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Prince (1958–2016)
Prince performing “Purple Rain” at First Avenue, August 3, 1983. Photograph by Joel Bremer. CC-BY-SA 4.0.
Prince was a Minnesota-based singer, songwriter, musician, studio engineer, actor, director, dancer, and music legend. Over his nearly forty-year career, he sold more than100 million albums; he also won seven Grammys and an Oscar. He was the main creator of the Minneapolis Sound, a blending of rhythm and blues, funk, rock, pop, punk, and new wave that defined the music of the 1980s.
Prince Rogers Nelson was born in Minneapolis on June 7, 1958. Growing up on the city's Northside, he taught himself the piano, guitar, bass, drums, and other instruments at a young age. His early musical influences included R&B, funk, rock, and soul music. Older local musicians and neighbors, like Sonny Thompson, exposed him to rock—an important component in his development of the Minneapolis Sound.
After Prince landed a major recording contract with Warner Brothers at nineteen, his first albums—For You (1978) and Prince (1979)—made their mark on the R&B charts but did not see the crossover to white audiences that he wanted. His early recordings did show his musical virtuosity and included the soon-to-be-common credit “produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince.”
Prince’s commercial and critical success grew in the early 1980s with the release of albums that solidified the Minneapolis Sound: Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981), and 1999 (1982). His videos with his “multicultural, rainbow-coalition” and mixed-gender band, The Revolution, on the new music channel MTV, helped define the fashion, dance moves, and sounds of the new decade.
With no number-one hits and only one top-ten album (1999) under his belt, Prince pitched the idea of a major motion picture to his label. While initially unsure, Warner Brothers eventually backed the artist’s effort, and Prince spent much of 1983 and early 1984 writing and recording songs for, and filming, the movie Purple Rain. Prince and The Revolution recorded three of the soundtrack’s songs live at the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue in 1983 and shot over half of the movie at the venue.
The film and soundtrack, released in June 1984, were instant commercial and critical successes. Prince’s impact on music, fashion, and sexuality made him a cultural icon in league with Michael Jackson and Madonna.
During the last half of the 1980s, Prince continued to explore new musical sounds and switched between collaborative and solo works. He disbanded The Revolution in 1986 after the release of Parade. He returned to his roots by completing his next studio album (Sign o’ the Times) alone, but he also collaborated with other side bands and projects. He ushered out the most successful decade of his career with a number-one soundtrack for the Tim Burton movie Batman.
In 1991, Prince formed his next band, The New Power Generation, and began incorporating hip-hop and rap into his work, which he had previously resisted. With his superstar status, he took on the music industry’s contracting procedures, changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol to escape his recording contract with Warner Brothers. He often appeared with the word “slave” drawn on his face to underscore the unfair practices he saw in the recording industry.
In the early 2000s, Prince influenced the business side of the music industry more than the sonic landscape of the times. With slipping record sales but continuing success touring, Prince found innovative ways to distribute his albums and reach number one, such as selling them with concert tickets (Musicology) and giving people the chance to enter a sweepstakes to win a private performance (3121).
Prince was an early supporter of directly streaming music to his audience. He changed his mind, however, when he saw his work pirated on the internet. He eventually came to terms with the new technology and released albums online via a subscription service, which sold his music as well as tickets to his shows. He continued to collaborate extensively, including with his last band, 3rdEyeGirl, and performed massive worldwide tours as well as more intimate performances at his Paisley Park compound in Chanhassen.
Prince died at Paisley Park on April 21, 2016, from an accidental overdose of the opioid fentanyl. He was fifty-seven years old.
Bibliography
Birth certificate, Nelson, Prince Roger [sic]. Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, June 7, 1958. Certificate #122-58-0 09233. Minnesota Birth Index.
Galbraith, Alex. “Watch A Rare Video of Prince Debuting a Longer Version Of ‘Purple Rain’ In 1983.” Uproxx, September 2, 2015.
Originally found at: http://uproxx.com/music/watch-prince-purple-rain-original-1983
Goldberg, Emily. The Minneapolis Sound. Minneapolis: KTCA2 Production, 1988.
Graustark, Barbara. “Prince: Strange Tales from Andre’s Basement…and Other Fantasies Come True.” Musician, September 1983.
Hamilton, Jack. “Why Prince May Have Been the Greatest Guitarist Since Hendrix (and Why That Shouldn’t Seem Like a Surprise).” Slate’s Culture Blog, April 28, 2016.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2016/04/28/why_prince_was_the_greatest_guitarist_since_jimi_hendrix.html
Library of Congress. “Recordings by Donna Summer, Prince and Dolly Parton Named to the National Recording Registry.” News release, May 23, 2012.
https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-12-107/new-entries-to-the-national-recording-registry-2/2012-05-23/
Light, Alan. Let’s Go Crazy: Prince and the Making of Purple Rain. New York: Atria Books, 2014.
Nelson, Tyka. Phone interview with the author, January 18, 2017.
