Prince (musician)
[7] He was known for his flamboyant, androgynous persona;[8][9] his wide vocal range, which included a far-reaching falsetto and high-pitched screams; and his skill as a multi-instrumentalist, often preferring to play all or most of the instruments on his recordings.[25] His grand-aunt was the black nationalist Mittie Maude Lena Gordon, who established the Peace Movement of Ethiopia and advocated emigration to West Africa in response to American white supremacy.[82] In the book Possessed: The Rise and Fall of Prince (2003), author Alex Hahn says that Dickerson was reluctant to sign a three-year contract and wanted to pursue other musical ventures.[citation needed] After Tipper Gore heard her 11-year-old daughter Karenna listening to Prince's song "Darling Nikki" (which gained wide notoriety for its sexual lyrics and a reference to masturbation), she founded the Parents Music Resource Center.Putting together a new backing band from the remnants of the Revolution, Prince added bassist Levi Seacer Jr., keyboardist Boni Boyer, and dancer/choreographer Cat Glover[109] to go with new drummer Sheila E[110] 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.[119] 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 failed to make a net profit due to the expensive sets and props.He also began work on several musical projects, including Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic and early drafts of his Graffiti Bridge film,[122][123] but both were put on hold when he was asked by Batman (1989) director Tim Burton to record several songs for the upcoming live-action adaptation.With the departures of Boni Boyer, Sheila E., the Horns, and Cat, Prince brought in keyboardist Rosie Gaines, drummer Michael Bland, and dancing trio the Game Boyz (Tony M., Kirky J., and Damon Dickson).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.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.His collaborations on Chaka Khan's Come 2 My House and Larry Graham's GCS2000, both released on the NPG label around the same time as Newpower Soul, were promoted by live appearances on Vibe with Sinbad and the NBC Today show's Summer Concert Series.On July 18, 2009, Prince performed two shows at the Montreux Jazz Festival, backed by the New Power Generation, including Rhonda Smith, Renato Neto and John Blackwell.[195] The second half of the tour had a new band, John Blackwell, Ida Kristine Nielsen, and Sheila E.[196] Prince let radio station Europe 1 debut the snippet of his new song "Rich Friends" from the new album 20Ten Deluxe on October 8, 2010.Beginning with intimate shows, the first was held at the London home of singer Lianne La Havas, followed by two performances of what Prince described as a "sound check" at the Electric Ballroom in Camden,[211] and another at Shepherd's Bush Empire.[251] Bremer Trust was given temporary control of his estate, had his vault drilled open,[252] and was authorized to obtain a blood sample for DNA profiling from the coroner who had performed the autopsy.[282] The next day, Prince's estate was granted a temporary restraining order against George Ian Boxill, an engineer who co-produced the tracks and was in possession of the master tapes, and halted the release of the EP.[299] The book includes those pages plus a lengthy account by Piepenbring of how the project came to be, a scrapbook of rare personal photos and miscellanea from the vault, and Prince's original handwritten concept for the film Purple Rain.[315] Jon Pareles of The New York Times described him as "a master architect of funk, rock, R&B and pop", and highlighted his ability to defy labels,[316] while Geoffrey Himes described him as a leading artist in "a tradition of left-wing black music", or "progressive soul", although even he conceded the term may be "too narrow".Many artists have cited Prince as an influence and inspiration, including Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Usher, Janelle Monáe, the Weeknd, Lady Gaga, Lorde,[331] Marilyn Manson,[332] Lenny Kravitz, André 3000, Mark Speer, Jamie Lidell, Frank Ocean, Miguel,[333][334] Mya,[335] Robyn,[336] D'Angelo, H.E.R.,[337] Ciara,[338] The-Dream,[339] St. Vincent,[340] Ween,[341] and Beck.