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Prince (musician)
Encyclopedia
Prince Rogers Nelson often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of the instruments on his recordings. In addition, Prince has been a "talent promoter" for 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
, and Sinéad O'Connor
).
Prince also has several hundred unreleased songs in his "vault". He has won seven Grammy Award
s, 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
, rap
, 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, 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.
Prince has a wide vocal range
and is known for his flamboyant stage presence and costumes. His releases have sold over 80 million copies worldwide.
and Mattie Shaw. Prince's father was a pianist and songwriter and his mother was a jazz
singer. Prince was named after his father, whose stage name was Prince Rogers, and who performed with a jazz group called the Prince Rogers Trio. In a 1991 interview with A Current Affair, Prince's father said, "I named my son Prince because I wanted him to do everything I wanted to do." Prince's childhood nickname was Skipper.
In a PBS
interview Prince told Tavis Smiley
that he was "born epileptic
" and "used to have seizures" when he was young. During the interview Prince also said that "my mother told me one day I walked in to her and said, 'Mom, I'm not going to be sick anymore,' and she said 'Why?' and I said 'Because an angel told me so.' "
Prince's sister Tika Evene (usually called Tyka) was born in 1960. Both siblings developed a keen interest in music, and this was encouraged by their father. Prince wrote his first tune, "Funk Machine" on his father's piano when he was seven. Prince's parents then separated when Prince was ten years old. Following their separation, Prince constantly switched home: sometimes he lived with his father, and sometimes with his stepfather. Finally he moved into the home of a neighbor, the Andersons, and befriended their son, Andre Anderson who later became known as André Cymone
.
Prince and Anderson joined Prince's cousin, Charles Smith, in a band called Grand Central while they were attending Minneapolis's Central High School. Smith was later replaced by Morris Day
on the drums. Prince played piano and guitar for the band which performed at clubs and parties in the Minneapolis area. Grand Central later changed its name to Champagne and started playing original music influenced by Sly & the Family Stone, James Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire
, Miles Davis, Parliament-Funkadelic, Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix, and Todd Rundgren
. Prince also played basketball in high school.
Studios in Minneapolis using producer/engineer David Z. The demo recording, along with a press kit produced at Husney's ad agency, resulted in interest from several record companies including Warner Bros. Records
, A&M Records
, and Columbia Records
. With the help of Husney, Prince signed a recording contract with Warner Bros.. Warner Bros. agreed to give Prince creative control for three albums and ownership of the publishing rights. Husney and Prince then left Minneapolis and moved to Sausalito
, California where Prince's first album, For You
, was recorded at Record Plant Studios
. Subsequently, the album was mixed in Los Angeles and released in 1978.
with Marcy Ingvoldstad and Kristie Lazenberry. Willie hired Andre Cymone and Prince to record tracks with 94 East. Those songs were written by Willie and Prince contributed guitar tracks. Prince also co-wrote, with Willie, the 94 East song, "Just Another Sucker". The band recorded tracks which later became the album Minneapolis Genius – The Historic 1977 Recordings. Prince also recorded, but never released, a song written by Willie, "If You See Me" (also known as, "Do Yourself A Favor"). In 1995, Willie released the album 94 East featuring Prince, Symbolic Beginning which included original recordings by Prince and Cymone.
Prince released the album For You
on April 7, 1978. According to the For You album notes, Prince produced, arranged, composed and played all 27 instruments on the recording. The album was written and performed by Prince, except for the song "Soft and Wet
" which had lyrics co-written by Moon.
The cost of recording the album was twice Prince's initial advance. Prince used the Prince's Music Co. to publish his songs. "Soft and Wet" reached No. 12 on the Hot Soul Singles
chart and No. 92 on the Billboard Hot 100
. The song "Just as Long as We're Together
" reached No.91 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.
In 1979 Prince created a band which included André Cymone on bass, Dez Dickerson
on guitar, Gayle Chapman and Doctor Fink
on keyboards, and Bobby Z.
on drums. Their first show was at the Capri Theater on January 5, 1979. Warner Bros. executives attended the show but decided that Prince and the band needed more time to develop his music.
In October 1979, Prince released a self-titled album, Prince
, which was No.4 on the Billboard Top R&B/Black Albums
charts, and No.22 on the Billboard 200
, going platinum. It contained two R&B hits: "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?
" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover
". "I Wanna Be Your Lover" sold over a million copies, and reached No.11 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No.1 for two weeks on the Hot Soul Singles chart. Prince performed both these songs on January 26, 1980 on American Bandstand
. On this album, Prince used Ecnirp Music – BMI
.
, which he recorded in his own studio. The album was certified gold and the attendant single "Uptown
" reached No.5 on the Billboard Dance chart and No.5 on the Hot Soul Singles charts. Prince was also the opening act for Rick James
' 1980 Fire it Up tour. Dirty Mind contained sexually explicit material, including the title song, "Head", and the song "Sister". In February 1981, Prince made his first appearance on Saturday Night Live
, performing "Partyup".
In October 1981, Prince released the album, Controversy. He played several dates in support of it, at first as one of the opening acts for The Rolling Stones
, who were then on tour in the U.S. He began 1982 with a small tour of college towns where he was the headlining act. The songs on Controversy were published by Controversy Music – ASCAP, a practice he continued until the Emancipation
album in 1996.
In 1981, Prince formed a side project band called The Time. The band released four albums between 1981 and 1990, with Prince writing and performing most of the instrumentation and backing vocals, with lead vocals by Morris Day
.
In late 1982, Prince released a double album, 1999
, which sold over three million copies. The title track
was a protest against nuclear proliferation
and became his first top ten hit in countries outside the U.S. Prince's "Little Red Corvette
" was one of the first two videos by a black artist played in heavy rotation on MTV, along with Michael Jackson
's "Billie Jean
".
The song "Delirious" also placed in the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100
chart.
. The band's name was also printed, in reverse, on the cover of 1999 inside the letter "I" of the word "Prince". The band consisted of Lisa Coleman
and Doctor Fink on keyboards, Bobby Z. on drums, Brown Mark
on bass, and Dez Dickerson on guitar. Jill Jones, a backing singer, was also part of The Revolution line up for the 1999 album and tour. Following the 1999 Tour
, Dickerson left the group for religious reasons. In the 2003 book Possessed: The Rise and Fall of Prince, author Alex Hahn says that Dickerson was reluctant to sign a three year contract and wanted to pursue other musical ventures. Dickerson was replaced by Wendy Melvoin
, a childhood friend of Coleman. At first the band was used sparsely in the studio but this gradually changed during the mid-1980s.
Prince's 1984 album Purple Rain
sold more than thirteen million copies in the U.S. and spent twenty-four consecutive weeks at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The film of the same name
won an Academy Award
and grossed more than $80 million in the U.S.
Songs from the film were hits on pop charts around the world, while "When Doves Cry
" and "Let's Go Crazy
" reached No.1 and the title track
reached No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100. At one point in 1984, Prince simultaneously had the number one album, single, and film in the U.S.; it was the first time a singer had achieved this feat. Prince won the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score
for Purple Rain, and the album is ranked 72nd Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The album is included on the list of Time magazine's All-Time 100 Albums.
After Tipper Gore
heard her 12-year-old daughter Karenna listening to Prince's song "Darling Nikki
", she founded the Parents Music Resource Center
. The center advocates the mandatory use of a warning label ("Parental Advisory
: Explicit Lyrics") on the covers of records that have been judged to contain language or lyrical content unsuitable for minors. The recording industry later voluntarily complied with this request. Of what is considered the Filthy Fifteen Prince's compositions appear no. 1 and no. 2, with the fourth position occupied by his protegee Vanity.
In 1985 Prince announced that he would discontinue live performances and music videos after the release of his next album. His subsequent recording Around the World in a Day
held the No.1 spot on the Billboard 200 for three weeks.
In 1986 his album Parade reached No.3 on the Billboard 200 and No.2 on the R&B charts. The first single, "Kiss
", reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was originally written for a side project called Mazarati
. That same year the song "Manic Monday
", which was written by Prince and recorded by The Bangles, reached No.2 on the Hot 100 chart.
The album Parade served as the soundtrack for Prince's second film, Under the Cherry Moon
. Prince directed and starred in the movie, which also featured Kristen Scott Thomas. He received the Golden Raspberry Award for his efforts in acting and directing. In 1986, Prince began a series of sporadic live performances called the Hit n Run – Parade Tour. The European tour went to Europe in the summer and ended that September in Japan.
After the tour Prince abolished The Revolution, fired Wendy & Lisa
and replaced Bobby Z.
with Sheila E. Brown Mark quit the band while keyboardist Doctor Fink remained. Prince then recruited new band members Miko Weaver
on guitar, Atlanta Bliss
on trumpet, Eric Leeds
on saxophone, Boni Boyer on keyboards, Levi Seacer, Jr.
on bass and dancer Cat Glover
.
and a solo effort, Camille
. Unlike the three previous band albums, Dream Factory included significant input from the band members and even featured a number of songs with lead vocals by Wendy & Lisa, while the Camille project saw Prince create a new persona primarily singing in a sped up, female-sounding voice. With the dismissal of The Revolution, Prince consolidated material from both shelved albums, along with some new songs, into a three-LP album to be titled Crystal Ball
. However, following the low sales of his previous two albums, Warner Bros. forced Prince to trim the triple album to a double album and Sign o' the Times was released on March 31, 1987.
The album peaked at No.6 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The first single, "Sign o' the Times", would chart at No.3 on the Hot 100. The follow-up single, "If I Was Your Girlfriend
" charted poorly at No.67 on the Hot 100, but went to No.12 on R&B chart. The third single, a duet with Sheena Easton
, "U Got the Look
" charted at No.2 on the Hot 100, No.11 on the R&B chart, and the final single "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man
" finished at No.10 on Hot 100 and No.14 on the R&B chart.
Despite receiving the greatest critical acclaim of any album in Prince's career, including being named the top album of the year by the Pazz & Jop
critics' poll, and eventually selling 3.2 million copies, album sales steadily declined. In Europe, however, it performed well and Prince promoted the album overseas with a lengthy tour. Putting together a new backing band from the remnants of The Revolution, Prince added bassist Levi Seacer, Jr., Boni Boyer on keyboards, and dancer/choreographer Cat Glover to go with new drummer Sheila E. and holdovers Miko Weaver, Doctor Fink, Eric Leeds, Atlanta Bliss, and the Bodyguards (Jerome, Wally Safford, and Greg Brooks) for the Sign o' the Times Tour.
The tour was a huge success overseas, with Warner Bros. and Prince's managers wanting to bring it to the U.S. to resuscitate sagging sales of Sign o' the Times; however, Prince balked at a full U.S. tour, as he was ready to produce a new album. As a compromise the last two nights of the tour were filmed for release in movie theaters. Unfortunately, the film quality was deemed subpar and reshoots were performed at his Paisley Park studios. The film Sign o' the Times was released on November 20, 1987. Much like the album, the film garnered more critical praise than the previous year's Under the Cherry Moon; however, its box office receipts were minimal, and it quickly left theaters.
The next album intended for release was to be The Black Album. More instrumental and funk and R&B themed than recent releases, The Black Album also saw Prince experiment with hip hop music
on the songs "Bob George" and "Dead on It." Prince was set to release the album with a monochromatic black cover with only the catalog number printed, but after 500,000 copies had been pressed, Prince had a spiritual epiphany that the album was evil and had it recalled. It would later be released by Warner Bros. as a limited edition album in 1994. Prince went back in the studio for eight weeks and recorded Lovesexy
.
Released on May 10, 1988, Lovesexy serves as a spiritual opposite to the dark The Black Album. Every song is a solo effort by Prince, with exception of "Eye No" which was recorded with his backing band at the time, dubbed the "Lovesexy Band" by fans. Lovesexy would reach No.11 on the Billboard 200 and No.5 on the R&B albums chart. The lead single, "Alphabet St.
", peaked at No.8 on the Hot 100 and No.3 on the R&B chart, but finished with only selling 750,000 copies.
Prince again took his post-Revolution backing band (minus the Bodyguards) on a three leg, 84-show Lovesexy World Tour
; although the shows were well received by huge crowds, they lost money due to the expensive sets and incorporated props.
In 1989, Prince appeared on Madonna
's studio album Like a Prayer
, co-writing and singing the duet "Love Song" and playing electric guitar (uncredited) on the songs "Like a Prayer
", "Keep It Together", and "Act of Contrition". He also began work on a number of musical projects, including Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic
and early drafts of his Graffiti Bridge film, but both were put on hold when he was asked by Batman
director Tim Burton
to record several songs for the upcoming live-action adaptation. Prince went into the studio and produced an entire nine-track album that Warner Bros. released on June 20, 1989. Batman
peaked at No.1 on the Billboard 200, selling 4.3 million copies. The single "Batdance
" topped the Billboard and R&B charts.
Additionally, the single "The Arms of Orion
" with Sheena Easton charted at #36, and "Partyman
" (also featuring the vocals of Prince's then-girlfriend, nicknamed Anna Fantastic
) charted at No.18 on the Hot 100 and at No.5 on the R&B chart, while the love ballad "Scandalous!" went to No.5 on the R&B chart. However, he did have to sign away all publishing rights to the songs on the album to Warner Bros. as part of the deal to do the soundtrack.
In 1990, Prince went back on tour with a revamped band for his stripped down, back-to-basics Nude Tour
. With the departures of Boni Boyer, Sheila E., the horns, and Cat, Prince brought in Rosie Gaines on keys, drummer Michael Bland
, and dancing trio The Game Boyz (Tony M.
, Kirky J., and Damon Dickson). The European and Japanese tour was a financial success with its short, greatest hits setlist. As the year progressed, Prince finished production on his fourth film, Graffiti Bridge
, and the album of the same name
. Initially, Warner Bros. was reluctant to fund the film, but with Prince's assurances it would be a sequel to Purple Rain
as well as the involvement of the original members of The Time, the studio greenlit the project. Released on August 20, 1990, the album reached No.6 on the Billboard 200 and R&B albums chart. The single "Thieves in the Temple
" reaching No.6 on the Hot 100 and No.1 on the R&B chart. Also from that album, "Round and Round
" placed at number 12 on the U.S. charts and Number 2 on the R&B charts. The song featured the teenage Tevin Campbell
(who also had a role in the film) on lead vocals. The film, released on November 20, 1990, was a critical and box office flop, grossing just $4.2 million. After the release of the film and album, the last remaining members of The Revolution, Miko Weaver and Doctor Fink, left Prince's band.
1991 marked the debut of Prince's new band, The New Power Generation. With guitarist Miko Weaver and long-time keyboardist Doctor Fink gone, Prince added bass player Sonny T., Tommy Barbarella
on keyboards, and a brass section known as the Hornheads to go along with Levi Seacer (taking over on guitar), Rosie Gaines, Michael Bland, and the Game Boyz. With significant input from his band members, Diamonds and Pearls
was released on October 1, 1991. Reaching No.3 on the Billboard 200 album chart, Diamonds and Pearls saw 4 hit singles released in the United States. "Gett Off
" peaked at No.21 on the Hot 100 and No.6 on the R&B charts, followed by "Cream
" which gave Prince his fifth U.S. number one single. The title track "Diamonds and Pearls
" became the album's third single, reaching No.3 on the Hot 100 and the top spot on the R&B charts. "Money Don't Matter 2 Night
" peaked at No.23 and No.14 on the Hot 100 and R&B charts respectively.
1992 saw Prince and The New Power Generation release his twelfth album, 'Love Symbol Album', bearing only an unpronounceable symbol on the cover (later copyrighted as Love Symbol #2). The album, generally referred to as the Love Symbol Album, would peak at No.5 on the Billboard 200. While the label wanted "7
" to be the first single, Prince fought to have "My Name Is Prince
" as he "felt that the song's more hip-hoppery would appeal to the same audience" that had purchased the previous album. Prince got his way but "My Name Is Prince" only managed to reach No.36 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No.23 on the R&B chart. The follow-up single "Sexy MF" fared worse, charting at No.66 on the Hot 100 and No.76 on the R&B chart. The label's preferred lead single choice "7" would be the album's lone top ten hit, reaching #7. 'Love Symbol Album' would go on to sell 2.8 million copies worldwide.
After two failed attempts in 1990 and 1991, Warner Bros. finally released a greatest hits
compilation with the three-disc The Hits/The B-Sides
in 1993. 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
" and other songs that appeared on the Batman
soundtrack), 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" and a live recording of "Nothing Compares 2 U
" with Rosie Gaines. Two new songs, "Pink Cashmere
" and "Peach
", were chosen as promotional singles to accompany the compilation album.
1993 also marked the year in which Prince changed his stage name to the Love Symbol, which is a combination of the symbols
for male (♂) and female (♀). In order to use the symbol in print media, Warner Bros. had to organize a mass mailing of floppy disks with a custom font. Because the symbol is unpronounceable, he was often referred to as "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince."
, 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
. When Come was eventually released, it confirmed all of Warner's 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 with Love Symbol-era material. 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 No.3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No.1 in many other countries, but it would not prove to be a model for subsequent releases. 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 o' the Times. The album is now out-of-print.
Chaos and Disorder
, released in 1996, was Prince's final album of new material for Warner Bros., as well as one of his least commercially successful releases. Prince attempted a major comeback later that year when, free of any further contractual obligations to Warner Bros., he released Emancipation
, a 36-song, 3-CD set (each disc was exactly 60 minutes long). The album was released via his own NPG Records
with distribution through EMI
. To publish his songs on Emancipation, Prince did not use Controversy Music – ASCAP, which he had used for all his records since 1981, but rather used Emancipated Music Inc. – ASCAP.
Certified Platinum
by the RIAA
, Emancipation is the first record featuring covers
by Prince of songs of other artists: Joan Osborne
's top ten hit song of 1995 "One of Us
"; "Betcha by Golly Wow!
" (written by Thomas Randolf Bell and Linda Creed); "I Can't Make You Love Me
" (written by James Allen Shamblin II and Michael Barry Reid); and "La-La (Means I Love You)
" (written by Thomas Randolf Bell and William Hart).
Prince released Crystal Ball
, a 5-CD collection of unreleased material, in 1998. The distribution of this album was disorderly, with some fans pre-ordering the album on his website up to a year before it was eventually shipped to them; these pre-orders were eventually delivered months after the record had gone on sale in retail stores. The retail edition has only four discs, as it is missing the Kamasutra disc. There are also two different packaging editions for retail, one being in a 4-disc sized jewel case with a simple white cover and the Love Symbol in a colored circle; the other is all four discs in a round translucent snap jewel case. The discs are the same, as is the CD jacket. The Newpower Soul
album released three months later failed to make much of an impression on the charts. His collaboration on Chaka Khan
's Come 2 My House
, and Larry Graham
's GCS2000, both released on the NPG Records
label around the same time as Newpower Soul met with the same fate, despite heavy promotion and live appearances on Vibe with Sinbad, and the NBC
Today show's Summer Concert Series.
