Which Stevie Wonder recording became the first live recording to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100?

Stevie Wonder’s “Fingertips – Pt. 2” became the first live recording to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The performance came from Wonder’s 1963 album The 12-Year-Old Genius, recorded live at the Regal Theater in Chicago. The energetic instrumental and vocal performance showcased Wonder on harmonica and vocals while his band supplied the driving rhythm.

“Fingertips – Pt. 2” topped the Hot 100 in 1963, making Wonder, then known as Little Stevie Wonder, one of the youngest performers to achieve a chart-topping single. The record also helped establish him as more than a novelty child performer.

A common mix-up is treating “Fingertips” as a studio single. The famous hit is specifically the second part of the live performance, usually styled “Fingertips – Pt. 2.”