About
Out of Minneapolis in the late 1970s, Prince Rogers Nelson built one of the most singular careers in modern music history, essentially functioning as a one-man band who played virtually every instrument on his early recordings. Signing to Warner Bros. at just 19, he quickly established himself as a prodigious talent who refused to be boxed in by genre or expectation. His live band, The Revolution, became the vehicle that brought his vision to stadium-scale audiences throughout the 1980s, with Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman adding crucial texture to his sound. Musically, Prince existed somewhere between funk, soul, R&B, and hard rock, wielding his guitar with a ferocity that drew genuine comparisons to Jimi Hendrix while his pop instincts kept him commercially unstoppable. Purple Rain in 1984 remains the landmark moment, a record and film that crossed every demographic boundary imaginable, followed by the equally adventurous Sign O the Times in 1987. His cultural footprint extended beyond music into his very public battle with Warner Bros. over ownership rights, famously writing slave on his face and changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol. For rock fans, his guitar work alone demands respect, and his influence on artists ranging from Beck to St. Vincent is undeniable.
