Prince Biography
Prince Rogers Nelson, popularly known by the name Prince takes up many roles in entertainment, besides singing he produces records, writes songs, composes lyrics and he also acts. He hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA where he was born to John Nelson and Mattie Shaw on June 7 1958. His was a family had a tradition in music, Prince’s parents were both performers who were not only accomplished instrumentalists but they composed lyrics that were sung to audiences around Minnesota and beyond.
Prince was schooled at the Minneapolis's Central High School where he was a prominent figure at the school for his active participation in sports especially basketball he was also a key player in the school’s music club. Prince’s first contact with music came from his home where at a very young age he was mentored by his father on the basics of the art. John Nelson was a firm believer in the power of music and besides excelling in education he expected his children to engage actively in the art, often Prince would accompany his parents to their training sessions and after he would go for the performances. In addition to this the family listened to classical records of old time artists who had succeeded in previous years. With such a great influence the young buy had no other way but to develop an interest in music that would drive him to great heights.
His first professional stint was with bands that performed in his school and neighbourhood they were mostly formed by friends and schoolmates who shared his interest and passion for music. Most of the lyrics that prince performed were own compositions that he had come up with on his father’s instruments, by age 17 Prince was already a teen star in his hometown.
After disappointments with several producers Prince landed a recording contract with Sound 80 Studios in Minneapolis in 1976, this was a short-lived partnership and he moved to Warner Brothers where a debut album titled For You was released two years later.
The debut production featured singles like ‘If You See Me’, ‘Soft and Wet’ and ‘Just as Long as We're Together’, he was a hit and the songs received substantial airplay. Prince was praised for his vocal range as writing ability since the album featured own compositions, next he released another hit album titled Prince to close off the decades success.
Other albums by the singer include Lovesexy, Batman, Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day, Sign o' the Times, The Black Album, Chaos and Disorder, Emancipation and The Gold Experience. Prince continued releasing albums in the 2000’s and some of them were The Chocolate Invasion, Musicology, Planet Earth, N.E.W.S , Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic , The Rainbow Children , One Nite Alone... , Xpectation , C-Note, 3121 and most recently 20Ten.
Prince’s skills with instruments cover a wide range from drums, clavinets, percussion, guitar, piano, bass guitar, to the harmonica and saxophone. He draws his inspiration from names like Earth, Wind & Fire and Jimi Hendrix.
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