“Oral History: Prince's Life, as Told by the People Who Knew Him Best.” Minneapolis Star Tribune, April 26, 2016.
http://www.startribune.com/the-life-of-prince-as-told-by-the-people-who-knew-him/376586581/#1
Parramore, Lynn Stuart. “Prince, Bowie and Haggard: Icons? Legends? What’s the Difference?” Reuters, April 27, 2016.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-culture-parramore-commentary/commentary-prince-bowie-and-haggard-icons-legends-whats-the-difference-idUSKCN0XO1YS
Prince Vault.
http://www.princevault.com/index.php?title=Main_Page
Riemenschneider, Chris, and Jon Bream. “Obituary: Prince Was a Diminutive Giant Who Revolutionized Pop Music.” Minneapolis Star Tribune, April 28, 2016.
Originally found at: http://www.startribune.com/jon-bream-prince-was-a-once-in-a-generation-artist-who-never-rested-on-his-laurels/376594221/
Ro, Ronin. Prince: Inside the Music and the Masks. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2011.
Smith, Charles "Chazz," and Victoria Smith. Phone interviews with the editor, October 12 and 16, 2017.
Swensson, Andrea. "The Hometown Kid." Minnesota Monthly, December 2016.
Thorne, Matt. Prince: The Man and His Music. Chicago: Bolden, 2016.
Touré. I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon. New York: Atria Books, 2013.
Related Resources
Primary
Corrigan, Daniel, and Danny Sigelman. Heyday: 35 Years of Music in Minneapolis. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2016.
History is Now! Remembering Prince Photograph Collection
Photograph Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.
Description: Digital images acquired as part of a project to document the death of Prince with a public call for personal photographs of memorials and celebrations dedicated to the talented musician and cultural icon.
http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/sv000232.xml
Secondary
Als, Hilton. “I Am Your Conscious, I Am Love: A Paean to Prince.” Harpers, December 2012.
Bream, Jon. Prince: Inside the Purple Reign. New York: Collier Books, Macmillan Publishing, 1984.
Draper, Jason. Prince: Chaos, Disorder, and Revolution. New York: Backbeat Books, 2011.
Greenman, Ben. Dig if You Will the Picture: Funk, Sex, God, and Genius in the Music of Prince. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2017.
Hill, Dave. Prince: A Pop Life. New York: Harmony Books, 1989.
Ivory, Steven. Prince. New York: Putnam Publishing Group, 1984.
Mabery, D. L. Prince. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 1985.
Prince: An Artist’s Life, 1958–2016. New York: Time Books, 2016.
Riemenschneider, Chris. First Avenue: Minnesota’s Main Room. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2017.
Various. The Genius of Prince. New York: Conde Nast, 2016.
Web
Pareles, Jon. “Prince, An Artist Who Defied Genre, Is Dead at 57.” New York Times, April 21, 2016.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/22/arts/music/prince-dead.html
Related Audio
MN90: Prince: The "Hipster Paul Bunyan" From Minneapolis
Minneapolis native Prince Rogers Nelson became mega-musical-star Prince. Along the way, he created the Minneapolis Sound and won Grammys and an Oscar for his semi-autobiographical album and film Purple Rain. He also wrote, performed, and produced numerous hit records. In 2010, he received BET’s Lifetime Achievement Award. MN90 producer Marisa Helms tells us that despite his success, Prince remained rooted in Minneapolis, and became one of the state’s cultural icons.
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Prince performing “Purple Rain” at First Avenue, August 3, 1983. Photograph by Joel Bremer. CC-BY-SA 4.0.
Prince performing at the Coachella music festival, 2008. CC BY-SA 3.0.
Prince, 2009. CC BY-SA 3.0.

Prince performing “Purple Rain” at First Avenue
Prince performing “Purple Rain” at First Avenue, August 3, 1983. Photograph by Joel Bremer. CC-BY-SA 4.0.
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Prince (Skipper) as a baby, with family
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Prince as a baby with his aunt (Edna Mae) and uncle (Frank)
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Prince at his sixth birthday party
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Prince’s junior high school yearbook photograph
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Ticket to Prince's first concert (1979)
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Lyrics to “I Hope We Work It Out”
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Prince performing at First Avenue in 1983
Prince performing at First Avenue. Photograph by David Brewster (Minneapolis Star Tribune), August 3, 1983.
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Tambourine from the movie Purple Rain
Tambourine from the movie Purple Rain, 1984.
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Costume worn by Prince in the movie Purple Rain
Costume worn by Prince in the movie Purple Rain, 1984.
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Boots worn by Prince in the movie Purple Rain
Boots worn by Prince in the movie Purple Rain, 1984.
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Detail of Purple Rain movie brochure
Detail of Purple Rain movie brochure, 1984–1985.
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“U Got the Look” record sleeve
"U Got the Look": the first release from Prince’s critically acclaimed double album Sign o’ the Times" The song reached number 2 on the US Billboard charts in 1987.