In 1999, Prince once again signed with a major label, Arista Records
, to release a new record, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
. In an attempt to make his new album a success, Prince easily gave more interviews than at any other point in his career, appearing on MTV's Total Request Live
(with his album cover on the front of the Virgin Megastore
, in the background on TRL throughout the whole show), Larry King Live
(with Larry Graham) and other media outlets. Nevertheless, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic failed to perform well commercially. 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.
The pay-per-view concert, Rave Un2 the Year 2000
, was broadcast on December 31, 1999 and consisted of footage from the December 17 and December 18 concerts of his 1999 tour. The concert featured appearances by many guest musicians including Lenny Kravitz
, George Clinton
, Jimmy Russell, and The Time. It was released to home video the following year. A remix album, Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic
(as opposed to "Un2") was released exclusively through Prince's NPG Music Club
in April 2000.
expired. In a press conference, he stated that, after being freed from undesirable relationships associated with the name "Prince", he would formally revert to using his real name. Prince still frequently uses the symbol as a logo and on album artwork and continues to play a Love Symbol-shaped guitar.
For several years following the release of Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, Prince primarily released new music through his Internet subscription service, NPGOnlineLtd.com (later NPGMusicClub.com). Two albums that show substantive jazz influence were available commercially at record stores: 2001's The Rainbow Children
, and the 2003 instrumental record N.E.W.S
which was nominated for a Best Pop Instrumental Album
Grammy Award. Another album of largely jazz-influenced music, Xpectation
, was released via download in 2003 to members of the NPGMusicClub. Xpectation is jazz themed along with new age and atmospheric themes.
In 2002, Prince released his first live album, One Nite Alone... Live!
, which features performances from the One Nite Alone...Tour. The 3-CD box set, which also includes a disc of "aftershow" music entitled It Ain't Over!, failed to chart. 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
, his music studios. Fans were invited into the studio 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. Performances were also arranged to showcase Prince's talents, as well as to collaborate with popular and well-established artists and guests including Alicia Keys
, The Time
, Erykah Badu
, Nikka Costa
, George Clinton
, and Norah Jones
.
On February 8, 2004, Prince appeared at the Grammy Award
s with Beyoncé Knowles
. In a performance that opened the show, Prince and Knowles performed a medley of "Purple Rain
", "Let's Go Crazy
", "Baby I'm a Star
", and Knowles' "Crazy in Love" to positive reviews. 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 Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps
", playing a long guitar solo that ended the song. In addition, he performed "Purple House" on the album Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix
.
On February 19, The Tavis Smiley Show
broadcast included a performance of "Reflection" from Prince's Musicology album. Prince was accompanied by Wendy Melvoin, formerly of The Revolution.
In April 2004, Prince released Musicology
through a one-album agreement with Columbia Records
. The album rose as high as the top five on a number of international charts (including the U.S, UK, Germany and Australia). The U.S. chart success was assisted by the CD being included as part of the concert ticket purchase, and each CD thereby qualifying (as chart rules then stood) towards U.S. chart placement. Musicology is R&B and soul themed along with funk, pop, quiet storm, and rock.
That same year, Rolling Stone magazine named Prince as the highest-earning musician in the world, with an annual income of $56.5 million, largely due to his Musicology Tour, which Pollstar
named as the top concert draw among musicians in U.S. The artist played an impressive run of 96 concerts; the average ticket price for a show was U.S.$61. 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
. Musicology was also nominated for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Album, while "Cinnamon Girl
" was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
. The album became the artist's most commercially successful since Diamonds and Pearls
, partly due to a radical scheme devised which included in Billboard's sales figures those that were distributed to each customer during ticket sales for the Musicology tour, with concert figures accounting for 25% of the total album sales.
Rolling Stone magazine has ranked Prince No.27 on their list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
In April 2005, Prince played guitar (along with En Vogue
singing backing vocals) on Stevie Wonder
's single "So What the Fuss
", Wonder's first since 1999.
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. Prince again performed all instrumental and vocal parts. 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 No.1 on the store's R&B chart. On October 25, Sony Records
released a version of the single on CD.
to release his album, 3121
, on March 21, 2006 (3/21). The first single was the Latin-tinged "Te Amo Corazón
", the video for which was directed by actress Salma Hayek
and filmed in Marrakech
, Morocco, featuring Argentine actress and singer Mía Maestro
. The video for the second single, "Black Sweat
", was nominated at the MTV VMAs
for Best Cinematography. The immediate success of 3121 gave Prince his first No.1 debut on the Billboard 200 with the album.
To promote the new album, Prince was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live
on February 4, 2006, seventeen years after his last SNL appearance on the 15th anniversary special and nearly 25 years since his first appearance on a regular episode in 1981, making Prince the only SNL musical guest to have that long of a gap between appearances. He performed two songs from the album, "Fury
" and "Beautiful, Loved & Blessed", with Támar
. Prince also held a contest to win a trip to see a 'Purple Ticket Concert' at his private residence in Hollywood
, California. Seven winning tickets were placed inside 3121 CD packages in the U.S., and other tickets were given away in various contests on the Internet and around the world. On May 6, 2006, twenty-four prize winners (with a guest each) attended a star-studded private party and performance at Prince's home.
On June 12, 2006, Prince received a Webby
Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his "visionary" use of the Internet; Prince was the first major artist to release an entire album, 1997's Crystal Ball
, exclusively on the Internet (although he did take phone orders for it as well...1-800-NEW-FUNK).
Only weeks after winning a Webby Award, Prince abruptly shut down his then-official NPG Music Club
website at 12:00 am on July 4, 2006 after over five years of operation. The NPG Music Club 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." On the day of the music club's shutdown, a lawsuit was filed against Prince by the British company HM Publishing (owners of the Nature Publishing Group
, also NPG). Despite these events occurring on the same day, Prince's attorney has called it pure coincidence and stated that the site did not close due to the trademark dispute.
Prince appeared at multiple award ceremonies in 2006. On February 15, 2006, Prince performed at the BRIT Awards along with Wendy & Lisa and Sheila E. He played "Te Amo Corazón" and "Fury" from 3121 and "Purple Rain" and "Let's Go Crazy" from Purple Rain. On June 27, 2006, Prince appeared at the BET
Awards
, where he was awarded Best Male R&B Artist. In addition to receiving his award, Prince performed a medley of Chaka Khan songs for Khan's BET Lifetime Award. Prince had previously written and performed several songs with the singer. In November 2006, Prince was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame
, appearing to collect his award but not performing. Also in November 2006, Prince opened a nightclub named 3121 in Las Vegas
at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino
. He performed weekly on Friday and Saturday nights until April 2007, when his contract with the Rio ended.
On August 22, 2006, Prince released Ultimate Prince. The double disc set contains one CD of previous hits, and another of extended versions and mixes of material that had largely only previously been available on vinyl record B-sides.
Prince wrote and performed a song for the hit 2006 animated film Happy Feet
. The song, entitled "The Song of the Heart", appears on the film's soundtrack
, which also features a cover of Prince's earlier hit "Kiss", sung by Nicole Kidman
and Hugh Jackman
. In January 2007, "The Song of the Heart" won a Golden Globe
for Best Original Song. Prince arrived late, apparently due to traffic problems, and thus was unable to make an acceptance speech, but actor Hugh Grant
prompted him later in the ceremony to take a bow.
press conference. He and the band played a set comprising Chuck Berry
's hit, "Johnny B. Goode
", "Anotherloverholenyohead
" from Parade and "Get On the Boat" from 3121
. Prince performed at the Super Bowl XLI halftime show in Miami, Florida on February 4, 2007. The performance consisted of three Purple Rain
tracks ("Let's Go Crazy", "Baby I'm a Star
" and the title track
), along with cover versions of "We Will Rock You
" by Queen
, "All Along the Watchtower
" by Bob Dylan
, the Foo Fighters
song "Best of You
" and "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
. Coincidentally, Miami had rain on the day of the Super Bowl, which was lit purple during the performance of "Purple Rain". He played on a large stage shaped as his symbol. The event was carried to 140 million television viewers, the largest audience of his life. On February 4, 2010, Billboard.com ranked the performance as the greatest Super Bowl performance ever.
Prince played 21 concerts in London during the summer of 2007. The Earth Tour
included 21 nights at the 20,000 capacity O2 Arena
, with Maceo Parker
in his band. Tickets for the O2 Arena were priced at £31.21 (including a free copy of Prince's latest album), in order to make the concerts "affordable for everybody". The residency at the O2 Arena was increased to 15 nights after all 140,000 tickets for the original seven sold out in just 20 minutes. It was then further extended to 21 nights.
On May 10, 2007, Prince performed a 'secret' gig at London's KOKO in front of a small crowd of fans and celebrities. Tickets went on sale that morning on a first-come-first-served basis (again at £31.21). A prelude to the forthcoming summer gigs in London, Prince played a relaxed set of classic hits ("Kiss
", changing the lyric from "You don't have to watch Dynasty
" to Desperate Housewives
, "Girls & Boys
", and "Nothing Compares 2 U
") alongside more recent tracks, plus a well-received cover version of Gnarls Barkley
's "Crazy
".
Prince made an appearance at the 2007 ALMA Award
s, performing with Sheila E. in June 2007. On June 28, 2007, the UK national newspaper The Mail on Sunday
revealed that it had made a deal to give Prince's new album, Planet Earth
, away for free with an "imminent" edition of the paper, making it the first place in the world to get the album. This move sparked controversy among music distributors and also led the UK arm of Prince's distributor, Sony BMG, to withdraw from distributing the album in UK stores. The UK's largest high street music retailer, HMV
, decided to stock the paper on release day due to the giveaway. Planet Earth is rock-oriented along with disco, and other various music styles.
On July 7, 2007 Prince returned to his hometown of Minneapolis to perform three shows in what was unofficially declared Prince Day in Minnesota
. He performed concerts at the Macy's
Auditorium (to promote his new perfume "3121") on Nicollet Mall
, the Target Center
arena, and First Avenue. It was the first time he had played at First Avenue (the club appeared in the film Purple Rain) since 1987.
On April 25, 2008, Prince performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, where he debuted a new song, "Turn Me Loose". Days after, he headlined the Coachella Festival 2008. Prince was paid more than $5 million for his performance at Coachella, according to Reuters
.
Prince cancelled a concert, planned at Dublin's Croke Park
on June 16, 2008, at just 10 days' notice. In October 2009 promoters MCD Productions
went to court to sue Prince for €1.6 million, after paying him $1.5 million, half his agreed fee of $3 million for the concert. MCD claim they had to refund 55,126 tickets purchased and its total losses exceeded $1.66 million. Prince's lawyers argued the MCD claim was "greatly inflated". Prince settled the case out of court in February 2010 for $2.95 million. During the trial, it was revealed that Prince had been offered $22 million for seven concerts as part of a proposed 2008 European tour.
In October 2008, Prince released a live album entitled Indigo Nights
, as well as 21 Nights, an accompanying book of poems, lyrics and photos. The book chronicled his record-breaking tenure at London's O2 Arena in 2007, while the album is a collection of songs performed live at aftershows in the IndigO2.
On December 18, 2008, Prince premiered four songs from his new album on LA's Indie rock radio station Indie 103.1
. The radio station's programmers Max Tolkoff and Mark Sovel
had been invited to Prince's home to hear the new rock oriented music. Prince then surprised the two by giving them a CD with 4 songs to premiere on their radio station. The music debuted the next day on Jonesy's Jukebox, hosted by Sex Pistol
Steve Jones
. The music comprised a cover of "Crimson and Clover
" by Tommy James and the Shondells, together with "Colonized Mind", "Wall of Berlin" and "4ever". The same day, another new Prince composition entitled "(There'll Never B) Another Like Me" premiered on the now obsolete and defunct website, mplsound.com — replacing a shorter, instrumental version of the song which streamed several days previously.
On January 3, 2009, a new website LotusFlow3r.com was launched, streaming some of the recently-aired material ("Crimson and Clover", "(There'll Never B) Another Like Me" and "Here Eye Come") and promising opportunities to listen to and buy music by Prince and guests, watch videos and buy concert tickets for future events. On January 31, Prince released two more songs on LotusFlow3r.com: "Disco Jellyfish", and "Another Boy". "Chocolate Box", "Colonized Mind", and "All This Love" have since been released on the website.
Prince released a triple album set containing LOtUSFLOW3R
, MPLSoUND, and an album credited to his new protege, Bria Valente
, called Elixer, on March 24, 2009, followed by a physical release on March 29. The release was preceded by performances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Ellen DeGeneres Show
. It was released in other countries digitally, with official physical release dates yet to be announced. The album peaked at No.2 on the Billboard 200, and critics' opinions were mixed to positive.
On July 18, 2009, Prince performed two shows at the Montreux Jazz Festival
, being backed by The New Power Generation including Rhonda Smith, Renato Neto and John Blackwell
. There he played "A Large Room with No Light" which had been in Prince's "vault" for some time.
On October 11, 2009, Prince gave two surprise concerts at the glass-and-iron Grand Palais
exhibition hall after visiting the landmark Paris building on the banks of the Seine. On October 12, he gave another surprise gig at La Cigale
. On October 24, Prince played a concert at his own Paisley Park complex in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
football game against the Dallas Cowboys
. The song is a simple, drumline-driven track. The following month, Prince let Minneapolis-area public radio station 89.3 The Current
premiere his new song "Cause and Effect" as a gesture in support of independent radio.
In a poll by BBC 6 Music
listeners in April 2010, Prince was ranked the eighth-best guitarist of the previous 30 years.
Prince released a new single on Minneapolis radio station 89.3 The Current called "Hot Summer" on June 7, his 52nd birthday. Also in June, Prince appeared on the cover of the July 2010 issue of Ebony
, and he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 BET Awards
.
Prince released his album 20Ten
in July 2010 as a free covermount
with publications in the UK, Belgium, Germany, and France. Prince has refused access to the album to digital download services. He also closed his official website, LotusFlow3r.com. In an interview with the Daily Mirror, Prince said, "The Internet's completely over. I don't see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else. They won't pay me an advance for it and then they get angry when they can't get it... Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers and that can't be good for you."
On July 4, 2010 Prince began his 20Ten Tour
, a concert tour in two legs with shows in Europe. The second leg began on October 15 and ended with a concert following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
on November 14. The second half of the tour has a new band, John Blackwell, Ida Kristine Nielsen
, and Sheila E. Prince let Europe 1
debut the snippet of his new song "Rich Friends" from the "new" album 20Ten Deluxe on October 8, 2010. Prince started the Welcome 2... Tour on December 15, 2010.
Prince was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame on December 7, 2010.
On February 12, 2011, Prince presented Barbra Streisand
with an award and donated $1.5 million to charities. On the same day, it was reported that he was unimpressed about Glee covering his hit "Kiss
", and that he had not authorised this.
On the May 18, 2011, it was announced that Prince would be headlining Hop Farm Festival
on July 3, 2011, marking his first UK show since 2007 and his first ever UK festival appearance.
, Madonna
, Vanity
, Sheila E.
, Carmen Electra
, Susanna Hoffs
, Anna Fantastic
, Sherilyn Fenn
, and Susan Moonsie
of Vanity 6
and Apollonia 6
.
Prince was engaged to Susannah Melvoin
in 1985.
He married his backup singer and dancer, Mayte Garcia, on Valentine's Day, 1996. They had a son, Boy Gregory (born October 16, 1996), who was born with Pfeiffer syndrome
and died a week after birth. Prince and Mayte divorced in 1999. In 2001, Prince married Manuela Testolini in a private ceremony. Testolini filed for divorce in May 2006. He has been in a relationship with protégée Bria Valente
since 2007.
Prince became a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses
in 2001 following a two-year-long debate with friend and fellow Jehovah's Witness, musician Larry Graham
. Prince said he didn't consider it a conversion, but a "realization"; "It's like Morpheus
and Neo
in The Matrix
", he explained. He attends meetings at a local Kingdom Hall
and occasionally knocks on people's doors to discuss his faith. Prince has reportedly needed double-hip-replacement surgery since 2005 but won't undergo the operation unless it is a bloodless surgery because Jehovah's Witnesses do not accept blood transfusions
. The condition is rumored to be aggravated by repeated onstage dancing in high-heeled boots. However, when Prince was interviewed in 2010, journalist Peter Willis said he believed the rumors of Prince needing double hip surgery to be unfounded and untrue as Prince appeared to be agile.
Prince is a vegetarian. In 2006 he was voted the "world's sexiest vegetarian" in PETA
's annual online poll. The liner notes for his album Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
featured a message about the cruelty involved in wool production.
Prince is a supporter of the Minneapolis football team Minnesota Vikings
. He currently resides near Minneapolis, Minnesota and is considering buying a home in France.
In June 2011, Prince was quoted in The Guardian
as saying "It's fun being in Islamic countries, to know there's only one religion. There's order. You wear a burqa. There's no choice. People are happy with that."
, a legal battle ensued between Warner Bros. and Prince over the artistic and financial control of Prince's output. During the lawsuit, Prince appeared in public with the word "slave" written on his cheek. Prince explained his name change as follows:
Prince is a trademark owned by Paisley Park Enterprises Inc. It was initially filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office
(USPTO) in 2005 in the categories of printed materials, clothing, electronic commerce, and entertainment services based on first commercial in 1978. Various searches to the USPTO did not find any registrations or transfers of "Prince" or related names by Warner Bros. In 1991, PRN Music Corporation assigned the trademarks Prince, The Time, Paisley Park, New Power Generation, and Prince and the Revolution to Paisley Park Enterprises.
Prince has used pseudonyms to separate himself from the music (either his own or that of others) for which he has had input; "I was just getting tired of seeing my name," he said, "If you give away an idea, you still own that idea. In fact, giving it away strengthens it. Why do people feel they have to take credit for everything they do? Ego
, that's the only reason." These pseudonyms include: Jamie Starr and The Starr Company (for the songs he wrote for The Time
and many other artists from 1981–1984), Joey Coco (for many unreleased Prince songs in the late 1980s, as well as songs written for Sheena Easton
& Kenny Rogers), Paisley Park (occasionally used in the early 1990s for his production credits on songs, including those written for Martika
and Kid Creole
), Alexander Nevermind (for writing the 1984 song "Sugar Walls
" by Sheena Easton), and Christopher (used for his song writing credit of "Manic Monday
" for The Bangles
).
because they "are clearly able [to] filter porn and pedophile material but appear to choose not to filter out the unauthorized music and film content which is core to their business success." Web Sheriff
, the international Internet policing company he hired, told Reuters: "The problem is that one can reduce it to zero and then the next day there will be 100 or 500 or whatever. This carries on ad nauseam at Prince's expense."
In October 2007, Stephanie Lenz filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Publishing Group, claiming they were abusing copyright law, after the music publisher had YouTube take down Lenz's home movie in which the Prince song "Let's Go Crazy
" played faintly in the background.
