Prince (musician)

***Prince*** Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016) was an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer.

Prince was a musical innovator who was known for his eclectic work, flamboyant stage presence, extravagant dress and makeup, and wide vocal range. His music integrates a wide variety of styles, including funk, rock, R&B, new wave, soul, psychedelia, and pop. He has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He won seven Grammy Awards, an American Music Award, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award for the film Purple Rain. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, his first year of eligibility.

### Life and Death

He was born in Minneapolis and developed an interest in music as a young child. He signed a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records at the age of 18, and released his debut album For You in 1978. His 1979 album Prince went platinum, and his next three records—Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981), and 1999 (1982)—continued his success, showcasing Prince's prominently sexual lyrics and blending of funk, dance, and rock music. In 1984, he began referring to his backup band as The Revolution and released Purple Rain, the soundtrack album to his eponymous 1984 film debut. It quickly became his most critically and commercially successful release, spending 24 consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200 and selling over 20 million copies worldwide. After releasing the albums Around the World in a Day (1985) and Parade (1986), The Revolution disbanded, and Prince released the double album Sign o' the Times (1987) as a solo artist. He released three more solo albums before debuting The New Power Generation band in 1991.

In 1993, while in a contractual dispute with Warner Bros., he changed his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol also known as the "Love Symbol", and began releasing new albums at a faster pace to remove himself from contractual obligations. He released five records between 1994 and 1996 before signing with Arista Records in 1998. In 2000, he began referring to himself as "Prince" again. He released 16 albums after that, including the platinum-selling Musicology (2004). His final album, Hit n Run Phase Two, was first released on the Tidal streaming service on December 12, 2015.

Prince died from a fentanyl overdose at his Paisley Park recording studio and home in Chanhassen, Minnesota, on April 21, 2016, at the age of 57.

### The New Power Generation

***The New Power Generation***, also known as The NPG, was the backing band of musician Prince. They were last active in 2013 before Prince made a return to music with 3rdeyegirl as his backing band. In 2015, the New Power Generation reunited as Prince's backing band for his final studio album before his death, Hit n Run Phase Two.

## Selected Discography

### 1999 (1982)

* Released October 27, 1982
* US #51; UK #28
* US 4x Platinum; UK Platinum

#### "1999"

* Released
* US #12; UK #2

#### "Little Red Corvette"

* Released
* US #6; UK #2

#### "1999" (Reissue)

* Released
* US #40; UK #10

### Purple Rain (1984)

* Released June 25, 1984
* US #7; UK #4
* US Diamond; UK 2x Platinum

#### "When Doves Cry"

* Released
* US #1; UK #4

#### "Lets Go Crazy"

* Released
* US #1; UK #7

#### "Purple Rain"

* Released
* US #2; UK #6

#### "Take Me With You"

* Released
* US #25; UK #7

### Around the World in a Day (1985)

* Released April 22, 1985
* US #8; UK #5
* US 2x Platinum; UK Gold

#### "Paisley Park"

* Released
* UK #18

### Parade (1986)

* Released March 31, 1986
* US #2; UK #4
* US & UK Platinum

#### "Kiss"

* Released
* US #1; UK #6

#### "Girls & Boys"

* Released
* UK #11

### Sign o' the Times (1987)

* Released March 30, 1987
* US #1; UK #4
* US & UK Platinum

#### "Sign o' the Times"

* Released
* US #3; UK #10

#### "If I Was Your Girlfriend"

* Released
* US #67; UK #20

#### "U Got the Look" (with Sheena Easton)

* Released
* US #2; UK #11

### Lovesexy (1988)

* Released May 10, 1988
* US & UK #1
* US Gold; UK Platinum

#### "Alphabet Street"

* Released
* US #8; UK #9

### Batman (1989)

* Released June 20, 1989
* US & UK #1
* US 2x Platinum; UK Platinum

#### "Batdance"

* Released
* US #1; UK #2

#### "Partyman"

* Released
* US #18; UK #14

### Graffiti Bridge (1990)

* Released August 20, 1990
* US #2; UK #1
* US & UK Gold

#### "Thieves in the Temple"

* Released
* US #6; UK #7

### Diamonds and Pearls (1991) [and the New Power Generation]

* Released October 1, 1991
* US #3; UK #2
* US 2x Platinum; UK 3x Platinum

#### "Gett Off"

* Released
* US #21; UK #4

#### "Cream"

* Released
* US #1; UK #15

#### "Money Don't Matter 2 Night"

* Released
* US #23; UK #19

### (Love Symbol Album) (1992) [and the New Power Generation]

* Released October 13, 1992
* US #4; UK #1
* US & UK Platinum

#### "Sexy MF" [and the New Power Generation]

* Released June 30, 1992
* US #66; UK #4

#### "My Name is Prince" [and the New Power Generation]

* Released September 29, 1992
* US #36; UK #7

### The Hits 1 (1993)

* Released September 14, 1993
* US #46; UK #5
* US & UK Platinum

### The Hits 2 (1993)

* Released September 14, 1993
* US #54; UK #5
* US & UK Platinum

### The Hits/The B-Sides (1993)

* Released September 14, 1993
* US #9; UK #4
* US Platinum; UK Gold

#### "Peach"

* Released
* US #107; UK #14

#### "Controversy"

* Released
* UK #5

### Come (1994)

* Released August 16, 1994
* US #4; UK #1
* US & UK Gold

### The Black Album (1994)

* Released November 22, 1994
* US #8; UK #36

### Exodus (1995) [The New Power Generation]

* Released March 27, 1995
* UK #11

### The Gold Experience (1995)

* Released September 26, 1995
* US #7; UK #4
* US & UK Gold

#### "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World"

* Released
* US #3; UK #1

#### "I Hate U"

* Released
* US #12; UK #20

#### "Gold"

* Released
* US #88; UK #10

### Chaos and Disorder (1996)

* Released July 9, 1996
* US #21; UK #14

### Emancipation (1996)

* Released November 19, 1996
* US #1; UK #18
* US 2x Platinum

#### "Betcha by Golly Wow!"

* Released
* UK #11

#### "The Holy River"

* Released
* UK #19

### Newpower Soul (1998) [The New Power Generation]

* Released June 30, 1998
* US #22; UK #38