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1. Prince Rogers Nelson was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor.
132 Facts About Prince (musician)
1. 2.
Prince went on to achieve critical success with the influential albums Dirty Mind, Controversy, and 1999.
3.
In 1984, Prince became the first singer to simultaneously have a number-one film, album and single in the US, with the film Purple Rain, its soundtrack and his first Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping single "When Doves Cry".
4.
Prince was a prolific musician who released 39 albums during his life, with a vast array of unreleased material left in a custom-built bank vault underneath his home, including fully completed albums and over 50 finished music videos.
5.
Prince has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, ranking him among the best-selling music artists of all time.
6.
Prince Rogers Nelson was born in Minneapolis on June 7,1958, the son of jazz singer Mattie Della and pianist and songwriter John Lewis Nelson.
7.
Prince was not fond of his name and wanted people to instead call him "Skipper", a name which stuck throughout his childhood.
8.
Prince said he was "born epileptic" and had seizures when he was young.
9.
Prince wrote his first song, "Funk Machine", on his father's piano when he was seven years old.
10.
Prince befriended the Andersons' son, Andre, who later collaborated with Prince and became known as Andre Cymone.
11.
Prince attended Minneapolis's Bryant Junior High, where he helped test the original The Oregon Trail, then Central High School, where he played football, basketball, and baseball.
12.
Prince played on Central's junior varsity basketball team, and continued to play basketball for fun as an adult.
13.
Prince was trained in classical ballet at the Minnesota Dance Theatre through the Urban Arts Program of Minneapolis Public Schools, Prince became an advocate for dancers, and used his wealth to save the failing Joffrey Ballet in Chicago during the 1990s.
14.
Prince met songwriter and producer Jimmy Jam in 1973 and impressed Jam with his musical talent, early mastery of a wide range of instruments, and work ethic.
15.
Willie wrote the songs, and Prince contributed guitar tracks, and Prince and Willie co-wrote the 94 East song, "Just Another Sucker".
16.
In 1976, shortly after graduating from Central High School, Prince created a demo tape with producer Chris Moon, in Moon's Minneapolis studio.
17.
In 1979, Prince created a band with Andre Cymone on bass, Dez Dickerson on guitar, Gayle Chapman and Doctor Fink on keyboards, and Bobby Z on drums.
18.
Prince performed both these songs on January 26,1980, on American Bandstand.
19.
Prince was the opening act for Rick James' 1980 Fire It Up tour.
20.
In February 1981, Prince made his first appearance on Saturday Night Live, performing "Partyup".
21.
Prince played several dates in support of it, as the first of three opening acts for the Rolling Stones, on their US tour.
22.
In Los Angeles, Prince, who appeared in a trench coat and black bikini briefs, was forced off the stage after just three songs by audience members throwing trash at him.
23.
Prince began 1982 with a small tour of college towns where he was the headlining act.
24.
In 1981, Prince formed a side project band called the Time.
25.
The band released four albums between 1981 and 1990, with Prince writing and performing most of the instrumentation and backing vocals, with lead vocals by Morris Day.
26.
In late 1982, Prince released a double album, 1999, which sold more than four million copies.
27.
At one point in 1984, Prince simultaneously had the No 1 album, single, and film in the US; it was the first time a singer had achieved this feat.
28.
In 1985, Prince announced that he would discontinue live performances and music videos after the release of his next album.
29.
Prince directed and starred in the movie, which featured Kristin Scott Thomas.
30.
Prince recruited new band members Miko Weaver on guitar, Atlanta Bliss on trumpet, and Eric Leeds on saxophone.
31.
The Camille project saw Prince create a new androgynous persona primarily singing in a sped-up, female-sounding voice.
32.
In Europe, it performed well, and Prince promoted the album overseas with a lengthy tour.
33.
Prince balked at a full US tour, as he was ready to produce a new album.
34.
Prince was set to release the album with a monochromatic black cover with only the catalog number printed, but after 500,000 copies had been pressed, Prince had a spiritual epiphany that the album was evil and had it recalled.
35.
Prince went back in the studio for eight weeks and recorded Lovesexy.
36.
Prince again took his post-Revolution backing band on a three-leg, 84-show Lovesexy World Tour; although the shows were well-received by huge crowds, they failed to make a net profit due to the expensive sets and props.
37.
Prince began work on several musical projects, including Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic and early drafts of his Graffiti Bridge film, but both were put on hold when he was asked by Batman director Tim Burton to record several songs for the upcoming live-action adaptation.
38.
Prince went into the studio and produced an entire nine-track album that Warner Bros.
39.
Prince had to sign away all publishing rights to the songs on the album to Warner Bros.
40.
In 1990, Prince went back on tour with a revamped band for his back-to-basics Nude Tour.
41.
In 1992, following the success of Diamonds and Pearls, Prince renewed his contract with Warner Bros.
42.
Prince began to release albums in quick succession as a means of releasing himself from his contractual obligations to Warner Bros.
43.
Prince pushed to have his next two albums, Come and The Gold Experience, released simultaneously.
44.
