Prince

Prince (1958- ), American pop singer and songwriter. Born Prince Rogers Nelson in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he and a friend formed Grand Central, a soul-rock group, while still in junior high school. At that age Prince was already adept on keyboard, guitar, and drums, and by the time he finished high school he had mastered the saxophone and at least ten other instruments. In 1978 Warner Records issued his first album, For You. Subsequent records include Prince (1979), Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981), 1999 (1982), Purple Rain (1983), Around the World in a Day (1985), Parade (1986), Sign O' the Times (1987), Lovesexy (1988), Batman (1989), Grafitti Bridge (1990), and Diamonds and Pearls (1991). He produced and starred in the successful film Purple Rain (1984), and the less popular film Under the Cherry Moon (1986). Prince is admired for his “new funk” sound, an idiosyncratic amalgam of Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, and John Lennon. He is also popular for his lively onstage performances. In 1993 he announced that he wished to be known as (an unpronounceable symbol). In 1995 he released the album The Gold Experience, but left Warner the following year. Three albums were then produced by the artist himself, but in 1999 he made a one-off deal with Arista Records to release Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, which appeared later that year. He reverted to using his former name in 2000.

In 2004 Prince was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame shortly after signing a deal with Columbia Records to release his latest album, Musicology, that year. The album was well-received, and in 2006 the artist enjoyed his highest chart success since Purple Rain when a new title, 3121, topped the US album charts. In July 2007 he released a new album, Planet Earth, but due to a promotional giveaway of the CD with the UK newspaper The Mail on Sunday the music was quickly pirated on the Internet, affecting its commercial sales in other countries.