Prince

Nile Rodgers, Brian Wilson, Spike Lee, Bob Mould, Madonna & more artists pay tribute to Prince

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April 21, 2016

Today brought the awful news that Prince has passed away. Like Bowie, Prince left an impact on just about everyone, and artists are beginning to pay him tribute. Fellow Minneapolis resident and influential musician in his own right, Bob Mould just posted a lengthy tribute on Facebook:

I never spoke with Prince. He always struck me as a private guy. Maybe he was shy around strangers. We never had much actual interaction – a couple nods in passing, but no real words were exchanged.

The Twin Cities of the 1980s was a very special time for all of us local musicians. There were the North Minneapolis R&B artists, the South Minneapolis guitar rock bands, and in the center of it all was First Avenue/7th Street Entry.

I’ve seen Prince perform sold out shows with The Revolution at First Ave, he and a rhythm section jamming as a guitar/bass/drums three piece in the Entry for 30 people, and was selfishly frustrated when he took over “the main room” for 25 days of filming Purple Rain.
I had the pleasure of spending seven days recording the basic tracks for my first solo album at Paisley Park in December 1988. It was the most professional studio I had ever seen at that point in my life. On the seventh day, I moved from the B room to Studio A, which was Prince’s primary room. I remember seeing Sheila E’s percussion in one of the isolation booths. The large control room was decorated with several of Prince’s scarves. It certainly felt like Prince’s home.

Prince was an artist through and through – always pushing himself to new levels, often creating controversy through his actions and words, and ultimately creating a lifetime of wonderful memories for the world with his incredible volumes of published (and unheard) works.

I heard the news while driving from Tomah WI to Minneapolis. I immediately flipped on The Current 89.3 FM to make sure what I was hearing was true. Sure enough, there was a live report from outside Paisley Park confirming the sad news of Prince’s passing.
I’m two blocks from First Avenue as I write these words. Friday and Saturday nights, I will walk that same stage we all know from the movie. The exterior walls of First Avenue are covered with stars to honor the musicians who made an impact on music fans in Minnesota.

Make no mistake: Prince was the brightest star in these Northern skies. My deepest condolences to his family, friends, and fellow musicians. Prince’s music will give consolation and comfort to the collective grief. Godspeed.

And Twitter has been nonstop all day. Here are a few of the odes to the Purple One:

https://twitter.com/SpikeLee/status/723199270002778112

https://twitter.com/whoisMGMT/status/723219187833835521

https://twitter.com/therealroseanne/status/723208596679348224

https://twitter.com/belindaofficial/status/723207911967612928

https://twitter.com/therealelp/status/723194630301339653?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/genesimmons/status/723198977324122112

 

https://twitter.com/flyinglotus/status/723198081978650624

https://twitter.com/genesimmons/status/723198977324122112

https://twitter.com/Carrie_Rachel/status/723205304700145665

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