June 7, 2018 ▸ Entertainment, People

Episode 304: Prince: Purple Reign

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On this episode of The Sofa King Podcast, we look at the majesty of his royal purple badness, the one and only icon of music: Prince. Price was born in Minneapolis on June 7, 1958 to 2 musician parents. His real name was Prince since he was named 4 his father’s jazz band, which was called the Prince Rogers Band. He was said 2 be a sickly child, prone 2 seizures, but eventually, he told his mother that he wouldn’t be sick anymore because an angel told him not to be, and apparently, he was cured. His parents divorced when he was young, and he spent time with an abusive step father (who inspired him 2 write the song “Papa”) who did some nasty things 2 Prince, which ultimately may have led to Prince being the virtuoso he grew up 2 be.

Prince was said 2 be a legendary master of music, writing his first song at 7 years old (a funk piece). By the time he was in high school, he was said 2 spend all day locked in the school music room, and even his high school teacher said his job was easy because young Prince essentially ran the class (along with his friends Morris Day, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis). By the time he was a teen, he was playing in the band 94 East in club gigs throughout the Twin Cities. He had to wait before he could perform since he was only 13 but already built a huge name in the club scene as simply “The Kid.”

Eventually, at 17, he signed a three record deal with Warner Brothers (though he had 2 lie and act like he was actually 19), and the rest was history. He had a series of hits on his early albums, and by the time he released 1999 in his early 20s, he blew up the scene.

By the 1980s, he was ready to drop his magnum opus, Purple Rain. This album did nothing short of define a generation of music, and it set him 2 win an Oscar and several Grammies and made him the hottest act in America. He had a series of massive albums and eventually signed the largest record deal in history for $100 Million dollars. This was a record deal he later regretted when he changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol called “Love Symbol #2.”

The albums of Prince are considered some of the best ever released, from the chord progression, the drum machine programming, the mixing, the guitar playing, and even the vocal mix. Prince established his sanctum, Paisley Park in Minnesota, and his work record and output there is legendary in the business. Supposedly he has hundreds of albums of unreleased material in his famous vault waiting 4 release. With his tragic death in 2016, nobody knew what 2 do with his estate since he never drafted a will. However, the music in the vault is finally starting 2 come out, and Prince will continue 2 release albums for the rest of our lives from his mixing booth deep beneath Tupac Island.

Oh, and May U Live 2 See the Dawn.

Original Purple Rain Recording at First Avenue Club: Thanks to Sammy Walsh for this one!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=rLzOgTRtQi0

Just Prince playing a guitar and using the audience as an instrument: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Naj7oxbQYtw

New Album Details: https://variety.com/2018/music/news/prince-album-of-previously-unreleased-material-coming-in-september-exclusive-1202783507/

Get Off 91 VMA: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x46u2k6

Purple Rain Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuXK8ZbTmLk