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Prince (born Prince Rogers Nelson on June 7, 1958),
known from 1993 to 2000 as (or informally, The Artist Formerly Known as Prince
or "Taf-Kap"), is a popular and influential American musician. His music has
spanned myriad styles; though his early material was firmly rooted in R&B, funk
and soul, he has constantly expanded his musical palette throughout his career,
absorbing many other genres including new wave, pop, rock, blues, jazz and hip
hop. The distinctive characteristics of the early-to-mid 1980s work which
brought him to superstardom (including sparse and industrial-sounding drum
machine arrangements, and the use of synthesizer riffs to serve the role
traditionally occupied by horn riffs in earlier R&B, funk and soul music) became
known as the "Minneapolis sound," which proved heavily influential. [citation
needed] He has a reputation as a workaholic, having released over a thousand
songs both under his own name and through other artists, and is known for having
composed and recorded many more songs that remain unreleased. Regarded as a
perfectionist, Prince has a reputation as being somewhat difficult to work with,
and for being highly protective of his music. He writes, composes and produces
most of his music single-handedly, and plays most of the instruments on his
albums. He also is a well-known songwriter for other artists, and some of those
songs have topped the charts as well. Critics and colleagues have referred to
the quality of Prince's work and its versatility as being indicative of musical
genius.
****
Birth name Prince Rogers Nelson
Also known as (1993–2000)
Born June 7, 1958
Origin Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Genre(s) R&B, funk, soul, new wave, pop, rock,
blues, jazz, hip-hop, experimental
Occupation(s) Musician, producer,
singer-songwriter, actor
Instrument(s) Guitar, bass, drums and percussion,
keyboards
Years active 1978–present
Label(s) Universal
Arista
NPG Records
Warner Bros. Records
Columbia
Associated
acts The Revolution
The New Power Generation
The Time
Sheila E.
Vanity 6
Apollonia 6
Mazarati
The Family
Website Official website
****
Biography
Uptown: Early Years
Prince Rogers Nelson was born in Minneapolis,
Minnesota at Mount Sinai Hospital on June 7, 1958 to John L. Nelson and Mattie
Shaw. John L. Nelson played in a jazz trio The Prince Rogers Trio, hence
Prince's birth name. There are a number of myths regarding Prince’s ethnicity
and gender, some spread by Prince himself. The most pervasive is that he is the
child of a black father and white mother, a myth later bolstered by the film
Purple Rain, starring Prince himself. Prince's parents are, in fact
African-American, his mother of African-American, Indian and Caucasian lineage,
specifically (noted in a 1985 Rolling Stone interview with Prince). And
according to an April 28, 1983 Rolling Stone article,[1] Prince's father is of
Black and Italian ancestry, and his mother "is a mixture of a bunch of things."
After the birth of his sister, Tika Evene in 1960,
Prince's parents gradually drifted apart. Prince’s parents formally separated
and he had a troubled relationship with his stepfather causing him to run away
from home. He lived briefly with his father, who bought him his first guitar.
Later, Prince moved in with a neighborhood family, the Andersons, and became
friends with their son, Andre Anderson (later called André Cymone).
Prince and Anderson joined Prince’s cousin Charles
Smith in a band called Grand Central, formed in junior high school. Initially
his involvement was just part of a mainly instrumental band that played clubs
and parties in the Minneapolis area. As time went by and Prince's musical
knowledge broadened he found himself dictating the arrangements to the rest of
the band. Before long he had become the band's frontman. By the time Prince had
entered high school, Grand Central evolved into Champagne and started playing
original music already drawing on a range of influences including Sly Stone,
James Brown, Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix.
In 1976, he started working on a demo tape with
producer Chris Moon in a Minneapolis studio. He also had the patronage of Owen
Husney, to whom Moon introduced him, allowing him to produce a quality demo.
Husney started contacting major labels and ran a campaign promoting Prince as a
star of the future, resulting in a bidding war eventually won by Warner Bros.
Records. They were the only label to give Prince creative control of his songs
and offered him a contract.
Controversy: 1975–1980
Pepe Willie, husband of Prince's cousin, was an
influential presence in Prince’s early career. Willie acted as mentor and
manager, along with Husney, for Prince in the Grand Central days, and employed
Prince in the studio for his own recordings. In 1977, Willie formed 94 East, a
band with Marcy Ingvoldstad and Kristie Lazenberry. Willie enlisted the talents
of Prince and Andre Cymone as session musicians for their studio recordings and
in 1986 released the re-recorded tracks (except for Prince and Cymone’s parts)
from 1975–1977 as Minneapolis Genius. In 1995, the original recordings with
Prince and Cymone were released by Willie as 94 East featuring Prince, Symbolic
Beginning.
Prince’s first album for Warner Bros, released in
1978, was titled For You. The majority of the album was written and performed by
Prince, except for the song Soft and Wet (Music by Prince; Lyrics by Prince and
C. Moon). Tommy Vicari was the Executive Producer in For You. Starting with For
You, one can read in all of Prince’s albums the now ubiquitous legend: Produced,
Arranged, Composed and Performed by Prince. Prince spent twice his initial
advance recording the first album, which sold modestly, making the bottom
reaches of the Billboard 200, while the single “Soft and Wet” performed well on
the R&B charts. In the album For You, Prince used Prince’s Music Co. for
publishing his songs.
By 1979, Prince had recruited his first backing
band with Cymone on bass, Gayle Chapman and Matt Fink on keyboards, Bobby Z on
drums and Dez Dickerson on guitar. Prince intentionally enlisted a multi-racial,
mixed-gender group, much like the backing band of one of Prince’s most salient
influences, Sly Stone. He recorded his second, self-titled album still mostly on
his own, which made the Billboard 200 and contained two R&B hits in “Why You
Wanna Treat Me So Bad?” and “I Wanna Be Your Lover.” These two R&B hits were
performed on January 26, 1980 on the TV show American Bandstand with his first
backing band. For his second album, Prince used Ecnirp Music[2] - BMI for
publishing his songs, which he would also use for the album Dirty Mind.
