' became Wonder's first hit single
• Eder argued the 'jazz' word in the title reflects real jazz content rather than marketing
• The album shows Wonder's skills across several instruments before he became known as a singer
• The album is listed with its releases on Discogs

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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