On November 5, 2007, several fan sites of Prince formed "Prince Fans United" to fight back against legal requests they claim Prince made to cease and desist all use of photographs, images, lyrics, album covers and anything linked to Prince's likeness. While Prince's lawyers claimed that the use of such representations constituted copyright infringement, the Prince Fans United claimed that the legal actions were "attempts to stifle all critical commentary about Prince." A few days later, Prince released a statement denying the fansites' claims, stating "The action taken earlier this week was not to shut down fansites, or control comment in any way. The issue was simply to do with in regards to copyright and trademark of images and only images, and no lawsuits have been filed." The statement from AEG
, Prince's promoter, asserted that the only "offending items" on the three fansites were live shots from Prince's 21 nights in London at the O2 Arena earlier in the year.
On November 8, 2007, Prince Fans United received a song named "PFUnk", providing a kind of "unofficial answer" to their movement. The song, originally debuted on the PFU main site, was retitled "F.U.N.K.
" and is available on iTunes.
On November 14, 2007, it was reported that the satirical website b3ta.com had pulled their "image challenge of the week" devoted to Prince after legal threats from the star under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
. B3ta co-founder Rob Manuel
wrote on the site:
"Under threat of legal action from Prince's legal team of 'potential closure of your web site' – We have removed the Prince image challenge and B3ta apologizes unreservedly to AEG / NPG and Prince for any offence caused. We also ask our members to avoid photoshopping Prince and posting them on our boards.
At the 2008 Coachella Music Festival, Prince performed a cover of Radiohead
's "Creep", but immediately after he forced YouTube and other sites to remove footage that fans had taken of the performance, despite Radiohead's demand for it to remain on the website. Days later, YouTube reinstated the videos, while Radiohead claimed "it's our song, let people hear it." In 2009, Prince put the video of that Coachella performance on his then-official website LotusFlow3r.com.
and Purple Rain
− awarded the Grammy Hall of Fame Award.
Sheila E.
Sheila Escovedo , known by her stage name Sheila E., is an American drummer and percussionist, perhaps best known for her work with Prince, George Duke and Ringo Starr.-Early life and Prince period:...
, Carmen Electra
Carmen Electra
Tara Leigh Patrick , professionally known as Carmen Electra, is an American glamour model, actress, television personality, singer, and dancer...
, The Time
The Time (band)
The Time is a funk and dance-pop ensemble formed in 1981. They are close Prince associates and arguably the most successful artists who have worked with him.-Prince, Formation and Success:...
and Vanity 6
Vanity 6
Vanity 6 was a female vocal trio assembled by Prince in the early 1980s.They released one studio album, which blended the sounds of pop, New Wave, dance music, R&B, and funk.-Formation:...
, and his songs have been recorded by these artists and others (including Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
, The Bangles
The Bangles
The Bangles are an American all-female band that originated in the early 1980s, scoring several hit singles during the decade.-Formation and early years :...
, and Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
).
Prince also has several hundred unreleased songs in his "vault". He has won seven Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
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
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, rap
Rap
Rap may refer to:*Rapping, performance in which rhyming lyrics are used, with or without musical accompaniment ; while an MC performs spoken verses in time to a beat/ melody**Hip hop subculture**Hip hop music...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
, electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
, disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
, psychedelia
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
, folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and pop. His artistic influences include Sly & the Family Stone
Sly & the Family Stone
Sly and the Family Stone were an American rock, funk, and soul band from San Francisco, California. Active from 1966 to 1983, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music...
, Parliament-Funkadelic
Parliament-Funkadelic
Parliament-Funkadelic is a funk, soul and rock music collective headed by George Clinton. Their style has been dubbed P-Funk. Collectively the group has existed under various names since the 1960s and has been known for top-notch musicianship, politically charged lyrics, outlandish concept albums...
, Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, the Isley Brothers, Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
, and Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
. Prince pioneered the "Minneapolis sound
Minneapolis sound
The Minneapolis sound is a hybrid mixture of funk, rock, pop, R&B and New Wave that was pioneered by Prince in the late 1970s. Its popularity was given a boost throughout the 1980s, thanks to his musical adherents, including The Time, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Morris Day, Vanity 6, Apollonia 6, Ta...
", a hybrid mixture of funk, rock, pop, R&B and New Wave that has influenced many other musicians.
Prince has a wide vocal range
Vocal range
Vocal range is the measure of the breadth of pitches that a human voice can phonate. Although the study of vocal range has little practical application in terms of speech, it is a topic of study within linguistics, phonetics, and speech and language pathology, particularly in relation to the study...
and is known for his flamboyant stage presence and costumes. His releases have sold over 80 million copies worldwide.
Early life
Prince Rogers Nelson was born June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to John L. NelsonJohn L. Nelson
John Lewis Nelson , also known as Prince Rogers, was an American jazz musician.-Life:Nelson was born in Louisiana. He traveled to Minneapolis to become a musician in 1948...
and Mattie Shaw. Prince's father was a pianist and songwriter and his mother was a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
singer. Prince was named after his father, whose stage name was Prince Rogers, and who performed with a jazz group called the Prince Rogers Trio. In a 1991 interview with A Current Affair, Prince's father said, "I named my son Prince because I wanted him to do everything I wanted to do." Prince's childhood nickname was Skipper.
In a PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
interview Prince told Tavis Smiley
Tavis Smiley
Tavis Smiley is a talk show host, author, liberal political commentator, entrepreneur, advocate and philanthropist. Smiley was born in Gulfport, Mississippi and grew up in Kokomo, Indiana. After attending Indiana University, he worked during the late 1980s as an aide to Tom Bradley, the mayor of...
that he was "born epileptic
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
" and "used to have seizures" when he was young. During the interview Prince also said that "my mother told me one day I walked in to her and said, 'Mom, I'm not going to be sick anymore,' and she said 'Why?' and I said 'Because an angel told me so.' "
Prince's sister Tika Evene (usually called Tyka) was born in 1960. Both siblings developed a keen interest in music, and this was encouraged by their father. Prince wrote his first tune, "Funk Machine" on his father's piano when he was seven. Prince's parents then separated when Prince was ten years old. Following their separation, Prince constantly switched home: sometimes he lived with his father, and sometimes with his stepfather. Finally he moved into the home of a neighbor, the Andersons, and befriended their son, Andre Anderson who later became known as André Cymone
André Cymone
André Cymone is an American bassist, songwriter and record producer. Cymone was a bass guitarist for recording artist Prince's touring band, pre-Revolution. Cymone began a solo career in 1981. His song, "The Dance Electric" , reached number ten on the R&B charts...
.
Prince and Anderson joined Prince's cousin, Charles Smith, in a band called Grand Central while they were attending Minneapolis's Central High School. Smith was later replaced by Morris Day
Morris Day
Morris E. Day is an American musician and composer. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time.-1970s and 1980s:...
on the drums. Prince played piano and guitar for the band which performed at clubs and parties in the Minneapolis area. Grand Central later changed its name to Champagne and started playing original music influenced by Sly & the Family Stone, James Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire is an American soul and R&B band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 by Verdine and Maurice White. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. They have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of...
, Miles Davis, Parliament-Funkadelic, Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix, and Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
. Prince also played basketball in high school.
Career
In 1976, Prince created a demo tape with producer Chris Moon in Moon's Minneapolis studio. Unable to secure a recording contract, Moon brought the tape to Minneapolis businessman Owen Husney. Husney signed Prince, at the age of 17, to a management contract and helped Prince create a demo recording at Sound 80Sound 80
Sound80 was a recording studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States founded by Tom Jung and Herb Pilhofer in 1969. Largely involved with local artists, the studio is best known for recording portions of Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks in 1974, but also made what is believed to be the first...
Studios in Minneapolis using producer/engineer David Z. The demo recording, along with a press kit produced at Husney's ad agency, resulted in interest from several record companies including Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
, and Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. With the help of Husney, Prince signed a recording contract with Warner Bros.. Warner Bros. agreed to give Prince creative control for three albums and ownership of the publishing rights. Husney and Prince then left Minneapolis and moved to Sausalito
Sausalito, California
Sausalito is a San Francisco Bay Area city, in Marin County, California, United States. Sausalito is south-southeast of San Rafael, at an elevation of 13 feet . The population was 7,061 as of the 2010 census. The community is situated near the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, and prior to...
, California where Prince's first album, For You
For You (Prince album)
-Music:The album opens with the title track, an a cappella recording that states: "All of this and more is for you. With love, sincerity, and deepest care, my life with you I share." This would foreshadow Prince's career of speaking mostly through his music, rather than conventional interviews...
, was recorded at Record Plant Studios
Record Plant Studios
The Record Plant was a series of three famous recording studios which were founded by Gary Kellgren and Chris Stone, beginning in New York City in 1968. The next year, Kellgren and Stone opened a second studio in Los Angeles. In 1972, the company expanded again with a third location in Sausalito,...
. Subsequently, the album was mixed in Los Angeles and released in 1978.
Musical beginnings: 1974–80
In 1975, Pepe Willie, the husband of Prince's cousin, Shauntel, formed the band 94 East94 East
94 East was a Minneapolis-based funk group formed in December 1975 by Pepe Willie, the former husband of Prince's cousin. Willie was one of the people responsible for getting Prince's career up and running, and soon enlisted the talents of a young Prince and his childhood best friend, André Cymone....
with Marcy Ingvoldstad and Kristie Lazenberry. Willie hired Andre Cymone and Prince to record tracks with 94 East. Those songs were written by Willie and Prince contributed guitar tracks. Prince also co-wrote, with Willie, the 94 East song, "Just Another Sucker". The band recorded tracks which later became the album Minneapolis Genius – The Historic 1977 Recordings. Prince also recorded, but never released, a song written by Willie, "If You See Me" (also known as, "Do Yourself A Favor"). In 1995, Willie released the album 94 East featuring Prince, Symbolic Beginning which included original recordings by Prince and Cymone.
Prince released the album For You
For You (Prince album)
-Music:The album opens with the title track, an a cappella recording that states: "All of this and more is for you. With love, sincerity, and deepest care, my life with you I share." This would foreshadow Prince's career of speaking mostly through his music, rather than conventional interviews...
on April 7, 1978. According to the For You album notes, Prince produced, arranged, composed and played all 27 instruments on the recording. The album was written and performed by Prince, except for the song "Soft and Wet
Soft and Wet
"Soft and Wet" is a song written by Prince. It was his first single, released in 1978 from his debut album, For You. The track is in the funk-disco vein, comprising drums, bass guitar and synthesizers....
" which had lyrics co-written by Moon.
The cost of recording the album was twice Prince's initial advance. Prince used the Prince's Music Co. to publish his songs. "Soft and Wet" reached No. 12 on the Hot Soul Singles
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart and No. 92 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The song "Just as Long as We're Together
Just as Long as We're Together
"Just as Long as We're Together" was Prince's second single released from his 1978 debut album, For You. While "Soft and Wet" was more funk-based, "Just as Long as We're Together" is an all-out disco track. The song was re-recorded multiple times to prove Prince's talents to Warner Bros. Records...
" reached No.91 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.
In 1979 Prince created a band which included André Cymone on bass, Dez Dickerson
Dez Dickerson
Dez Dickerson is an American guitarist and singer who was a member of Prince's former band, The Revolution.-Biography:...
on guitar, Gayle Chapman and Doctor Fink
Doctor Fink
Matthew Robert "Matt" Fink, better known by the stage name Doctor Fink, is an American keyboardist, record producer, and songwriter. He is most known as a member of The Revolution, the backing band for pop musician Prince. Fink won a Grammy Award...
on keyboards, and Bobby Z.
Bobby Z.
Robert B. Rivkin , better known by the stage name Bobby Z., is an American musician and record producer, most known as being a member of Prince's band from 1978–1986, and as a member of The Revolution.-Biography:...
on drums. Their first show was at the Capri Theater on January 5, 1979. Warner Bros. executives attended the show but decided that Prince and the band needed more time to develop his music.
In October 1979, Prince released a self-titled album, Prince
Prince (album)
Prince is the second studio album by Prince, released on October 19, 1979. It was a quickly written album in reaction to his debut For You. It took seven weeks to complete. The album needed to have hits and sell well to make up for the blown budget on his first release...
, which was No.4 on the Billboard Top R&B/Black Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
charts, and No.22 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, going platinum. It contained two R&B hits: "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?
Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?
"Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" is the U.S. follow-up single to Prince's first big hit, "I Wanna Be Your Lover". It is also Prince's first rock and roll-inspired single release. It did not make the top 40 of the charts, although it did reach #13 on the R&B Singles charts. The lyrics are...
" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover
I Wanna Be Your Lover
"I Wanna Be Your Lover" is a song by Prince from his second album Prince, released in 1979. It was his first successful single, gaining radio airplay and chart success: the song scored two weeks at number one on the R&B singles chart during December 1979, and peaked at number eleven on the...
". "I Wanna Be Your Lover" sold over a million copies, and reached No.11 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No.1 for two weeks on the Hot Soul Singles chart. Prince performed both these songs on January 26, 1980 on American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
. On this album, Prince used Ecnirp Music – BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
.
Controversy era: 1980–84
In 1980 Prince released the album, Dirty MindDirty Mind
Dirty Mind is the third studio album by American musician Prince, released October 8, 1980 on Warner Bros. Records. Produced, arranged and composed primarily by Prince, it contains prominently sexual lyrics and incorporates musical elements of funk, dance and rock music. The album debuted at number...
, which he recorded in his own studio. The album was certified gold and the attendant single "Uptown
Uptown (song)
"Uptown" was the lead single in the U.S. to Prince's third album, Dirty Mind. Beginning with a lone drum intro, the track explodes into the keyboards of the chorus. The verses feature a more prominent funk guitar. The song breaks down to a more instrumental section toward the end that is mainly...
" reached No.5 on the Billboard Dance chart and No.5 on the Hot Soul Singles charts. Prince was also the opening act for Rick James
Rick James
James Ambrose Johnson, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popular performer in the late 1970s and 1980s, scoring four number-one hits on the U.S. R&B charts performing in the genres of funk and R&B...
' 1980 Fire it Up tour. Dirty Mind contained sexually explicit material, including the title song, "Head", and the song "Sister". In February 1981, Prince made his first appearance on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, performing "Partyup".
In October 1981, Prince released the album, Controversy. He played several dates in support of it, at first as one of the opening acts for The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, who were then on tour in the U.S. He began 1982 with a small tour of college towns where he was the headlining act. The songs on Controversy were published by Controversy Music – ASCAP, a practice he continued until the Emancipation
Emancipation (album)
Emancipation is the nineteenth studio album by Prince . The title refers to Prince's freedom from his contract with Warner Bros. Records after 18 years, with whom he had a contentious relationship...
album in 1996.
In 1981, Prince formed a side project band called The Time. The band released four albums between 1981 and 1990, with Prince writing and performing most of the instrumentation and backing vocals, with lead vocals by Morris Day
Morris Day
Morris E. Day is an American musician and composer. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time.-1970s and 1980s:...
.
In late 1982, Prince released a double album, 1999
1999 (album)
1999 is the fifth studio album by Prince, released on October 27, 1982. It was his first top ten album on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and became the fifth best-selling album of 1983. 1999 was Prince's breakthrough album, but his next album Purple Rain would become his most...
, which sold over three million copies. The title track
1999 (song)
"1999" is a song by Prince, the title track from his 1982 album of the same name. The song is one of Prince's best-known, and a defining moment in his rise to superstar status....
was a protest against nuclear proliferation
Nuclear proliferation
Nuclear proliferation is a term now used to describe the spread of nuclear weapons, fissile material, and weapons-applicable nuclear technology and information, to nations which are not recognized as "Nuclear Weapon States" by the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also known as the...
and became his first top ten hit in countries outside the U.S. Prince's "Little Red Corvette
Little Red Corvette
"Little Red Corvette" is a song by the American musician Prince. Released as a single from the album 1999 in 1983, the song was his biggest hit at the time, and his first to reach top-10 status in the U.S., peaking at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart...
" was one of the first two videos by a black artist played in heavy rotation on MTV, along with Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's "Billie Jean
Billie Jean
"Billie Jean" is a dance-pop/R&B song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was written, composed, and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones from the singer's sixth album, Thriller . Originally disliked by Jones, the track was almost removed from the album after he and...
".
The song "Delirious" also placed in the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart.
The Revolution and Purple Rain: 1984–87
During this period Prince referred to his band as The RevolutionThe Revolution (band)
The Revolution was an American rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1979 by Prince. Although widely associated with rock music, the band's sound incorporated heavy metal, pop, funk, R&B and hard rock elements. Before their official break-up, The Revolution had released one studio album,...
. The band's name was also printed, in reverse, on the cover of 1999 inside the letter "I" of the word "Prince". The band consisted of Lisa Coleman
Lisa Coleman (musician)
Lisa Coleman is an American Emmy® Award winning musician and composer. Coleman plays piano and keyboards. She was a member of Prince's backing band The Revolution from 1980-1986. She is currently one half of the musical duo Wendy & Lisa, formed with Wendy Melvoin in 1986.-Early life:Coleman's...
and Doctor Fink on keyboards, Bobby Z. on drums, Brown Mark
Brownmark
Mark Brown , better known by the stage name Brown Mark, also styled Brownmark and BrownMark, is an American musician and record producer.-Biography:...
on bass, and Dez Dickerson on guitar. Jill Jones, a backing singer, was also part of The Revolution line up for the 1999 album and tour. Following the 1999 Tour
1999 Tour
The 1999 Tour, was up till then, Prince's longest tour of the U.S. in support of his fifth studio album 1999. In addition, to Prince and his band, his latest all girl group Vanity 6 made their first live act tour along with the returning Time....
, Dickerson left the group for religious reasons. In the 2003 book Possessed: The Rise and Fall of Prince, author Alex Hahn says that Dickerson was reluctant to sign a three year contract and wanted to pursue other musical ventures. Dickerson was replaced by Wendy Melvoin
Wendy Melvoin
Wendy Melvoin is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Prince as part of his backing band The Revolution, and for her collaboration with Lisa Coleman as one half of the duo Wendy & Lisa....
, a childhood friend of Coleman. At first the band was used sparsely in the studio but this gradually changed during the mid-1980s.
Prince's 1984 album Purple Rain
Purple Rain (album)
Purple Rain is the sixth studio album by Prince, the first to officially be credited to Prince and The Revolution, and is the soundtrack album to the 1984 film Purple Rain.Purple Rain is regularly ranked among the best albums in pop music history...
sold more than thirteen million copies in the U.S. and spent twenty-four consecutive weeks at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The film of the same name
Purple Rain (film)
Purple Rain is a 1984 film directed by Albert Magnoli and written by Magnoli and William Blinn. Prince makes his film debut in this movie, which was developed to showcase his particular talents, hence, the film contains several extended concert sequences. The film grossed more than US$80 million at...
won an Academy Award
Academy Award for Original Music Score
The Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
and grossed more than $80 million in the U.S.
When Doves Cry
A hit cover version by R&B singer Ginuwine was produced by Timbaland in 1996 for Ginuwine's The Bachelor album, Ginuwine's cover uses actual dove sound effects as texture for its jungle music-inspired instrumental track.-Charts:-Other cover versions:...
