On this day (Or close to it), a Friday after school - 3 kids and a middle aged Black woman in Minneapolis walked into Moonsound and wanted to lay down some tracks. The group of 3 light skinned Black kids called themselves Shampagne and featured a quite short skinny boy with an enormous afro called Prince.

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The others were Andre Anderson and Morris Day, they were chaperoned by Morris's mother Lavonne Daugherty. After playing some songs, Daugherty and 2 of the young men went across gthe road for ice cream, but the kid with the huge afro was plugging away at a guitar and then hopped on the drums.

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The studio owner liked what he saw, this kid looked very young, but was totally absorbed, as he left the drums and went to the organ, he then started singing "Oww, owww, yeeaaahhh!!!" and he thought, I am paying too much for guys playing different instruments, this kid is doing it all. These guys could barely afford their session fees and he could clearly see a focussed young man who seemed to not only play it all, but seemed totally absorbed. This man could provide the musical backing to those ads that were so lucrative, but so hard to put music on. Words came easy, beats didn't, 5 or 8 piece rhythm sections cost money, a 17 year old Black kid playing 27 instruments didn't. He just hoped the kid had finished with high school or was not going. He wa sin his last semester of being a Senior - close enough!

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Finally he talked to the afro topped individual and told him about his proposition, the kid turned around and drudged up a nod. When asked his name, he said Prince and Chris Moon thought he was being cheeky, but then Morris came back in, and said hey Prince what you doin with that guy?

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That hot spring day in Minneapolis was the beginning of history, but meanwhile a chilly autumnal morning on the otherside of the world, I entered the world in Christchurch. It was 9.05am and te temperature barely above freezing. It seemed so far away, but 15½ years the path of the musical prodigy kid in Minneapolis and the baby in Christchurch would cross....

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Meanwhile number one on our charts was "Brotherhood of man, save all your kisses for me" and "Let your love flow by the Bellamy brothers" was #1 on the charts when Prince, Andre and Morris were laying down, Machine, and Youre such a fox.

[Edited 4/30/17 2:56am]

So, that was the beginning? great thanks.

damn cool story

I want that music. Bet it is corny.