Maps of Music

Tribute to Uncle Ray (1963)

Where the lyrics of Tribute to Uncle Ray take you, and where it was really made.

Recorded first, when Wonder was 11, this album was released second, as Motown tried to link the young singer with Ray Charles.

Key places

Recorded at Hitsville U.S.A. Studio A (1963)

Recording site Hitsville U.S.A. Studio A — Tribute to Uncle Ray was recorded at Hitsville U.S.A. Studio A in Detroit, Michigan, when Wonder was 11 years old. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Second studio album by Little Stevie Wonder
• Released by Motown in October 1962, shortly after the debut The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie
• Ten tracks in total, five on each side
• All songs composed by Ray Charles except five noted tracks by other writers
• Total running time of about 31 minutes 13 seconds
• Side one: Hallelujah I Love Her So, Ain't That Love, Don't You Know, I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over, Frankie & Johnny
• Side two: Drown in My Own Tears, Come Back Baby, Mary Ann, Sunset, My Baby's Gone

Background

• Motown and Berry Gordy aimed to link the young Wonder with the successful and popular Ray Charles
• Ray Charles was also a blind African-American musician, a point of connection for the label
• Wonder was 12 years old when the album was released
• Motown struggled to find a sound that would fit Wonder

Recording

• The album was recorded before the debut's release, when Wonder was 11 years old
• Recorded at Hitsville U.S.A. Studio A in Detroit, Michigan

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

• Released by Motown in October 1962, shortly after the debut album The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie
• Recorded first, while Wonder was 11 years old, but released second
• Motown's aim was to associate the young Wonder with the successful and popular Ray Charles
• Ray Charles was also a blind African-American musician, which gave the label its link
• Wonder was 12 years old when this album was released
• Motown was still struggling to find a sound to fit Wonder at this stage

Records

• Like Wonder's debut, this album failed to generate hit singles
• The debut and this album both missed the hit singles that Motown had hoped to find
• The lack of hit singles reflects the label's search for a fitting sound for the young singer
• The album contains ten tracks, so its commercial struggle was not a matter of a short release

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album was recorded first, when Wonder was 11, yet it came out second
• Motown wanted listeners to connect the young Wonder with Ray Charles, who was also blind
• Ray Charles wrote five of the ten songs, and the other five came from different writers
• Like the debut, this album did not produce hit singles
• Side one and side two each hold five tracks, with the longest song being Hallelujah I Love Her So at 2:28 only among the side one opener; the longest track is Drown in My Own Tears at 4:01

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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