Prince first attracted attention for the colorful
clothes he put on his 5 ft 2 in (1.6 m) frame. He wore high-heeled shoes and
boots, and when questioned by the press, he remarked he liked the way he looked
in them. In his early years, he liked to dress provocatively. He also was known
to strongly flaunt and express his sexuality while on stage and in his music,
which had people questioning his sexual orientation early on. This bought him
some trouble as an opening act for The Rolling Stones’ two Los Angeles Coliseum
shows in 1981, where he was infamously pelted with garbage whilst wearing
underwear and a trenchcoat and subsequently booed off the stage.
1999 &
The Revolution: 1980–1984
In 1980, Prince released Dirty Mind, a solo effort
released using the original demos. On stage, Lisa Coleman replaced Chapman in
the band, who felt the sexually explicit lyrics and stage antics of Prince’s
concerts conflicted with her religious beliefs. Dirty Mind was particularly
notable for its sexually explicit material.
Prince supported Rick James in a 1980 tour with the
label “punk funk” being applied to both artists, although it didn’t sit
comfortably with Prince. He recorded the album Controversy, released in 1981,
with the single of the same name making international charts for the first time.
In February of 1981, Prince performed “Partyup” on the now-infamous season six
episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Charlene Tilton that brought Jean
Doumanian's lackluster tenure as executive producer down when castmember Charles
Rocket uttered the word, "f*ck" at the end of the program (Prince also uttered
the f-word during his performance of "Partyup", but no one knew if he was saying
"f*ckin'" or "friggin'" and is left unedited in reruns and on the "SNL: 25 Years
of Music" special). Starting with the album Controversy, Prince used Controversy
Music[3] - ASCAP for publishing his songs, which he would use for his following
sixteen records until Emancipation came out in 1996.
Prince also wrote, produced, and in some instances
performed on, the debut album for The Time, containing former members of Flyte
Tyme, including frontman Morris Day. In the coming decade, Prince would also
collaborate with Vanity (of Vanity 6), Apollonia (of Apollonia 6) and Sheila E.
He also composed material, using former bandmates as another outlet for his
prolific output. He also wrote hits for artists such as Sheena Easton and The
Bangles and his songs would be covered in hit versions by artists as diverse as
Chaka Khan, Tom Jones with The Art of Noise, and Sinéad O'Connor. O’Connor’s
cover of a song Prince initially wrote for The Family, “Nothing Compares 2 U,”
was a huge commercial success in 1990.
Prince was backed in the 80s by The Revolution, and
in the 90s by the New Power Generation. He also worked on different occasions
with famous jazz and funk musicians, such as Miles Davis, Larry Graham, George
Clinton, and Maceo Parker. Throughout his career, Prince has also recorded with
Ani DiFranco, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Kate Bush, Rosie Gaines, Carmen Electra,
Gwen Stefani, Chuck D, Angie Stone, Chaka Khan, and Sheryl Crow.
In 1982 Prince released the 1999 double-album which
proved to be a breakthrough album both in the U.S. and internationally, selling
over three million copies. The title track was a protest about nuclear
proliferation and become his first top ten hit internationally. With “Little Red
Corvette” he joined Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie as part of the first wave
of black artists on MTV and “Delirious” also went top ten on the Billboard Hot
100. The album was placed at number six in The Village Voice’s annual Pazz & Jop
critics poll. Stevie Nicks related a story in a television interview that she
had come up with her 1983 song “Stand Back” after being inspired by the
synthesizer part in “Little Red Corvette.” When it was time to record the song,
it happened that Prince was in Los Angeles near her recording studio. She called
his people and soon afterwards Prince came by the studio, sat down at the
synthesizer, and played the song-opening riff.
Purple
Rain: 1984–1987
Purple Rain (in conjunction with the film of the
same name) sold over thirteen million copies in the U.S. and spent twenty-four
consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard 200. The film, while dismissed by
humorist-critic Joe Queenan as “sexist, juvenile, and moronic,” grossed over $80
million in the United States alone. However, Purple Rain would prove to be
Prince’s biggest cinematic success.
Two songs from Purple Rain, “When Doves Cry” and
“Let's Go Crazy” would both top the U.S. singles charts and were hits around the
world, while the title track would go to number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
Simultaneously, Prince held the spot of number one film, number one single, and
number one album in the U.S. Prince won the Academy Award for Best Original Song
Score for Purple Rain, and the album ranks in the top 100 of Rolling Stone's 500
Greatest Albums of All Time list[4] , released in late 2003. When she overheard
her twelve-year-old daughter, Karenna, playing “Darling Nikki,” Tipper Gore
founded the Parents Music Resource Center, which has spurred the use of
“explicit lyric” stickers and imprints on album covers.
Prince went on to direct and star in two more
movies: a romantic comedy entitled Under The Cherry Moon (1986) and a Purple
Rain sequel entitled Graffiti Bridge (1990.) The soundtrack albums for both
films were big hits, and Under the Cherry Moon spawned a chart-topping single,
"Kiss." The films themselves, however, were met with public indifference and
critical derision.
In 1985, after the U.S. Purple Rain Tour, Prince
gave up live performances and making videos on the release of Around the World
in a Day, which went to the top of the U.S. album charts for three weeks.
Prince’s ban on videos ended as the album stalled in the charts with a video for
“Raspberry Beret” which reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1986, Prince released the album Parade as a
soundtrack to the film Under The Cherry Moon. The album went to number three on
the Billboard 200 album chart and number two on the R&B album charts. The first
single, “Kiss,” would top the Billboard Hot 100. At the same time, “Manic
Monday” by The Bangles reached number two on the Hot 100, which Prince had
written under the pseudonym “Christopher.” Following the film and album, Prince
returned to touring with a stripped-down show.
