What was his early life like before he was famous?

Are there any good tales?

Are there any resources that can tell me the "story of his life", for lack of a better phrase?

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL (1976)
What follows is a transcript of Prince's very first interview. It appeared in his high school newspaper on February 16, 1976. It is accompanied by a picture of a young afro-clad Prince sitting at a piano



Nelson Finds It "Hard To Become Known"

"I play with Grand Central Corporation. I've been playing with them for two years," Prince Nelson, senior at Central, said. Prince started playing piano at age seven and guitar when he got out of eighth grade.


Prince was born in Minneapolis. When asked, he said, "I was born here, unfortunately." Why? "I think it is very hard for a band to make it in this state, even if they're good. Mainly because there aren't any big record companies or studios in this state. I really feel that if we would have lived in Los Angeles or New York or some other big city, we would have gotten over by now."


He likes Central a great deal, because his music teachers let him work on his own. He now is working with Mr. Bickham, a music teacher at Central, but has been working with Mrs. Doepkes.


He plays several instruments, such as guitar, bass, all keyboards, and drums. He also sings sometimes, which he picked up recently. He played saxophone in seventh grade but gave it up. He regrets he did. He quit playing sax when school ended one summer. He never had time to practice sax anymore when he went back to school. He does not play in the school band. Why? "I really don't have time to make the concerts."


Prince has a brother that goes to Central whose name is Duane Nelson, who is more athletically enthusiastic. He plays on the basketball team and played on the football team. Duane is also a senior.


Prince plays by ear. "I've had about two lessons, but they didn't help much. I think you'll always be able to do what your ear tells you, so just think how great you'd be with lessons also," he said.


"I advise anyone who wants to learn guitar to get a teacher unless they are very musically inclined. One should learn all their scales too. That is very important," he continued.

Prince would also like to say that his band is in the process of recording an album containing songs they have composed. It should be released during the early part of the summer.

"Eventually I would like to go to college and start lessons again when I'm much older."

Possessed: the Rise & Fall of Prince

Chapter 1 HOME

p 10-11

Prince's friend and surrogate brother, Andre Anderson, was also musically inclined, and the 2 began to jam together regularly in his mother's basement.

Upstairs, Prince shared a bedroom with Anderson. Despite being good friends, they were poor roommates; Anderson's side of the room was cluttered and disorganized, while Prince's was as meticulously ordered as a Marine barrack. Although he no longer lived with his father, Nelson's disciplined approach to life remained a significant influence on Prince, who sought greater order and privacy by moving into the basement...

Downstairs, he had much easier access to his instruments; already, Prince had started blending the distinction between home and musical workplace. Moreover, the basement became something of a private universe - a small slice of the world where he was in total control. A dark space with little natural light, it was nonetheless where he felt most comfortable, and it provided a prototype for the cloistered recording studios where he would spend the majority of his waking hours over the next thirty-plus years.

...

The Anderson basement - Prince's bedroom and rehearsal space - also represented his first attempt to create an alternative community based around music and, perhaps, sex. Years later in interviews, Prince would recall it as a hedonistic wonderland where he and Anderson engaged in carnal acts with a variety of girlfriends.

...

"My impression is that there were a lot of girls in that basement," said Howard Bloom, Prince's press agent during the 1980s. "He had grown up in the 1960's and the message was make love, not war. In the basement, he was going for liberation and entitlement to any sort of sexuality, pleasure, and enjoyment."

AnonymousFan said:

Are there any resources that can tell me the "story of his life", for lack of a better phrase?

Buy this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm...Swa39Usucs it's all you need.

TheDigitalGardener said:

AnonymousFan said:

Are there any resources that can tell me the "story of his life", for lack of a better phrase?

Buy this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm...Swa39Usucs it's all you need.

All books use Jon Bream's Prince: Inside The Purple Reign as their source for Prince's pre-fame life.

BartVanHemelen said:

All books use Jon Bream's Prince: Inside The Purple Reign as their source for Prince's pre-fame life.

And now I know u r...

Bert

TheDigitalGardener said:

AnonymousFan said:

Are there any resources that can tell me the "story of his life", for lack of a better phrase?

Buy this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm...Swa39Usucs it's all you need.

Yup - that's the definitive work.

The Prince Podcast's interview (2+ hours long btw) with Andre Cymone is also worth a listen.

SoulAlive said:

Prince should film a prequel to Purple Rain it can cover his childhood up to his teen years.Imagine seeing a young Prince,Morris and Andre Cymone in a movie!

luv2tha99s said:

SoulAlive said:

Prince should film a prequel to Purple Rain it can cover his childhood up to his teen years.Imagine seeing a young Prince,Morris and Andre Cymone in a movie!

Now THAT is a great idea! Okay, who should the cast be?

No. This is gonna be animated.

The only way to make such a film remotely interesting to people who aren't fambots,

is to show the friendships with Morris and Andre falling apart.

And somehow I can't see Prince getting behind that...

Pentacle said:

Pentacle said:

luv2tha99s said:

SoulAlive said:

Prince should film a prequel to Purple Rain it can cover his childhood up to his teen years.Imagine seeing a young Prince,Morris and Andre Cymone in a movie!

Now THAT is a great idea! Okay, who should the cast be?

maybe Bruno Mars could play a young Prince?

SoulAlive said:

Just have Prince to play Prince A cheque for$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Guitarhero said:

Just have Prince to play Prince A cheque for$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Lol, he looks young enough still.