Prince Biography Enigmatic singer and songwriter Prince was born on June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In junior high, Prince joined his cousin’s band, Grand Central. The band lasted throughout high school, later changing its name to Champagne. At eighteen, Prince began working on a demo tape so promising that major record labels competed to sign him as their next artist. Prince chose to sign with Warner Bros. Records, along with other greats before him, Madonna, Dionne Warwick and George Benson, which offered him the most creative control. In 1978, he released his debut album, For You. The next year he released his self-titled album, which received modest reviews. Throughout the late 70s and early 80s, Prince began to stand out on the music scene for his explicit lyrics, ambiguous sexual orientation, and flamboyant clothing, much in the vein of Elton John, which often included high-heeled shoes to bolster his five foot, two inch stature.
In 1981, Prince’s album Controversy got him noticed internationally; however, his breakthrough is widely considered to be his 1982 album, 1999. In 1984, Prince released one of the decade’s most celebrated albums, Purple Rain. It went on to sell over thirteen million copies in the U.S. and spent twenty-four weeks at #1. That same year, Prince also starred in a semi-autobiographical film of the same name. In 1987, Prince released the double album Sign “o” the Times. It landed in the top ten on the Billboard 200 and was met with critical acclaim. During the last leg of his European tour for the album, Prince disbanded his performance band, known as The Revolution. In the late 80s, Prince opened Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota. The studio houses three recording studios as well as a complete sound stage equipped for performances and video production. In 1989, Prince released the soundtrack for the film Batman, which landed him back at the top of the charts, reaching #1 of the Billboard Hot 100. However, his next film endeavor, the sequel to Purple Rain, called Graffiti Bridge, was panned by critics and drew low numbers at the box-office.
In 1991, Prince released Diamonds and Pearls, marking the debut of his new band, the New Power Generation. The following year, he released an album with an unpronounceable symbol for the title. The album was dubbed The Love Symbol Album. That same year, Prince made one of the most highly-publicized moves of his career by changing his name to the symbol. He was then referred to as “The artist formerly known as Prince,” “TAFKAP,” or “The Artist.” He explained that he made the move since Warner Bros. owned the name Prince and all related music marketed under the name. In May 2000, Prince reverted back to using his name after his publishing contract with Warner Bros. expired. In 1996, Prince released Emancipation and Chaos and Disorder, his final album of new material under Warner Bros. Also that year, Prince married backup singer and dancer, Mayte Garcia. The couple had a child born with a rare skull disease and the child tragically died shortly after birth. In 1998, the couple had their marriage annulled. On December 31, 2001, Prince married Manuela Testolini in Hawaii, in a Jehovah's Witnesses ceremony. The couple later divorced in 2006. Prince has previously been romantically linked to Nona Gaye, Carmen Electra, and Kim Basinger. In 2004, Prince reappeared in the public eye during a rare Grammy appearance with Beyoncé Knowles. That year he released Musicology, which won two Grammys for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. Musicology also won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Album in March of 2005, and Prince received the NAACP Vanguard Award. He was also inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Prince’s next album, 3121 in 2006 was hailed as a comeback, and t has been accompanied by actual performances by the artist, including on shows such as American Idol with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson and his first appearance on Saturday Night Live in twenty-five years with Dan Aykroyd and the team. As one of the most influential artists of all-time, Prince is widely-respected by his peers as a musical genius and perfectionist. However, his aloof personality has given him the public image of being somewhat humorless. In 2005, Comedian Dave Chappelle played on this image during a skit of a re-enactment of a reportedly true event during the 80s featuring Prince and The Revolution playing a relaxed game of basketball in their performance attire and serving pancakes at Prince’s home. Prince performed at the 2007 Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida. YUDDY |