Sign
o' the Times: 1987–1991
Some of Prince’s music mix spirituality and
sensuality. “I Would Die 4 U,” refers to Jesus. “The Cross,” from Sign “o” the
Times, is a stronger reference to Prince’s Christian beliefs. Sign “☮” the
Times, released in 1987 as a double album was created and mixed at Paisley Park
Studios, Sunset Sound and Dierks Studio Mobile Trucks. It was engineered by
Susan Rogers, Coke Johnson and Prince. Sign “☮” the Times reached the top 10 of
the Billboard 200 and achieved perhaps the greatest critical acclaim of his
career, topping the annual Pazz & Jop critics poll, and reaching the top 100 of
Rolling Stone's list[4] .
Following the album, Prince launched the Sign “☮”
the Times Tour in Europe. At the end of the last tour Prince disbanded his
long-time performance band, known since the release of the movie and album
Purple Rain as The Revolution (although 'The Revolution' is mentioned on the
album "1999"), and parted ways with Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Bobby "Z"
Rivkin, and Mark Brown (Brown Mark). His follow-up live performance band
retained Matt Fink on keyboards, and added Boni Boyer on keyboards, Sheila E on
drums, Levi Seacer, Jr. on bass, and Miko Weaver on guitar. In 1987, a live
concert film was shot of the Sign “☮” the Times Tour in Rotterdam and Antwerp.
Portions were re-recorded and the performances mimed in the soundstage of his
newly-opened Paisley Park Studios complex in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Housing
three complete recording studios, and a complete soundstage for performances and
video production, the studios have been Prince's playground since their opening.
Situated near his home in Minnesota, Paisley Park has allowed Prince to record
at the drop of a hat.
1987 saw the potential for two of pop’s biggest
stars coming together to perform a duet. Michael Jackson talked with Prince
about performing a duet together for the title track of his new album Bad.
Prince liked the idea, seeing as Jackson was his main rival in pop stardom, so
he agreed to it. However, Jackson and Prince ended up having creative
differences in the lyrics and beats for the song. Finally, Prince left the
project when he thought Jackson wasn’t making the song dark enough. Jackson
ended up cutting the title track for the album on his own, and it went to number
one on the charts.[5]
Also in 1987, Prince recorded The Black Album, a
funk-oriented album whose erotically-charged lyrics and club-focused beats were
perceived by many as his attempt to woo back the black audience he was supposed
to have lost with his mid-80s forays into 'white' rock, pop and psychedelia (on
albums such as Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day, and Parade). The album's
release was mysteriously cancelled when manufacture had already begun, creating
a massive bootleg demand for 'official' copies. Two English bootleggers were
imprisoned in 1990 for trying to release a CD entitled "Mandingo - Songs for
Tribes" which was actually a poorly disguised version of The Black Album. The
album circulated through the bootleg underground music world until it was
finally given an official release in 1994. Prince later attributed his
eleventh-hour request that the album be pulled from release to a spiritual
epiphany, in which he decided that its themes were too dark, and the product of
a internal character called 'Spooky Electric'. Rumours still abound that this
epiphany was in fact that the product of a bad experience with the drug Ecstasy.
The 1988 album Lovesexy was Prince’s spiritual answer to the dark message of The
Black Album. Lovesexy was a disappointment in its chart performance, only
reaching number eleven on the Billboard 200, but reaching number one in the UK.
The Lovesexy World Tour's portion in the U.S. also proved to be commercial
disappointment. Prince lost money as dates failed to sell out. Prince recouped
his losses with the European and Japanese legs of the tour.
In 1989, Prince would record the soundtrack for
Batman, which would return him to the top of the U.S. album charts at number
one, with the single and worldwide hit “Batdance” reaching number one of the
Billboard Hot 100. Prince next released the film sequel to Purple Rain, titled
Graffiti Bridge, which performed poorly at the box office. The soundtrack to
"Graffiti Bridge" featured Prince and other artists such as Tevin Campbell,
Mavis Staples of the Staple Singers, and Morris Day and The Time. It would reach
a chart peak of number six in the U.S. and number one in the UK.
The
New Power Generation: 1991–1994
The Diamonds and Pearls album in 1991 gave Prince
album charts success with the song “Cream” giving him his fifth U.S. number one
single. Diamonds and Pearls also marked the debut of the New Power Generation
featuring rapper Tony M, Rosie Gaines on vocals, Michael Bland on drums, Levi
Seacer and Kirk Johnson on guitar, Sonny T on bass, and Tommy Barbarella on
keyboards.
Having mysteriously thanked Kate Bush in the
credits of his Diamonds And Pearls album, Prince worked on Bush’s 1993 album,
The Red Shoes. Collaborating chiefly on the song “Why Should I Love You,” Prince
added bass, guitar, keyboards, his vocals and other arrangements to the mix.
This would be the final “Prince” credit, until 2000. Kate Bush reciprocated in
1996 and is featured on background vocals on the Emancipation track, “My
Computer.”
Prince’s twelfth album was titled “,” dubbed by
critics as The Love Symbol Album. It reached the top ten of the U.S. album
charts. In 1993, he would change his name to (often represented in ASCII text
as "O(+>"). The symbol is said to be a melding of the symbols for male and
female. Due to being unpronounceable, he was often referred to as “The artist
formerly known as Prince,” or simply “The Artist.” In 1993, at the request of
Warner Bros., Prince released a 3-CD greatest hits compilation entitled The
Hits/The B-Sides. The first two discs were also sold separately as The Hits 1
and The Hits 2. In addition to featuring the majority of Prince's hit singles
(with the exception of “Batdance,” which was omitted), The Hits includes an
array of previously hard-to-find recordings, notably B-sides spanning the
majority of Prince’s career, as well as a handful of previously unreleased
tracks, such as the Revolution-recorded “Power Fantastic.” A new song, “Peach,”
was chosen as a promotional single to accompany the album. Unfortunately,
neither the album nor single performed as well on the charts as Prince and
Warner Bros. would have hoped. To this day, however, The Hits remains the
closest thing to a definitive overview of Prince's musical output from 1978 to
1993.
