Genius is one of those words that gets thrown around too loosely, but what other label better fits Prince Rogers Nelson? Sure he had musical parents, but as a child he suffered epilepsy, witnessed his parents’ divorce, bounced between homes, wound up living in a friend’s basement, and still became an excellent basketball player, a ballet student, and a musical prodigy before exiting high school in his native Minneapolis.

            Not yet out of his teens, Prince signed with Warner Bros., fighting for and obtaining creative control and released For You, his debut LP, which he wrote, arranged, sang, produced, and played 27 instruments on, including guitars, pianos, a variety of synthesizers, bass, and drums. The only real comparison in terms of musical mastery is Stevie Wonder.

            Sometimes people talk too much about his eccentric ways, and he truly seemed to have a fear of being “normal”. He defiantly eschewed racial and gender stereotypes, adopted an androgynous, erotic way of dressing and carrying himself, was intensely private, and laser focused on the idea of freedom. Yet it’s the music for which he is rightly celebrated. Inspired by the likes of James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, and Earth, Wind & Fire, he was also drawn to Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, and Carlos Santana. Prince was steeped in funk, but he was also a brilliant soul stylist whose guitar could soar into uncharted realms of hard or psychedelic rock. Yes, he could be sexually explicit (“Darling Nikki”) and cleverly suggestive (“Little Red Corvette”), but he could also be socially astute (“1999” or “Sign o’ the Times”) or deeply introspective and knowing (“When Doves Cry”, “Purple Rain”, or “If I was Your Girlfriend”).

            Prince was highly prolific, releasing 39 studio LPs. Perhaps his most celebrated are 1999 which saw him breakthrough commercially in 1982; Purple Rain, his huge, best-selling 1984 soundtrack which established him as a top-tier artist; and the 1987 double album, Sign o’ the Times. Some of his best-known songs were covered by other artists- “Manic Monday” by the Bangles and “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinead O’Connor.

            His early demise at the age of 57 was another tragic loss that can be laid squarely at the feet of the opioid epidemic, but the music lives on. As Stevie Wonder once put it, “Prince’s music was so picturesque that even I could see it.”            

-Steve Williams (9/14/23) Greatest Recording Artists Blog Post #45