" and "Let's Go Crazy
Let's Go Crazy
"Let's Go Crazy" is a 1984 song by Prince and The Revolution, from the album, Purple Rain. It was the opening track on both the album, and the film Purple Rain. "Let's Go Crazy" is one of Prince's most popular songs, and is almost always a staple for concert performances, often segueing into other...
" reached No.1 and the title track
Purple Rain (song)
"Purple Rain" is a power ballad by Prince and The Revolution. It is the title track from the 1984 album of the same name, which in turn is the soundtrack album for the 1984 film of the same name, and was released as the third single from that album. The song is a combination of rock, pop, gospel,...
reached No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100. At one point in 1984, Prince simultaneously had the number one album, single, and film in the U.S.; it was the first time a singer had achieved this feat. Prince won the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score
Academy Award for Original Music Score
The Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
for Purple Rain, and the album is ranked 72nd Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The album is included on the list of Time magazine's All-Time 100 Albums.
After Tipper Gore
Tipper Gore
Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Gore , née Aitcheson, is an author, photographer, former second lady of the United States, and the estranged wife of Al Gore...
heard her 12-year-old daughter Karenna listening to Prince's song "Darling Nikki
Darling Nikki
"Darling Nikki" is a song produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince and originally released on his Grammy Award-winning 1984 album, Purple Rain. Though the song was not released as a single, it gained wide notoriety for its sexual lyrics...
", she founded the Parents Music Resource Center
Parents Music Resource Center
The Parents Music Resource Center was an American committee formed in 1985 with the goal of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to be violent, have drug use or be sexual.The committee was founded by four women: Tipper Gore, wife of Senator and later Vice...
. The center advocates the mandatory use of a warning label ("Parental Advisory
Parental Advisory
Parental Advisory is a message affixed by the Recording Industry Association of America to audio and recordings in the United States containing excessive use of profane language and/or sexual references. Albums began to be labeled for "explicit lyrics" in 1985, after pressure from the Parents...
: Explicit Lyrics") on the covers of records that have been judged to contain language or lyrical content unsuitable for minors. The recording industry later voluntarily complied with this request. Of what is considered the Filthy Fifteen Prince's compositions appear no. 1 and no. 2, with the fourth position occupied by his protegee Vanity.
In 1985 Prince announced that he would discontinue live performances and music videos after the release of his next album. His subsequent recording Around the World in a Day
Around the World in a Day
Around the World in a Day is the seventh studio album by Prince and the second by The Revolution, released on April 22, 1985 on Warner Bros. In compliance with Prince's wishes, the record company released the album with minimal publicity, not even releasing an accompanying single until almost a...
held the No.1 spot on the Billboard 200 for three weeks.
In 1986 his album Parade reached No.3 on the Billboard 200 and No.2 on the R&B charts. The first single, "Kiss
Kiss (song)
In 1988 Art of Noise released a cover of the song, featuring Tom Jones on vocals. The song became the band's biggest hit to that point, reaching number eighteen on the U.S. dance charts and number five on the UK Singles Chart, higher than the original in that country...
", reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was originally written for a side project called Mazarati
Mazarati
Mazarati was an American R&B band formed in the mid-1980s by former Prince and The Revolution bassist Brown Mark. Originally hailing from Minneapolis, they are now defunct as a group. The band's sole hit was a song called "100 MPH", which was written and co-produced by Prince.-Debut at Paisley...
. That same year the song "Manic Monday
Manic Monday
"Manic Monday" is a song by the American pop rock band The Bangles, and the first single released from their second studio album Different Light . It was written by Prince, using the pseudonym "Christopher". Originally intended for the group Apollonia 6 in 1984, he offered the song to The Bangles...
", which was written by Prince and recorded by The Bangles, reached No.2 on the Hot 100 chart.
The album Parade served as the soundtrack for Prince's second film, Under the Cherry Moon
Under the Cherry Moon
Under the Cherry Moon is a 1986 film directed by and starring Prince as a gigolo named Christopher Tracy and Time member Jerome Benton as his partner, Tricky. Together, the pair swindle wealthy French women...
. Prince directed and starred in the movie, which also featured Kristen Scott Thomas. He received the Golden Raspberry Award for his efforts in acting and directing. In 1986, Prince began a series of sporadic live performances called the Hit n Run – Parade Tour. The European tour went to Europe in the summer and ended that September in Japan.
After the tour Prince abolished The Revolution, fired Wendy & Lisa
Wendy & Lisa
Wendy & Lisa are a music duo consisting of Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman. They began working with Prince in the early 1980s and were part of his band The Revolution, before branching out on their own and releasing their debut album in 1987...
and replaced Bobby Z.
Bobby Z.
Robert B. Rivkin , better known by the stage name Bobby Z., is an American musician and record producer, most known as being a member of Prince's band from 1978–1986, and as a member of The Revolution.-Biography:...
with Sheila E. Brown Mark quit the band while keyboardist Doctor Fink remained. Prince then recruited new band members Miko Weaver
Miko Weaver
Miko Weaver is an American guitarist best known for his work with Prince.Weaver came to Prince's attention when he was a member of Sheila E.'s band. He and some other members of the band joined The Revolution in the studio to record a jam of "I Would Die 4 U" that would later become the song's...
on guitar, Atlanta Bliss
Atlanta Bliss
Atlanta Bliss is the stage name of Matthew Blistan, an American jazz musician who specializes in the trumpet. He is most well known for his work with Prince from 1986–1989. He came to Prince's attention through his association with Eric Leeds. The duo had been in a jazz group prior to working...
on trumpet, Eric Leeds
Eric Leeds
Eric Leeds is an American jazz and funk musician who plays the saxophone and other woodwind and brass instruments. He is best known for his work with Prince.- Biography :Leeds was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of a retailer...
on saxophone, Boni Boyer on keyboards, Levi Seacer, Jr.
Levi Seacer, Jr.
Levi Seacer, Jr. is an American musician. He was an early associate of Sheila E. when he was tapped by Prince to form a new touring band after the demise of The Revolution in 1986. Seacer became the band's bassist, as well as a backing vocalist. Later, he began collaborating with Prince as a...
on bass and dancer Cat Glover
Cat Glover
Catherine Vernice Glover born in Chicago, IL is a professional choreographer, dancer and singer.She originally hit the mainstream in television alongside her dance partner Patrick Allen in the duo known simply as "Pat & Cat" on the hit major talent show Star Search hosted by Ed McMahon...
.
Solo again and spiritual rebirth: 1987–91
Prior to the disbanding of The Revolution, Prince was working on two separate projects, The Revolution album Dream FactoryDream Factory (album)
Dream Factory was an unreleased double LP project recorded by Prince and The Revolution from 1986.-History:Unlike the three previous Prince and The Revolution albums, the entire band was invited to the studio to contribute to a majority of the album's material, with the notable exceptions of "The...
and a solo effort, Camille
Unreleased Prince projects
Prince is well known in the entertainment industry for having a vast body of works that have never seen the light of day. It has been said that his vault contains over 50 fully produced music videos that have never been released, along with albums and other media. The following is a list, in rough...
. Unlike the three previous band albums, Dream Factory included significant input from the band members and even featured a number of songs with lead vocals by Wendy & Lisa, while the Camille project saw Prince create a new persona primarily singing in a sped up, female-sounding voice. With the dismissal of The Revolution, Prince consolidated material from both shelved albums, along with some new songs, into a three-LP album to be titled Crystal Ball
Crystal Ball (unreleased album)
Crystal Ball is an unreleased studio album by Prince recorded throughout 1986. The album was planned to consist of 3 LPs and cover a broad range of musical styles.-Evolution of the album:...
. However, following the low sales of his previous two albums, Warner Bros. forced Prince to trim the triple album to a double album and Sign o' the Times was released on March 31, 1987.
The album peaked at No.6 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The first single, "Sign o' the Times", would chart at No.3 on the Hot 100. The follow-up single, "If I Was Your Girlfriend
If I Was Your Girlfriend
"If I Was Your Girlfriend" was the second single off Prince's widely-acclaimed 1987 double album Sign “☮” the Times. While it is today considered one of his most notable songs, at the time of its release the song did not chart well in the U.S....
" charted poorly at No.67 on the Hot 100, but went to No.12 on R&B chart. The third single, a duet with Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton is a Scottish recording artist. Easton became famous for being the focus of an episode in the British television programme The Big Time, which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records.Easton rose to fame in the early 1980s with the pop...
, "U Got the Look
U Got the Look
"U Got the Look" is a song by Prince. It opens the second disc of Prince's 1987 double album Sign “☮” the Times, and became the album's highest charting single. Musically, the song is standard 12-bar blues number with emphasis on live drumming by Sheila E., and a crunchy guitar sound...
" charted at No.2 on the Hot 100, No.11 on the R&B chart, and the final single "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man
I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man
Jordan Knight, of New Kids on the Block, recorded a cover of the song as a ballad for his 1999 self-titled solo debut. The video debuted on TRL on July 27, 1999 at number 10.-Track listing:US Single...
" finished at No.10 on Hot 100 and No.14 on the R&B chart.
Despite receiving the greatest critical acclaim of any album in Prince's career, including being named the top album of the year by the Pazz & Jop
Pazz & Jop
The Pazz & Jop critics' poll is a poll of music critics run by The Village Voice newspaper. It is compiled every year from the top ten lists of hundreds of music critics...
critics' poll, and eventually selling 3.2 million copies, album sales steadily declined. In Europe, however, it performed well and Prince promoted the album overseas with a lengthy tour. Putting together a new backing band from the remnants of The Revolution, Prince added bassist Levi Seacer, Jr., Boni Boyer on keyboards, and dancer/choreographer Cat Glover to go with new drummer Sheila E. and holdovers Miko Weaver, Doctor Fink, Eric Leeds, Atlanta Bliss, and the Bodyguards (Jerome, Wally Safford, and Greg Brooks) for the Sign o' the Times Tour.
The tour was a huge success overseas, with Warner Bros. and Prince's managers wanting to bring it to the U.S. to resuscitate sagging sales of Sign o' the Times; however, Prince balked at a full U.S. tour, as he was ready to produce a new album. As a compromise the last two nights of the tour were filmed for release in movie theaters. Unfortunately, the film quality was deemed subpar and reshoots were performed at his Paisley Park studios. The film Sign o' the Times was released on November 20, 1987. Much like the album, the film garnered more critical praise than the previous year's Under the Cherry Moon; however, its box office receipts were minimal, and it quickly left theaters.
The next album intended for release was to be The Black Album. More instrumental and funk and R&B themed than recent releases, The Black Album also saw Prince experiment with hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
on the songs "Bob George" and "Dead on It." Prince was set to release the album with a monochromatic black cover with only the catalog number printed, but after 500,000 copies had been pressed, Prince had a spiritual epiphany that the album was evil and had it recalled. It would later be released by Warner Bros. as a limited edition album in 1994. Prince went back in the studio for eight weeks and recorded Lovesexy
Lovesexy
Lovesexy is the tenth studio album by Prince, released on May 10, 1988. Lovesexy was issued as a substitute record after the release of the infamous The Black Album had been suddenly cancelled. The Black Album and Lovesexy almost act as companion pieces, sharing the song "When 2 R in Love", but...
.
Released on May 10, 1988, Lovesexy serves as a spiritual opposite to the dark The Black Album. Every song is a solo effort by Prince, with exception of "Eye No" which was recorded with his backing band at the time, dubbed the "Lovesexy Band" by fans. Lovesexy would reach No.11 on the Billboard 200 and No.5 on the R&B albums chart. The lead single, "Alphabet St.
Alphabet St.
"Alphabet St." was the first single from Prince's 1988 album, Lovesexy, and the album's only top 10 single, reaching the top-10 in both the UK and U.S.. The song includes a rap by Cat Glover and is full of samples, and generally repeats themes from Lovesexy...
", peaked at No.8 on the Hot 100 and No.3 on the R&B chart, but finished with only selling 750,000 copies.
Prince again took his post-Revolution backing band (minus the Bodyguards) on a three leg, 84-show Lovesexy World Tour
Lovesexy World Tour
The Lovesexy World Tour was Prince's final concert tour of the 1980s in support of his album, Lovesexy.-History:Although the tour was a huge success in terms of reviews and audience numbers, , it lost money due to the high production costs incurred with transportation, only breaking even by its...
; although the shows were well received by huge crowds, they lost money due to the expensive sets and incorporated props.
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
's studio album Like a Prayer
Like a Prayer
Like a Prayer is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on March 21, 1989 by Sire Records, three years after her previous studio album. Madonna worked with Stephen Bray, Patrick Leonard, and fellow icon Prince on the album while co-writing and co-producing all the...
, co-writing and singing the duet "Love Song" and playing electric guitar (uncredited) on the songs "Like a Prayer
Like a Prayer (song)
"Like a Prayer" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna on her fourth studio album of the same name . It was released on March 21, 1989, by Sire Records as the album's lead single...
", "Keep It Together", and "Act of Contrition". He also began work on a number of musical projects, including Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic
Unreleased Prince projects
Prince is well known in the entertainment industry for having a vast body of works that have never seen the light of day. It has been said that his vault contains over 50 fully produced music videos that have never been released, along with albums and other media. The following is a list, in rough...
and early drafts of his Graffiti Bridge film, but both were put on hold when he was asked by Batman
Batman (1989 film)
Batman is a 1989 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, directed by Tim Burton. The film stars Michael Keaton in the title role, as well as Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl and Jack Palance...
director Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
to record several songs for the upcoming live-action adaptation. Prince went into the studio and produced an entire nine-track album that Warner Bros. released on June 20, 1989. Batman
Batman (album)
Batman is the eleventh studio album by musician Prince and the soundtrack for the 1989 film Batman. As a Warner Bros. stablemate, Prince's involvement in the soundtrack was designed to leverage the media company's contract-bound talent as well as fulfill the artist's need for a commercial revival...
peaked at No.1 on the Billboard 200, selling 4.3 million copies. The single "Batdance
Batdance
"Batdance" is a song by Prince, from the 1989 Batman soundtrack. Helped by the film's popularity, the song reached number one in the U.S., becoming Prince's fourth number-one single, and first since 1986's "Kiss".-Song development:...
" topped the Billboard and R&B charts.
Additionally, the single "The Arms of Orion
The Arms of Orion
"The Arms of Orion" is a slow, romantic duet written by Sheena Easton, performed with Prince from the 1989 Batman soundtrack. Released after "Batdance" and "Partyman" had both gone top 20 in UK/U.S. charts, the single was a top 40 hit single on the US Billboard's Hot 100 at #36. "The Arms of Orion"...
" with Sheena Easton charted at #36, and "Partyman
Partyman
"Partyman" is a song by Prince from his 1989 Batman album, and the follow-up to his number one hit, "Batdance". The song is one of the few on the album that is prominently featured in the film, accompanying the scene where the Joker and his minions gleefully desecrate the Gotham City Art Museum...
" (also featuring the vocals of Prince's then-girlfriend, nicknamed Anna Fantastic
Anna Fantastic
Anna Garcia , professionally known as Anna Fantastic, a name given to her by Prince, is an English female actress, singer and model.-Early life:...
) charted at No.18 on the Hot 100 and at No.5 on the R&B chart, while the love ballad "Scandalous!" went to No.5 on the R&B chart. However, he did have to sign away all publishing rights to the songs on the album to Warner Bros. as part of the deal to do the soundtrack.
In 1990, Prince went back on tour with a revamped band for his stripped down, back-to-basics Nude Tour
Nude Tour
The Nude Tour was a greatest hits concert tour by Prince. While the previous tour drew critical praise, the high cost of the concert tour production made it a financial disappointment, thus Prince eliminated much of the excessiveness of the previous tour to be more financially viable...
. With the departures of Boni Boyer, Sheila E., the horns, and Cat, Prince brought in Rosie Gaines on keys, drummer Michael Bland
Michael Bland
Michael Bland is best known as a drummer for Prince starting in 1989. He was with Prince during The New Power Generation era and played with him live and on albums for 7 years....
, and dancing trio The Game Boyz (Tony M.
Tony M.
Tony M. is a rapper best known as a member of Prince's band, The New Power Generation. Mosley began his association with Prince as an extra in the film Purple Rain. He can be seen dancing with Kirk Johnson and Damon Dickson during various performances at the First Avenue club...
, Kirky J., and Damon Dickson). The European and Japanese tour was a financial success with its short, greatest hits setlist. As the year progressed, Prince finished production on his fourth film, Graffiti Bridge
Graffiti Bridge (film)
Graffiti Bridge is a 1990 drama/musical written, directed, and starring Prince. It is a sequel to his first film, Purple Rain, though notorious for its relatively low quality and poor performance at the box-office...
, and the album of the same name
Graffiti Bridge (album)
Graffiti Bridge is the twelfth studio album by Prince and the soundtrack to the 1990 film Graffiti Bridge.The album was much better received in sales than the film, reaching #6 in the US and #1 in the UK. Nearly every song on the record was written by Prince despite the handful of artists...
. Initially, Warner Bros. was reluctant to fund the film, but with Prince's assurances it would be a sequel to Purple Rain
Purple Rain (film)
Purple Rain is a 1984 film directed by Albert Magnoli and written by Magnoli and William Blinn. Prince makes his film debut in this movie, which was developed to showcase his particular talents, hence, the film contains several extended concert sequences. The film grossed more than US$80 million at...
as well as the involvement of the original members of The Time, the studio greenlit the project. Released on August 20, 1990, the album reached No.6 on the Billboard 200 and R&B albums chart. The single "Thieves in the Temple
Thieves in the Temple
"Thieves in the Temple" is a song by Prince from the 1990 soundtrack album, Graffiti Bridge. Added at the last minute, it was the final song recorded for the album. "Thieves in the Temple" topped the U.S. R&B chart and became a number six hit in the U.S., and a number seven hit in the UK...
" reaching No.6 on the Hot 100 and No.1 on the R&B chart. Also from that album, "Round and Round
Round and Round (Tevin Campbell song)
"Round and Round" is the Prince-produced first single from R&B Singer Tevin Campbell's debut album T.E.V.I.N. This is Tevin's first solo single as he was featured in "Tomorrow " alongside music legend Quincy Jones. The song is featured on the Graffiti Bridge soundtrack as well...
" placed at number 12 on the U.S. charts and Number 2 on the R&B charts. The song featured the teenage Tevin Campbell
Tevin Campbell
Tevin Jermod Campbell is an American R&B singer-songwriter and actor. He scored a string of R&B chart hits as a teenager in the early to mid-1990s.-Music career:...
(who also had a role in the film) on lead vocals. The film, released on November 20, 1990, was a critical and box office flop, grossing just $4.2 million. After the release of the film and album, the last remaining members of The Revolution, Miko Weaver and Doctor Fink, left Prince's band.