Behind
the name change
In 1994, during negotiations regarding the release
of Prince's album The Gold Experience, a battle between Warner Bros. and Prince
ensued, struggling over the artistic and financial control of Prince’s output.
During that time, Prince appeared in public only with the word “SLAVE” written
on his cheek. Prince explained his name change as follows:
The first step I have taken towards the ultimate
goal of emancipation from the chains that bind me to Warner Bros. was to change
my name from Prince to . Prince is the name that my Mother gave me at birth.
Warner Bros. took the name, trademarked it, and used it as the main marketing
tool to promote all of the music that I wrote. The company owns the name Prince
and all related music marketed under Prince. I became merely a pawn used to
produce more money for Warner Bros.…
I was born Prince and did not want to adopt another
conventional name. The only acceptable replacement for my name, and my identity,
was , a symbol with no pronunciation, that is a representation of me and what my
music is about. This symbol is present in my work over the years; it is a
concept that has evolved from my frustration; it is who I am. It is my name.
Prince’s strategy behind the name change seems to
have been to reinvent himself, going back to a smaller audience to redevelop his
style. One commentator noted:
Prince started his career as a big R&B star with
limited mainstream success. At that point, he left the middle of the road and
headed for the ditch. In 1980, it was risky to record new wave songs with lusty
lyrics that assured no radio airplay (the classic Dirty Mind), but it paid off.
Critics took notice and he became an underground favorite. This paved the way
for his huge success with 1999 and Purple Rain. Certainly that was the pinnacle
of his career, as far as worldwide earnings and universal adulation are
concerned. But by heading for the ditch again, by changing his name and
experimenting with his style, by lowering his stock value and escaping his
record contract, Prince has become an underground artist again. In late 1996,
the first collection of Prince music since his break with Warner Bros. appeared
in record stores, a sprawling three-hour extravaganza integrating great dance
grooves and slow-burning ballads. Critical response has been overwhelmingly
positive, and sales have been brisk despite the high price of a 3-CD set. It's
no coincidence that he titled this album Emancipation.[6]
Chaos
and Disorder: 1994–2003
In 1994 Prince's attitude towards his artistic
output underwent a notable shift. He began to view releasing albums in quick
succession as a means of ejecting himself from his contractual obligations to
Warner Bros. The label, he believed, was intent on limiting his artistic freedom
by insisting he release albums on a more sporadic basis. He also blamed it for
the poor commercial performance of his latest work (namely The Love Symbol
Album), feeling it had failed to market the album effectively. Out of this state
of affairs a proposal came about to subject the aborted Black Album to an
official release, approximately seven years after its initial creation. This new
release, which was already in wide circulation as bootlegs, also sold relatively
poorly.
Following that disappointing venture, Warner Bros.
succumbed to Prince's wishes to release an album of new material, to be entitled
Come. The label had refused to grant the album a release in the past, believing
the music on it to be dreadfully mediocre and lacking a potential hit single.
When Come was eventually released, it confirmed all of Warner's worst fears. It
became Prince's poorest-selling album to date, struggling to even shift 500,000
copies. Even more frustrating was the fact that Prince insisted on crediting the
album to "Prince 1958–1993".
Prince pushed to have his next album The Gold
Experience released simultaneously as “Prince” material. As a test case, Warner
Bros. allowed the single "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" to be released
via a small, independent distributor, Bellmark Records, in February 1994. The
release was successful, reaching #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #1 in many
other countries, but this was not to be a forerunner of what was to come. Warner
Bros. still resisted releasing The Gold Experience, fearing poor sales and
citing "market saturation" as a defense. When eventually released in September
1995, The Gold Experience failed to sell well, although it reached the top 10 of
the Billboard 200 initially, and many reviewed it as Prince's best effort since
Sign “☮” the Times. The album is now out-of-print.
The Chaos And Disorder album of 1996 was his final
album of new material for Warner Bros., and was one of his least successful.
Prince attempted a major comeback later that year, when, free of any further
contractual obligations to Warner Bros., he released Emancipation. The album was
released via his own NPG Records with distribution through EMI. To publish his
songs in Emancipation, Prince for the first time did not use Controversy Music -
ASCAP, which he had used in all his records since 1981, rather he used
Emancipated Music Inc.[7] - ASCAP. While certified platinum by the RIAA, some
critics felt that the sprawling 36-song, 3-CD set (each disk was exactly 60
minutes long) lacked focus. Emancipation would be Prince's first album in which
he would include covers of songs of other artists; for example, CD number three
includes Joan Osborne's Top 10 hit song of 1995 "One of Us".[8] The other covers
on the album are "Betcha By Golly Wow!" (written by Thomas Randolf Bell and
Linda Creed)[9] "I Can't Make You Love Me" (written by James Allen Shamblin II
and Michael Barry Reid)[10] and "La-La Means I Love You" (written by Thomas
Randolf Bell and William Hart).[11]
Prince married his backup singer and dancer, Mayte
Garcia, on Valentine's Day of 1996. Emancipation was largely dedicated to their
union and their then-unborn child. The child, rumored to have been named
Gregory, was born with Pfeiffer syndrome, a rare skull disease and died shortly
after birth. This tragic event may have contributed to marital troubles, leading
to an eventual annulment of their marriage in 1998.
Prince released Crystal Ball, a 4-CD collection of
unreleased material, in 1998. The distribution of this album was shambolic, with
some fans pre-ordering the album on his website up to a year before it was
eventually shipped to them, and months after the record had gone on sale in
retail stores. The Newpower Soul album released three months later failed to
make much of an impression on the charts.
