Editing Prince (musician) (section)

=== 1975–1984: Beginnings and breakthrough ===
[[File:1244 Russell Avenue North, Minneapolis 2017-08-02.jpg|right|thumb|The Minneapolis house, seen here in August 2017, where Prince stayed with [[André Cymone]]'s family]]

In 1975, Pepe Willie (the husband of Prince's cousin Shauntel), formed the band [[94 East]] with Marcy Ingvoldstad and Kristie Lazenberry, hiring André Cymone and Prince to record tracks.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/pop-prodigy-prince-artist-producer-teenager-452356|title=Pop Prodigy: Teen Prince Debuted as Artist, Producer|date=April 26, 2016|website=Newsweek|language=en|access-date=July 29, 2019|archive-date=July 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729233711/https://www.newsweek.com/pop-prodigy-prince-artist-producer-teenager-452356|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Draper2016">{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B75NDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA10|title=Prince: Life and Times: Revised and Updated Edition|last=Draper|first=Jason|date=November 2016|publisher=Book Sales|isbn=978-0-7858-3497-7|location=New York, New York|pages=9–10|chapter=The Early Years (1958-1983)|access-date=July 29, 2019}}</ref> Willie wrote the songs, and Prince contributed guitar tracks, and Prince and Willie co-wrote the 94 East song, "Just Another Sucker".<ref name=":1">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/inside-princes-funky-first-recording-sessions-65574/|title=Inside Prince's Funky First Recording Sessions|last=Grow|first=Kory|date=April 26, 2016|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|access-date=July 29, 2019|archive-date=July 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729233707/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/inside-princes-funky-first-recording-sessions-65574/|url-status=live}}</ref> The band recorded tracks which later became the album ''Minneapolis Genius&nbsp;– The Historic 1977 Recordings''.<ref name=":1" /> In 1976, shortly after graduating from Central High School, Prince created a demo tape with producer [[Chris Moon]], in Moon's Minneapolis studio.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Arnold |first1=Chuck |title=Prince Collaborator Chris Moon Remembers Mentoring the Legend Before the Fame |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8359047/prince-chris-moon-pre-fame |magazine=Billboard |access-date=May 7, 2020 |date=April 21, 2018 |archive-date=July 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725034004/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8359047/prince-chris-moon-pre-fame |url-status=live }}</ref> Unable to secure a recording contract, Moon brought the tape to Owen Husney, a Minneapolis businessman, who signed Prince, aged 19, to a management contract, and helped him create a demo at [[Sound 80]] Studios in Minneapolis (with producer/engineer David Z).<ref>{{Cite web|title=National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form|url=https://mn.gov/admin/assets/2020-05-12%20Combined%20Prince_tcm36-428075.pdf|access-date=July 8, 2021|archive-date=June 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605012209/https://mn.gov/admin/assets/2020-05-12%20Combined%20Prince_tcm36-428075.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=April 13, 2018|title=Prince 'discoverer' Owen Husney's new book has some very good Prince stories|first=Michael |last=Anthony|url=https://www.minnpost.com/arts-culture/2018/04/prince-discoverer-owen-husneys-new-book-has-some-very-good-prince-stories/|access-date=July 8, 2021|website=MinnPost|language=en-US|archive-date=June 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605012204/https://www.minnpost.com/arts-culture/2018/04/prince-discoverer-owen-husneys-new-book-has-some-very-good-prince-stories/|url-status=live}}</ref> The demo recording, along with a [[press kit]] produced at Husney's ad agency, resulted in interest from several record companies, including [[Warner Bros. Records]], [[A&M Records]], and [[Columbia Records]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/princes-first-manager-reflects-on-the-music-icons-early-days|title=Prince's first manager reflects on the music icon's early days|publisher=[[UCLA|UCLA Newsroom]]|date=May 2, 2016|access-date=May 6, 2016|first=Ted B.|last=Kissell|archive-date=May 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503111230/http://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/princes-first-manager-reflects-on-the-music-icons-early-days}}</ref>