In retaliation, Prince began making public appearances with "slave" written on his face.
45.
Prince submitted another album titled The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale to Warner Bros.
46.
Prince released Crystal Ball, a five-CD collection of unreleased material, in 1998.
47.
In 1999, Prince signed with a major label, Arista Records, to release a new record, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic.
48.
For several years following the release of Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, Prince primarily released new music through his Internet subscription service, NPGOnlineLtd.
49.
In 2002, Prince released his first live album, One Nite Alone.
50.
On February 8,2004, Prince appeared at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards with Beyonce.
51.
Prince performed the song "Red House" as "Purple House" on the album Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix.
52.
Prince played 96 concerts; the average ticket price for a show was US$61.
53.
In late 2005, Prince signed with Universal Music to release his album, 3121, on March 21,2006.
54.
At the 2006 Webby Awards on June 12, Prince received a Webby Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his "visionary use of the Internet to distribute music and connect with audiences", exemplified by his decision to release his album Crystal Ball exclusively online.
55.
In July 2006, weeks after winning a Webby Award, Prince shut down his NPG Music Club website, after more than five years of operation.
56.
Prince performed a medley of Chaka Khan songs for Khan's BET Lifetime Achievement Award.
57.
In November 2006, Prince was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame; he appeared to collect his award but did not perform.
58.
Also in November 2006, Prince opened a nightclub called 3121, in Las Vegas at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino.
59.
Prince performed weekly on Friday and Saturday nights until April 2007, when his contract with the Rio ended.
60.
That same year, Prince wrote and performed a song for the hit animated film Happy Feet.
61.
On February 4,2007, Prince played at the Super Bowl XLI halftime show in Miami, Florida, on a large stage shaped like his symbol.
62.
Prince played 21 concerts at the O2 Arena in London during the Earth Tour in mid-2007.
63.
Prince performed with Sheila E at the 2007 ALMA Awards.
64.
On July 7,2007, Prince returned to Minneapolis to perform three shows.
65.
Prince performed concerts at the Macy's Auditorium on Nicollet Mall, the Target Center arena, and First Avenue.
66.
Prince canceled a concert, planned at Dublin's Croke Park on June 16,2008, at 10 days' notice.
67.
In October 2008, Prince released a live album entitled Indigo Nights, a collection of songs performed live at aftershows in the IndigO2.
68.
Prince premiered four songs from his new album on LA's Indie rock radio station Indie 103.1 on December 18,2008.
69.
Prince gave them a CD with four songs to premiere on their radio station.
70.
Prince released a triple album set containing Lotusflower, MPLSoUND, and an album credited to Bria Valente, called Elixer, on March 24,2009, followed by a physical release on March 29.
71.
On July 18,2009, Prince performed two shows at the Montreux Jazz Festival, backed by the New Power Generation, including Rhonda Smith, Renato Neto and John Blackwell.
72.
In January 2010, Prince wrote a new song, "Purple and Gold", inspired by his visit to a Minnesota Vikings football game against the Dallas Cowboys.
73.
In 2010, Prince was listed in Times annual ranking of the "100 Most Influential People in the World".
74.
Prince released his album 20Ten in July 2010 as a free covermount with publications in the UK, Belgium, Germany, and France.
75.
Prince refused album access to digital download services and closed LotusFlow3r.
76.
On July 4,2010, Prince began his 20Ten Tour, a concert tour in two legs, with shows in Europe.
77.
The second half of the tour had a new band, John Blackwell, Ida Kristine Nielsen, and Sheila E Prince let radio station Europe 1 debut the snippet of his new song "Rich Friends" from the new album 20Ten Deluxe on October 8,2010.
78.
Prince embarked on the Welcome 2 Tour on December 15,2010.
79.
Prince was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame on December 7,2010.
80.
Prince headlined the Hop Farm Festival on July 3,2011, marking his first UK show since 2007 and his first-ever UK festival appearance.
81.
In January 2013, Prince released a lyric video for a new song called "Screwdriver".
82.
In February 2014, Prince began what was billed as his "Hit N Run Part One" tour.
83.
In May 2014, Prince began his "Hit N Run Part Two" shows, which followed a more normal style of purchasing tickets online and being held in music arenas.
84.
In May 2015, following the killing of Freddie Gray in police custody and the subsequent riots, Prince released a song, "Baltimore", in tribute to Gray and in support of the protesters in that city.
85.
Prince held a tribute concert for Gray at his Paisley Park estate called "Dance Rally 4 Peace" in which he encouraged fans to wear the color gray in honor of Freddie Gray.
86.
Prince performed a series of warm-up shows at Paisley Park in late January 2016 and the tour commenced in Melbourne, Australia, on February 16,2016, to critical acclaim.
87.
Prince saw Michael T Schulenberg, a Twin Cities specialist in family medicine, in Excelsior on April 7,2016, and again on April 20.
88.
Prince was seen cycling the next day in his hometown of Chanhassen.
89.
