Prince Rogers Nelson
Prince Rogers Nelson, or simply Prince, is one of the most prolific American musicians in rock star history; he gave Michael Jackson a run for his money, and his music was distinctive and used in a variety of mediums like movies and television shows. He did a variety of musical genres such as hip-hop, rock, and R&B. Prince was flamboyant, loud, and self indulgent and this showed in many of his songs and shows which were often erotic, sensual, and explicitly sexual. He was influenced by performers like Miles Davis. Prince was also a virtual one-man band; he played a variety of instruments and sang and let few people have anything to do with his music for a long time.
Prince had a rocky early life; his parents divorced when he was seven and he ran away from home when he was seventeen. He lived with a friend and formed a band with that friend. When he was nineteen, he was not only picked up by Warner, but given amazing creative freedom and a six-figure, several-album-long contract; something which was unheard of, but Prince was a prodigy and Warner was eager to grab him up. By 1977, he was the youngest ever producer for Warner and went on to produce his first album which was a tad over ambitious (it’s reported he alone played 23 instruments) and didn’t do overwhelmingly well, but his next albums climbed the charts in the black music community and then he began making strides to cross over to the more mainstream white music community. He began having wilder erotic performances on stage and wore more dramatic and flamboyant clothing. However, this suited his erotic music and he quickly became a favorite, climbing the charts and eventually competing with Michael Jackson in terms of popularity. Through the eighties, he dipped a little in musical popularity, made a couple movies which flopped, changed his name to a symbol (legally!) and underwent a few physical changes such as changing his hair length. However, his songs lived on in movies like Batman and even now, his songs are very discernable from the competition. He continues to perform today, changing his name back to Prince, and still engaging in his outrageous attire and catchy music.
Unlike many of his zanier colleagues in the music world, Prince did not overstep the lines beyond his memorable appearance and his on stage antics. He really is a musical genius, able to play around two dozen instruments and sing, and he never lost touch with the kind of music he wanted to play, regardless of popularity. Perhaps a strange man, but one who stuck with the music and this is something that all musicians can learn from.
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