With the help of Husney, Prince signed a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records in 1977.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/aug/10/history-prince-contractual-controversy-warner-paisley-park|title=Record breaker: a brief history of Prince's contractual controversies|newspaper=The Guardian|first=Eamonn |last=Forde|date=August 10, 2015|access-date=December 27, 2024}}</ref> The record company agreed to give Prince creative control for three albums and retain his publishing rights.{{sfn|Light|2014|p=29}}<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Norment |first=Lynn |date=January 1997 |title=The Artist Formerly Known as Prince|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7wvQh4Sjlw8C&pg=PA130 |magazine=[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]] |page=130 |access-date=April 21, 2016 |quote=While he retains the publishing rights to all his songs, Warner Brothers owns the master tapes to the 20 albums preceding ''Emancipation''.}}</ref> Husney and Prince then left Minneapolis and moved to [[Sausalito, California]], where Prince's first album, ''[[For You (Prince album)|For You]]'', was recorded at [[Record Plant]] Studios. The album was mixed in Los Angeles and released on April 7, 1978.{{sfn|Uptown|2004|p=19}} According to the ''For You'' album notes, Prince wrote, produced, arranged, composed, and played all 27 instruments on the recording, except for the song "[[Soft and Wet]]", whose lyrics were co-written by Moon. The cost of recording the album was twice Prince's initial advance. Prince used the ''Prince's Music Co.'' to [[music publisher (popular music)|publish]] his songs. In the United States, "Soft and Wet" reached No. 12 on the [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Hot Soul Singles]] chart and No. 92 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. The song "[[Just as Long as We're Together]]" reached No. 91 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

[[File:Ticket to Prince’s First Concert.jpg|thumb|left|Ticket to Prince's first performance with his band in January 1979]]<!-- requires curly apostrophe -->

Around this time, a side enterprise that Prince began to pursue involved a then-teenage singer [[Sue Ann Carwell]], whose career as a solo artist he hoped to mould after hearing her talented performance on the Minneapolis R&B scene; however, Carwell resisted his suggestion that she used the name "Susie Stone",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://prince.org/msg/5/464407|title= Associated artists & people {{!}} Sue Anne Carwell|website=Prince.org|access-date=December 26, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/early-prince-side-projects-that-never-got-off-the-ground.3442675/|title=Early Prince side projects that never got off the Ground|website=Lipstick Alley|date=August 24, 2020|access-date=December 26, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://dangerousminds.net/comments/fascinating_early_prince_side_projects_that_never_got_off_the_ground|title=Fascinating early Prince side projects that never got off the ground|website=[[Dangerous Minds (website)|Dangerous Minds]]|date=June 5, 2017 |access-date=December 27, 2024}}</ref> and recordings he had been working on with her for a projected 1978 album ("I'm Saving It Up", "Make It Through the Storm", "Since We've Been Together" and "Wouldn't You Love To Love Me?") went unreleased.<ref name="Susie Stone">{{cite web|url=https://princevault.com/index.php?title=Album:_Suzie_Stone_(1978)|title=Untitled 'Suzie Stone' album|website=princevault.com|access-date=December 27, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://princesongs.org/2016/11/03/wouldnt-you-love-to-love-me/|title=Wouldn't You Love to Love Me?|date=November 3, 2016|access-date=December 27, 2024}}</ref>  Carwell was subsequently signed by Warner Bros. Records.<ref name="Susie Stone" />

