Prince, the #45 Artist of the Rock Era, Part One

"I'm certain Prince must of had a time machine of some kind...because the music he created in the 70's and 80's was generations ahead of it's time." 

"Pure talent/ground breaking.." 

"Prince was surely COOL and his music mesmerizing"

"One of the greatest all-around musicians." 

"This little dude was so incredibly talented..."

"The depth of Prince's message in his music and the showmanship in his performances are simply undeniable and unmatched." 

"What a gift he was! supernaturally brilliant." 

"Such energy, he was a once in a lifetime gem to the music world."

 "Prince was a BEAST!!!"

"Prince's music had incredible crossover appeal. Merging of R & B, Funk and Rock. Is there anything he couldn't do?"

"What a star. Legends never die."

"A monumental talent." 

"A true talent gone too soon." 

"Prince was the master of creating the most catchy, smartest songs ever." 

"He’s so missed Prince was no doubt a musical genius... So much talent."

Roger Nelson was born June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  His father was a jazz musician and Prince became interested in music at an early age.  He wrote his first song on his father's piano when he was seven.  Prince's parents separated when he was 10, and Prince went back and forth between homes growing up.

Prince played football, basketball and baseball at Central High School and was a good student, most interested in instructor Jimmy Hamilton's "The Business of Music" course.  Prince formed the group Grand Central which was renamed Champagne in 1976. 

After several months living with his half sister Sharon in New York City, Prince returned to Minneapolis and formed a touring group with bassist Andre Cymone.  Prince created a demo tape his senior year at Central High and signed a management contract with Owen Husney.  The demo tape received interest from several top record labels and Prince signed a recording contract with Warner Brothers Records at age 18.

Husney and Prince moved to Sausalito, California so Prince could record his debut album.  He released his debut album For You in 1978.  Prince showed his amazing talent and versatility, writing or co-writing, arranging and producing all of the songs on the album and playing all 27 instruments on the album.  

Prince formed a backing band and played his first concert at the Capri Theater on January 5, 1979.  Later that year, Prince released his self-titled album, which eventually went Platinum.  "I Wanna' Be Your Lover" rose to #1 on the R&B chart and peaked at #11 on the Popular chart.




Prince built his own recording studio, Paisley Park, and recorded the album Dirty Mind there, released in 1980.  
Here's "When You Were Mine", later remade by Cyndi Lauper.

In 1981, Prince released the album Controversy, promoting the album by opening for the Rolling Stones in the United States.  

 

The title song, with its great guitar riff, was built around the beat and was a huge hit in the clubs.

That year, Prince formed the band the Time.  In addition to recording his own music and touring, Prince wrote, sang backing vocals and played most of the instruments for the Time from 1981-90.

 

In 1982, Prince released the double album 1999.  The title song, Prince's protest against the proliferation of nuclear weapons, was a huge international hit, #4 on the R&B chart and #12 in the United States and #2 in the United Kingdom and Australia, #4 in New Zealand and #6 in Canada.

 

1999 has now sold over three million copies in the U.S. alone.  "Little Red Corvette" raced to #2 in the U.K., #5 in Canada, #6 in the U.S. and #8 in Australia.

"Delirious" also reached the Top 10.

Prince was nominated for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album at the American Music Awards and he earned a nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "International Lover". 

Although his live performances were lewd and bordering on bizarre, Prince became a recluse off stage, shuttering himself up in his lakeside mansion in northern Minnesota.

In 1984, Prince released the loosely autobiographical movie Purple Rain and soundtrack album.  Many of the songs were live recordings taken from a concert in August of 1983 at the First Avenue and 7th Street Entry, a famous Minneapolis club.  

 

This amazing talent wrote, composed, produced, and was instrumented by Prince in 12 hours. "When Doves Cry" spent five weeks at #1 and also topped charts in Australia and Canada and reached #2 in Ireland and New Zealand, #4 in the U.K., #6 in the Netherlands and #10 in Norway and was nominated for Best Original Song at the Golden Globe Awards.  It sold over two million singles.

"Let's Go Crazy" was another monster hit, going to #1 for two weeks in the U.S., #2 in Canada and #7 in the U.K. and selling over one million units.

Purple Rain had a lock on #1 for 24 weeks and sold over 13 million units in the United States.  The first use of the words "purple rain" in popular music was in the 1972 America song "Ventura Highway", heard earlier in The Top 100 Artists*.  The title song is one of The Top #2 Songs of the Rock Era*, selling over one million copies and reaching the Top 10 in every major country in the world.

 

At one time, Prince owned the #1 song, #1 album and #1 movie in America, the first time an artist had ever achieved the feat.  Prince used an LM-1 drum machine to lay down the beat for this song.  A fourth Top 10 emerged from the album as "I Would Die 4 (sic) U (sic)" reached #8.

"Take Me With U (sic)" is a duet with his backing singer, Apollonia Kotero.  The song was originally going to be on Apollonia's solo album before Prince decided to include it in the movie.

 

"The Beautiful Ones" is a top track on the album.  Many thought it resulted from Prince's affair with Susannah Melvoin, the sister of Wendy in his group, the Revolution.  However, Prince told Ebony magazine in 2015 it was about Denise Matthews, his girlfriend at the time of the song.

Prince won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special and was nominated for Album of the Year.  He landed another Grammy for Best Rhythm & Blues Song, which he wrote for Chaka Khan. 

 

"Baby I'm A Star" is one of the songs Prince played for his famous halftime performance during Super Bowl XLI.

Prince won American Music Awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Single ("When Doves Cry"), Favorite Pop/Rock Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Album, while nominated for seven others:  Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, Favorite Pop/Rock Male Video Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Video Artist and Favorite Pop/Rock Single, Favorite Pop/Rock Video and Favorite Soul/R&B Video (all for "When Doves Cry").  He also won an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score.

Be sure to catch Part Two of Prince!

James Taylor, The #46 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Three

 

(Continued from Part Two)

In 1981, Taylor released the album Dad Loves His Work.

The album coincided with a separation from Carly, with the two finalizing a divorce in 1983.  James continued to battle his drug addiction and underwent a methadone maintenance program.  Affected by the deaths of friends Dennis Wilson and John Belushi, James finally kicked his heroin habit.

 Taylor's single "Her Town Too", sung with J.D. Souther, represented his personal feelings about the divorce.  The song peaked at #5 AC and #11 overall, another of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs*.

 

One can tell that summer is JT's favorite season from the joyfulness he portrays throughout "Summer's Here", a solid track on the album.

 

In 1985, Taylor played before 300,000 at the Rock in Rio festival in Rio de Janeiro, and the response from fans rekindled his spirit and desire to continue recording.  James covered the Buddy Holly song "Everyday", which became a #3 Adult smash.

 

The title song from the album That's Why I'm Here refers to this experience.  

 

In 1988, James released the album Never Die Young, which contained the #3 title smash among adults.  

 

In 1991, James released the album New Moon Shine, which went Platinum.  "Copperline" is about a town near Chapel Hill, North Carolina where JT grew up. 

 

 

"Like Everyone She Knows" is one of Taylor's best songs from the latter part of his career.

 

Taylor released the album Hourglass in 1997.  The single "Little More Time With You" rose to #3 on the Adult Contemporary chart and helped the album win a Grammy Award for Best Pop Album.

James excels at writing simple, melodic songs about love and family, such as "Enough To Be On Your Way". 

In 2000, Taylor was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.  

 

In 2002, Taylor released another album that went on to sell over one million copies, October Road.  James was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male at the Grammy Awards and also was honored with the ASCAP Founders Award.  JT tells how McCartney told him what he thought of "Mean Old Man":

     Paul McCartney called me up and said that when he'd

     first heard it, he assumed it was Frank Loesser or Cole             Porter. I was, of course, absolutely thrilled. At one point,           Bob Dylan told me that he'd been listening to [Taylor's               song] "Frozen Man" and really thought it was great, and           that's enough for me. Ten critics can savage me, but I'll 

     be fine as long as every once in a while, someone like 

     Bob Dylan or Paul McCartney says, "Keep going, kid." 

The next year, the Chapel Hill Museum in North Carolina opened a permanent exhibit dedicated to James and the US-15-501 highway bridge over Morgan Creek, near the site of his family home, was named in honor of Taylor.  Morgan Creek is mentioned in his song "Copperline".

 

In 2003, Taylor joined Country star Alison Krauss to record "How's The World Treating You" and the pair received a Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals.

