Prince

Prince Dead

Prince was born on this date in 1958. He was a singer, producer, musician, and global multi-media entertainer.

Prince Rogers Nelson was from Minneapolis, MN, a graduate of Minneapolis Central High School, who taught himself to play many musical instruments. He also formed the soul-rock group Grand Central during high school. Prince self-produced his first LP, “For You,” in 1978. He then created his recording label, Paisley Park. Prince’s musical styles have been compared to James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and other R&B greats, but as his career grew, he carved out his renowned status by delivering funk, rock, and soul with a special pop feel.

Prince scored a total of 11 number-one songs and 22 top-10 hits on the pop charts. Prince released several LPs throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s while touring, writing, and producing for other artists and starring in a few movies. Although his first four LP releases were unpretentious hits with R&B audiences, they are considered some of his best work. During these years, Prince was allowed great independence from his record label, Warner Brothers, to create his kind of music. He subsequently released “Prince” (1979), “Dirty Mind” (1980), “Controversy” (1981), and “1999” (1982). Prince’s 1984 soundtrack album “Purple Rain” was one of the biggest hits of the decade, and it earned three Grammy Awards in 1985. From 1982 to 1986, he toured with his band, the Revolution.

In addition to providing music for many films, Prince directed and starred in “Under the Cherry Moon” (1986), the concert film “Sign O’ the Times” (1987), and “Graffiti Bridge” (1990). Other Prince albums include “Around the World in a Day” (1985), “Parade” (1986), and “Lovesexy” (1988). He also released a successful soundtrack album for the 1989 motion picture “Batman.” Prince formed the New Power Generation, an eight-piece band, for his 1991 album “Diamonds and Pearls.” He continued to record and release music through the 1990s, including “The Gold Experience” (1995). In 1993, Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol because of a contract dispute with his record label.

In 1996, he married dancer Mayte Garcia. During this time, he recorded “Emancipation” (1996), and “New Power Soul” (1998). They had a son who died soon after the birth of a rare bone disorder. The two divorced in 1998. In 1999, he released “The Vault.” Also, Prince reportedly tied the knot on New Year’s Eve with Manuela Testolini, a 25-year-old Canadian from Toronto. In 2000, with the contract expired, the artist announced that he was changing his name back to Prince.

In 2001, he released “The Rainbow Children,” A little over a year later, Prince released a three-CD set called “One Night Alone Live.” The following year he came out with the “E.P N.E.W.S.” Prince was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. He was the ‘halftime’ performer at the 2007 Super Bowl in Miami, FL.

In 2015 In Baltimore, he performed a free concert in support of Freddie Gray’s death while in the custody of the Baltimore police department. He was more than a pop star. He was the living embodiment of the music itself; a genre-defying, gender-bending master who could play guitar like Jimi Hendrix, dress like Madonna, and get down with the spirit of James Brown. On April 21, 2016, Prince Rogers Nelson was found dead in his Minneapolis mansion.

Written by Dianne Washington

Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer and filmmaker.

Prince Rogers Nelson (born June 7, 1958), known by his mononym Prince, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actor. He has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career.He has written several hundred songs and produces and records his own music for his own music label. In addition, he has promoted the careers of Sheila E., Carmen Electra, the Time and Vanity 6, and his songs have been recorded by these artists and others, including Chaka Khan, The Bangles, Sinéad O’Connor, and Kim Basinger.

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Prince developed an interest in music at an early age, writing his first song at age seven. After recording songs with his cousin’s band 94 East, seventeen-year-old Prince recorded several unsuccessful demo tapes before releasing his debut album, For You, in 1978. His 1979 album, Prince, went platinum due to the success of the singles “Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?” and “I Wanna Be Your Lover”. His next three records, Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981), and 1999 (1982) continued his success, showcasing Prince’s trademark of prominently sexual lyrics and incorporation of elements of funk, dance and rock music. In 1984, he began referring to his backup band as the Revolution and released the album Purple Rain, which served as the soundtrack to his film debut of the same name.

After releasing the albums Around the World in a Day (1985) and Parade (1986), The Revolution disbanded and Prince released the critically acclaimed double album Sign “O” the Times (1987) as a solo artist. He released three more solo albums before debuting the New Power Generation band in 1991. After changing his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol (Prince logo.svg), also known as the “Love Symbol”, in 1993, he began releasing new albums at a faster pace to remove himself from contractual obligations to Warner Bros; he released five records between 1994 and 1996 before signing to Arista Records in 1998. In 2000, he began referring to himself as “Prince” once again. He has released thirteen albums since then, including his latest, 20Ten, released in 2010.

Prince has a wide vocal range and is known for his flamboyant stage presence and costumes. He has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. He has won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the first year he was eligible. Rolling Stone has ranked Prince No. 27 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Prince’s music has been influenced by rock, R&B, soul, funk, hip hop, blues, new wave, electronica, disco, psychedelia, folk, jazz, and pop. His artistic influences include Sly & the Family Stone, Parliament-Funkadelic, Joni Mitchell, the Beatles, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Miles Davis, Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Led Zeppelin, Marvin Gaye, the Isley Brothers, Todd Rundgren Duke Ellington, Curtis Mayfield, and Stevie Wonder. Prince pioneered the “Minneapolis sound”, a hybrid mixture of funk, rock, pop, R&B and new wave that has influenced many other musicians.

In 1993, while in a contractual dispute with Warner Bros., he changed his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol (Logo. Hollow circle above downward arrow crossed with a curlicued horn-shaped symbol and then a short bar), also known as the “Love Symbol”, and began releasing new albums at a faster rate to remove himself from contractual obligations. He released five records between 1994 and 1996 before signing with Arista Records in 1998. In 2000, he began referring to himself as “Prince” again. He released 16 albums after that, including the platinum-selling Musicology (2004). His final album, Hit n Run Phase Two, was first released on the Tidal streaming service on December 2015. Five months later, at the age of 57, Prince died of an accidental fentanyl overdose at his Paisley Park recording studio and home in Chanhassen, Minnesota.