Prince Biography: Life and Career of The Artist
Born June 7th, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Prince began writing songs and playing instruments as a child. Following his solo debut in 1978, he first found success with his eponymous effort the next year. Thanks to his mix of funk, dance and rock music, in addition to sexually-charged lyrics, Prince continued this success with later records and was recognized by multiple awards throughout his career. The Artist also formed the bands The Revolution and The New Power Generation and expanded into movies and film. In this WatchMojo.com video, we take a look at the life and career of Prince.
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Prince Biography: Life and Career of The Artist
Early Musical Interest
Prince Rogers Nelson was born June 7th, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After learning piano and guitar, he penned his first song by age 7 and joined a band as a teen.
Debut
In the mid-1970s, he signed with Warner Bros., and won artistic control over his work. He soon began composing, producing, and arranging the tracks for his 1978 debut. The pop and funk For You featured Prince playing all the instruments.
First Success
The next year, Prince spent just seven weeks working on his self-titled second LP. It reached the Billboard top thirty and spawned his first top twenty single.
Billboard Top 10 with “1999”
Following the critically acclaimed Dirty Mind and the politically-charged Controversy, Prince hit the Billboard top 10 with 1999. The 1982 double album generated the popular title cut as well as two top tens.
“Purple Rain”
Prince hit big with 1984’s Purple Rain. Released with his band The Revolution and contributions from his protégé Sheila E., the record was the soundtrack to his first movie. The Grammy- and Oscar-winning effort topped the Billboard 200 for over twenty straight weeks, sold over 13 million copies in the U.S., yielded his first two number ones, and raised controversy with a sexually explicit tune. Prince also became the first American to have a number one record, song and movie concurrently.
Topping the Charts
Despite his success, Prince announced he would stop releasing videos and performing after his next album. 1985’s Around the World in a Day was another number one and was eventually certified double platinum.
Music and Movies
The “Under the Cherry Moon” soundtrack, Parade, followed. While the record charted within the Billboard top five, Prince’s acting faced poor reviews. Soon, his short-lived ban on music videos ended with the release of his third number one single. Also around this time, Prince had a hit as a songwriter: the Bangles’ “Manic Monday” went to number two, just behind Prince’s own “Kiss.”
End of The Revolution
Following a European tour, Prince disbanded The Revolution and formed a new group. He then dropped 1987’s Sign o’ the Times, which included new and previously recorded material.
Spiritual Awakening
After another successful European tour and the “Sign o’ the Times” concert movie, Prince had a spiritual awakening: He canceled the release of The Black Album to instead record new material and release the top 20 effort, Lovesexy.
Collaborations with Other Artists and Movie Contributions
Prince kept cranking out hits by contributing to Madonna’s chart-topping Like a Prayer album and recording 1989’s number one “Batman” soundtrack. He hit the top ten with the soundtrack album, “Graffiti Bridge,” but did not duplicate that success with the corresponding film flop. However, a cover by Sinéad O’Connor of his track “Nothing Compares 2 U” became an international hit in 1990.
The New Power Generation
Prince then released two albums with his new band The New Power Generation to much fanfare: Diamonds and Pearls featured his fifth number one hit, while the Love Symbol Album made the Billboard top five.
The Love Symbol or, The Artist Formerly Known as Prince
In 1993, Prince changed his stage moniker to a character that combined the signs for male and female, labeled the Love Symbol. Because it was unpronounceable, he went by “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.”
Warner
To fulfill his responsibilities to Warner, The Artist quickly released several albums, none of which succeeded like his earlier work. During this period, the label issued The Black Album and The Artist contributed to the “Girl 6” soundtrack.
Emancipation
By late 1996, he was free from Warner Bros. The Artist released one moderately successful effort with Arista Records, then took back his real name in 2000.
Internet and Other Label Releases
The new century saw Prince release multiple records via his websites and various labels. These included the Grammy-winning Musicology and his first ever number one debut on the Billboard 200, 3121. However, Prince later changed his tune about internet use: he sued various websites for copyright infringement and closed his sites. By the way, Prince: we love you, but this video’s protected by Fair Use.
Legacy
Prince is a once-in-a-lifetime artist whose his talent is beyond measure. His high-profile romances have kept fans intrigued. Plus, his provocative lyrics, refusal to compromise his artistic credibility, incredible songwriting credits and flamboyant sense of style led to his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. All this makes Prince not only a music icon, but music royalty.
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