Prince shopped that evening at the Electric Fetus in Minneapolis for Record Store Day and made a brief appearance at an impromptu dance party at his Paisley Park recording studio complex, stating that he was feeling fine.
90.
The question of how and from what source Prince obtained the drug was the subject of investigations by several law enforcement agencies.
91.
The investigation did reveal that Prince was addicted to opioids.
92.
Saturday Night Live aired an episode in his honor, titled "Goodnight, Sweet Prince ", featuring his performances from the show.
93.
The cover of The Genius of Prince featured a portrait by Andy Warhol, Orange Prince.
94.
On June 27, Comerica requested that Carver County District Judge Kevin Eide cancel the estate's deal with Universal, as UMG's contract would interfere with a contract with Warner Music Group that Prince signed in 2014.
95.
On September 21, Piano and a Microphone 1983 was released, an intimate recording of Prince privately rehearsing with a piano.
96.
Prince had worked on the memoir project with Dan Piepenbring during the Piano and a Microphone Tour in 2016 and had managed to complete around 50 pages before his death.
97.
Prince is widely regarded as one of the greatest musicians of his generation.
98.
In 2010, Prince was ranked number 7 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".
99.
Prince was known for the strong female presence in his bands and his support for women in the music industry throughout his career.
100.
Prince wore high-heeled shoes and boots both on and off-stage.
101.
Prince has been compared with jazz artist Miles Davis in regard to the artistic changes throughout his career.
102.
Prince was a natural tenor, but he had a wide vocal range from falsetto to baritone, and performed rapid, seemingly effortless shifts of register.
103.
Prince is considered a guitar virtuoso and a master of drums, percussion, bass, keyboards, and synthesizer.
104.
Prince was quick to embrace technology in his music, making pioneering use of drum machines like the Linn LM-1 on his early '80s albums and employing a wide range of studio effects.
105.
Prince was known for his prolific and virtuosic tendencies, which resulted in him recording large amounts of unreleased material.
106.
Prince wrote "U" for Paula Abdul, appearing on her 1991 release Spellbound.
107.
Prince explained that he had changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol to emancipate himself from his contract with Warner Bros.
108.
Prince sometimes used pseudonyms to separate himself from the music he had written, produced or recorded, and at one point stated that his ownership and achievement were strengthened by the act of giving away ideas.
109.
On September 14,2007, Prince announced that he was going to sue YouTube and eBay, because they hosted his copyrighted material, and he hired the international Internet-policing company Web Sheriff.
110.
At the 2008 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Prince performed a cover of Radiohead's "Creep"; however, immediately afterward, he forced YouTube and other sites to remove footage that fans had taken of the performance despite Radiohead's request to leave it on the website.
111.
In January 2014, Prince filed a lawsuit titled Prince v Chodera against 22 online users for direct copyright infringement, unauthorized fixation, contributory copyright infringement, and bootlegging.
112.
Prince was one of a small handful of musicians to deny "Weird Al" Yankovic requests to parody his music.
113.
Prince got to be in a family of three women, and we got to have our Prince.
114.
Prince married Manuela Testolini, a Canadian businesswoman of Italian and Egyptian descent, in a private ceremony in 2001; she hails from Toronto, which led the couple to live there part-time.
115.
Prince was an observant religious person from childhood and throughout his life.
116.
Prince became a Jehovah's Witness in 2001 as a result of his friendship with bassist Larry Graham.
117.
Prince did not consider it a conversion but a "realization", comparing his connection with Graham to Morpheus and Neo in the film The Matrix.
118.
Prince attended meetings at a local Kingdom Hall and occasionally knocked on people's doors to discuss his faith.
119.
Prince resigned herself to never hearing from him again.
120.
However, Prince later reunited with Melvoin in 2004 to perform a stripped-back acoustic version of the song "Reflection" on the Tavis Smiley Tonight Show and subsequently performed "Purple Rain" with her and Coleman at the Brit Awards 2006.
121.
Prince rarely expressed partisan political beliefs directly for the majority of his career.
122.
Prince expressed a belief in the chemtrail conspiracy theory during the same interview.
123.
Towards the end of his life, Prince was a supporter of Black Lives Matter.
124.
Prince was an animal rights activist who followed a vegan diet for part of his life but later described himself as vegetarian.
125.
Prince previously adhered to a pescetarian diet in the 2000s and according to an interview with the Vegetarian Times, Prince first expressed curiosity in removing meat from his diet around 1987 when he ceased eating all red meat.
126.
Prince required Paisley Park guests and staff to maintain a vegetarian diet or pescetarian diet while present in order to keep the environment meatless.
127.
Prince sold at least 150 million records worldwide, ranking him among the best-selling music artists of all time.
128.
Prince was named the 14th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone in 2023.
129.
Prince has won seven Grammy Awards, seven Brit Awards, six American Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award.
130.
At the 28th Grammy Awards, Prince was awarded the President's Merit Award.
131.
Prince was honored with the American Music Award for Achievement and American Music Award of Merit at the American Music Awards of 1990 and American Music Awards of 1995 respectively.
132.
Prince has been honored with a star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue, recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue.