See also: Prince, Rogers

Prince Rogers Nelson , known under the name of artist Prince or in the form of an unpronouncable symbol (enough commonly named the " coil symbol"), June 7th 1958 was born the .

This producing, Type-setter, Singer and Musician of Funk and pop American, was illustrated since the end of the Années 1970 like a musician multi-instrumentalist of a very great prolixity.

In the Années 1980 Prince one of the stars is adulated, being able to count on a solid bases fans assessing its innovative qualities and its gifts of musician. In 1993, it announces its withdrawal of music industry and takes for name a symbol. It leaves its discs then independently and confidential, and becomes much less present on the media scene. In 2000, its contract with Warner-Chappel finishes and it recovers the use of the name of Prince. It joins again then with the recording companies for temporary contracts authorizing a whole artistic autonomy to him.

Biography

Prince was born the June 7th 1958 with Mineapolis, in the State of the Minnesota. There remained very attached to this city, and regularly emphasized it in its songs, its clips, or its films.

His/her father, John L. Nelson, was workman. His/her mother, Mattie Shaw, had just finished her studies when she met John of which she was 16 years the junior. After having been graduate, she worked mainly in a service of social action. They had two children together: Prince Rogers , in 1958 and Tyka Evene , in 1960.

The father of Prince was a musician of ignored Jazz shining but, which occurred regularly in the clubs of the city. Sometimes Mattie accompanied it with the song. John incarnated the character of Prince Rogers in his group, it is the name which it will choose for his son.

John and Mattie divorce in 1968; Prince will be initially lodged at various people of his family before choosing to live at one of his buddies of class, André Anderson. The mother of Andre, Bernadette, dealt already with six children and Prince will decide to place in the cellar of Anderson. A long friendship will develop with André, who will become later its first bass player under the name of Andre Cymone.

Its beginnings of musician

Prince assembles in 1973 its first group Grand Exchange , in which he plays of the guitar and the keyboards. The group took again mainly successes of Signal 40. They played in the courses of schools, the neighborhood houses, or even the garden of the house of the bass player, draining the public of the neighborhoods.

The following year, Grand Exchange enjoys already a solid reputation in Mineapolis and Morris Day was integrated into the group. Charismatic figure, the newcomer will become later a star with whole share, in particular for its participation within the group The Time and in its role in the film Purple Rain.

The mother of Morris Day became the manager of the group, because it had vague knowledge in the artistic medium. It formed a Corporation becoming owner of the instruments of the group, and paid the musicians by check. The name of the group was changed into Great Exchange Corporation. A little later it met a musician and producer, Pepe Willie, and together they started to work for the group.

In December 1975, Pepe Willie employs Prince as guitarist for sessions of his own group, 94 East . It was the first time that Prince recorded in studio, it was 16 years old. A contract was signed shortly after with Polydor, but 94 East never left disc (the bands will be published well later under the name of " 94 East featuring Prince").

Beginning 1976, Grand Exchange Corporation decides to record its own material. The group was composed of Morris Day (battery), Andre Cymone Anderson (low), and Prince (keyboards and guitars). With the studio Moon Sound , in Mineapolis, they meet the owner Chris Moon, who sought a partner to put his texts in music in exchange of free sessions studio. Prince and Moon decided to work together, with the detriment of the project of album for Grand Exchange Corporation. At this point in time Prince started to produce models on which it held all the instruments.

In September 1976, Prince supplemented 14 titles and share to try its chance with New York, without success. Chris Moon recalls Prince to Mineapolis and proposes to him to meet Owen Husney, which will become its first manager.

Husney works out with Prince a strategy to conquer the recording companies, in particular by renovating it two years and by presenting it like new the Stevie Wonder. The two men required conditions ever seen for the time: to allow Prince to be his clean producing (it is then 18 years old!), and to record three albums for which it will ensure only the composition, the writing, arrangements and all the instruments. They obtain finally a contract with Warner Bros together with an advance of 180  000  $ per 3 albums, and that Prince will consume almost completely for the recording of the first.

A total control of its art

Self-educated musician, Prince is able to play of more than 20 instruments and records his albums entirely only although it can neither read nor to write the notes on a partition. Following the example Stevie Wonder, it records each instrument one after the other to form the complete song. His creative process thus is reported: on the basis of an instrument (for example the piano), it composes its melody. Then, he adds or removes other instruments progressively, until the result is appropriate to him.

While being alone in the studio it can record without any limit, the sound engineers making a bearing every eight hours with the console. Some of its compositions required more 24:00 of work uninterrupted! It passes then behind the console and records itself the voices and deals with the mix final. To this rate/rhythm, it indicated to the end them years 1990 to have in reserve more than one thousand of new songs is the equivalent of more than 60 albums in advance (if one counts 15 titles per album)!