James released the album James Taylor:  A Christmas Album in 2004.  It featured a #5 AC Hit with James' version of "Deck The Halls".  Taylor earned another Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

In 2004, James performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to Games 2 and 3 of the World Series, a feat he replicated in 2013 and 2018.  In 2005, James received an honorary doctorate of music from the Berkee College of Music.  In 2006, Taylor recorded the song "Our Town" for the animated movie Cars.  It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Taylor released the album One Man Band in 2007 through Starbucks.  James performed at the We Are One:  The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Taylor recorded the album Covers in 2008 and received kudos at the Grammy Awards with nominations for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male for his version of the Glen Campbell hit "Wichita Lineman".

In 2009, Taylor received an honorary doctorate of music from Williams College in Willamstown, Massachusetts.

In 2010, Taylor and Carole King embarked on a Troubadour Reunion Tour that took the two superstars to North America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.  The tour grossed over $59 million, one of the most successful of the year.

In 2012, James received the "Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" from the Ministry of Culture & Communication of France.

In 2015, Taylor released the album Before This World on Concord Records, which became his only #1 album and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album.  Also that year, James received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Barack Obama, above.

JT has scored 22 career hits, with five Top 10 songs and one #1 on the Popular chart although, as noted above, several songs we now know to be highly underrated.  His popularity, however, has always been strongest with adults, which of course make up the vast majority of the Rock Era audience, and on the Adult chart, James has chalked up 38 career hits, with an amazing 24 of those landing in the Top 10 and four going to #1.  

Taylor has sold over 100 million albums throughout the world.  He had an incredible streak from 1977 to 2007 when he sold over a million copies of every album released during that time.

James has won five Grammy Awards from 11 nominations and one ASCAP Award.

James Taylor, The #46 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Two

 

(Continued from Part Two)

 

Taylor was in a bad slump, and he brought in Carly as well as Graham Nash and David Crosby to sing backing vocals and other renowned musicians such as Little Feat guitarist Lowell George and saxophonist David Sanborn for his next project. James returned to the forefront with the 1975 album Gorilla.   James covered the Marvin Gaye hit "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" and scored a #1 hit in Canada and with adults in the U.S.; it peaked at #5 overall.  

The album was certified Gold and there were more positive results--On November 3, Taylor and Simon married. 

 

By this time, the previously shy Taylor was now witty and confident onstage and developed an amazing rapport with his audiences.  The single "Mexico" rose to #5 on the Easy Listening chart.

Stevie Wonder, Crosby, Bonnie Raitt and Art Garfunkel helped James with his 1976 album In the Pocket, which gave Taylor another Gold certification.  The single "Shower The People" raced to #1 on the Adult chart but stalled at #22 Popular, making it one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

Taylor released his Greatest Hits collection, which has gone over 10 million in U.S. sales and 20 million worldwide.  In 1977, James switched labels again, signing with Columbia.  In 1977, he released the album JT, which was nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards.  Taylor took another remake, "Handy Man" (originally by Jimmy Jones), to #1 on the Easy Listening chart and #5 overall in the United States and #1 in Canada.

"Handy Man" earned James a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.  His follow-up, "Your Smiling Face", only made it to #20, though it was a #6 Easy Listening hit.

 

JT has sold over three million copies in the U.S.  "Secret O'Life" is about living in the moment, but James titled it that way rather than "Secret Of Life" because the latter seemed too preposterous.  He said in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine that he felt that the "O" would make it seem irreverent, evoking the names of Life Savers candy flavors such as "Pep O Mint" and "Wint O Green" and offset this presumptuousness of announcing "the secret to life".

 "Another Grey Morning" deals with a subject James knows well--depression.  He evokes an imagery and his singing stokes that emotion.

 

This was JT's venture into Country style and George Jones later covered the song.  Linda Ronstadt sang backing vocals on "Bartender Blues".

 James joined Paul Simon and Garfunkel for a remake of Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World".  A #1 smash on the Adult Contemporary chart, it's another highly underrated song at #17 overall. 

 James appeared on Broadway before releasing the album Flag in 1979.  Taylor's remake of the Drifters smash "Up On The Roof" was a #7 Adult Contemporary hit that stopped at #28 overall.  He was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male at the Grammy Awards.

 "Rainy Day Man" was originally recorded when James was with the Flying Machine. He wrote it with roommate and friend Zach Wisner while they were at the Albert Hotel in New York City.  He reworked it for the Flag album.

Taylor and Carly Simon performed at Madison Square Garden for the No Nukes concert, which was released as an album and a movie.

Join us for the conclusion of James Taylor!