The New Power Generation and name change: 1991–94
Tommy Barbarella
Tommy Barbarella is an American keyboardist. He was a member of The New Power Generation, Prince's recording and stage band, from 1991–1996.In 2010, Barbarella became a member of Nick Jonas and the Administration along with other former members of The New Power Generation, drummer Michael Bland...
on keyboards, and a brass section known as the Hornheads to go along with Levi Seacer (taking over on guitar), Rosie Gaines, Michael Bland, and the Game Boyz. With significant input from his band members, Diamonds and Pearls
Diamonds and Pearls
Diamonds and Pearls is the thirteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince, released October 1, 1991, on Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. It is his first album to have The New Power Generation, his backing band at the time, receive co-billing...
was released on October 1, 1991. Reaching No.3 on the Billboard 200 album chart, Diamonds and Pearls saw 4 hit singles released in the United States. "Gett Off
Gett Off
"Gett Off" is the lead single by Prince and The New Power Generation from the 1991 album Diamonds and Pearls. The song was a last-minute addition to the album, replacing "Horny Pony", which became the song's B-side The cover uses a face drawn in...
" peaked at No.21 on the Hot 100 and No.6 on the R&B charts, followed by "Cream
Cream (song)
"Cream" is a song by Prince and The New Power Generation, from the 1991 album Diamonds and Pearls. Prince states that he wrote the song while standing in front of a mirror....
" which gave Prince his fifth U.S. number one single. The title track "Diamonds and Pearls
Diamonds and Pearls (song)
"Diamonds and Pearls" is the title track to Prince and The New Power Generation's 1991 hit album. The song is an upbeat ballad, given a rock edge with guitar and heavy drumming. The song also features the powerful vocals of NPG member Rosie Gaines. The ballad is an expression of love and not lust,...
" became the album's third single, reaching No.3 on the Hot 100 and the top spot on the R&B charts. "Money Don't Matter 2 Night
Money Don't Matter 2 Night
"Money Don't Matter 2 Night" is a song by Prince and The New Power Generation from their 1991 album, Diamonds and Pearls. Co-written with Rosie Gaines, the lyrics deal directly with money, poverty, and greed. The vocal delivery is similar to that of "When Doves Cry", but more subtle...
" peaked at No.23 and No.14 on the Hot 100 and R&B charts respectively.
1992 saw Prince and The New Power Generation release his twelfth album, 'Love Symbol Album', bearing only an unpronounceable symbol on the cover (later copyrighted as Love Symbol #2). The album, generally referred to as the Love Symbol Album, would peak at No.5 on the Billboard 200. While the label wanted "7
7 (song)
"7" is a song by Prince and The New Power Generation, from the 1992 Love Symbol Album. It features a sample of the 1967 Otis Redding and Carla Thomas duet, "Tramp".-Music video:...
" to be the first single, Prince fought to have "My Name Is Prince
My Name is Prince
"My Name Is Prince" is a song by Prince and The New Power Generation, from the 1992 Love Symbol album. The song is about Prince himself, and his musical prowess...
" as he "felt that the song's more hip-hoppery would appeal to the same audience" that had purchased the previous album. Prince got his way but "My Name Is Prince" only managed to reach No.36 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No.23 on the R&B chart. The follow-up single "Sexy MF" fared worse, charting at No.66 on the Hot 100 and No.76 on the R&B chart. The label's preferred lead single choice "7" would be the album's lone top ten hit, reaching #7. 'Love Symbol Album' would go on to sell 2.8 million copies worldwide.
After two failed attempts in 1990 and 1991, Warner Bros. finally released a greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
compilation with the three-disc The Hits/The B-Sides
The Hits/The B-Sides
-Disc 2 :-Disc 3 :...
in 1993. 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
Batdance
"Batdance" is a song by Prince, from the 1989 Batman soundtrack. Helped by the film's popularity, the song reached number one in the U.S., becoming Prince's fourth number-one single, and first since 1986's "Kiss".-Song development:...
" and other songs that appeared on the Batman
Batman (album)
Batman is the eleventh studio album by musician Prince and the soundtrack for the 1989 film Batman. As a Warner Bros. stablemate, Prince's involvement in the soundtrack was designed to leverage the media company's contract-bound talent as well as fulfill the artist's need for a commercial revival...
soundtrack), The Hits includes an array of previously hard-to-find recordings, notably B-sides
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
spanning the majority of Prince's career, as well as a handful of previously unreleased tracks such as the Revolution-recorded "Power Fantastic" and a live recording of "Nothing Compares 2 U
Nothing Compares 2 U
"Nothing Compares 2 U" is a pop song written by American recording artist Prince for one of his side-projects, The Family. However, it wasn't until Sinéad O'Connor recorded her version for the album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got when it became a worldwide hit, topping charts in 15 countries,...
" with Rosie Gaines. Two new songs, "Pink Cashmere
Pink Cashmere
"Pink Cashmere" is a song by Prince, written for his then-girlfriend, Anna Fantastic , for her 18th birthday. The song references the actual gift he presented to her, a coat made of pink cashmere with a black mink collar and cuff, the name Anna Fantastic embroidered on the sleeve, and "89" on the...
" and "Peach
Peach (song)
"Peach" is a song by Prince from his 1993 compilations, The Hits 2 and The Hits/The B-Sides.The female moan heard on the track is that of Kim Basinger. The B-side was the live version of "Nothing Compares 2 U" in the U.S., while the UK backed the song with an edit of "My Name Is Prince"...
", were chosen as promotional singles to accompany the compilation album.
1993 also marked the year in which Prince changed his stage name to the Love Symbol, which is a combination of the symbols
Gender symbol
A gender symbol is a symbol used to denote the sex of a life form or to characterize an agent by gender.The two standard gender symbols denoting male ♂ and female ♀ are derived from astrological symbols, denoting the classical planets Mars and Venus, respectively.These symbols have been in use...
for male (♂) and female (♀). In order to use the symbol in print media, Warner Bros. had to organize a mass mailing of floppy disks with a custom font. Because the symbol is unpronounceable, he was often referred to as "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince."
Increased output: 1994–2000
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 that he release albums more sporadically. He also blamed Warner Bros. for the poor commercial performance of the Love Symbol Album, claiming that it was insufficiently marketed by Warner. It was out of these developments that the aborted The Black Album was officially released, approximately seven years after its initial recording and near-release. The "new" release, which was already in wide circulation as a bootlegBootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
, 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
Come (album)
Come is the fifteenth studio album by Prince, released during his public dispute with his then-record company, Warner Bros.-Evolution of the album:...
. When Come was eventually released, it confirmed all of Warner's 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
The Gold Experience
The Gold Experience is the seventeenth studio album by Prince . It was released on September 26, 1995...
released simultaneously with Love Symbol-era material. Warner Bros. allowed the single "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World
The Most Beautiful Girl in the World (Prince song)
"The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" is a song by Prince from his 1995 album The Gold Experience It was his first release since changing his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol. With the consent of Prince's usual record distributor Warner Bros...
" to be released via a small, independent distributor, Bellmark Records
Bellmark Records
Bellmark Records is a small U.S. independent record label, based on the west coast and is distributed by the independent DM Records Group. It was formed in the late 1980s by Al Bell, who was one of the driving forces behind the legendary Stax Records....
, in February 1994. The release was successful, reaching No.3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No.1 in many other countries, but it would not prove to be a model for subsequent releases. Warner Bros. still resisted releasing The Gold Experience, fearing poor sales and citing "market saturation
Market saturation
In economics, "market saturation" is a term used to describe a situation in which a product has become diffused within a market; the actual level of saturation can depend on consumer purchasing power; as well as competition, prices, and technology....
" 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 o' the Times. The album is now out-of-print.
Chaos and Disorder
Chaos and Disorder
Chaos and Disorder is the eighteenth studio album by Prince . It was his final album of new material for Warner Bros. Records and was therefore produced as a collection of leftovers only put on record to fulfill contractual obligations...
, released in 1996, was Prince's final album of new material for Warner Bros., as well as one of his least commercially successful releases. Prince attempted a major comeback later that year when, free of any further contractual obligations to Warner Bros., he released Emancipation
Emancipation (album)
Emancipation is the nineteenth studio album by Prince . The title refers to Prince's freedom from his contract with Warner Bros. Records after 18 years, with whom he had a contentious relationship...
, a 36-song, 3-CD set (each disc was exactly 60 minutes long). The album was released via his own NPG Records
NPG Records
NPG Records is the current active record label owned by Prince, founded in 1993 to release his music after Paisley Park Records. Paisley Park was shut down by Warner Bros. Records in 1993. Warner Bros. distributed one NPG release in 1995, The Gold Experience. "NPG" is short for "New Power...
with distribution through EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
. To publish his songs on Emancipation, Prince did not use Controversy Music – ASCAP, which he had used for all his records since 1981, but rather used Emancipated Music Inc. – ASCAP.
Certified Platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
, Emancipation is the first record featuring covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by Prince of songs of other artists: Joan Osborne
Joan Osborne
Joan Elizabeth Osborne is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her song "One of Us". She has toured with Motown sidemen the Funk Brothers and was featured in the documentary film about them, Standing in the Shadows of Motown.-Biography:Originally from Anchorage, Kentucky, a suburb...
's top ten hit song of 1995 "One of Us
One of Us (Joan Osborne song)
"One of Us" is a song written by Eric Bazilian and originally released by Joan Osborne. Released in March 1995 on the album Relish and produced by Rick Chertoff, it became a top 40 hit in November of that year.- History :...
"; "Betcha by Golly Wow!
Betcha by Golly Wow!
Another cover version was released from Prince's 1996 album Emancipation. Prince had stated that he always wanted to release a cover version but his record company, Warner Bros. Records, had not permitted it...
" (written by Thomas Randolf Bell and Linda Creed); "I Can't Make You Love Me
I Can't Make You Love Me
"I Can't Make You Love Me" is a 1991 popular song, written by Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin and recorded by Bonnie Raitt on her Luck of the Draw album from that year. In August 2000, Mojo magazine voted "I Can't Make You Love Me" #8 on its The 100 Greatest Songs Of All Time list...
" (written by James Allen Shamblin II and Michael Barry Reid); and "La-La (Means I Love You)
La-La (Means I Love You)
"La-La " is a 1968 song originally performed by The Delfonics. It was written by Thom Bell and William Hart and produced by Bell and Stan Watson....
" (written by Thomas Randolf Bell and William Hart).
Prince released Crystal Ball
Crystal Ball (album set)
Crystal Ball is the twentieth studio album by Prince . Crystal Ball is a four-disc set containing a three CD set of the same name featuring a much anticipated collection of "previously bootlegged" material, with The Truth, the twenty-first studio album by Prince which is a bonus disc of 12 new...
, a 5-CD collection of unreleased material, in 1998. The distribution of this album was disorderly, with some fans pre-ordering the album on his website up to a year before it was eventually shipped to them; these pre-orders were eventually delivered months after the record had gone on sale in retail stores. The retail edition has only four discs, as it is missing the Kamasutra disc. There are also two different packaging editions for retail, one being in a 4-disc sized jewel case with a simple white cover and the Love Symbol in a colored circle; the other is all four discs in a round translucent snap jewel case. The discs are the same, as is the CD jacket. The Newpower Soul
Newpower Soul
Newpower Soul is a 1998 album by The New Power Generation, but is de facto a Prince album . The album was announced as a "Prince"-album in a press release issued by his publicist, but mere days later his official website at the time claimed those were mere rumors.The album title has a long history...
album released three months later failed to make much of an impression on the charts. His collaboration on Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
's Come 2 My House
Come 2 My House
Come 2 My House is the ninth studio album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan released on the NPG Records label in 1998.Come 2 My House was Khan's first full-length album since 1992's The Woman I Am, due to the Warner Bros...
, and Larry Graham
Larry Graham
Larry Graham, Jr. is an African American bass guitar player, both with the popular and influential psychedelic soul/funk band Sly & the Family Stone, and as the founder and frontman of Graham Central Station...
's GCS2000, both released on the NPG Records
NPG Records
NPG Records is the current active record label owned by Prince, founded in 1993 to release his music after Paisley Park Records. Paisley Park was shut down by Warner Bros. Records in 1993. Warner Bros. distributed one NPG release in 1995, The Gold Experience. "NPG" is short for "New Power...
label around the same time as Newpower Soul met with the same fate, despite heavy promotion and live appearances on Vibe with Sinbad, and the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
Today show's Summer Concert Series.
In 1999, Prince once again signed with a major label, Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
, to release a new record, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic is the twenty-third studio album by Prince . Featuring a radio-friendly sound, the album was conceived as a return to commercial success after several years without significant public attention...
. In an attempt to make his new album a success, Prince easily gave more interviews than at any other point in his career, appearing on MTV's Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
(with his album cover on the front of the Virgin Megastore
Virgin Megastore
Virgin Megastores is an international chain of record shops, founded by Sir Richard Branson on London's Oxford Street in early 1971. Virgin Megastores are best described today as entertainment retailers....
, in the background on TRL throughout the whole show), Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
(with Larry Graham) and other media outlets. Nevertheless, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic failed to perform well commercially. A few months earlier, Warner Bros. had also released The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale
The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale
The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale the twenty-second studio album by Prince. The album was recorded from 1985 through 1994. It was released by Warner Bros. Records without his co-operation and at the same time as his Arista album release the same year, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic...
, 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
1999: The New Master
-External links:* at The Free Library...
, 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.
The pay-per-view concert, Rave Un2 the Year 2000
Rave Un2 the Year 2000
Rave Un2 the Year 2000 is a 2000 direct to video film of Prince in concert. Although taped earlier in December, 1999, the concert was originally broadcast via Pay-per-view on New Year's Eve, 1999 The concert features several notable cover versions, and some Prince's biggest hits...
, was broadcast on December 31, 1999 and consisted of footage from the December 17 and December 18 concerts of his 1999 tour. The concert featured appearances by many guest musicians including Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz
Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and arranger, whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads...
, George Clinton
George Clinton (musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
, Jimmy Russell, and The Time. It was released to home video the following year. A remix album, Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic
Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic
Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic is a remix album by Prince , released via mail exclusively through the NPG Music Club, an Internet subscription service, on April 29, 2001. The album is an alternative version of Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, released the previous year.The album makes a number of...
(as opposed to "Un2") was released exclusively through Prince's NPG Music Club
NPG Music Club
NPG Music Club was an official website of Prince. Prince won a Webby Lifetime Achievement Award for the site in 2006. The site was launched at Studio 54 nightclub.Membership was either $7.77 for Basic Monthly access or $100 for a premium annual membership...
in April 2000.
Turnaround: 2000–05
On May 16, 2000, Prince ceased using the Love Symbol moniker and returned to using "Prince" again, after his publishing contract with Warner/ChappellWarner/Chappell Music
Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. is an American music publishing company, and a division of the Warner Music Group. The company traces its origins back to 1811 and the founding of Chappell & Company, a music publishing company and instrument shop on London’s Bond Street that, in 1929, began a rapid...
expired. In a press conference, he stated that, after being freed from undesirable relationships associated with the name "Prince", he would formally revert to using his real name. Prince still frequently uses the symbol as a logo and on album artwork and continues to play a Love Symbol-shaped guitar.
For several years following the release of Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, Prince primarily released new music through his Internet subscription service, NPGOnlineLtd.com (later NPGMusicClub.com). Two albums that show substantive jazz influence were available commercially at record stores: 2001's The Rainbow Children
The Rainbow Children
The Rainbow Children is the twenty-fourth studio album by Prince, released in 2001. It was also released through Prince's website earlier in the year...
, and the 2003 instrumental record N.E.W.S
N.E.W.S
N.E.W.S. is the twenty-seventh studio album by Prince, containing four tracks of 14 minutes duration each. Recorded at Prince's Paisley Park Studios over a single day, the album was initially available through Prince's NPG Music Club website on May 26, 2003 before becoming widely commercially...
which was nominated for a Best Pop Instrumental Album
Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality instrumental albums in the pop music genre...
Grammy Award. Another album of largely jazz-influenced music, Xpectation
Xpectation
Xpectation is the twenty-sixth studio album by Prince, only available for download on his website, NPG Music Club. The album was made available for MP3 download on January 1, 2003 and all the songs are instrumentals...
, was released via download in 2003 to members of the NPGMusicClub. Xpectation is jazz themed along with new age and atmospheric themes.
In 2002, Prince released his first live album, One Nite Alone... Live!
One Nite Alone... Live!
One Nite Alone... Live! is a live album box set by Prince and The New Power Generation, containing live recordings from the intimate One Nite Alone... Tour performances...
, which features performances from the One Nite Alone...Tour. The 3-CD box set, which also includes a disc of "aftershow" music entitled It Ain't Over!, failed to chart. During this time, Prince sought to engage more effectively with his fan base via the NPG Music Club
NPG Music Club
NPG Music Club was an official website of Prince. Prince won a Webby Lifetime Achievement Award for the site in 2006. The site was launched at Studio 54 nightclub.Membership was either $7.77 for Basic Monthly access or $100 for a premium annual membership...
, pre-concert sound checks, and at yearly "celebrations" at Paisley Park
Paisley Park Records
Paisley Park Records was Prince's record label, associated with and funded in part by Warner Bros. Records. It was started in 1985, following the success of the film and album Purple Rain...
, his music studios. Fans were invited into the studio for tours, interviews, discussions and music-listening sessions. Some of these fan discussions were filmed for an unreleased documentary, directed by Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
. Smith discusses what happened during those days at length in his An Evening with Kevin Smith
An Evening with Kevin Smith
An Evening with Kevin Smith is a DVD featuring Question and Answer sessions that the writer and filmmaker Kevin Smith held with his fans at various American colleges in 2001/2002. The colleges were: Clark University, Cornell University, Indiana University, Kent State University and University of...
DVD. Performances were also arranged to showcase Prince's talents, as well as to collaborate with popular and well-established artists and guests including Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
, The Time
The Time (band)
The Time is a funk and dance-pop ensemble formed in 1981. They are close Prince associates and arguably the most successful artists who have worked with him.-Prince, Formation and Success:...
, Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu
Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...
, Nikka Costa
Nikka Costa
Domenica "Nikka" Costa is an American singer whose music combines elements of funk, soul, and blues. She also had a career as a child singer starting in the early 1980s. She is the daughter of notable music producer Don Costa and is married to Australian producer/songwriter Justin Stanley.- Early...
, George Clinton
George Clinton (musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
, and Norah Jones
Norah Jones
Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
.
On February 8, 2004, Prince appeared at the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s with Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
. In a performance that opened the show, Prince and Knowles performed a medley of "Purple Rain
Purple Rain (song)
"Purple Rain" is a power ballad by Prince and The Revolution. It is the title track from the 1984 album of the same name, which in turn is the soundtrack album for the 1984 film of the same name, and was released as the third single from that album. The song is a combination of rock, pop, gospel,...
", "Let's Go Crazy
Let's Go Crazy
"Let's Go Crazy" is a 1984 song by Prince and The Revolution, from the album, Purple Rain. It was the opening track on both the album, and the film Purple Rain. "Let's Go Crazy" is one of Prince's most popular songs, and is almost always a staple for concert performances, often segueing into other...
", "Baby I'm a Star
Baby I'm a Star
"Baby I'm a Star" is a song written and recorded by Prince from his album Purple Rain. It is also the B-side on the "Take Me with U" single.-Background and recording:...