On scene, Prince is also regarded as a major artist. Its spectacles are contingent on an often decorated musical structure long impromptu passages. The set list changes thus very regularly. Although certain rounds were very elaborate, Prince forever need to resort to special effects or graduated choreographies. Its talents of dancer, guitarist, singer and leader of review are enough to produce a spectacle of great quality.

To arrive at this performance level, Prince is a perfectionist: he films all his concerts then revisionne the bands in the night and decides what is to be modified the following day.

The official concerts are prolonged occasionally in smaller rooms. They are the famous " aftershows ", of the services largely improvised and played until the rising of the day… or the closing of the room. These concerts intimists make it possible to present another aspect of the work of Prince, and sometimes to assist with creation on line new musical works.

" Real music by real musicians" : such was its watchword at the time of the round of 2002, a principle applied since the beginnings of its career. This man devoted the totality of his life to the music, and seldom communicated on other things.

A rich person career discographic

See also: Prince (discography)

The first disc of Prince is appeared in 1978 and since this date, Prince sold more than 100 million albums throughout the world. Its career is marked out by innumerable successes with tubes like Purple Rain , KIS , Cream , Sexy MF , Raspberry Beret , When Doves Cry , Let' S Go Crazy , 1999 , I Wanna Be Your Lover , Controversy , The Most Beautiful Girl In The World , Sign O The Times , Girls & Boys , Batdance , Gett Off …

In less than 30 years of career, it left more than one forty albums under its name or various pseudonyms. One counts there two double albums, three triple albums, and a quadruple album: " Hook Ball " (1998), which also exists in limited edition with an additional disc which in fact a quintuple album.

Its musical style, inspired in particular by the experimental Funk of Shuggie Otis, George Clinton or Sly Stone, oscillates mainly between the rock'n'roll, the jazz and the funk groovy. He is regarded as one of the most innovative artists of the Eighties, from his takings risk musical and commercial during this period.

The critic like the public acclaimed some of her albums, like 1999 (1982), Purple Rain (1984), Sign “O” The Times (1987) or Diamonds & Pearls (1991). Its contemporaries recognize him moreover direction undeniable of melody (Miles Davis said of him that it was new the Duke Ellington), a very great technical control (Eric Clapton regards Prince as one of the largest guitarists of the world), and all without exception regard Prince as the artist having the greatest scenic presence.

In the Nineties and 2000, it also made appear albums sets of themes, like an acoustic disc ( The Truth , 1997), a traditional ballet néo ( Kamasutra , 1997), an album jazz and violin ( Xpectation , 2003 with Candy Dulfer and Vanessa Mae) or an instrumental album where each title makes exactly 14 minutes ( N.E.W.S. , 2003).

Generally, one can regard Prince as an artist " out-norme" , constantly wishing to dissociate traditional industry of the disc. If this strategy paid in the Eighties, it was worth to him an immense fall of its popularity in the Nineties because of its name change for a symbol. It returned however to the last style in the years 2000 in particular with the album The Rainbow Children (2001) encensé by criticism, like with the box live One Nite Alone (2002). Lastly, Musicology in 2004 made it possible Prince to find success in the USA with 2 million sold specimens and a round which was seen by more than one million and half of people.

In addition to his own career, Prince produced and composed of many pieces for other artists (while signing sometimes under pseudonyms): Nothing Compare 2 U (which, at the base was composed for the group The Family) taken again by Sinead O' Connor is known the most, but also of other titles for Lenny Kravitz, Madonna, Céline Dion, Chaka Khan, Joe Cocker, Maceo Parker, Stevie Wonder, The Bangles, George Clinton… it also created a completely original musical universe by controlling " groups; satellites" for which it produces, composes, written, and arranges the albums completely. Let us quote in particular: The Time, Vanity 6, Wendy & LISA, Sheila E, The Family, Madhouse, Jill Jones, Carmen Electra, Elisa Fiorillo or Martika…

Its last album in date is " Planet Earth ", left on July 26th, 2007. The album was distributed free in Great Britain via a weekly magazine, the Mail off Sunday, was drawn for the occasion to three million specimens. This method of distribution courroucé the local distributers which withdrew the album of the rays. The disc was also given to the entry in the concerts given by Prince in August and September to London.

A determined artist and avant-gardist

From the beginning, Prince wished to impose on the recording companies his personal vision of music industry. While being its own producer and while playing of all the instruments, it creates thus exactly the sound which it wishes on his discs. The signature " Produced, Composed, Arranged and Performed by Prince " became a constant trademark on the small pockets.