In 1999, Prince once again teamed up with a major
record label, this time Arista Records, for a new album, Rave Un2 the Joy
Fantastic. In an attempt to make his new album a success, Prince gave more
interviews than he'd ever done in his career yet Rave failed to make much of a
commercial impression. A few months earlier, Warner Bros. had also released The
Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale, a collection of unreleased material recorded by
Prince throughout his career, and his final recording commitment on his contract
with Warner Bros. The greatest success he had during the year was with the EP
1999: The New Master, released in time for Prince to collect a small portion of
the sales dollars Warner Bros. had been seeing for the album and singles of the
original 1999. Both critics and fans panned The New Master, declaring it
unimaginative.
A pay-per-view concert, Rave Un2 the Year 2000, was
held on December 31, 1999 and had appearances by many guest stars such as Lenny
Kravitz, George Clinton and The Time. It was released to home video the
following year. Also, a remix album, Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic, was released
exclusively through Prince's NPG Music Club in April 2000.
On May 16, 2000, Prince ceased using the "" moniker
and returned to using "Prince" again, after his publishing contract with
Warner-Chappell expired. In a press conference stating that he was now free from
undesirable relationships associated with the name "Prince", he formally
reverted to his original name and opened the door to endless "The Artist
Formerly Known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince" digs. However, Prince
still occasionally uses the symbol as a logo and continues to play a -shaped
guitar.
During the next several years, Prince primarily
released new music through his Internet subscription services, first
NPGOnlineLtd.com, and next NPGMusicClub.com. However, two albums which showcased
the substantial influence of jazz music on Prince did surface at record stores
for the general public: The Rainbow Children in 2001, and the all-instrumental
N.E.W.S in 2003. The latter received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop
Instrumental Album. In 2002, Prince released his first-ever live album, One Nite
Alone... Live!, which features recordings of performances from the One Nite
Alone tour. The costly 3-CD box set, which also includes a disc of "aftershow"
music called It Ain't Over!, failed to make an impact on the charts. During this
time, Prince sought to engage more effectively with his fan base via the NPG
Music Club, pre-concert sound checks, and at yearly "celebrations" at Paisley
Park. Fans were invited into Prince's studios for tours, interviews, discussions
and music-listening sessions. Some of these fan discussions were filmed for an
unreleased documentary, directed by Kevin Smith. Smith discusses what happened
during those days at length in his An Evening with Kevin Smith DVD.[12]
Performances were also arranged to showcase Prince himself, as well as related
artists and guests (including Alicia Keys, The Time, Erykah Badu, Nikka Costa,
George Clinton, Norah Jones and others).
On December 31, 2001, Prince married his former
Paisley Park employee Manuela Testolini in Hawaii, in a Jehovah's Witnesses
ceremony. They had no children together, and filed for divorce in 2006.[13]
Musicology: the return of Prince: 2004–2005
On February 8, 2004, Prince made a significant leap
out of obscurity by appearing at the Grammy Awards with Beyoncé Knowles. The duo
were allegedly selected as a last-minute replacement for Janet Jackson, whose
controversial incident at Super Bowl XXXVIII the week before had made her an
undesirable choice to appear at the awards ceremony. In a performance that
opened the show, Prince and Beyoncé ripped through a medley of classic Purple
Rain songs, namely the title track, “Let's Go Crazy” and “Baby I'm a Star.” The
performance also featured a rendition of Beyoncé's “Crazy in Love.” This
performance would later be the inspiration for the Saturday Night Live recurring
sketch, "The Prince Show", with Fred Armisen as Prince and Maya Rudolph as
Beyonce Knowles.
The following month Prince was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The award was presented to him by Alicia Keys, along
with Big Boi and André 3000 of OutKast. As well as performing a trio of his own
hits during the ceremony, Prince also participated in a tribute to fellow
inductee George Harrison in a rendition of the deceased artist’s “While My
Guitar Gently Weeps.” The performance was mostly led by Tom Petty, but also
featured Jeff Lynne and Harrison’s son, Dhani. The tribute shed notable light on
Prince, who concluded the performance with a lengthy guitar solo.[14]
In April 2004, Prince released Musicology through a
unique one-album agreement with Columbia Records. This deal, which meant that
Columbia was obliged to distribute and promote the album, was constructed in
such a way that ensured Prince himself still garnered the majority of the
royalties (as he had been accustomed to through his own independent music
service). The album, which rose to the top 5 in the album charts of several
countries (including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Australia),
featured some of the artist’s most economical and commercially appealing music
in years. That same year, Pollstar named Prince the top concert draw among
musicians in America. Grossing an estimated $87.4 million, Prince’s Musicology
Tour was the most profitable tour in the industry during 2004. The artist played
an impressive run of 96 concerts, the average ticket price for each being
$61.[15] Further highlighting the success of the album, Prince’s Musicology went
on to receive two Grammy wins, for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for “Call My
Name” and Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for the title track. It was
also nominated for Best R&B Song, Best R&B Album, and Best Male Pop Vocal
Performance for "Cinnamon Girl."[16] The album became the artist’s most
commercially lucrative since Diamonds and Pearls, partly due to a radical scheme
devised on his part which enabled copies of the album presented to those who
purchased tickets on the Musicology tour to be included in the album’s overall
sales as compiled by Billboard.
Musicology also won the NAACP Image Award for
Outstanding Album in March 2005, with Prince receiving the NAACP Vanguard
Award.[17] and the Musicology tour ended up becoming the year's most lucrative;
indeed, in February 2005, Rolling Stone magazine published the list of top money
makers of 2004; Prince was on top with estimated net earnings of $56.5
million.[18]
In December 2004, Prince was chosen by Rolling
Stone magazine's readers as the best male performer and most welcome comeback.
