A look back to the life of Prince: 1958-2016

A look back to the life of Prince

Prince Rogers Nelson 

(June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016) 

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 vocal range. He is regarded as the pioneer of Minneapolis sound; his music integrates a wide variety of styles, including funk, rock, R&B, soul, psychedelia, and pop.

Prince was born in Minneapolis and developed an interest in music as a young child, writing 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 15, 2016, while he was on tour, Prince's private plane made an emergency landing in Illinois and he was admitted to a hospital with flu-like symptoms. On April 21, 2016, he died at his Paisley Park recording studio and home in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

Prince sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. 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, the first year of his eligibility. Rolling Stone ranked Prince at number 27 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

A legend The singer, songwriter, arranger and instrumentalist was widely acclaimed as one of the most inventive musicians of his era. (AP)

Family Prince Rogers Nelson was born on June 7, 1958 to Mattie Della and John Lewis Nelson in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His father was a pianist and songwriter and his mother was a jazz singer. He is named for his father who went by the stage name Prince Rogers. (AP)

Early beginnings Encouraged by his father, Prince wrote his first song "Funk Machine" at age 7. His love of music grew as he got older and he joined his cousin's band called Grand Central in high school. The band changed their name to Champagne and Prince began playing orignal music across clubs in the Minneapolis area. (AP)

Discovery At age 17, Prince signed with manager Owen Husney who helped him create a demo at Sound 80 Studios in Minneapolis. He quickly caught the attention of many big record companies but ended up signing with Warner Bros. He moved to California and recorded his first album "For You" which was released in 1978. (AP)

'Purple Rain' Prince's 1984 "Purple Rain" album sold more than 13 million copies in the United States and spent 24 consecutive weeks at No.1 on the Billboard charts. Notable tunes from the album include "Let's Go Crazy" and "When Doves Cry." Two years later in 1986, Prince disbanded his band that he called The Revolution at the time. (Warner Bros.)

Solo Prince released his first solo album called "Sign o' the Times' in 1987. The record didn't sell as well as his previous efforts but Prince's stardom continued to rise. He released several more albums and produced countless hits like "Diamonds and Pearls," U Got the Look" and "Cream." (AP)

The artist formerly known as Prince He was also fiercely protective of his independence, battling his record company over control of his material and even his name. Prince once wrote "slave" on his face in protest of not owning his work and famously battled and then departed his label, Warner Bros., before returning a few years ago. In 1993, he changed his name to what became called "The Love Symbol" and went by "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince." (AP)

Hall of fame In 2004, Prince was inducted into the Rock and Roll of Fame, which hailed him as a musical and social trailblazer. (AP)

Source/Reference: Internet