"Fingertips" is a 1963 number-one hit single recorded live by "Little" Stevie Wonder for Motown's Tamla label. Wonder's first hit single, "Fingertips" was the first live, non-studio recording to reach number-one on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the United States. A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Stevie Wonder (born Stevland Hardaway Judkins on May 13, 1950, name later changed to Stevland Hardaway Morris)[1] is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. ... “B-Sides” redirects here. ... is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1963 (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Chicago (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Soul music (disambiguation). ... In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Motown Records, Inc. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Clarence Paul was a songwriter and record producer for Detroits Motown label. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Stevie Wonder (born Stevland Hardaway Judkins on May 13, 1950, name later changed to Stevland Hardaway Morris)[1] is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. ... For other uses, see 1963 (disambiguation). ... Stevie Wonder (born Stevland Hardaway Judkins on May 13, 1950, name later changed to Stevland Hardaway Morris)[1] is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. ... Motown Records, Inc. ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the main singles chart used by Billboard magazine. ...

Overview

Written by Wonder's mentors Clarence Paul and Henry Cosby, "Fingertips" was originally a Jazz instrumental recorded for Wonder's first studio album, The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie. The live version of the song was recorded in June 1962 during a Motor Town Revue performance at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois. Containing only a few stanzas of lyrics, "Fingertips" is essentially an instrumental piece, meant to showcase Wonder's talents on the bongos and the harmonica. Clarence Paul was a songwriter and record producer for Detroits Motown label. ... Henry Hank Cosby (born May 12, 1938 in Detroit, Michigan, USA)was an African-American songwriter and producer for Motown Records. ... The Motortown Revue was the name given to the package tours of Motown artists in the 1960s. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... Bongos being played Bongos are a percussion instrument. ... A harmonica is a free reed wind instrument. ...

After leading the audience in a call and response routine ("Everybody say 'yeah!'"), Wonder leaves the stage and the band goes into its exit music. This turns out to be a false ending however, as Wonder appears back onstage for an encore, returning to his harmonica, bongos, and the vocal microphone. The other musicians were not aware Wonder would stage an encore even though he had just sung lyrics that said he would; as a result, bassist Joe Swift can be heard on the recording yelling out "What key? What key?" (The song's key is C minor). The term Call and response may refer to Call and response -- a type of musical phrasing Call-and-response -- a type of communication Call and Response is a Californian pop band. ... Also see: C major, or C-sharp minor. ...

The live version of "Fingertips" was released in May 1963 as a two-part single, with Part 2 (with the encore) as the A-side. By August, the single had reached the top of both the Billboard Pop Singles and R&B Singles charts. "Fingertips" was Motown's second number-one pop hit (following The Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman"), and launched the 13-year-old Wonder into the pop music stratosphere. The single's success helped Wonder's live album, Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius, reach number-one on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, making him the youngest artist to accomplish that feat. The Billboard Hot 100 is the main singles chart used by Billboard magazine. ... Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, formerly known by various names including Hot Soul Singles, Hot Black Singles, and Hot R&B Singles (before the hip-hop term was added in the late 1990s), is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. ... The Marvelettes was an American singing girl group on the Motown label. ... Please Mr. ... The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. ...

Trivia

• Both the studio and live versions of the song featured drumming by future Motown star Marvin Gaye, who had been playing drums for Wonder and other Motown artists since he had signed with the label in 1960.
• The song was a number one hit during Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

Drumming may refer to: the act of playing the drums or other percussion instruments Drumming, a musical composition written by Steve Reich in 1971 for percussion ensemble This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... Marvin Gaye (born Marvin Pentz Gay Jr. ... Motown Records, Inc. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... “Martin Luther King” redirects here. ... Martin Luther King, Jr. ...

Credits

• Vocals, bongos, and harmonica by Little Stevie Wonder
• Drums by Marvin Gaye
• Bass by Joe Swift