During that same month, Prince was named number five on the Top Pop Artists of
the Past 25 Years chart.[19]
In April 2005, Prince played guitar (along with En
Vogue singing backing vocals) on Stevie Wonder’s first new single in six years,
“So What The Fuss.” The single debuted at number thirteen on the Billboard Adult
R&B chart.[20] Despite rumours of an appearance or duet with Stevie Wonder at
Live 8 in Philadelphia, Prince did not perform at the concert.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which
devastated the city of New Orleans on August 29, 2005, Prince offered a personal
response by recording two new songs, “S.S.T.” and the instrumental “Brand New
Orleans,” at Paisley Park in the early hours of September 2. The artist, in a
typical moment of inspiration, played all instrumental and vocal parts without
collaboration. These recordings were quickly dispersed to the public via
Prince’s NPG Music Club, and “S.S.T.” was later picked up by iTunes, where it
reached number one on the R&B chart. On October 25, Sony Records released a
version of the single on CD.
3121
and further career: 2005–present
On December 9, 2005, it was reported that Prince
had determined an agreement with Universal Records to release his next album,
3121. This deal is believed to be similar to that which the artist struck with
Columbia Records for Musicology. The debut single put forward from the album was
the Latin-tinged “Te Amo Corazon,” the video for which debuted on VH1 on
December 13, and was directed by actress Salma Hayek. The piece was filmed in
Marrakesh, and showed Prince accompanied on-screen by Mía Maestro. She was also
present at a brief press conference which Prince made in promotion of the new
single and video. The video for “Black Sweat,” the second single from 3121,
premiered on February 2, 2006, demonstrating a rather more minimalistic approach
both in the sound of the song and the style of the video. It was nominated for
an MTV VMA for Best Cinematography on July 31, 2006.[21]
On February 4, 2006, Prince was the musical guest
on Saturday Night Live after a 25 year gap between appearances (he was asked to
be the musical guest for the first episode of season 21 with host Mariel
Hemingway and again as the musical guest for the first episode of season 30 with
prospective host, Steve Martin, later replaced with Ben Affleck. Prince declined
both invitations prior to his appearance on season 31), where he performed two
new songs, the guitar-driven “Fury” and “Beautiful, Loved & Blessed,” with
up-and-coming R&B singer Támar. Both are featured on Prince’s own 3121, with
“Beautiful, Loved & Blessed” also appearing on Tamar’s album, titled Milk &
Honey (to be released).
On February 15, 2006, Prince performed at the Brit
awards alongside Wendy and Lisa and Sheila E. He played “Te Amo Corazon” and
“Fury” from 3121, and “Purple Rain” and “Let's Go Crazy” from Purple Rain, in a
performance which was generally regarded as the best of the night.
3121 was leaked to the internet on March 6, 2006.
Prince achieved his first career number-one debut on the Billboard 200 (in the
issue dated April 8, 2006) with 3121. The set sold 183,000 copies in the United
States in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It also debuted at
number one on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums tally.[22] 3121 also took over
the number one spot on Billboard's European Top 100 Albums chart the following
week, giving the legendary artist his highest charting international album of
the decade.[23]
On May 24, 2006, Prince performed “Lolita” and
“Satisfied” from his album 3121 on the last results show of the fifth season of
American Idol. He was the only artist to perform without any contestant in the
episode. The infamous judge on the show, Simon Cowell, has recently turned his
barbed comments toward the artist saying, “It just tells you how selfish he is.
He comes on, not a word—‘I’m not gonna sing with anybody else, I’m not gonna say
goodbye.’ Thank you for your generosity, Prince.” in regard to Prince’s late
arrival and abrupt departure.
Ultimate is the title of Prince’s latest greatest
hits compilation album. Originally slated to be released in North America on 14
March 2006, the album was cancelled just days prior to its release. However,
copies were already available in some retailers and have been sold. It was
eventually released on August 22. The double disc set consists of one CD of
hits, while the second disc contains extended versions and mixes that, for the
most part were previously unavailable on CD.
On June 12, 2006, Prince was honoured with a Webby
Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his "visionary" use of the Internet
that included becoming the first major artist to release an entire album—1997's
Crystal Ball—exclusively on the Web. "Everything you think is true," Prince
said, coming in under the five-word limit and leaving everyone wondering what he
meant as he launched into a solo number. The performance ended abruptly as he
suddenly chucked his guitar back over his head with a crash and raced off to a
waiting limousine.
On June 27, 2006, Prince appeared at the BET
awards. He was awarded Best Male R&B artist. In his acceptance speech he told
the crowd that he was surprised but honored to receive the award. He also
thanked Jehovah, Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, India.Arie, and Yolanda Adams. Later
in the evening Prince participated in a tribute to Chaka Khan with the other
artists he had named in his speech. The tribute was part of Chaka Khan's
lifetime achievement award given to her that evening. Prince also closed the
show, alongside Támar, with his song "3121" from his album of the same name. He
was joined onstage by musician will.i.am from The Black Eyed Peas.
At 12:00 AM on July 4, 2006, much to the dismay of
his fans (and only weeks after winning a Webby Award), Prince abruptly shut down
his official NPGMC website, which had been in existence for over five years. The
NPGMC sent out an email, claiming that "in its current 4m there is a feeling
that the NPGMC gone as far as it can go. In a world without limitations and
infinite possibilities, has the time come 2 once again make a leap of faith and
begin anew? These r ?s we in the NPG need 2 answer. In doing so, we have decided
2 put the club on hiatus until further notice."
It has since emerged that the club was shut down on
the day that an opposition to its trademark was filed against it by HM
Publishing (owners of the Nature Publishing Group, or NPG). Despite these events
occurring on the same day Prince's attorney reports that it was purely
coincidental and that the site did not close due to the trademark dispute.[24]
On August 9, 2006, Vibe magazine reported CBS has
hired Prince to play the halftime show at Super Bowl XLI in February 2007.[25]
In current news; Prince has written and performed a
song for the animated children's movie, Happy Feet. Confirmed as the first
single, "Song of the Heart" appears on the film's soundtrack which also features
a rendition of his classic, "Kiss" as sung by Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. It
is also rumored that Prince will be performing regular shows in Las Vegas as a
possible warm-up for a 2007 tour. Rumors circulated on forums for some months,
and they were further fuelled when an image depicting Las Vegas' Rio Hotel
appeared on Prince's 3121 website. There has been no official word as of yet.
