Wiki Spotlight: Prince
Prince (born Prince Rogers
Nelson on June 7, 1958),
known as (or, The Artist
Formerly Known As Prince)
from 1993 to 2000, is a
popular and influential
American musician. His music
has spanned myriad styles
including funk, pop, rock,
R&B, soul, and hip-hop,
and he is widely regarded
as a musical genius and
the definition of the “Minneapolis
sound.” He is also known
to have hundreds of songs
unreleased in a vault under
his own alias, as well as
other names. Regarded as
a perfectionist, Prince
has a reputation as being
difficult to work with,
and for being highly protective
of his music. He writes,
composes, and produces most
of his music single-handedly,
and plays most of the instruments
on his albums. He also is
a well-known songwriter
for other artists, and some
of those songs have topped
the charts as well.
In 1982 Prince released
the 1999 double-album which
proved to be a breakthrough
album both in the U.S. and
internationally, selling
over three million copies.
The title track was a protest
about nuclear proliferation
and become his first top
ten hit internationally.
With “Little Red Corvette”
he joined Michael Jackson
and Lionel Richie as part
of the first wave of black
artists on MTV and “Delirious”
also went top ten on the
Billboard Hot 100. The album
was placed at number six
in The Village Voice’s annual
Pazz & Jop critics poll.
Stevie Nicks related a story
in a television interview
that she had come up with
her 1983 song “Stand Back”
after being inspired by
the synthesizer part in
“Little Red Corvette.” When
it was time to record the
song, it happened that Prince
was in Los Angeles near
her recording studio. She
called his people and soon
afterwards Prince came by
the studio, sat down at
the synthesizer, and played
the song-opening riff.
Purple Rain (in conjunction
with the film of the same
name) sold over thirteen
million copies in the U.S.
and spent twenty-four consecutive
weeks at the top of the
Billboard 200.
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