", and Knowles' "Crazy in Love" to positive reviews. The following month, Prince was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
. The award was presented to him by Alicia Keys along with Big Boi
Big Boi
Antwan André Patton , better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, song-writer, record producer and actor, best known for being a member of American hip hop duo OutKast alongside André 3000. His work in the duo has produced six studio albums. During the duo's hiatus, he and André...
and André 3000
André 3000
André Lauren Benjamin , better known by his stage name André 3000 is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor, best known for being part of American hip-hop duo OutKast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi...
of OutKast
OutKast
Outkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to 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
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
in a rendition of Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is a song by George Harrison, first recorded by The Beatles in 1968 for their eponymous double album...
", playing a long guitar solo that ended the song. In addition, he performed "Purple House" on the album Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix
Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix
Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix is a 2004 tribute album featuring various artists performing the music of Jimi Hendrix.-Track listing:...
.
On February 19, The Tavis Smiley Show
The Tavis Smiley Show
The Tavis Smiley Show is an American public broadcasting radio talk show. A television show, simply titled Tavis Smiley, is a late night television program on Public Broadcasting Service . Both shows feature Tavis Smiley as host....
broadcast included a performance of "Reflection" from Prince's Musicology album. Prince was accompanied by Wendy Melvoin, formerly of The Revolution.
In April 2004, Prince released Musicology
Musicology (album)
Musicology is the thirtieth studio album by Prince, released on April 20, 2004, which proved to be his most successful in years, reaching the Top 5 of the album charts in the U.S, UK, Germany, and many other countries....
through a one-album agreement with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. The album rose as high as the top five on a number of international charts (including the U.S, UK, Germany and Australia). The U.S. chart success was assisted by the CD being included as part of the concert ticket purchase, and each CD thereby qualifying (as chart rules then stood) towards U.S. chart placement. Musicology is R&B and soul themed along with funk, pop, quiet storm, and rock.
That same year, Rolling Stone magazine named Prince as the highest-earning musician in the world, with an annual income of $56.5 million, largely due to his Musicology Tour, which Pollstar
Pollstar
Pollstar is a concert tour industry's leading trade publication that gets its information primarily from the agents, managers and promoters who are producing concerts. Founded in 1981, it is based in Fresno, California and has an office in London with correspondents in six countries. Pollstar is...
named as the top concert draw among musicians in U.S. The artist played an impressive run of 96 concerts; the average ticket price for a show was U.S.$61. Further highlighting the success of the album, Prince's Musicology went on to receive two Grammy wins, for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance was awarded between 1968 and 2011. The award has had several minor name changes:*In 1968 it was awarded as Best R&B Solo Vocal Performance, Male...
for "Call My Name
Call My Name (Prince song)
"Call My Name" is a song by Prince, from his 2004 album Musicology. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2005....
" and Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for the title track
Musicology (song)
"Musicology" is a song by Prince, and title track from his 2004 album Musicology. The song is an obvious ode to James Brown's style of funk music popularized in the early 1970s. The song is also reminiscent of Prince's own "The Work, pt...
. Musicology was also nominated for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Album, while "Cinnamon Girl
Cinnamon Girl (Prince song)
"Cinnamon Girl" is a song by Prince, from his 2004 album Musicology. Besides the title, there is no connection to the song of the same name by Neil Young....
" was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance was awarded between 1966 and 2011...
. The album became the artist's most commercially successful since Diamonds and Pearls
Diamonds and Pearls
Diamonds and Pearls is the thirteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince, released October 1, 1991, on Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. It is his first album to have The New Power Generation, his backing band at the time, receive co-billing...
, partly due to a radical scheme devised which included in Billboard's sales figures those that were distributed to each customer during ticket sales for the Musicology tour, with concert figures accounting for 25% of the total album sales.
Rolling Stone magazine has ranked Prince No.27 on their list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
In April 2005, Prince played guitar (along with En Vogue
En Vogue
En Vogue is an American female R&B vocal group from Oakland, California assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy.The group has won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven, along with four Soul Train Awards, six American Music...
singing backing vocals) on Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
's single "So What the Fuss
So What the Fuss
"So What the Fuss" is a song from Stevie Wonder's 2005 album A Time to Love. The single, which features Prince and the original four members of En Vogue, became a minor hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and went top 40 on Billboard's R&B chart....
", Wonder's first since 1999.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, which devastated the city of New Orleans on August 29, 2005, Prince offered a personal response by recording two new songs, "S.S.T.
S.S.T.
"S.S.T." is a song by Prince which was recorded and released directly after the impact of 2005's Hurricane Katrina. It was officially released as a digital download by the NPG Music Club on September 3, 2005 and reached number one on the iTunes R&B chart. It was later made available as a CD single...
" and the instrumental "Brand New Orleans", at Paisley Park
Paisley Park Records
Paisley Park Records was Prince's record label, associated with and funded in part by Warner Bros. Records. It was started in 1985, following the success of the film and album Purple Rain...
in the early hours of September 2. Prince again performed all instrumental and vocal parts. These recordings were quickly dispersed to the public via Prince's NPG Music Club, and "S.S.T." was later picked up by iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
, where it reached No.1 on the store's R&B chart. On October 25, Sony Records
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
released a version of the single on CD.
Move to Universal and 3121: 2005–06
In late 2005 Prince signed with Universal RecordsUniversal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
to release his album, 3121
3121 (album)
3121 is the thirty-first studio album by Prince. The album, released March 21, 2006 in the U.S., is distributed through Universal Records.-Album information:...
, on March 21, 2006 (3/21). The first single was the Latin-tinged "Te Amo Corazón
Te Amo Corazón
"Te Amo Corazón" is a song by Prince, released as the first single from his 2006 album, 3121. It was officially released by the NPG Music Club on December 13, 2005...
", the video for which was directed by actress Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek
Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez de Pinault is a Mexican film actress, director and producer. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role as Frida Kahlo in the film Frida.-Early life:...
and filmed in Marrakech
Marrakech
Marrakech or Marrakesh , known as the "Ochre city", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history...
, Morocco, featuring Argentine actress and singer Mía Maestro
Mía Maestro
Mía Maestro is an Argentine actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Nadia Santos in the television drama Alias, and as Christina Kahlo in Frida.-Life and acting career:...
. The video for the second single, "Black Sweat
Black Sweat
"Black Sweat" is a song by Prince that was released as the second single from his 2006 album 3121. The music video to accompany the single was released on February 2, 2006. At the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Best R&B Song and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.The song showcases...
", was nominated at the MTV VMAs
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
for Best Cinematography. The immediate success of 3121 gave Prince his first No.1 debut on the Billboard 200 with the album.
To promote the new album, Prince was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
on February 4, 2006, seventeen years after his last SNL appearance on the 15th anniversary special and nearly 25 years since his first appearance on a regular episode in 1981, making Prince the only SNL musical guest to have that long of a gap between appearances. He performed two songs from the album, "Fury
Fury (song)
"Fury" is a song by Prince, from his 2006 album 3121. The single was debuted live on Saturday Night Live on February 4, 2006. It was also part of Prince's four song set at the 2006 BRIT Awards....
" and "Beautiful, Loved & Blessed", with Támar
Támar
Támar is an American R&B singer who came to prominence through the artist, Prince. She sang the co-lead vocals on his Grammy-nominated song "Beautiful, Loved and Blessed" from his 2006 album, 3121 and on backup vocals throughout the album...
. Prince also held a contest to win a trip to see a 'Purple Ticket Concert' at his private residence in Hollywood
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
, California. Seven winning tickets were placed inside 3121 CD packages in the U.S., and other tickets were given away in various contests on the Internet and around the world. On May 6, 2006, twenty-four prize winners (with a guest each) attended a star-studded private party and performance at Prince's home.
On June 12, 2006, Prince received a Webby
Webby Awards
A Webby Award is an international award presented annually by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for excellence on the Internet with categories in websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile....
Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his "visionary" use of the Internet; Prince was the first major artist to release an entire album, 1997's Crystal Ball
Crystal Ball (album set)
Crystal Ball is the twentieth studio album by Prince . Crystal Ball is a four-disc set containing a three CD set of the same name featuring a much anticipated collection of "previously bootlegged" material, with The Truth, the twenty-first studio album by Prince which is a bonus disc of 12 new...
, exclusively on the Internet (although he did take phone orders for it as well...1-800-NEW-FUNK).
Only weeks after winning a Webby Award, Prince abruptly shut down his then-official NPG Music Club
NPG Music Club
NPG Music Club was an official website of Prince. Prince won a Webby Lifetime Achievement Award for the site in 2006. The site was launched at Studio 54 nightclub.Membership was either $7.77 for Basic Monthly access or $100 for a premium annual membership...
website at 12:00 am on July 4, 2006 after over five years of operation. The NPG Music Club 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." On the day of the music club's shutdown, a lawsuit was filed against Prince by the British company HM Publishing (owners of the Nature Publishing Group
Nature Publishing Group
Nature Publishing Group is an international publishing company that publishes academic journals, online databases, and services across the life, physical, chemical and applied sciences and clinical medicine...
, also NPG). Despite these events occurring on the same day, Prince's attorney has called it pure coincidence and stated that the site did not close due to the trademark dispute.
Prince appeared at multiple award ceremonies in 2006. On February 15, 2006, Prince performed at the BRIT Awards along with Wendy & Lisa and Sheila E. He played "Te Amo Corazón" and "Fury" from 3121 and "Purple Rain" and "Let's Go Crazy" from Purple Rain. On June 27, 2006, Prince appeared at the BET
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
Awards
BET Awards
The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET...
, where he was awarded Best Male R&B Artist. In addition to receiving his award, Prince performed a medley of Chaka Khan songs for Khan's BET Lifetime Award. Prince had previously written and performed several songs with the singer. In November 2006, Prince was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame
UK Music Hall of Fame
The UK Music Hall of Fame was an awards ceremony to honour musicians, of any nationality, for their lifetime contributions to music in the United Kingdom. The Hall of Fame started in 2004 with the induction of five founder members and five more members selected by a public televote, two from each...
, appearing to collect his award but not performing. Also in November 2006, Prince opened a nightclub named 3121 in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino
Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino
The Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino is located off the Las Vegas Strip in the unincorporated area of Paradise, Nevada, USA. It is better known as The Rio and is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Inc. The Rio was the first all suite resort in the Las Vegas area...
. He performed weekly on Friday and Saturday nights until April 2007, when his contract with the Rio ended.
On August 22, 2006, Prince released Ultimate Prince. The double disc set contains one CD of previous hits, and another of extended versions and mixes of material that had largely only previously been available on vinyl record B-sides.
Prince wrote and performed a song for the hit 2006 animated film Happy Feet
Happy Feet
Happy Feet is a 2006 American-Australian computer-animated family film with music, directed and co-written by George Miller. It was produced at Sydney-based visual effects and animation studio Animal Logic for Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures and Kingdom Feature Productions and was released...
. The song, entitled "The Song of the Heart", appears on the film's soundtrack
Happy Feet: Music from the Motion Picture
Happy Feet is the lyrical soundtrack album from the 2006 animated film, Happy Feet. As of March 2007, the OST has sold over 272,627 copies in the US.-Track listings:# "Song of the Heart"#:Written and performed by Prince...
, which also features a cover of Prince's earlier hit "Kiss", sung by Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
and Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Michael Jackman is an Australian actor and producer who is involved in film, musical theatre, and television.Jackman has won international recognition for his roles in major films, notably as action/superhero, period and romance characters...
. In January 2007, "The Song of the Heart" won a Golden Globe
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
for Best Original Song. Prince arrived late, apparently due to traffic problems, and thus was unable to make an acceptance speech, but actor Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
prompted him later in the ceremony to take a bow.
Super Bowl XLI and Planet Earth: 2007–08
On February 2, 2007, Prince played at the Super Bowl XLISuper Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season...
press conference. He and the band played a set comprising Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
's hit, "Johnny B. Goode
Johnny B. Goode
"Johnny B. Goode" is a 1958 rock and roll song written and originally performed by American musician Chuck Berry. The song was a major hit among both black and white audiences peaking at #2 on Billboard magazine's Hot R&B Sides chart and #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.The song is one of Chuck Berry's...
", "Anotherloverholenyohead
Anotherloverholenyohead
"Anotherloverholenyohead" is a 1986 song by Prince and The Revolution, from the album Parade, the soundtrack to the film Under the Cherry Moon. The song is essentially a solo performance by Prince, but with backing vocals from Susannah Melvoin, and the horn section of Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss....
" from Parade and "Get On the Boat" from 3121
3121 (album)
3121 is the thirty-first studio album by Prince. The album, released March 21, 2006 in the U.S., is distributed through Universal Records.-Album information:...
. Prince performed at the Super Bowl XLI halftime show in Miami, Florida on February 4, 2007. The performance consisted of three Purple Rain
Purple Rain (album)
Purple Rain is the sixth studio album by Prince, the first to officially be credited to Prince and The Revolution, and is the soundtrack album to the 1984 film Purple Rain.Purple Rain is regularly ranked among the best albums in pop music history...
tracks ("Let's Go Crazy", "Baby I'm a Star
Baby I'm a Star
"Baby I'm a Star" is a song written and recorded by Prince from his album Purple Rain. It is also the B-side on the "Take Me with U" single.-Background and recording:...
" and the title track
Purple Rain (song)
"Purple Rain" is a power ballad by Prince and The Revolution. It is the title track from the 1984 album of the same name, which in turn is the soundtrack album for the 1984 film of the same name, and was released as the third single from that album. The song is a combination of rock, pop, gospel,...
), along with cover versions of "We Will Rock You
We Will Rock You
"We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded and performed by Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. Rolling Stone ranked it #330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA placed it at #146 on its list of Songs of the Century...
" by Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, "All Along the Watchtower
All Along the Watchtower
"All Along the Watchtower" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. The song, which has been included on most of Dylan's greatest hits compilations, initially appeared on his 1967 album John Wesley Harding. Over the past 35 years, he has performed it in concert more...
" by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
song "Best of You
Best of You
"Best of You" is a song by American alternative rock band Foo Fighters, and the first single released from the band's fifth studio album, In Your Honor...
" and "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
. Coincidentally, Miami had rain on the day of the Super Bowl, which was lit purple during the performance of "Purple Rain". He played on a large stage shaped as his symbol. The event was carried to 140 million television viewers, the largest audience of his life. On February 4, 2010, Billboard.com ranked the performance as the greatest Super Bowl performance ever.
Prince played 21 concerts in London during the summer of 2007. The Earth Tour
Earth Tour (Prince)
Earth Tour was a series of shows by Prince during the summer of 2007. It is also known as the 21 Nights Tour. Prince played a series of 21 nights at the O2 Arena in London, England, with aftershow performances at the smaller indigO2 club, located on the same premesis of the arena. This was done to...
included 21 nights at the 20,000 capacity O2 Arena
The O2 arena (London)
The O2 Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the centre of The O2, a large entertainment complex on the Greenwich peninsula in London, England.With a capacity of up to 20,000 depending on the event, it is second largest...
, with Maceo Parker
Maceo Parker
Maceo Parker is an American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, as well as Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many of Brown's hit recordings, and a key part of his band, playing alto, tenor and baritone saxophones...
in his band. Tickets for the O2 Arena were priced at £31.21 (including a free copy of Prince's latest album), in order to make the concerts "affordable for everybody". The residency at the O2 Arena was increased to 15 nights after all 140,000 tickets for the original seven sold out in just 20 minutes. It was then further extended to 21 nights.
On May 10, 2007, Prince performed a 'secret' gig at London's KOKO in front of a small crowd of fans and celebrities. Tickets went on sale that morning on a first-come-first-served basis (again at £31.21). A prelude to the forthcoming summer gigs in London, Prince played a relaxed set of classic hits ("Kiss
Kiss (song)
In 1988 Art of Noise released a cover of the song, featuring Tom Jones on vocals. The song became the band's biggest hit to that point, reaching number eighteen on the U.S. dance charts and number five on the UK Singles Chart, higher than the original in that country...
", changing the lyric from "You don't have to watch Dynasty
Dynasty (TV series)
Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...
" to Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
, "Girls & Boys
Girls & Boys (Prince song)
"Girls & Boys" is a 1986 song by Prince and The Revolution, from the album Parade, the soundtrack to the film Under the Cherry Moon. The song was released as a single in the U.K., and as the B-side to "Anotherloverholenyohead" in the U.S.....
", and "Nothing Compares 2 U
Nothing Compares 2 U
"Nothing Compares 2 U" is a pop song written by American recording artist Prince for one of his side-projects, The Family. However, it wasn't until Sinéad O'Connor recorded her version for the album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got when it became a worldwide hit, topping charts in 15 countries,...
") alongside more recent tracks, plus a well-received cover version of Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley is an American soul duo comprising Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green. Their first studio album St. Elsewhere was released in 2006; along with its first single "Crazy". Both single and album were a major commercial success and have been noted for their large sales by download...
's "Crazy
Crazy (Gnarls Barkley song)
"Crazy" is the debut single from Gnarls Barkley, a musical collaboration between Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green, and is taken from their 2006 debut album St. Elsewhere...
".
Prince made an appearance at the 2007 ALMA Award
Alma Award
The American Latino Media Arts Award, or ALMA Award is a distinction awarded to Latino performers who promote positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment field...
s, performing with Sheila E. in June 2007. On June 28, 2007, the UK national newspaper The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday is a British conservative newspaper, currently published in a tabloid format. First published in 1982 by Lord Rothermere, it became Britain's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper following the closing of The News of the World in July 2011...
revealed that it had made a deal to give Prince's new album, Planet Earth
Planet Earth (album)
Planet Earth is the twenty-fifth studio album by American musician Prince, first released July 15, 2007 in the UK as a free covermount with The Mail on Sunday national newspaper. This was followed by the album's worldwide distribution...
, away for free with an "imminent" edition of the paper, making it the first place in the world to get the album. This move sparked controversy among music distributors and also led the UK arm of Prince's distributor, Sony BMG, to withdraw from distributing the album in UK stores. The UK's largest high street music retailer, HMV
HMV
His Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
, decided to stock the paper on release day due to the giveaway. Planet Earth is rock-oriented along with disco, and other various music styles.
On July 7, 2007 Prince returned to his hometown of Minneapolis to perform three shows in what was unofficially declared Prince Day in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. He performed concerts at the Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
Auditorium (to promote his new perfume "3121") on Nicollet Mall
Nicollet Mall
Nicollet Mall is a portion of Nicollet Avenue running through downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Working as a pedestrian and transit mall, it is also an upscale shopping and dining district...
, the Target Center
Target Center
The Target Center is an arena in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is sponsored by Target Corporation. The arena has a capacity of 20,500 people. It contains 702 club seats and 68 suites....
arena, and First Avenue. It was the first time he had played at First Avenue (the club appeared in the film Purple Rain) since 1987.
On April 25, 2008, Prince performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, where he debuted a new song, "Turn Me Loose". Days after, he headlined the Coachella Festival 2008. Prince was paid more than $5 million for his performance at Coachella, according to Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
.