****
Discography
This is a list of Prince's mainstream retail
release studio albums since his 1978 debut. For a detailed listing of all
albums, singles, and production/songwriting work, please see Prince discography.
For You (1978)
Prince (1979)
Dirty Mind (1980)
Controversy (1981)
1999 (1982)
Purple Rain (1984)
Around the World in a Day (1985)
Parade (1986)
Sign “☮” the Times (1987)
Lovesexy (1988)
Batman (1989)
Graffiti Bridge (1990)
Diamonds and Pearls (1991)
(aka Love Symbol) (1992)
Come (1994)
The Black Album (1994)
The Gold Experience (1995)
Chaos and Disorder (1996)
Emancipation (1996)
Crystal Ball (1998)
The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale (1999)
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (1999)
The Rainbow Children (2001)
One Nite Alone... Live! (2002)
Musicology (2004)
3121 (2006)
Filmography
Purple Rain (1984): actor, composer
Under the Cherry Moon (1986): actor, writer,
composer, director
Sign “☮” the Times (1987): composer, performer,
director
Bright Lights, Big City (1988): composer (song):
"Good Love"
Lovesexy (1989): composer, performer
Batman (1989): composer (songs)
Graffiti Bridge (1990): actor, composer, writer,
director
Get Off (video single) (1990): actor, composer,
writer, director
Sexy MF (video single) (1992): actor, composer,
writer, director
Diamonds and Pearls (Video Collection) (1992):
actor, composer, writer, director
The Hits Collection (Prince) (1993): actor,
composer, writer, director
3 Chains o' Gold (1994): actor, composer, writer,
director
Showgirls (1995): composer (songs):
"Ripopgodazippa", "319"
Girl 6 (1996): composer (songs)
Rave Un2 the Year 2000 (2000): performer, composer
(songs)
Live at the Aladdin Las Vegas (2003): performer,
composer (songs)
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding
it.
Protégés and associates
Please expand this article.
Further information might be found in a section of
the talk page or at Requests for expansion.
Prince has worked with dozens of musicians and
performers over his career and has given songs to a diverse array of artists.
However, this list of protégés include only those who Prince contributed a
significant portion of material, or are current/former bandmates who are
well-known for their association with Prince.
Bandmates notes Non-bandmates notes
Brownmark Bassist for the Revolution from 1981–1986
Prince produced two songs on his solo albums
Apollonia 6 Side project girl-group from 1984
Prince wrote and produced their self-titled album
Andre Cymone Bassist for backing band from
1979–1980
Prince wrote and produced "The Dance Electric" for
his 1985 album AC
The Bangles Prince wrote Manic Monday, their
biggest hit and dated lead singer, Susanna Hoffs
94 East Prince was a guitarist for this band in the
mid-1970s
Tevin Campbell Tevin performed "Round and Round"
on Graffiti Bridge and provided vocals on other tracks
Prince wrote and produced several songs for
Campbell's 1993 solo album, I'm Ready
Morris Day Day was in a high school band with
Prince and Andre Cymone
He later became lead singer in The Time, rumored as
a favor for letting Prince have credit for the song "Partyup".
Ingrid Chavez She provided vocals on several of
Prince's albums and acted in Graffiti Bridge
Prince produced a 1991 album for her, which
included five songs he co-wrote.
Candy Dulfer Prince wrote a song on one of her
albums, Saxuality
She has been an on/off member in his backing bands
since 1989
Margie Cox A long-time associate, contributing to
various projects for Prince and associated artists
Sheila E. Sheila had 3 albums produced by Prince in
the 1980s
She later joined his band as drummer from 1987–1989
The two still work together on occasion.
Sheena Easton Prince contributed several songs for
her on albums over the years
She duetted with Prince on the songs "U Got the
Look" and "The Arms of Orion"
Doctor Fink Keyboardist for the Revolution (and
beyond) from 1979–1990
Credited as co-writer on several Prince tracks
Carmen Electra Prince produced her 1993 album and
invented her stage name
Cat Glover Backing vocalist and tour choreographer
from 1987–1989
T.C. Ellis Rapped on Graffiti Bridge album and the
"New Power Generation" single
Prince produced several songs for his 1991 solo
album, True Confessions
Rosie Gaines NPG vocalist and organist from
1990–1992, and as a guest since
Prince produced a song for her 1995 solo album
Clare Fischer Provides strings arrangements for
Prince’s albums since 1985
Larry Graham Occasional NPG bassist and Prince’s
spiritual guide
The Family Short-lived funk band formed by Prince
in 1985 as a possible successor to The Time
Performed the original version of "Nothing Compares
2 U"
Morris Hayes NPG keyboardist from 1992–1999
Elisa Fiorillo Prince and Levi Seacer, Jr.
produced an album for her in 1990
Jill Jones Unofficial vocalist for the Revolution
on 1999 album and related videos
Had a self-titled album produced by Prince in 1987.
Jimmy Jam Former keyboardist for The Time
Formed a hit producing team with Terry Lewis
Eric Leeds Saxophonist for Madhouse and the
Revolution (and beyond) from 1986–1989
Has provided brass and flute for many years since
Had a 1991 album produced by Prince
Jesse Johnson Former guitarist The Time
Covered a 98 East song on his Shockadelica album
Prince wrote a song based on the album's title
Mayte Garcia Ex-wife and former bandmember,
providing backing vocals and stage dancing
Had a 1995 album Child of the Sun produced by
Prince
Chaka Khan Prince produced a full album for her in
1998 and various songs before that
She provided vocals for his Newpower Soul album in
1998 and toured briefly for the album's promotion
Bobby "Z" Rivkin Drummer for the Revolution from
1979–1986
Contributed a song for The Family
Patti LaBelle Has had several songs produced by
Prince.
