Stevie Wonder's very first promo single was released in May 1962. Dude is one of the greatest!! But I haven't seen much talk of the anniversary yet.

There's a 50 year retrospective with highlights from the first promo to his recent live DVD and Blu-ray that was just published here: http://www.dominionofnewy...der-music/

There's the briefest of Prince references near the end.

First paragraph and one of the song descriptions to give you a feel:

"May 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of Stevie Wonder’s very first promotional single. 'I Call It Pretty Music, But the Old People Call It the Blues' was an inauspicious beginning. It was an A-side only, released on Motown’s Tamla label, with 'audition copy' printed on the face of the 45 disc. The promo got little radio play, and when it was released for sale a few months later, it barely made a dent in the market. But the boy behind the music — Little Stevie Wonder — would become one of the most loved and most important musicians of the twentieth century. Now is a great time to reflect on this man’s genius, while he’s still with us.

...

Finally in 1965, he had a second hit, and then it was no turning back. Written by Sylvia Moy, Henry Cosby, and Wonder (who would create many of his 1960s hits together), 'Uptight (Everything's Alright)' is a fantastic song. It features a memorable horn line, driving beat, and Wonder’s energetic singing. It tells the story of a 'poor man's son from across the railroad tracks' who falls in love with one who was 'born and raised in a great big old house full of butlers and maids.' And she loves him just as much as he loves her. It’s an old theme handled beautifully."

[Edited 5/23/12 14:40pm]

[Edited 5/27/12 7:50am]