“Purple Rain” was one movie I liked watching over and over again because the guitar is one musical instrument that fascinates me, and not to forget, Morris Day dance steps on stage in his first performance in the movie.
Prince was a great artist and one of my favorite musician, his performances on stage were electrifying (sometimes it seems he was too crazy) but I guess it was all part of the act.
His death on April 21 2016 brought sadness and also reminded me of his great songs and works. It prompted me to look back of some of his endeavours that were all time.
I had to do some background check of his life to really know who he was and the impact of his career as an artist in the music scene.
Prince Rogers Nelson (popularly known as Prince) was born June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis United States. He was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and actor.
Prince was renowned as an innovator, and was widely known for his eclectic work, flamboyant stage presence, and wide vocal range. He is widely regarded as the pioneer of Minneapolis sound. His music integrates a wide variety of styles, including funk, rock, R&B, soul, psychedelia, and pop.
He developed interest in music in his early childhood, Prince wrote his first song when he was seven years old.
After recording songs with his cousin’s band 94 East, 19-year-old Prince recorded several unsuccessful demo tapes before releasing his debut album For You in 1978, under the guidance of manager Owen Husney.
His 1979 album Prince went platinum due to the success of the singles “Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?” and “I Wanna Be Your Lover”.
His next three records, Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981), and 1999 (1982), continued his success, showcasing Prince’s trademark of prominently sexual lyrics and incorporation of elements of funk, dance, and rock music.
In 1984, he began referring to his backup band as The Revolution and released Purple Rain, which served as the soundtrack to his film debut of the same name. A prolific songwriter, Prince in the 1980s wrote songs for and produced work by many other acts, often under pseudonyms.
After releasing the albums Around the World in a Day (1985) and Parade (1986), The Revolution disbanded and Prince released the double album Sign o’ the Times (1987) as a solo artist.
He released three more solo albums before debuting The New Power Generation band in 1991. He changed his stage name in 1993 to an unpronounceable symbol , also known as the “Love Symbol”.
He then began releasing new albums at a faster pace to remove himself from contractual obligations to Warner Bros; he released five records between 1994 and 1996 before signing with Arista Records in 1998.
In 2000, he began referring to himself as “Prince” again. He released 15 albums after that; his final album, HITnRUN Phase Two, was first released exclusively on the Tidal streaming service on December 11, 2015.
On April 21, 2016, his life came to an end, Prince died at his Paisley Park recording studio and home in Chanhassen, Minnesota, after two weeks reports of his illness.
Prince achievements, tagged him as one of the best selling artists of all time. He sold over 100 million copies of record worldwide.
He won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, in the first year of his eligibility.
Rolling Stone ranked Prince at number 27 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Prior before his death, Prince postponed two performances from his Piano & A Microphone Tour, at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta on April 7, 2016; the venue released a statement saying he was “battling the flu”.
He rescheduled the show for April 14, even though he still was not feeling well. While flying back to Minneapolis early the next morning, his private jet made an emergency landing at Quad City International Airport in Moline, Illinois, so that he could seek medical treatment.
Representatives stated that he suffered from “bad dehydration” and had been fighting influenza for several weeks.
Prince was seen in public the following evening, when he shopped at the Electric Fetus in Minneapolis on Record Store Day, and made a brief appearance at a dance party at his Paisley Park recording studio complex in Chanhassen, Minnesota, stating that he was feeling fine.
On April 19, 2016, he attended a performance by singer Lizz Wright at the Dakota Jazz Club.
On April 21, 2016, at 9:43 a.m., the Carver County Sheriff’s Office received a 9-1-1 phone call from an unidentified male, requesting an ambulance be sent to Prince’s home and reporting, at first, that Prince was unconscious, and, later in the same call, that he was dead.
Authorities found Prince unresponsive, in an elevator at Paisley Park, which also served as his Minnesota home. Prince did not respond to CPR administered by emergency responders and he was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m.
And The Purple Rain Stopped Falling, he was aged 57.