Maceo Parker NPG Saxophonist from 1999–present
Terry Lewis Former bassist for The Time
Formed a hit producing team with Jimmy Jam
Levi Seacer, Jr. Bassist from 1987–1990
Switched to guitarist from 1991–1993
Collaborated on many projects with Prince
Madhouse Jazz band formed by Prince in 1987
Recorded two albums in 1987, 8 and 16, as well as
many unreleased tracks
The band recorded another unreleased album in 1993,
yet several songs were made public
Sir Jam (Demetrius Ross) Writer from 1989–1991
Performed on "Shake" with The Time on Graffitti
Bridge
Collaborated writing "Bambi Rap" with Prince on
True Confessions on T.C. Ellis album
Támar Prince's latest protégé, providing backing
vocals on the 3121
Prince produced her forthcoming album, Milk & Honey
(projected release date 08/29/06)
Martika Her 2nd album, Martika's Kitchen was
produced by Prince
Prince wrote several songs on the album, including
"Martika's Kitchen" and "Love, Thy Will Be Done," which charted outside the U.S.
in 1992
Wendy and Lisa Guitarist from 1983–1986 and
keyboardist from 1980–1986, respectively
Also composed much material with Prince while
members of the Revolution
Mazarati Band was founded by Brownmark but Prince
later became involved and produced several songs for their 1986 album
They were also originally given the songs "Kiss"
and "Jerk Out" which were later reclaimed by Prince and The Time, respectively
Michael Bland NPG drummer from 1989–1996
Provided drumming for the title track of 3121
Mavis Staples Had two albums produced by Prince
(1989 and 1992)
Performed "Melody Cool" and provided vocals for
several Graffiti Bridge tracks
Sonny Thompson NPG bassist from 1990–1996
Provided bass for the title track of 3121'
Jevetta Steele Had several songs produced by
Prince
Contributed vocals to many of his tracks, both solo
and as a member of The Steeles
The Steeles Provided choir on several of Prince's
albums
The Time Prince’s most successful side project
Released 4 albums from 1981–1990 (a fifth
reportedly remains in limbo)
Vanity Former girlfriend and lead singer of
Vanity 6
Vanity 6 Prince's girl-group side project from
1982–1983
Prince produced their only album
The group later became Apollonia 6 when Vanity left
Monikers
Prince often uses pseudonyms and monikers to
separate himself from the music (either his own or that of others) he has had
input in; he has said that he was tired of seeing his name everywhere, and that
only egotistical people take credit for everything they do.[26] He has also
given himself alternate names for his film characters, the most recognizable of
which is The Kid. As a child, he was called Skippy.
Jamie Starr / The Starr ★ Company - early producer
of The Time, Vanity 6, etc.
The Kid - Prince's semi-autobiographical persona in
Purple Rain; the character was revisited in the film Graffiti Bridge
Joey Coco - producer/writer of songs for Kenny
Rogers, Sheena Easton, etc.
Christopher Tracy - lead character of Under the
Cherry Moon
Christopher - writer of “Manic Monday” for The
Bangles
Alexander Nevermind - writer of “Sugar Walls” for
Sheena Easton
Camille - sped up voice on “Housequake,”
“Shockadelica,” etc. and mentioned in the Lovesexy tour book as Prince's “good”
side
Spookyelectric - the polar opposite of Camille, the
“evil force” which created the Black Album
Gemini - on the Batman album; half Batman, half
Joker, or more simply half evil/half good, a recurring theme as his astrological
sign is that of Gemini
Partyman - Prince plays the titular character in
said music video
Paisley Park - used in the early 1990s for various
projects
Tora Tora - on the NPG’s Exodus album
Azifwekaré - “homeless pothead” on the song “Style”
and director credit to the "Face Down" video
- adopted as official (and legal) name from 1993
to 2000
The Artist Formerly Known As Prince (TAFKAP) -
offered by journalists as an alternative to the unpronounceable
The Artist - emerged from “The Artist Formerly
Known As Prince,” and usually accredited to his then lawyer L. Londel McMillan
and became the most common alias in the media in the late 1990s
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding
it.
****
References
-
^ Miller, Debby: "Rolling Stones"
(April 28, 1983): 18-23+
-
^ Profile for Ecnirp Music
-
^ Profile for Controversy Music
-
^ a b "The RS 500 Greatest Albums
of All Time", 18 November 2003, at RollingStone.com; last accessed September
9, 2006.
-
^ http://michaeljackson.com/lofi/history-main-1980s.html
-
^ Comment on namechange
-
^ ASCAP profile for Emancipated
Music
-
^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=120135&model.vnuAlbumId=549624
Billboard chart history for "One Of Us"]
-
^ BMI credits for "Betcha By
Golly Wow!"
-
^ BMI credits for "I Can't Make
You Love Me"
-
^ BMI credits for "La-La Means I
Love You"
-
^ more information at the
Internet Movie Database entry and at this Kevin Smith page
-
^
http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/26/prince.divorce.reut/index.html
-
^ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
video
-
^
http://www.pollstar.com/news/viewnews.pl?NewsID=3746&HL=Prince
-
^
http://www.grammy.com/awards/search/index.aspx
-
^ www.rockonthenet.com
-
^ "Money Makers" at
RollingStone.com
-
^
http://www.rockonthenet.com/artists-p/prince_main.htm
-
^
http://www.stevie-wonder.com/sowhatthefuss.html
-
^ 2006 MTV Video Music Awards
-
^ 3121 debut on Billboard chart
-
^
http://eurweb.com/story/eur25790.cfm
-
^
http://www.prince.org/msg/13/194742/NPGMC-shut-down-during-trademark-fight-that-s-the-truth
-
^ Byrd, Shayla. "Prince Slated
for Super Bowl Halftime Show, Diddy and Cassie To Play NFL Kickoff", Vibe,
August 9, 2006.
-
^
http://www.princelyrics.co.uk/viewarticle.asp?article=35
****
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