Motown Songwriter Who Saved Stevie Wonder's Career

Motown’s first female producer, Sylvia Moy co-wrote the song that made Stevie Wonder a star.

Sylvia Moy 1938-2017

The singer was then 13 years old. A child prodigy billed as “Little” Stevie Wonder, he had toured the “chitlin’ circuit” and, a year earlier, had had a massive hit with Fingertips (1963). But his voice was breaking, his sales were falling, and Motown bosses were on the brink of terminating his contract. Moy begged them to give him one more chance. She and Hank Cosby sat down with the teenager, and together they produced Uptight (Everything’s Alright). It reached No. 3 in the US charts, and launched his adult career. They would go on to collaborate on a slew of hits, including My Cherie Amour, and I Was Made to Love Her.