This responsibility, carried by only one person, is practically single in the world of the show biz on this level of notoriety (several albums of Prince obtained scores of sale higher than 5 million units). The other side of the coin is that Prince is alone to make all the artistic choices, and some of its detractors estimate that it should “open” to the best producers moment.

Thereafter, Prince constantly will seek to make evolve/move the industry of the disc while trying to preserve the intrinsic quality of musical creation.

Starting from 1981, Prince started to produce and record for " groups; satellites" , which enabled him to engage an accessory competition, in particular with the group The Time in which one finds his old buddy Morris Day. The first productions of this type (The Time, then Vanity 6, then Sheila E) obtained very good scores of sales. So much so that in 1985, Prince forms a label united with Warner: Paisley Park . This label will produce artists thereafter having nothing to do with the universe of Prince (like Three O' Clock, Taja Sevelle, Good Question…), or former heroes of the funk and the drunk person will rehabilitate (Mavis Staples, George Clinton, Larry Graham…).

As of 1986, it launches construction to Mineapolis of an immense musical complex, also named Paisley Park . With these modern ultra studios at disposal, Prince does not need more to define budget or to rent studios of recording. These studios are universally known and from many famous artists come to record also there, or there to repeat rounds. This unit also includes/understands a workshop of clothes industry, able to construct all the vestimentary eccentricities for Prince and the whole of his group. There are also assembly workshops of vidéos, rooms of dance, and a room of large repetition like an arena of hockey.

This exclusive universe makes it possible Prince to deliver his services " turn-key " , on all the stages of the production.

Moreover, its production becomes increasingly important. In 1987 it wishes to leave triple album, Crystal Ball , a project which will be refused by the recording company for trade names. The same year it wished to publish the Black Album , a disc delivered under an entirely black small pocket and not comprising the name of Prince. The exit was cancelled one week before the official date, and the disc became thus one of the albums most pirated in the world. For this time a very great number of new works, sometimes even from the whole albums, have escaped from the studios Paisley Park and are exchanged under the coat. However, Prince seems very refractory about the " Bootleg s" (pirate discs), and regularly brought lawsuits to pursue the pirates.

Its intense productivity gradually will harm the relations with its recording company. Prince announces in April 1993 publicly his withdrawal final of music industry, whereas it had signed less than one year before one of the largest contracts of the history of the disc. Following artists them so prolix and savagely independent like Frank Zappa or Léo Shoed, it snap the door of the majors - a situation which was standardized thereafter, with not very rebellious artists however like Mariah Carey, George Michael, or Johnny Hallyday…

Engaged in a long legal battle with Warner, Prince regarded himself during a few years as a " Slave " music industry (it registers with the felt the word " Slavic " on its cheek during its appearances in public). This period had a disastrous effect on its notoriety and its public was destabilized. The name of Prince was always used for the albums published by Warner and delivered by the artist to fulfill his contractual obligations. In same time, this last had chosen an unpronouncable symbol and published its more recent material on its new obscure label and badly distributed, NPG Records .

This name change, although largely reflected in the media, was often the object of derision. Placed in front of the need for naming it despite everything, the media quickly affublé it, inter alia, of the acronym TAFKAP for The artist formerly known ace Prince , or of the pseudonym Love Symbol , which also indicates the unpronouncable symbol of which it is question above.

Afterwards many bounces, Prince is released from Warner on November 12th, 1996. He benefits from it immediately to publish first triple album of his career: the good named " Emancipation ". It will until December 31st, 1999 preserve however the use of the symbol and the term of its contract of edition with this company.

Thereafter it again approached the recording companies to only sign contracts of distribution, considering that their work is limited to the promotion of the discs. It will deliver its albums " then; turn-key " , without leaving at the recording company any possibility of negotiation on the contents, the booklet, or the quality of the songs.

During this period, Prince also prepared with the direct distribution of his works near his public. Initially, it opened stores (the NPG Stores, in 1993), then it proposed a system of sale per catalog (1993), then by telephone (1994), during its concerts (1995), then by Internet (1999), before proposing its new pieces on the Musicology Download Store (2003 - 2006), a legal download location.

In 2004, Prince creates the event by distributing its CD " Musicology " with the entry in its concerts. Beside the sales ex depot, more than 400.000 specimens will be thus past what obliged the American organizations to re-examine their method of calculating of the record sales. Indeed, CD is well sold since its price is included in the price of the ticket in concert.