Prince cancelled a concert, planned at Dublin's Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
on June 16, 2008, at just 10 days' notice. In October 2009 promoters MCD Productions
MCD PRODUCTIONS
MCD Productions is an Irish concert promotion company. Established in 1980, and headquartered in Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.- History :The company was founded by Eamonn McCann and Denis Desmond, the company name MCD is made up of their initials....
went to court to sue Prince for €1.6 million, after paying him $1.5 million, half his agreed fee of $3 million for the concert. MCD claim they had to refund 55,126 tickets purchased and its total losses exceeded $1.66 million. Prince's lawyers argued the MCD claim was "greatly inflated". Prince settled the case out of court in February 2010 for $2.95 million. During the trial, it was revealed that Prince had been offered $22 million for seven concerts as part of a proposed 2008 European tour.
In October 2008, Prince released a live album entitled Indigo Nights
Indigo Nights
Indigo Nights is a live album by Prince, mainly comprising songs played live during some of the aftershows at the indigO2 night club in London in 2007...
, as well as 21 Nights, an accompanying book of poems, lyrics and photos. The book chronicled his record-breaking tenure at London's O2 Arena in 2007, while the album is a collection of songs performed live at aftershows in the IndigO2.
LOtUSFLOW3R and beyond: 2008–10
KDLD
KDLD is a commercial radio station in Santa Monica, California, broadcasting to the Los Angeles area on 103.1 FM. KDLE is a commercial radio station in Newport Beach, California, broadcasting to the Orange County area on 103.1 FM....
. The radio station's programmers Max Tolkoff and Mark Sovel
Mr. Shovel's Check One Two
Mr. Shovel's Check One Two was a radio show that aired on Indie 103.1 in Los Angeles, Ca. from Feb. 2004 - Jan. 2009. The show which featured local and unsigned artists was created and hosted by Mr. Shovel Mr. Shovel's Check One Two was a radio show that aired on Indie 103.1 in Los Angeles, Ca....
had been invited to Prince's home to hear the new rock oriented music. Prince then surprised the two by giving them a CD with 4 songs to premiere on their radio station. The music debuted the next day on Jonesy's Jukebox, hosted by Sex Pistol
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
Steve Jones
Steve Jones (musician)
Stephen Philip "Steve" Jones is an English rock guitarist, singer and actor, best known as guitarist and founding member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols.-Childhood:...
. The music comprised a cover of "Crimson and Clover
Crimson and Clover
"Crimson and Clover" is a 1968 song by American rock band Tommy James and the Shondells. Written by the duo of Tommy James and drummer Peter Lucia Jr., it was intended as a change in direction of the group's sound and composition....
" by Tommy James and the Shondells, together with "Colonized Mind", "Wall of Berlin" and "4ever". The same day, another new Prince composition entitled "(There'll Never B) Another Like Me" premiered on the now obsolete and defunct website, mplsound.com — replacing a shorter, instrumental version of the song which streamed several days previously.
On January 3, 2009, a new website LotusFlow3r.com was launched, streaming some of the recently-aired material ("Crimson and Clover", "(There'll Never B) Another Like Me" and "Here Eye Come") and promising opportunities to listen to and buy music by Prince and guests, watch videos and buy concert tickets for future events. On January 31, Prince released two more songs on LotusFlow3r.com: "Disco Jellyfish", and "Another Boy". "Chocolate Box", "Colonized Mind", and "All This Love" have since been released on the website.
Prince released a triple album set containing LOtUSFLOW3R
Lotusflower (album)
Lotusflow3r is the twenty-sixth studio album by American musician Prince, released March 24, 2009 on NPG Records. A triple album set, it contains two Prince albums, LOtUSFLOW3R and MPLSºUND, as well as Elixer, the debut album of Prince protegée Bria Valente...
, MPLSoUND, and an album credited to his new protege, Bria Valente
Bria Valente
Bria Valente is an American singer. A protégée of Prince, Valente released her debut album, Elixer, as part of a three-album set with Prince's LOtUSFLOW3R and MPLSoUND on March 29, 2009. The collection debuted at #2 on the top Billboard albums chart.Valente was born and raised in Minneapolis,...
, called Elixer, on March 24, 2009, followed by a physical release on March 29. The release was preceded by performances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
. It was released in other countries digitally, with official physical release dates yet to be announced. The album peaked at No.2 on the Billboard 200, and critics' opinions were mixed to positive.
On July 18, 2009, Prince performed two shows at the Montreux Jazz Festival
Montreux Jazz Festival
The Montreux Jazz Festival is the best-known music festival in Switzerland and one of the most prestigious in Europe; it is held annually in early July in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva...
, being backed by The New Power Generation including Rhonda Smith, Renato Neto and John Blackwell
John Blackwell (musician)
John Blackwell is a contemporary R&B, funk, jazz, fusion, and pop drummer, best known for his work with Prince.-Career:...
. There he played "A Large Room with No Light" which had been in Prince's "vault" for some time.
On October 11, 2009, Prince gave two surprise concerts at the glass-and-iron Grand Palais
Grand Palais
This article contains material abridged and translated from the French and Spanish Wikipedia.The Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées, commonly known as the Grand Palais , is a large historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France...
exhibition hall after visiting the landmark Paris building on the banks of the Seine. On October 12, he gave another surprise gig at La Cigale
La Cigale
La Cigale is a theater at 120, boulevard de Rochechouart near Place Pigalle, in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. The theatre is part of a complex that is connected to Le Trabendo and the Boule Noire. The hall can accommodate 1389 people or 954 people...
. On October 24, Prince played a concert at his own Paisley Park complex in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
20Ten, rejection of the Internet and touring.: 2010–present
In January 2010, Prince wrote a new song, "Purple and Gold", inspired by his visit to a Minnesota VikingsMinnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
football game against the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. The song is a simple, drumline-driven track. The following month, Prince let Minneapolis-area public radio station 89.3 The Current
KCMP
-WCAL:The station began with physics experiments in 1918 when five students and a professor built a small radio transmitter at St. Olaf College. Using a wire antenna strung between the campus chapel and the college's "Old Main" , signals from these experiments were picked up as far away as New...
premiere his new song "Cause and Effect" as a gesture in support of independent radio.
In a poll by BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital radio stations, was launched on 11 March 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years....
listeners in April 2010, Prince was ranked the eighth-best guitarist of the previous 30 years.
Prince released a new single on Minneapolis radio station 89.3 The Current called "Hot Summer" on June 7, his 52nd birthday. Also in June, Prince appeared on the cover of the July 2010 issue of Ebony
Ebony (magazine)
Ebony, a monthly magazine for the African-American market, was founded by John H. Johnson and has published continuously since the autumn of 1945...
, and he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 BET Awards
BET Awards
The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET...
.
Prince released his album 20Ten
20Ten
20Ten is the thirty-fifth studio album by American musician Prince. It was released on July 10, 2010 by NPG Records as a free covermount with the Daily Mirror and Daily Record in the UK and Ireland, and Het Nieuwsblad and De Gentenaar in Belgium. It was also released on July 22, 2010 with Rolling...
in July 2010 as a free covermount
Covermount
Covermount is the name given to storage media or other products packaged as part of a magazine or newspaper...
with publications in the UK, Belgium, Germany, and France. Prince has refused access to the album to digital download services. He also closed his official website, LotusFlow3r.com. In an interview with the Daily Mirror, Prince said, "The Internet's completely over. I don't see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else. They won't pay me an advance for it and then they get angry when they can't get it... Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers and that can't be good for you."
On July 4, 2010 Prince began his 20Ten Tour
20Ten Tour
20Ten Tour was a concert tour performed by Prince in 2010 to promote his 20Ten album. The tour was divided in two legs, the first set of shows were from July 4 to July 25. The tour kicked off in Denmark and took Prince to Germany, France, Belgium, Austria and Portugal. Larry Graham and Mint...
, a concert tour in two legs with shows in Europe. The second leg began on October 15 and ended with a concert following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is a Formula One race. It was announced in early 2007 at the Abu Dhabi F1 Festival in the United Arab Emirates...
on November 14. The second half of the tour has a new band, John Blackwell, Ida Kristine Nielsen
Ida Kristine Nielsen
Ida Kristine Nielsen, also known as Bassida and Ida Funkhouser, is a Danish bassplayer, composer and vocalist.Nielsen started playing bass at age 16...
, and Sheila E. Prince let Europe 1
Europe 1
Europe 1, formerly known as Europe n° 1, is a privately owned radio network created in 1955. It is one of the leading French radio broadcasters and heard throughout France...
debut the snippet of his new song "Rich Friends" from the "new" album 20Ten Deluxe on October 8, 2010. Prince started the Welcome 2... Tour on December 15, 2010.
Prince was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame on December 7, 2010.
On February 12, 2011, Prince presented Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
with an award and donated $1.5 million to charities. On the same day, it was reported that he was unimpressed about Glee covering his hit "Kiss
Kiss (song)
In 1988 Art of Noise released a cover of the song, featuring Tom Jones on vocals. The song became the band's biggest hit to that point, reaching number eighteen on the U.S. dance charts and number five on the UK Singles Chart, higher than the original in that country...
", and that he had not authorised this.
On the May 18, 2011, it was announced that Prince would be headlining Hop Farm Festival
Hop Farm Festival
Hop Farm Music Festival is an annual music festival at The Hop Farm Country Park in East Peckham in the English county of Kent, created by Festival Republic founder, Vince Power...
on July 3, 2011, marking his first UK show since 2007 and his first ever UK festival appearance.
Personal life
Over the years Prince has been romantically linked with many celebrities, including Kim BasingerKim Basinger
Kimila Ann "Kim" Basinger is an American actress and former fashion model.She is known for her portrayals of Domino Petachi, the Bond girl in Never Say Never Again , and Vicki Vale, the female lead in Batman . Basinger received a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture...
, Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, Vanity
Vanity (performer)
Denise Katrina Matthews , better known as Vanity, but sometimes credited as Denise Matthews-Smith or D.D. Winters, is a Canadian-born former singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and model from the 1980s until the early mid-90s...
, Sheila E.
Sheila E.
Sheila Escovedo , known by her stage name Sheila E., is an American drummer and percussionist, perhaps best known for her work with Prince, George Duke and Ringo Starr.-Early life and Prince period:...
, Carmen Electra
Carmen Electra
Tara Leigh Patrick , professionally known as Carmen Electra, is an American glamour model, actress, television personality, singer, and dancer...
, Susanna Hoffs
Susanna Hoffs
Susanna Lee Hoffs is an American vocalist, guitarist and actress. She is best known as a member of the all-female pop band The Bangles.-Early life:...
, Anna Fantastic
Anna Fantastic
Anna Garcia , professionally known as Anna Fantastic, a name given to her by Prince, is an English female actress, singer and model.-Early life:...
, Sherilyn Fenn
Sherilyn Fenn
Sherilyn Fenn is an American actress and filmmaker. She came to international attention for her performance as Audrey Horne on the 1990 cult TV series Twin Peaks...
, and Susan Moonsie
Susan Moonsie
Susan Moonsie is an American musician best known for her association with Prince and his girl-group Vanity 6.-Early life:Moonsie, the daughter of a conservative school teacher, hailed from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was one of Prince's high school girlfriends.-Career:Moonsie became a member of...
of Vanity 6
Vanity 6
Vanity 6 was a female vocal trio assembled by Prince in the early 1980s.They released one studio album, which blended the sounds of pop, New Wave, dance music, R&B, and funk.-Formation:...
and Apollonia 6
Apollonia 6
Apollonia 6 was a 1980s female singing trio created by Prince as a continuation/succession of a previous group, Vanity 6.-Formation and Purple Rain:...
.
Prince was engaged to Susannah Melvoin
Susannah Melvoin
Susannah Melvoin is an American vocalist and songwriter, best known for her association with Prince in the mid-1980s. Coming from a musical family, Melvoin is the twin sister of musician Wendy Melvoin, sister to the late Jonathan Melvoin , and daughter of jazz pianist Michael...
in 1985.
He married his backup singer and dancer, Mayte Garcia, on Valentine's Day, 1996. They had a son, Boy Gregory (born October 16, 1996), who was born with Pfeiffer syndrome
Pfeiffer syndrome
Pfeiffer syndrome is a rare genetic disorder characterized by the premature fusion of certain bones of the skull , which prevents further growth of the skull and affects the shape of the head and face...
and died a week after birth. Prince and Mayte divorced in 1999. In 2001, Prince married Manuela Testolini in a private ceremony. Testolini filed for divorce in May 2006. He has been in a relationship with protégée Bria Valente
Bria Valente
Bria Valente is an American singer. A protégée of Prince, Valente released her debut album, Elixer, as part of a three-album set with Prince's LOtUSFLOW3R and MPLSoUND on March 29, 2009. The collection debuted at #2 on the top Billboard albums chart.Valente was born and raised in Minneapolis,...
since 2007.
Prince became a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
in 2001 following a two-year-long debate with friend and fellow Jehovah's Witness, musician Larry Graham
Larry Graham
Larry Graham, Jr. is an African American bass guitar player, both with the popular and influential psychedelic soul/funk band Sly & the Family Stone, and as the founder and frontman of Graham Central Station...
. Prince said he didn't consider it a conversion, but a "realization"; "It's like Morpheus
Morpheus (The Matrix)
Morpheus is the name of a fictional character and the secondary protagonist of The Matrix Franchise. The Wachowski brothers were fans of Neil Gaiman and based the character of Morpheus on the title character from the comic book The Sandman, also adopting one of his most common pseudonyms,...
and Neo
Neo (The Matrix)
Thomas A. Anderson is a fictional character and the main protagonist in The Matrix franchise, as well as having a cameo in The Animatrix short film, Kid's Story. He was portrayed by Keanu Reeves in The Matrix Trilogy and The Animatrix. Andrew Bowen provided Neo's voice in The Matrix: Path of Neo...
in The Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
", he explained. He attends meetings at a local Kingdom Hall
Kingdom Hall
A Kingdom Hall is a place of worship used by Jehovah's Witnesses. The term was first suggested in 1935 by Joseph Franklin Rutherford, then president of the Watch Tower Society, for a building in Hawaii...
and occasionally knocks on people's doors to discuss his faith. Prince has reportedly needed double-hip-replacement surgery since 2005 but won't undergo the operation unless it is a bloodless surgery because Jehovah's Witnesses do not accept blood transfusions
Jehovah's Witnesses and blood transfusions
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the Bible prohibits ingesting blood and that Christians should therefore not accept blood transfusions or donate or store their own blood for transfusion...
. The condition is rumored to be aggravated by repeated onstage dancing in high-heeled boots. However, when Prince was interviewed in 2010, journalist Peter Willis said he believed the rumors of Prince needing double hip surgery to be unfounded and untrue as Prince appeared to be agile.
Prince is a vegetarian. In 2006 he was voted the "world's sexiest vegetarian" in PETA
Peta
Peta can refer to:* peta-, an SI prefix denoting a factor of 1015* Peta, Greece, a town in Greece* Peta, the Pāli word for a Preta, or hungry ghost in Buddhism* Peta Wilson, an Australian actress and model* Peta Todd, English glamour model...
's annual online poll. The liner notes for his album Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic is the twenty-third studio album by Prince . Featuring a radio-friendly sound, the album was conceived as a return to commercial success after several years without significant public attention...
featured a message about the cruelty involved in wool production.
Prince is a supporter of the Minneapolis football team Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
. He currently resides near Minneapolis, Minnesota and is considering buying a home in France.
In June 2011, Prince was quoted in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
as saying "It's fun being in Islamic countries, to know there's only one religion. There's order. You wear a burqa. There's no choice. People are happy with that."
Stage names
In 1993, during negotiations regarding the release of Prince's album The Gold ExperienceThe Gold Experience
The Gold Experience is the seventeenth studio album by Prince . It was released on September 26, 1995...
, a legal battle ensued between Warner Bros. and Prince over the artistic and financial control of Prince's output. During the lawsuit, Prince appeared in public with the word "slave" written on his cheek. Prince explained his name change as follows:
Prince is a trademark owned by Paisley Park Enterprises Inc. It was initially filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office
United States Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.The USPTO is based in Alexandria, Virginia,...
(USPTO) in 2005 in the categories of printed materials, clothing, electronic commerce, and entertainment services based on first commercial in 1978. Various searches to the USPTO did not find any registrations or transfers of "Prince" or related names by Warner Bros. In 1991, PRN Music Corporation assigned the trademarks Prince, The Time, Paisley Park, New Power Generation, and Prince and the Revolution to Paisley Park Enterprises.
Prince has used pseudonyms to separate himself from the music (either his own or that of others) for which he has had input; "I was just getting tired of seeing my name," he said, "If you give away an idea, you still own that idea. In fact, giving it away strengthens it. Why do people feel they have to take credit for everything they do? Ego
EGO
See also Egoism Ego is a Latin word meaning "I", cognate with the Greek "Εγώ " meaning "I", often used in English to mean the "self", "identity" or other related concepts.It may also refer to:...
, that's the only reason." These pseudonyms include: Jamie Starr and The Starr Company (for the songs he wrote for The Time
The Time (band)
The Time is a funk and dance-pop ensemble formed in 1981. They are close Prince associates and arguably the most successful artists who have worked with him.-Prince, Formation and Success:...
and many other artists from 1981–1984), Joey Coco (for many unreleased Prince songs in the late 1980s, as well as songs written for Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton is a Scottish recording artist. Easton became famous for being the focus of an episode in the British television programme The Big Time, which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records.Easton rose to fame in the early 1980s with the pop...
& Kenny Rogers), Paisley Park (occasionally used in the early 1990s for his production credits on songs, including those written for Martika
Martika
Martika is an American pop singer-songwriter and actress. As a singer she released two internationally successful albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s, selling over four million copies worldwide.-Early life and career:Martika entered mainstream show business in an uncredited role as one of the...
and Kid Creole
Kid Creole
Nathaniel Glover Jr., , is an American rapper first known as Danny Dan and after 1975 as the better-known stage name The Kidd Creole. He is one of the pioneers of classic hip hop, and is most famous for his work as a founding member of the group Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five...
), Alexander Nevermind (for writing the 1984 song "Sugar Walls
Sugar Walls
"Sugar Walls" is the second single from Sheena Easton's 1984 album A Private Heaven that spent 9 weeks on the pop chart.A top ten hit in the United States on both the pop and R&B charts, the song was composed by Prince, utilizing the pseudonym "Alexander Nevermind"...
" by Sheena Easton), and Christopher (used for his song writing credit of "Manic Monday
Manic Monday
"Manic Monday" is a song by the American pop rock band The Bangles, and the first single released from their second studio album Different Light . It was written by Prince, using the pseudonym "Christopher". Originally intended for the group Apollonia 6 in 1984, he offered the song to The Bangles...
" for The Bangles
The Bangles
The Bangles are an American all-female band that originated in the early 1980s, scoring several hit singles during the decade.-Formation and early years :...