In 1979, Prince created a band with André Cymone on bass, [[Dez Dickerson]] on guitar, Gayle Chapman and [[Doctor Fink]] on keyboards, and [[Bobby Z.]] on drums. Their first show was at the Capri Theater on January 5, 1979. Warner Bros. executives attended the show but decided that Prince and the band needed more time to develop his music.{{sfn|Hill|1989|p=59}}{{page needed|date=April 2016}} In October 1979, Prince released the album ''[[Prince (album)|Prince]]'', which was No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' [[Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums|Top R&B/Black Albums]] charts and No. 22 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], and went [[platinum record|platinum]]. It contained two R&B hits: "[[Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?]]" and "[[I Wanna Be Your Lover]]", which sold more than a million copies, and reached No. 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 1 for two weeks on the Hot Soul Singles chart. Prince performed both these songs on January 26, 1980, on ''[[American Bandstand]]''. On this album, Prince used ''Ecnirp Music&nbsp;– [[Broadcast Music, Inc.|BMI]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://repertoire.bmi.com/publisher.asp?blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&keyID=99813&keyname=ECNIRP%20MUSIC&querytype=PubID |title=BMI &#124; Repertoire Search |publisher=Repertoire.bmi.com |access-date=July 18, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030003322/http://repertoire.bmi.com/publisher.asp?blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&keyID=99813&keyname=ECNIRP%20MUSIC&querytype=PubID |archive-date=October 30, 2007}}</ref>

In 1980, Prince released the album ''[[Dirty Mind]]'', which contained sexually explicit material, including the title song, "Head", and the song "Sister", and was described by [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] as a "stunning, audacious amalgam of funk, [[New wave music|new wave]], R&B, and pop, fueled by grinningly salacious sex and the desire to shock".<ref name="Erlewine">Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r15800|pure_url=yes}} Dirty Mind – Prince]." [[AllMusic]]. Retrieved January 1, 2010.</ref> Recorded in Prince's studio, this album was [[certified gold]], and the single "[[Uptown (Prince song)|Uptown]]" reached No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' Dance chart and No. 5 on the Hot Soul Singles chart. Prince was also the opening act for [[Rick James]]' 1980 ''Fire It Up'' tour.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-04-22 |title=How Prince's Androgynous Genius Changed the Way We Think About Music and Gender |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/article/9882-how-princes-androgynous-genius-changed-the-way-we-think-about-music-and-gender/ |access-date=2024-02-24 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US |archive-date=February 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204043347/https://pitchfork.com/features/article/9882-how-princes-androgynous-genius-changed-the-way-we-think-about-music-and-gender/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Prince 1980 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Prince in 1980, the year ''[[Dirty Mind]]'' was released]]
In February 1981, Prince made his first appearance on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', performing "Partyup". In October 1981, Prince released the album ''[[Controversy (Prince album)|Controversy]]''. He played several dates in support of it, as the first of three opening acts for [[the Rolling Stones]], on their [[The Rolling Stones American Tour 1981|US tour]]. In Los Angeles, Prince, who appeared in a trench coat and black bikini briefs, was forced off the stage after just three songs by audience members throwing trash at him.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gh1KAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DSINAAAAIBAJ&pg=3959,2200686 "Rolling Stones Open 2-Day Stand In LA"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428130704/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gh1KAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DSINAAAAIBAJ&pg=3959,2200686 |date=April 28, 2022 }}, ''Oxnard (CA) Press-Courier'', October 10, 1981, p. 3.</ref><ref name="12 Wildest Prince Moments">{{Cite magazine|last=Heller|first=Jason|title=12 Wildest Prince Moments|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/12-wildest-prince-moments-71833/prince-jams-with-james-brown-michael-jackson-august-20th-1983-170793/|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=April 22, 2016|access-date=August 28, 2020|archive-date=November 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126161847/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/12-wildest-prince-moments-71833/prince-jams-with-james-brown-michael-jackson-august-20th-1983-170793/|url-status=live}}</ref> He began 1982 with a small tour of college towns where he was the headlining act. The songs on ''Controversy'' were published by ''Controversy Music''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ascap.com/playback/2008/fall/features/copyright_tips.aspx |title=Profile for Controversy Music |publisher=Ascap.com |access-date=July 18, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140807184702/http://www.ascap.com/playback/2008/fall/features/copyright_tips.aspx |archive-date=August 7, 2014}}</ref>&nbsp;– ''[[American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers|ASCAP]]'', a practice he continued until the ''[[Emancipation (Prince album)|Emancipation]]'' album in 1996. ''Controversy'' also marked the introduction of Prince's use of [[sensational spelling|abbreviated spelling]], such as writing the words ''you'' as ''U'', ''to'' as ''2'', and ''for'' as ''4''; by 2002, MTV News noted that "[n]ow all of his titles, liner notes, and Web postings are written in his own shorthand spelling, as seen on 1999's ''Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic'', which featured 'Hot Wit U.{{'"}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1458662/y-kant-artists-spell.jhtml|title=Y Kant Artists Spell? Christina, Jimmy Jam, K-Ci Explain|last=Moss|first=Corey|date=November 13, 2002|publisher=MTV|access-date=April 15, 2013|archive-date=November 7, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107233635/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1458662/y-kant-artists-spell.jhtml|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1981, Prince formed a side project band called [[The Time (band)|the Time]]. The band released four albums between 1981 and 1990, with Prince writing and performing most of the instrumentation and backing vocals (sometimes credited under the pseudonyms "Jamie Starr" or "The Starr Company"), with lead vocals by [[Morris Day]].{{sfn|Cashmore|1997|p=147}}{{sfn|Draper|2011}}