In 2006, Prince begins a series from concerts in residence with Las Vegas on the topic of " 3121 ", its album of the time. This concept will be prolonged in 2007 with Los Angeles and London, where Prince will give 21 concerts to the O2 Arena, a room of 18.000 places, which will be the single dates of its European round.

In an undeniable way, Prince deeply modified the relationship between artists and recording companies, creating a big number of precedents in particular in the field of the car-production and the direct distribution of the musician towards the consumers of music.

Discography

Cinematographic career

Although overall not very present at the cinema, Prince dedicates an obvious admiration with the cinema and it referred constant there.

Prince played to some extent his own part in Purple Rain (1984), a musical film which was regarded as a largely fictionalized autobiography. The film is held indeed in Mineapolis and takes as a starting point the proper history of Prince. It was an enormous success and paid more than 71 million dollars, a record in the kind. In addition, Prince was the first artist of the history to being number 1 simultaneously for an album, a film and a round. Purple Rain also accepted the Oscar of the best film music.

Extremely of this first success, Prince embarks in Under The Cherry Moon (1986), which was turned to Nice and saw beginning Kristin Scott Thomas. Prince made a point of carrying out film itself but it was a resounding commercial failure, although many fans estimate that it is about film more succeeded of Prince. Its sound support is the album “ Parade” .

Prince returns then to musical film with Sign O The Times (1987), which is in fact a concert turned in the shape of a film (or the reverse) of the round of the same name. Left in a reduced number of rooms, the film did not have that a success of regard but was voted by plebiscite by criticism.

In 1989, Prince carries out the original soundtrack of the first film Batman . The original soundtrack is a success with more than five million sold specimens, and individual the " Batdance" will be n°1 in the United States.

The following year, the film Graffiti Bridge makes it possible to find the protagonists of Purple Rain who clash in a fictitious district of Mineapolis. It is about a new commercial failure, and it should be admitted that this film has few arguments to convince.

Thereafter, Prince took part in the design et/où the realization of televisual emissions ( The Beautiful Experience - 1994, The Wild Experience - 1995, Love 4 One Another - 1996) or of elaborate compilations of video clips ( 3 Chains O' Gold - 1993).

In 2006, Prince writes a song for cartoon film " Happy Feet " entitled " The Song From The Heart". The song will gain a Golden Globe for " the best original song for a film".

Pseudonyms

• Jamie Starr/The Starr Company - producer of The Time, Vanity 6, etc
• Joey Coconut - producer and author for Kenny Rogers, etc
• Alexander Nevermind - producer and author for various artists in the middle of the Eighties (among them Sheena Easton)
• Christopher (Tracy) - author of " Manic Monday" for The Bangles. The name comes from the character interpreted by Prince in the film Under The Cherry Moon .
• Paisley Park - used with the beginning of the year 1990 for various projects
• Tora Tora - on the album of the NPG Exodus in 1995
• Azifwekare - on the song " Style" album Emancipation
• the symbol known under the name of “coils symbol” - adoptee like official name (1993 - 2000)
• TAFKAP, The Artist (Formerly Known As Prince) - proposed by journalists for the period of the symbol
• Gemini - on the album Batman
• Camille - character interpreted by Prince on disc in 1986-1988, characterized by a slightly accelerated voice (" Housequake" , " Yew I Was Your Girlfriend" …)
• The Kid - character interpreted by Prince in the films Purple Rain and Graffiti Bridge .
• Mr. Goodnight - on the song " Mr. Goodnight" album " Planet Earth": ( all over the world, they cal me Prince, goal you edge cal me Mr. Goodnight: everywhere in the world, it call me Prince, but you can call me Mr. Goodnight (" Mr. Bonne nuit")

Rewards

• 2006 : Webby Awards - Webby Lifetime Achievement Award for the first album sold exclusively by Internet ( Hook Ball ) and the policy visionary of Prince on these media
• 2005: Grammy Awards - better male performance R&B for " Cal my name"
• 2005 : Grammy Awards - better traditional performance R&B for " Musicology"
• 1996 : Brit Awards - better foreign singer
• 1995: Brit Awards - better foreign singer
• 1993: Brit Awards - better foreign singer
• 1987: Grammy Awards - better performance R&B in group or duet (for KIS )
• 1985: Oscar - better song for Purple Rain
• 1985: Brit Awards - better foreign singer
• 1985: Grammy Awards - better album for a film music
• 1985: Grammy Awards - better author in category R&B (for I Feel For You by Chaka Khan)
• 1985: Grammy Awards - better performance rock'n'roll groups of it (with The Revolution)

Random links:

Gradius V | Tour de France 1965 | Salah Goudjil | Maserati Quattroporte | Castle of Bouthière