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Tamboracca (percussion instrument) and box
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Controversy (Prince fan club) order form
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Sticker with the unpronounceable symbol (glyph) used as a name by Prince
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Prince, ca. 1995–2000.
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Prince performing at the Coachella music festival
Prince performing at the Coachella music festival, 2008. CC BY-SA 3.0.
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Prince, 2009
Prince, 2009. CC BY-SA 3.0.
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Prince's star painted gold at First Avenue
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Fan tributes to Prince outside Paisley Park
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Chronology
1958
1965
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1975
1978
1980
1982
1983
1984
1985
1987
1991
1993
2004
2016
Bibliography
Birth certificate, Nelson, Prince Roger [sic]. Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, June 7, 1958. Certificate #122-58-0 09233. Minnesota Birth Index.
Galbraith, Alex. “Watch A Rare Video of Prince Debuting a Longer Version Of ‘Purple Rain’ In 1983.” Uproxx, September 2, 2015.
Originally found at: http://uproxx.com/music/watch-prince-purple-rain-original-1983
Goldberg, Emily. The Minneapolis Sound. Minneapolis: KTCA2 Production, 1988.
Graustark, Barbara. “Prince: Strange Tales from Andre’s Basement…and Other Fantasies Come True.” Musician, September 1983.
Hamilton, Jack. “Why Prince May Have Been the Greatest Guitarist Since Hendrix (and Why That Shouldn’t Seem Like a Surprise).” Slate’s Culture Blog, April 28, 2016.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2016/04/28/why_prince_was_the_greatest_guitarist_since_jimi_hendrix.html
Library of Congress. “Recordings by Donna Summer, Prince and Dolly Parton Named to the National Recording Registry.” News release, May 23, 2012.
https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-12-107/new-entries-to-the-national-recording-registry-2/2012-05-23/
Light, Alan. Let’s Go Crazy: Prince and the Making of Purple Rain. New York: Atria Books, 2014.
Nelson, Tyka. Phone interview with the author, January 18, 2017.
“Oral History: Prince's Life, as Told by the People Who Knew Him Best.” Minneapolis Star Tribune, April 26, 2016.
http://www.startribune.com/the-life-of-prince-as-told-by-the-people-who-knew-him/376586581/#1
Parramore, Lynn Stuart. “Prince, Bowie and Haggard: Icons? Legends? What’s the Difference?” Reuters, April 27, 2016.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-culture-parramore-commentary/commentary-prince-bowie-and-haggard-icons-legends-whats-the-difference-idUSKCN0XO1YS
Prince Vault.
http://www.princevault.com/index.php?title=Main_Page
Riemenschneider, Chris, and Jon Bream. “Obituary: Prince Was a Diminutive Giant Who Revolutionized Pop Music.” Minneapolis Star Tribune, April 28, 2016.
Originally found at: http://www.startribune.com/jon-bream-prince-was-a-once-in-a-generation-artist-who-never-rested-on-his-laurels/376594221/
Ro, Ronin. Prince: Inside the Music and the Masks. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2011.
Smith, Charles "Chazz," and Victoria Smith. Phone interviews with the editor, October 12 and 16, 2017.
Swensson, Andrea. "The Hometown Kid." Minnesota Monthly, December 2016.
Thorne, Matt. Prince: The Man and His Music. Chicago: Bolden, 2016.
Touré. I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon. New York: Atria Books, 2013.
Related Resources
Primary
Corrigan, Daniel, and Danny Sigelman. Heyday: 35 Years of Music in Minneapolis. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2016.
History is Now! Remembering Prince Photograph Collection
Photograph Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.
Description: Digital images acquired as part of a project to document the death of Prince with a public call for personal photographs of memorials and celebrations dedicated to the talented musician and cultural icon.
http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/sv000232.xml
Secondary
Als, Hilton. “I Am Your Conscious, I Am Love: A Paean to Prince.” Harpers, December 2012.
Bream, Jon. Prince: Inside the Purple Reign. New York: Collier Books, Macmillan Publishing, 1984.
Draper, Jason. Prince: Chaos, Disorder, and Revolution. New York: Backbeat Books, 2011.
Greenman, Ben. Dig if You Will the Picture: Funk, Sex, God, and Genius in the Music of Prince. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2017.
Hill, Dave. Prince: A Pop Life. New York: Harmony Books, 1989.
Ivory, Steven. Prince. New York: Putnam Publishing Group, 1984.
Mabery, D. L. Prince. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 1985.
Prince: An Artist’s Life, 1958–2016. New York: Time Books, 2016.
Riemenschneider, Chris. First Avenue: Minnesota’s Main Room. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2017.
Various. The Genius of Prince. New York: Conde Nast, 2016.
Web
Pareles, Jon. “Prince, An Artist Who Defied Genre, Is Dead at 57.” New York Times, April 21, 2016.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/22/arts/music/prince-dead.html