Great article about Kip from MPLS Star Tribune.

http://www.startribune.co...19603.html

Chris Riemenschneider: Kip Blackshire is R&B's new prince
October 8, 2004 LOC1008

Plenty of Twin Cities musicians can claim they were discovered by Prince, but only Kip Blackshire can brag about it happening in a bathroom.

The 28-year-old Arkansas transplant -- whose new, self-titled CD should make him Minneapolis' most buzzed-about R&B talent in years -- was a childhood friend of Morris Hayes, Prince's longtime keyboardist. Hayes got his pal inside the door of Paisley Park one afternoon, and Kip did the rest, although unintentionally. He remembers the exact date.

"It was June 20, 1999, and Carlos Santana was in town," he said, recounting a day of basketball hoops and all-star jamming.

Somewhere along the way, Prince overheard Blackshire singing in the restroom, invited him on stage and, well, the rest is Kip's colorful history.

Kip BlackshireHandoutBlackshire was a backup singer and keyboardist for Prince for a couple of years before striking out on his own. The irony is that he grew up largely unaware of his old boss' music.

"I come from four generations of gospel singers, so secular music wasn't really allowed at home," he said

That gospel background is part of what makes Blackshire's album rise above the din of modern R&B. For one thing, his romantic songs such as "I Promise" and "The Next Flight" are devoid of hokey, sex-you-up lyrics. Also, the guy sings with the holy power of great gospel belters.

Blackshire's sheltered youth might also explain why the disc sounds refreshingly untrendy. That's not to say it can't compete with modern records; it just has its own sound. Blackshire and Hayes co-produced the album over a year's worth of recording sessions, and the results are polished and edgy. There are even a few tracks, such as "Prelude," offering a cutting-edge melding of R&B and modern rock.

"My guitarist, Kyle Wood, turned me on to acts like Creed and Soundgarden, who I'm a big fan of now," Blackshire said.

Blackshire has been no stranger to the clubs. He started playing regularly at Jazzmine's more than two years ago, and his Thursday residencies at Bunkers are now gaining some serious steam after seven months. The Bunkers shows draw a heavily female audience (the guy ain't bad looking), but Blackshire said, "We get all types -- even the metal-heads who hang out there, which is great."

Working in Prince's shadow can be a blessing and a curse, but Blackshire has so far risen to the challenge. He was one of the opening acts at the after-parties for Prince's Xcel Energy Center concerts in June, and the Prince online message boards were filled with praise for him. Two of the tracks on his CD were recorded live at Paisley.

"[Prince] has been an absolutely great mentor and teacher," Blackshire confirmed.

As for the bathroom thing, he joked, "You gotta start somewhere."

Kip Blackshire

When: 9 p.m. Thursdays. $5.

Where: Bunkers, 761 Washington Av. N., Mpls. 612-338-8188.