P r I n c e

Childhood Prince Rodgers Nelson’s father was a musician and songwriter his mother was a jazz singer. His parents separated when he was 10 and he would live from house to house with his parents before finally moving in with a childhood friend, Andre Cymone who he would later help get into the music field. 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.' 

Early Stages Prince was first a part of his cousin’s husband band, 94 East whom he also wrote and co-wrote songs for. He created a demo tape with songwriter/producer/engineer Chris Moon that would later lead to him choosing to sign a deal with Warner Brothers records His first album  For You album notes, Prince produced, arranged, composed and played all 27 instruments on the recording. 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.

Breakthroughs In 1980 Prince released the album, Dirty Mind, 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. He began touring and opening up for Rick James then after his Controversy release he began touring with the Rolling Stones. 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”.

Achievements Prince's 1984 album Purple Rain sold more than 13 million copies in the U.S. and spent twenty-four consecutive weeks at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The song 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. Prince won the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score for Purple Rain.  Around the World in a Day  held the No.1 spot on the Billboard 200 for three weeks. Prince received the Golden Raspberry Award for his efforts in acting and directing his second film, Under the Cherry Moon.

Fashion and Gender Statements Prince’s deliberate androgyny, a message of sexual acceptance no matter your orientation

Contributions Prince has helped guide many artists careers such as, Sheila E, Morris Day, The Time, Jesse Johnson Prince has written songs for many artists like Sheena Easton, Sheila E, The Time and has had many of his songs remade by Chaka Khan, Stevie Nicks, Bangles, Vanity 6 and others. He has influence many other artists and Miles Davis, David Lee Roth, Carlos Santana, Elton john, Stevie Wonder, Jay Z, Beyonce, Rihanna and Bruce Springsteen are just a few.

Spiritual Rebirth Despite his “Sign “O” The Times” double album in 1987 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. ‘The Black Album had more instrumental and funk and R&B themed than recent releases. Prince experiments with Hip Hop songs but has an epiphany that the album is evil and does not release it. In 1988, Lovesexy serves as a spiritual opposite to the dark The Black Album and would reach number 11  on the Billboard 200 and No.5 on the R&B albums chart. 1991 marked the debut of Prince's new band, the New Power Generation. From 1993 to the year 2000 Prince went through a phase of using an unpronounceable glyph O as his name and he was referred to as “the artist formerly known as Prince.

Current Status Prince resides near Minneapolis, Minnesota. Over the years Prince has been romantically linked with many celebrities and was married twice. Prince and his ex-wife Mayte Garcia had a son that was born with Pfeiffer syndrome and died a week later after birth. Prince became a member of Jehovah’s Witness in 2001 following a two-year-long debate with friend and fellow Jehovah's Witness, musician Larry Graham.  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.

Prince Playlist When Doves Cry FALLINLOVETONITE Little Red Corvette I Wanna be Your Lover (Single Version) 1999 I Would Die For U I Wanna be Your Lover When Doves Cry {edit lp version} Breakdown 1999 {Edit} Click Link to Access Playlist on Spotify: https://play.spotify.com/artist/5a2EaR3hamoenG9rDuVn8j