| Prince |
rince_at_Coachella_001.jpg">
Prince performing in 2008 |
| Background information |
| Birth name |
Prince Rogers Nelson |
| Also known as |
- Jamie Starr
- Christopher
- Alexander Nevermind
- The Purple One
- Joey Coco
- rince_logo.svg">
- O(+>
- The Artist Formerly Known as Prince
- TAFKAP
|
| Born |
June 7, 1958
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States |
| Died |
April 21, 2016 (aged 57)
Chanhassen, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Genres |
|
| Occupation(s) |
- Singer-songwriter
- multi-instrumentalist
- record producer
- actor
- film director
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active |
1976–2016 |
| Labels |
|
| Associated acts |
|
Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016) 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 was widely regarded as the pioneer of Minneapolis sound. His music integrates a wide variety of styles, including funk, rock,R&B, soul, hip hop, disco, psychedelia, jazz, and pop.
Prince was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and developed an interest in music at an early age, writing his first song at age seven. 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 releasedPurple 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 critically acclaimed 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 rince_logo.svg">
, 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 Recordsin 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 Tidalstreaming service on December 11, 2015.[1]
Prince has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time.[2] He won seven Grammy Awards,[3] a Golden Globe Award,[4] and anAcademy Award.[5] He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the first year of his eligibility.[6] Rolling Stone ranked Prince at number 27 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[7]
He died at his Paisley Park recording studio and home in Chanhassen, Minnesota, on April 21, 2016, after experiencing flu-like symptoms.[8]
Early life
Prince Rogers Nelson[9][10] was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Mattie Della (Shaw) and John Lewis Nelson.[11] His parents were both African-American[11] and his family ancestry is centered in Louisiana, with all four of his grandparents hailing from that state.[12][13] Prince's father was a pianist and songwriter and his mother was a jazz singer. Prince was named after his father, whose stage name was Prince Rogers, and who performed with a jazz group called the Prince Rogers Trio. In a 1991 interview with A Current Affair, Prince's father said, "I named my son Prince because I wanted him to do everything I wanted to do". Prince's childhood nickname was Skipper.[15]
In an interview, Prince told Tavis Smiley that he was "born epileptic" and "used to have seizures" when he was young. During the interview, he also said: "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'."[16]
Prince's sister Tika Evene (usually called Tyka) was born in 1960.[17] Both siblings developed a keen interest in music, and this was encouraged by their father.[18] Prince wrote his first tune, "Funk Machine", on his father's piano when he was seven.[18] When Prince was ten years old, his parents separated. Prince repeatedly switched homes following the separation, sometimes living with his father and sometimes with his mother and stepfather.[18] Finally, he moved into the home of neighbors named the Andersons and befriended their son Andre Anderson, who later became known as André Cymone.[19]
Prince and Anderson joined Prince's cousin Charles Smith in a band called Grand Central while they were attending Minneapolis's Central High School. Smith was later replaced byMorris Day on the drums. Prince played piano and guitar for the band, which performed at clubs and parties in the Minneapolis area. Grand Central later changed its name to Champagne and started playing original music influenced by Sly and the Family Stone,James Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire, Miles Davis, George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic,Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix, and Todd Rundgren. Rock critics have noted similarities between Prince's later androgynous look, music and vocal style and that of Little Richard.[21][22]
Prince also played basketball in high school, and continued to play it for recreation as an adult, which later inspired a famous Dave Chappelle sketch.[24]
Personal life
Prince resided near Minneapolis at the time of his death.[174] Over the years Prince was romantically linked with many celebrities, including Kim Basinger, Madonna, Vanity, Sheila E., Carmen Electra, Susanna Hoffs, Anna Fantastic, Sherilyn Fenn,[175] and Susan Moonsie of Vanity 6 and Apollonia 6. Prince was engaged to Susannah Melvoin in 1985.[177] When he was 37, he married his 22-year-old backup singer and dancer Mayte Garcia on Valentine's Day 1996. They had a son named Boy Gregory on October 16, 1996, who was born with Pfeiffer syndrome and died a week later.[178] Prince and Mayte divorced in 1999. In 2001, Prince married Manuela Testolini in a private ceremony; she filed for divorce in May 2006.[179]
Prince joined the Jehovah's Witnesses in 2001 following a two-year-long debate with friend and fellow Jehovah's Witness musician Larry Graham. Prince said that he didn't consider it a conversion, but a "realization". "It's like Morpheus and Neo in The Matrix," he explained. He attended meetings at a local Kingdom Hall and occasionally knocked on people's doors to discuss his faith.[180] Prince reportedly needed double hip-replacement surgery since 2005 but would not undergo the operation unless it was a bloodless surgery becauseJehovah's Witnesses do not accept blood transfusions.[181] The condition was rumored to be aggravated by repeated onstage dancing in high-heeled boots.[182]
Prince was a vegetarian.[183][184][185] The liner notes for his album Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic featured a message about the cruelty involved in wool production.[186]
Sinéad O'Connor spoke about her relationship with Prince in an interview with Norwegian station NRK in November 2014. She said that Prince had summoned her to his house after "Nothing Compares 2 U", a song that Prince wrote, became a worldwide hit for O'Connor in 1990. O'Connor said, "I made it without him. I'd never met him. He summoned me to his house—and it's foolish to do this to an Irish woman—he said he didn't like me saying bad words in interviews. So I told him to fuck off." O'Connor alleged, "He got quite violent. I had to escape out of his house at 5 in the morning. He packed a bigger punch than mine."[187]
In 2016, Prince announced that he was writing a memoir, tentatively titled The Beautiful Ones.[188]
Illness and death
Prince postponed two performances from his Piano & A Microphone Tour on April 7, 2016, at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, stating that he was "battling the flu."[189] On April 15, 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.[190] He performed a rescheduled Atlanta concert the day before, even though he had still not been feeling well.[190] Prince was seen in public the following evening, when he shopped at theElectric 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 okay.[191] Prince died on April 21, 2016, at the age of 57, having been found unresponsive in an elevator that morning at his Paisley Park complex.[192] An emergency call was placed at 9:32 a.m; he did not respond to CPR, and was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m.[193]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_(musician)
（圖／Associated Press）