[348][349] Prince's music synthesized a wide variety of influences,[316] and drew inspiration from a range of musicians, including Ike Turner,[350][351] James Brown,[352][353][354][327] George Clinton,[352][353][327] Joni Mitchell,[352] Duke Ellington,[355] Jimi Hendrix,[352][327] the Beatles,[352][327] Chuck Berry,[352] David Bowie,[352] Earth, Wind & Fire,[352] Mick Jagger,[352] Rick James,[352] Jerry Lee Lewis,[352] Little Richard,[352] Curtis Mayfield,[352][356] Elvis Presley,[352] Todd Rundgren,[357] Carlos Santana,[352] Sly Stone,[352][358][353][327][359] Jackie Wilson,[352] and Stevie Wonder.[352][362] Davis said he regarded Prince as an otherworldly blend of James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, Sly Stone, Little Richard, Duke Ellington, and Charlie Chaplin.Prince was also quick to embrace technology in his music,[373] making pioneering use of drum machines like the Linn LM-1 on his early '80s albums and employing a wide range of studio effects.On November 14, the satirical website b3ta.com pulled their "image challenge of the week" devoted to Prince after legal threats from the star under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).[410][416] Prince was romantically linked with many women over the years, including Kim Basinger, Madonna, Vanity, Jill Jones, Sheila E., Carmen Electra, Susannah Melvoin, and Sherilyn Fenn.[424][425] Prince married Manuela Testolini, a Canadian businesswoman of Italian and Egyptian descent, in a private ceremony in 2001; she hails from Toronto, which led the couple to live there part-time.The CD edition of his 2003 instrumental album N.E.W.S contained an Adobe Flash file that slowly display the words "He Causes 2 Become" when the disc was inserted into a computer, being a reference to the name of Jehovah in Witness theology."[436] Despite his ambiguous, contradictory and evolving personal convictions throughout his lifetime, Prince is often considered a queer icon by his fans for his influence on music, fashion and culture in a manner infused with religious themes.However, he did not shy away from political themes and commentary in early songs such as "Partyup", "Ronnie Talk to Russia" (which directly addressed then-President Ronald Reagan), "America", "Sign O' the Times" and later "Money Don't Matter 2 Night", in part a protest against the Gulf War.In 2004, the music video for his single "Cinnamon Girl" depicted a young Muslim woman facing Islamophobia and racial abuse and then detonating a suicide bomb in a crowded airport, before revealing it had all been a dream.[471] Prince has been honored with a star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue,[472] recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue.
Prince (disambiguation)MinneapolisChanhassen, Minnesotafentanyl overdoseMayte GarciaJohn L. NelsonTyka Nelsonneo-psychedeliaprogressive soulAlbumssinglesWarner Bros.Paisley ParkColumbiaAristaUniversalThe RevolutionThe FamilyMadhouseNew Power Generationnumerous awards and nominationsandrogynousfalsettonew wavesynth-pophip hopMinneapolis soundWarner Bros. RecordsFor YouPrinceDirty MindControversyPurple Rainfilm of the same nameBillboard 200Academy Award for Best Original Song Scoremusical filmsSign o' the Timesthe greatest work of his careerWarner BrosArista Recordsfentanyla vast array of unreleased materialbest-selling music artists of all timeGrammyAmerican Music Awards for Achievementof MeritBillboard Icon AwardAcademy AwardGolden Globe AwardRock and Roll Hall of FameUK Music Hall of FameRhythm and Blues Music Hall of FameBlack Music & Entertainment Walk of FameNothing Compares 2 USinéad O'ConnorManic Mondaythe BanglesJohn Lewis NelsonLouisianablack nationalistMittie Maude Lena GordonPeace Movement of Ethiopiaemigration to West Africawhite supremacyLouis HayesA Current AffairepilepticSeventh-day Adventist ChurchevangelicalMinneapolis-St. PaulWCCO-TVJames BrownAndré CymoneCentral High Schooljunior varsityMinnesota Dance TheatreMinneapolis Public SchoolsJoffrey BalletJimmy Jam94 EastChris MoonSound 80press kitA&M RecordsColumbia RecordsSausalito, CaliforniaRecord PlantSoft and WetpublishHot Soul SinglesBillboard Hot 100Just as Long as We're TogetherSue Ann CarwellDez DickersonDoctor FinkBobby Z.Top R&B/Black AlbumsplatinumWhy You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?I Wanna Be Your LoverAmerican BandstandStephen Thomas Erlewinecertified goldUptownRick JamesSaturday Night Livethe Rolling StonesUS tourEmancipationabbreviated spellingthe TimeMorris Daytitle tracknuclear proliferationLittle Red CorvetteMichael JacksonBillie JeanWalter YetnikoffDeliriousInternational LoverGrammy Award26th Annual Grammy AwardsLisa ColemanBrown MarkJill Jones