Eric Clapton said Stevie Wonder’s 1967 single ‘I Was Made to Love Her’ was a personal turning point in music. He particularly credited bassist James Jamerson’s playing with radically changing the possibilities of R&B and rock and roll, showing how influential a rhythm section could be.

The article places Clapton’s reaction in the context of his lifelong grounding in blues and his later exploration of jazz and psychedelic rock with Cream. Wonder released the song while still billed as ‘Lil’ Stevie Wonder’, performing piano and harmonica; Clapton later told BBC Radio 4 that Jamerson’s bass line changed the sound of popular music “overnight”.