In late 1982, Prince released a double album, ''[[1999 (Prince album)|1999]]'', which sold more than four million copies.<ref>{{Cite web|title=1999 – at least four million copies sold|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Prince&ti=1999#search_section|website=[[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]]|access-date=September 30, 2020|archive-date=October 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026075432/https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Prince&ti=1999#search_section|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://archives.cnn.com/1999/SHOWBIZ/Music/12/20/wb.prince.bio/ |title=CNN&nbsp;– World Beat Biography&nbsp;– Prince&nbsp;– December 20, 1999 |work=CNN |access-date=July 18, 2009 |archive-date=October 10, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091010125757/http://archives.cnn.com/1999/SHOWBIZ/Music/12/20/wb.prince.bio/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[1999 (Prince song)|title track]] was a protest against [[nuclear proliferation]] and became Prince's first top 10 hit in countries outside the US. Prince's "[[Little Red Corvette]]" was one of the first two videos by black artists (along with [[Michael Jackson]]'s "[[Billie Jean]]") played in heavy rotation on [[MTV]], which had been perceived as against "black music" until [[CBS]] President [[Walter Yetnikoff]] threatened to pull all CBS videos.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nymag.com/arts/popmusic/features/mtv-2011-10/index1.html|title=Five History-Making MTV Music Videos|work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|date=October 9, 2011|access-date=May 4, 2015|archive-date=May 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508062713/http://nymag.com/arts/popmusic/features/mtv-2011-10/index1.html|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Buckley|2003|p=819}} Prince and Jackson had a competitive rivalry which lasted for many years.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/musics-30-fiercest-feuds-beefs-taylor-kanye-slash-axl-w498640/prince-vs-michael-jackson-w498709|title=Music's 30 Fiercest Feuds and Beefs|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=September 15, 2017|access-date=February 5, 2018|archive-date=February 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206131457/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/musics-30-fiercest-feuds-beefs-taylor-kanye-slash-axl-w498640/prince-vs-michael-jackson-w498709|url-status=live}}</ref> The song "[[Delirious (Prince song)|Delirious]]" also placed in the top ten on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. "[[International Lover]]" earned Prince his first [[Grammy Award]] nomination at the [[26th Annual Grammy Awards]].<ref name=GMP>{{cite web|url=http://www.gossipcop.com/prince-death-grammys-statement-reaction-grammy-awards-recording-academy/|title=Grammys Mourn Prince – See Statement From Grammy Awards Recording Academy|access-date=April 24, 2016|date=April 21, 2016|website=Gossipcop.com|author=Weiss, Shari|archive-date=April 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424001854/http://www.gossipcop.com/prince-death-grammys-statement-reaction-grammy-awards-recording-academy/|url-status=dead}}</ref>