Early Life
Prince’s birth name is Prince Rogers Nelson, and he was born on June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Prince grew up in a family of musicians. His father, John Nelson, was a musician with the stage name of Prince Rogers, while his mother Mattie Shaw was a jazz singer in the Prince Rogers Band.
As it goes in the families of musicians, Prince got interested in music when he was just a boy. He got so engulfed in it that he taught himself how to play the guitar, piano, and drums.
Prince’s official first step into the world of music was in high school, where he teamed up with Andre Anderson and Morris Day to form the band Grand Central. They later changed the band’s name into Champagne.
Career
Prince kickstarted his career in the music business with his band The Revolution. He debuted with the album For You in 1978. The following one, Prince, came out one year after.
Prince became world-famous after releasing 1999 in 1982. Purple Rain followed in 1984 and turned out to be a classic album and a soundtrack for the Purple Rain movie. The movie was a success grossing nearly $70 million at the U.S. box office and winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score.
Two songs from the same album, Let’s Go Crazy and When Doves Cry reached number one position on the Billboard Hot 100. Prince went on a tour and quickly became an easy-to-recognize music icon thanks to his flowing jackets, curls, and riffle attire.
Over time, the album generated a few more hits, including Take Me With U, I Would Die 4 U and Darling Nikki. Thanks to Darling Nikki, the album ended up labeled for graphic lyrics.
The next noteworthy album came out in 1985. Around the World in a Day introduced two new hits, Pop Life and Raspberry Beret. Both of them ended up on the Top 10.
The eighth studio album Parade was released in 1986. Prince used the album as the official soundtrack for Under the Cherry Moon, the movie he starred in and directed./p>
The artist continued to create fun jams and released the double album Sign ‘O’ Times in 1987. In 1988 he released Lovesexy, and the following year, he did the soundtrack to Batman. After releasing Diamonds and Pearls in 1991, Prince signed a deal with Warner Bros, worth $100 million. At the time, the contract was the largest recording and music publishing contract in history.
Sadly, Prince was found dead on April 21, 2016. He died from an accidental drug overdose.
Prince Relationships: Who Has He Dated?
We can only confirm these four relationships for Prince:
Sheila E. (engaged 1978)
Susannah Melvoin (engaged 1985–1986)
Mayte Garcia (married 1996–1998)
Manuela Testolini (married 2001–2006)
In the News
Prince was a music icon, and due to his unique appearance, comments, and controversial appeal, he managed to be regularly in the news. Prince wasn’t afraid to take political stands. In 2015, he paid tribute to Freddie Gray, a black man who died in police custody.
His name is so attention-grabbing that he continues to make headlines even after death. Not long ago, we could read about Prince’s unearthed letter that allegedly revealed that the singer hated Ed Sheeran’s music.
Learn more things about Prince as we discover them right here at the Shade Room!