).
Copyright issues
On September 14, 2007, Prince announced that he was going to sue YouTube and eBayEBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
because they "are clearly able [to] filter porn and pedophile material but appear to choose not to filter out the unauthorized music and film content which is core to their business success." Web Sheriff
Web Sheriff
Web Sheriff is an anti-piracy company based in the United Kingdom that provides intellectual property, copyright and privacy rights protection services for a range of clients that include record labels, musical artists, media organizations, and celebrities. The company monitors various websites...
, the international Internet policing company he hired, told Reuters: "The problem is that one can reduce it to zero and then the next day there will be 100 or 500 or whatever. This carries on ad nauseam at Prince's expense."
In October 2007, Stephanie Lenz filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Publishing Group, claiming they were abusing copyright law, after the music publisher had YouTube take down Lenz's home movie in which the Prince song "Let's Go Crazy
Let's Go Crazy
"Let's Go Crazy" is a 1984 song by Prince and The Revolution, from the album, Purple Rain. It was the opening track on both the album, and the film Purple Rain. "Let's Go Crazy" is one of Prince's most popular songs, and is almost always a staple for concert performances, often segueing into other...
" played faintly in the background.
On November 5, 2007, several fan sites of Prince formed "Prince Fans United" to fight back against legal requests they claim Prince made to cease and desist all use of photographs, images, lyrics, album covers and anything linked to Prince's likeness. While Prince's lawyers claimed that the use of such representations constituted copyright infringement, the Prince Fans United claimed that the legal actions were "attempts to stifle all critical commentary about Prince." A few days later, Prince released a statement denying the fansites' claims, stating "The action taken earlier this week was not to shut down fansites, or control comment in any way. The issue was simply to do with in regards to copyright and trademark of images and only images, and no lawsuits have been filed." The statement from AEG
Anschutz Entertainment Group
The Anschutz Entertainment Group is a sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports events, the owner of the world’s most profitable sports and entertainment venues, and under AEG Live the world's...
, Prince's promoter, asserted that the only "offending items" on the three fansites were live shots from Prince's 21 nights in London at the O2 Arena earlier in the year.
On November 8, 2007, Prince Fans United received a song named "PFUnk", providing a kind of "unofficial answer" to their movement. The song, originally debuted on the PFU main site, was retitled "F.U.N.K.
F.U.N.K.
-Background:On September 14, 2007, Prince announced that he was going to sue YouTube and eBay because they "appear to choose not to filter out the unauthorized music and film content which is core to their business success." A representative told Reuters, "The problem is that one can reduce it to...
" and is available on iTunes.
On November 14, 2007, it was reported that the satirical website b3ta.com had pulled their "image challenge of the week" devoted to Prince after legal threats from the star under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
Digital Millennium Copyright Act
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act is a United States copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization . It criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures that control access to...
. B3ta co-founder Rob Manuel
Rob Manuel
Rob Manuel is the co-founder of B3ta . He is responsible for numerous quizzes and Flash animations. He also works with Joel Veitch animating videos for Tomboy Virals...
wrote on the site:
"Under threat of legal action from Prince's legal team of 'potential closure of your web site' – We have removed the Prince image challenge and B3ta apologizes unreservedly to AEG / NPG and Prince for any offence caused. We also ask our members to avoid photoshopping Prince and posting them on our boards.
At the 2008 Coachella Music Festival, Prince performed a cover of Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
's "Creep", but immediately after he forced YouTube and other sites to remove footage that fans had taken of the performance, despite Radiohead's demand for it to remain on the website. Days later, YouTube reinstated the videos, while Radiohead claimed "it's our song, let people hear it." In 2009, Prince put the video of that Coachella performance on his then-official website LotusFlow3r.com.
Discography
Main studio albums. Prince has sold about 100 million records worldwide in his career.- For YouFor You (Prince album)-Music:The album opens with the title track, an a cappella recording that states: "All of this and more is for you. With love, sincerity, and deepest care, my life with you I share." This would foreshadow Prince's career of speaking mostly through his music, rather than conventional interviews...
(1978) - PrincePrince (album)Prince is the second studio album by Prince, released on October 19, 1979. It was a quickly written album in reaction to his debut For You. It took seven weeks to complete. The album needed to have hits and sell well to make up for the blown budget on his first release...
(1979) - Dirty MindDirty MindDirty Mind is the third studio album by American musician Prince, released October 8, 1980 on Warner Bros. Records. Produced, arranged and composed primarily by Prince, it contains prominently sexual lyrics and incorporates musical elements of funk, dance and rock music. The album debuted at number...
(1980) - Controversy (1981)
- 19991999 (album)1999 is the fifth studio album by Prince, released on October 27, 1982. It was his first top ten album on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and became the fifth best-selling album of 1983. 1999 was Prince's breakthrough album, but his next album Purple Rain would become his most...
(1982) - Purple RainPurple Rain (album)Purple Rain is the sixth studio album by Prince, the first to officially be credited to Prince and The Revolution, and is the soundtrack album to the 1984 film Purple Rain.Purple Rain is regularly ranked among the best albums in pop music history...
(1984) - Around the World in a DayAround the World in a DayAround the World in a Day is the seventh studio album by Prince and the second by The Revolution, released on April 22, 1985 on Warner Bros. In compliance with Prince's wishes, the record company released the album with minimal publicity, not even releasing an accompanying single until almost a...
(1985) - Parade (1986)
- Sign o' the Times (1987)
- LovesexyLovesexyLovesexy is the tenth studio album by Prince, released on May 10, 1988. Lovesexy was issued as a substitute record after the release of the infamous The Black Album had been suddenly cancelled. The Black Album and Lovesexy almost act as companion pieces, sharing the song "When 2 R in Love", but...
(1988) - Diamonds and PearlsDiamonds and PearlsDiamonds and Pearls is the thirteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince, released October 1, 1991, on Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. It is his first album to have The New Power Generation, his backing band at the time, receive co-billing...
(1991) - Love Symbol Album (1992)
- ComeCome (album)Come is the fifteenth studio album by Prince, released during his public dispute with his then-record company, Warner Bros.-Evolution of the album:...
(1994) - The Black Album (1994)
- The Gold ExperienceThe Gold ExperienceThe Gold Experience is the seventeenth studio album by Prince . It was released on September 26, 1995...
(1995) - Chaos and DisorderChaos and DisorderChaos and Disorder is the eighteenth studio album by Prince . It was his final album of new material for Warner Bros. Records and was therefore produced as a collection of leftovers only put on record to fulfill contractual obligations...
(1996) - EmancipationEmancipation (album)Emancipation is the nineteenth studio album by Prince . The title refers to Prince's freedom from his contract with Warner Bros. Records after 18 years, with whom he had a contentious relationship...
(1996) - Crystal BallCrystal Ball (album set)Crystal Ball is the twentieth studio album by Prince . Crystal Ball is a four-disc set containing a three CD set of the same name featuring a much anticipated collection of "previously bootlegged" material, with The Truth, the twenty-first studio album by Prince which is a bonus disc of 12 new...
(1998) - The Vault: Old Friends 4 SaleThe Vault: Old Friends 4 SaleThe Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale the twenty-second studio album by Prince. The album was recorded from 1985 through 1994. It was released by Warner Bros. Records without his co-operation and at the same time as his Arista album release the same year, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic...
(1999) - Rave Un2 the Joy FantasticRave Un2 the Joy FantasticRave Un2 the Joy Fantastic is the twenty-third studio album by Prince . Featuring a radio-friendly sound, the album was conceived as a return to commercial success after several years without significant public attention...
(1999) - The Rainbow ChildrenThe Rainbow ChildrenThe Rainbow Children is the twenty-fourth studio album by Prince, released in 2001. It was also released through Prince's website earlier in the year...
(2001) - One Nite Alone...One Nite Alone...One Nite Alone... is the twenty-fifth studio album by Prince. It features him on piano and vocals with a few embellishments here and there. It was released online in 2002 through the NPG Music Club and it was never even available in stores. Many fans have only heard the album through MP3...
(2002) - N.E.W.SN.E.W.SN.E.W.S. is the twenty-seventh studio album by Prince, containing four tracks of 14 minutes duration each. Recorded at Prince's Paisley Park Studios over a single day, the album was initially available through Prince's NPG Music Club website on May 26, 2003 before becoming widely commercially...
(2003) - MusicologyMusicology (album)Musicology is the thirtieth studio album by Prince, released on April 20, 2004, which proved to be his most successful in years, reaching the Top 5 of the album charts in the U.S, UK, Germany, and many other countries....
(2004) - 31213121 (album)3121 is the thirty-first studio album by Prince. The album, released March 21, 2006 in the U.S., is distributed through Universal Records.-Album information:...
(2006) - Planet EarthPlanet Earth (album)Planet Earth is the twenty-fifth studio album by American musician Prince, first released July 15, 2007 in the UK as a free covermount with The Mail on Sunday national newspaper. This was followed by the album's worldwide distribution...
(2007) - Lotusflow3r / MPLSoundLotusflower (album)Lotusflow3r is the twenty-sixth studio album by American musician Prince, released March 24, 2009 on NPG Records. A triple album set, it contains two Prince albums, LOtUSFLOW3R and MPLSºUND, as well as Elixer, the debut album of Prince protegée Bria Valente...
(2009) - 20Ten20Ten20Ten is the thirty-fifth studio album by American musician Prince. It was released on July 10, 2010 by NPG Records as a free covermount with the Daily Mirror and Daily Record in the UK and Ireland, and Het Nieuwsblad and De Gentenaar in Belgium. It was also released on July 22, 2010 with Rolling...
(2010)
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Purple Rain Purple Rain (film) Purple Rain is a 1984 film directed by Albert Magnoli and written by Magnoli and William Blinn. Prince makes his film debut in this movie, which was developed to showcase his particular talents, hence, the film contains several extended concert sequences. The film grossed more than US$80 million at... |
The Kid | |
| 1986 | Under the Cherry Moon Under the Cherry Moon Under the Cherry Moon is a 1986 film directed by and starring Prince as a gigolo named Christopher Tracy and Time member Jerome Benton as his partner, Tricky. Together, the pair swindle wealthy French women... |
Christopher Tracy | Prince |
| 1987 | Sign o' the Times | Himself | Prince |
| 1990 | Graffiti Bridge Graffiti Bridge (film) Graffiti Bridge is a 1990 drama/musical written, directed, and starring Prince. It is a sequel to his first film, Purple Rain, though notorious for its relatively low quality and poor performance at the box-office... |
The Kid | Prince |
Tours
- Prince Tour (1979–80)
- Dirty Mind TourDirty Mind TourThe Dirty Mind Tour was the second concert tour by Prince, and supported his third album Dirty Mind. The tour lasted from late December 1980 through April 1981.-History:...
(1980–81) - Controversy TourControversy TourThe Controversy Tour was the third concert tour by Prince, in support of his fourth studio album Controversy. Also the tour included The Time as an opening act.-History:...
(1981–82) - 1999 Tour1999 TourThe 1999 Tour, was up till then, Prince's longest tour of the U.S. in support of his fifth studio album 1999. In addition, to Prince and his band, his latest all girl group Vanity 6 made their first live act tour along with the returning Time....
(1982–83) - Purple Rain TourPurple Rain TourThe Purple Rain Tour was a concert tour by Prince following up on the success of his 1984 film Purple Rain. According to Spin the tour sold over 1.7 million tickets.-History:...
(1984–85) - Hit n Run – Parade Tour (1986)
- Sign o' the Times Tour (1987)
- Lovesexy World TourLovesexy World TourThe Lovesexy World Tour was Prince's final concert tour of the 1980s in support of his album, Lovesexy.-History:Although the tour was a huge success in terms of reviews and audience numbers, , it lost money due to the high production costs incurred with transportation, only breaking even by its...
(1988–89) - Nude TourNude TourThe Nude Tour was a greatest hits concert tour by Prince. While the previous tour drew critical praise, the high cost of the concert tour production made it a financial disappointment, thus Prince eliminated much of the excessiveness of the previous tour to be more financially viable...
(1990) - Diamonds and Pearls TourDiamonds and Pearls TourThe Diamonds and Pearls Tour was a concert tour by Prince promoting his Diamonds and Pearls album, released the previous year. Like several of his then-recent tours, Prince chose not to tour in the United States...
(1992) - Act I TourAct I TourThe Act I Tour was a concert tour by Prince promoting his Love Symbol album, released the previous year. This was Prince's first tour of the United States since 1988's Lovesexy World Tour).-History:...
(1993) - Act II TourAct II TourThe Act II Tour was the second leg of a concert tour by Prince promoting his Love Symbol album, released the previous year. After Act I's tour of the U.S., Act II was Prince's return to Europe.-History:...
(1993) - The Ultimate Live ExperienceThe Ultimate Live ExperienceThe Ultimate Live Experience was a short European concert tour by Prince promoting his then-unreleased The Gold Experience album. The concerts were notable for containing very little prior Prince material; only new material and cover songs were featured. Some exceptions were "7" and newer songs...
(1995) - Gold TourGold Tour (Prince)The Gold Tour was a world concert tour by Prince promoting The Gold Experience album. The concerts featured mainly songs from the album, but also started adding prior Prince fan favorites.-History:...
(1996) - Love 4 One Another Charities TourLove 4 One Another Charities TourLove 4 One Another Charities Tour is a warmup tour done by Prince . The New Power Generation went through different lineups.-Band:Rhonda Smith: BassKat Dyson or Mike Scott: Rhythm GuitarMorris Hayes: Keyboards...
(1997) - Jam of the Year TourJam of the Year TourJam of the Year Tour is a tour by Prince, who is using the unpronounceable symbol in 1997-1998. It features a totally different New Power Generation. Very few songs from Emancipation were played...
(1997–98) - Newpower Soul Tour/FestivalNewpower Soul Tour/FestivalNewpower Soul Tour/Festival is a tour done by Prince, who is using the unpronounceable symbol. The New Power Generation went into a changing lineup. It is used to promote Newpower Soul.-Band:Prince: Guitar and Lead Vocals...
(1998) - Hit + Run TourHit + Run TourHit + Run Tour was a tour done by Prince. It is the first tour to be done by Prince after reverting back to his birth name. Backed by a totally different form of the New Power Generation.-The Band:* Prince: Guitar and Lead Vocals* Mike Scott: Rhythm Guitar...
(2000–01) - A Celebration (2001)
- One Nite Alone...Tour (2002)
- 2003–2004 World Tour (2003–04)
- Musicology Tour (2004)
- 3121 Las Vegas Residency3121 Las Vegas Residency3121 Las Vegas Residency is a tour done by Prince. Prince opened a nightclub in Las Vegas called Club 3121. He played there until April 2007 when his contract with Rio ended. The supporting album for this tour is 3121.-Set list:...
(2006–07) - Earth TourEarth Tour (Prince)Earth Tour was a series of shows by Prince during the summer of 2007. It is also known as the 21 Nights Tour. Prince played a series of 21 nights at the O2 Arena in London, England, with aftershow performances at the smaller indigO2 club, located on the same premesis of the arena. This was done to...
(2007) - 20Ten Tour20Ten Tour20Ten Tour was a concert tour performed by Prince in 2010 to promote his 20Ten album. The tour was divided in two legs, the first set of shows were from July 4 to July 25. The tour kicked off in Denmark and took Prince to Germany, France, Belgium, Austria and Portugal. Larry Graham and Mint...
(2010) - Welcome 2... (2010–11)
Grammy Awards
Earning 33 nominations, Prince has won seven Grammys. He also has had two albums − 19991999 (album)
1999 is the fifth studio album by Prince, released on October 27, 1982. It was his first top ten album on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and became the fifth best-selling album of 1983. 1999 was Prince's breakthrough album, but his next album Purple Rain would become his most...
and Purple Rain
Purple Rain (album)
Purple Rain is the sixth studio album by Prince, the first to officially be credited to Prince and The Revolution, and is the soundtrack album to the 1984 film Purple Rain.Purple Rain is regularly ranked among the best albums in pop music history...
− awarded the Grammy Hall of Fame Award.
| Year | Nominated work | Award category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | "International Lover" | Best Male R&B Vocal Performance | |
| 1985 | Purple Rain | Album of the Year Album of the Year Album of the Year may refer to:* Grammy Award for Album of the Year* Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year* Juno Award for Album of the Year* Album of the Year * Album of the Year... |
|
| Purple Rain | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | ||
| Purple Rain | Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media The Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media has been awarded since 1960. Until 2001 the award was presented to the composer of the music alone. From 2001 to 2006, the producer and engineers shared in this award... |
||
| "I Feel For You" | Best R&B Song | ||
| 1987 | "Kiss" | Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | |
| "Kiss" | Best R&B Song | ||
| 1988 | Sign O' The Times | Album of the Year | |
| "U Got The Look" | Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | ||
| "U Got The Look" | Best R&B Song | ||
| 1990 | Batman | Best Male Pop Vocal Performance | |
| "Batdance" | Best Male R&B Vocal Performance | ||
| 1991 | "Nothin' Compares 2 U" | Song of the Year Song of the Year Song of the Year may refer to:* Dove Award for Song of the Year* Grammis Song of the Year* Grammy Award for Song of the Year* Latin Grammy Award for Song of the Year* Singing News Fan Awards for Song of the Year... |
|
| 1992 | "Get Off" | Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | |
| 1993 | "Diamonds And Pearls" | Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | |
| 1995 | "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World" | Best Male Pop Vocal Performance | |
| 1996 | "Eye Hate U" | Best Male R&B Vocal Performance | |
| The Gold Experience | Best R&B Album | ||
| 2004 | N.E.W.S. | Best Pop Instrumental Album | |
| 2005 | "Cinnamon Girl" | Best Male Pop Vocal Performance | |
| "Call My Name" | Best Male R&B Vocal Performance | ||
| "Call My Name" | Best R&B Song | ||
| "Musicology" | Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance | ||
| Musicology | Best R&B Album | ||
| 2007 | "Black Sweat" | Best Male R&B Vocal Performance | |
| "Beautiful, Loved And Blessed" | Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | ||
| "3121" | Best Urban/Alternative Performance Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance The Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality urban/alternative performances... |
||
| "Black Sweat" | Best R&B Song | ||
| 3121 | Best R&B Album | ||
| 2008 | "Future Baby Mama" | Best Male R&B Vocal Performance | |
| "The Song of the Heart" | Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media The Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media has been awarded since 1988 and is awarded to songs written for films, television, video games or other visual media... |
||
| 2010 | "Dreamer" | Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance | |
See also
- List of best-selling music artists
- List of best-selling music artists in the United States
- Unreleased Prince projectsUnreleased Prince projectsPrince is well known in the entertainment industry for having a vast body of works that have never seen the light of day. It has been said that his vault contains over 50 fully produced music videos that have never been released, along with albums and other media. The following is a list, in rough...
External links
- Prince at Billboard.com
- Prince Live! Best Concert Shots – slideshow by Life magazine
- Experience The Covers – Searchable database of covered Prince-songs
- Prince Interview with Tavis Smiley on PBS