Prince

*On July 27, 2024 Prince was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame at a ceremony in his home town of Minneapolis, celebrating the 40 year anniversary of Purple Rain.

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Famed singer, songwriter and musical innovator Prince was born Prince Rogers Nelson on June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Prince became interested in music at a young age and taught himself how to play the piano, guitar and drums. 
 
In 1978, Prince dropped his debut album, For You, followed by Prince (1979). He played practically all of the instruments on the albums, and Prince contained his first Top 20 pop hit, "I Wanna Be Your Lover." Dirty Mind dropped in 1980, consisting of material that was graphic in its exploration of sexuality and fantasy and Controversy (1981) continued playing with those themes. The singer found international success with the release of his 1982 album, 1999, which included the Top 20 title track, as well as the Top 10 hits "Little Red Corvette" and "Delirious."
 
With his band the Revolution, Prince went on to create the classic album Purple Rain (1984), also the soundtrack to the film of the same name, grossing almost $70 million at the U.S. box office. The album earned Prince two GRAMMY awards, as well as the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score. Its title track reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy" both reached No. 1.
 
1985 saw the release of Around the World in a Day, which had the Top 10 tracks "Raspberry Beret," and "Pop Life."  In 1986 Prince released his eighth studio album, Parade, which included the No. 1 pop/R&B single "Kiss." Parade served as the soundtrack for the artist's second film, Under the Cherry Moon, which he directed and starred in.
 
After the disbanding of the Revolution, Prince consolidated various shelved projects into the double album Sign 'O' the Times (1987), with the title track reaching No. 3 on the pop charts and No. 1 in R&B. Prince released Lovesexy in 1988, known for its album cover featuring a photo of the artist in the nude as well as the Top 5 R&B hit "Alphabet St." By the time he released his 11th studio album, the soundtrack to Batman, in 1989, Prince had become one of America's most commercially successful pop artists, continually making waves on the charts.
 
The early 1990s marked the launch of the New Power Generation, Prince's latest band. The group was first called out in the soundtrack to Graffiti Bridge, a 1990 sequel to Purple Rain. With the NPG's artistic contribution, Prince found success with his album Diamonds and Pearls (1991), which rose to No. 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
 
Prince released the triple album Emancipation (1996), which was certified platinum. Several other albums affiliated with his NPG label soon followed, including Crystal Ball (1998) and Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (1999). In 2006, he wrote and performed “Song of the Heart” for the animated film Happy Feet, and won a Golden Globe (Best Original Song) for the composition.
Prince was well established as an in-demand collaborator and behind-the-scenes player whose songs were remade by other artists. Prince also worked on specific album tracks for performers like Khan, Madonna, Tevin Campbell, Kate Bush, the Time, Martika, Patti Labelle and Janelle Monae. He was behind the girl group Vanity 6 and their No. 1 dance hit "Nasty Girl." And he sent a song to the all-women's band the Bangles that, reached No. 2 with "Manic Monday."
 
Over the course of his life, Prince won seven GRAMMYs (with 33 nominations), seven BRIT Awards, an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, performed at the Super Bowl XLI halftime show, was featured in TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World, earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the BET Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2004) and GRAMMY Hall of Fame (2010).
 
Prince passed away in 2016 from an accidental overdose.