So I was at my favorite bar on Saturday night and who strolls in wearing his usual fur coat? JELLY BEAN JOHNSON! I've seen him play at bunker's a few times and when the time played at the mn zoo a few summers ago.

of course I had to go tell him how big of a fan i was and he was so nice and gracious. I asked him if he still played with prince and he said he plays with the band morris day and the time ( i was like um DUH, i know who they are!)

then he proceeded to tell me that they are currently fighting with prince over the name 'the time'. i couldn't believe that prince would sink so low. i told him i love prince but wondered why he had to be a little bitch sometimes and he laughed

all in all it was a great experience. nice as can be! i hope to see him around minneapolis again soon

beener04 said:

So I was at my favorite bar on Saturday night and who strolls in wearing his usual fur coat? JELLY BEAN JOHNSON! I've seen him play at bunker's a few times and when the time played at the mn zoo a few summers ago.

of course I had to go tell him how big of a fan i was and he was so nice and gracious. I asked him if he still played with prince and he said he plays with the band morris day and the time ( i was like um DUH, i know who they are!)

then he proceeded to tell me that they are currently fighting with prince over the name 'the time'. i couldn't believe that prince would sink so low. i told him i love prince but wondered why he had to be a little bitch sometimes and he laughed

all in all it was a great experience. nice as can be! i hope to see him around minneapolis again soon

Yeah Bean's a great guy

What your favorite bar? I mean where was that ;p

beener04 said:

So I was at my favorite bar on Saturday night and who strolls in wearing his usual fur coat? JELLY BEAN JOHNSON! I've seen him play at bunker's a few times and when the time played at the mn zoo a few summers ago.

of course I had to go tell him how big of a fan i was and he was so nice and gracious. I asked him if he still played with prince and he said he plays with the band morris day and the time ( i was like um DUH, i know who they are!)

then he proceeded to tell me that they are currently fighting with prince over the name 'the time'. i couldn't believe that prince would sink so low. i told him i love prince but wondered why he had to be a little bitch sometimes and he laughed

all in all it was a great experience. nice as can be! i hope to see him around minneapolis again soon

It's great hearing stories like this. Thank you for sharing it!!

Jellybean is REALLY a nice guy, fun and easy to talk to.

inspireof said:

What your favorite bar? I mean where was that ;p

clubhouse jager on washington ave.

just down the street from bunkers. i've seem him play there with dr. mambo's combo a couple times.

beener04 said:

So I was at my favorite bar on Saturday night and who strolls in wearing his usual fur coat? JELLY BEAN JOHNSON! I've seen him play at bunker's a few times and when the time played at the mn zoo a few summers ago.

of course I had to go tell him how big of a fan i was and he was so nice and gracious. I asked him if he still played with prince and he said he plays with the band morris day and the time ( i was like um DUH, i know who they are!)

then he proceeded to tell me that they are currently fighting with prince over the name 'the time'. i couldn't believe that prince would sink so low. i told him i love prince but wondered why he had to be a little bitch sometimes and he laughed

all in all it was a great experience. nice as can be! i hope to see him around minneapolis again soon

I'm absolutey positive they can win the name, but it would take time to resolve through the courts. Yet it's a fight worth having, in my opinion, for the guys personaly and the familes that love them. The funny thing is that so much of the making of that band has nothing to do with Prince creatively, yet in his own mind, due to his shady azz CONtracts, he should 25-30 years later call all the shots and make all the loot. Ego is a trip.

Aww. U met uncle Bean? He is really cool. They (The Time current roster and original roster) all are cool. Just Bean is more laid back.

funksterr said:

beener04 said:

So I was at my favorite bar on Saturday night and who strolls in wearing his usual fur coat? JELLY BEAN JOHNSON! I've seen him play at bunker's a few times and when the time played at the mn zoo a few summers ago.

of course I had to go tell him how big of a fan i was and he was so nice and gracious. I asked him if he still played with prince and he said he plays with the band morris day and the time ( i was like um DUH, i know who they are!)

then he proceeded to tell me that they are currently fighting with prince over the name 'the time'. i couldn't believe that prince would sink so low. i told him i love prince but wondered why he had to be a little bitch sometimes and he laughed

all in all it was a great experience. nice as can be! i hope to see him around minneapolis again soon

I'm absolutey positive they can win the name, but it would take time to resolve through the courts. Yet it's a fight worth having, in my opinion, for the guys personaly and the familes that love them. The funny thing is that so much of the making of that band has nothing to do with Prince creatively, yet in his own mind, due to his shady azz CONtracts, he should 25-30 years later call all the shots and make all the loot. Ego is a trip.

What would be their legal standing to win in court?

wonder505 said:

funksterr said:

I'm absolutey positive they can win the name, but it would take time to resolve through the courts. Yet it's a fight worth having, in my opinion, for the guys personaly and the familes that love them. The funny thing is that so much of the making of that band has nothing to do with Prince creatively, yet in his own mind, due to his shady azz CONtracts, he should 25-30 years later call all the shots and make all the loot. Ego is a trip.

What would be their legal standing to win in court?

The fact that they are The Time, all original 7 members, is enough to likely win the right to use the stage name, and possibly even royalties from the original recordings themselves. A victory would more than likely come too late for anyone to have much to celebrate, but you never know what can happen once matters get before a judge.

funksterr said:

wonder505 said:

What would be their legal standing to win in court?

The fact that they are The Time, all original 7 members, is enough to likely win the right to use the stage name, and possibly even royalties from the original recordings themselves. A victory would more than likely come too late for anyone to have much to celebrate, but you never know what can happen once matters get before a judge.

I think if they had any legal rights to the name they would have sued Prince a long time ago. I just dont believe a name should hold up any project, as talented as they are.

They should just call themselves The Fuck Prince Time.

wonder505 said:

funksterr said:

The fact that they are The Time, all original 7 members, is enough to likely win the right to use the stage name, and possibly even royalties from the original recordings themselves. A victory would more than likely come too late for anyone to have much to celebrate, but you never know what can happen once matters get before a judge.

I think if they had any legal rights to the name they would have sued Prince a long time ago. I just dont believe a name should hold up any project, as talented as they are.

Well it's not just any project, like if a few kids got together in mom and dad's garage aymore. Though it would be hardcore if they wrote "slave" on their faces and created like a reverse or something and went before the press in every city and told everybody about Prince's CONtracts. Oh and reunited Appolonia 6 for their opening act.

I wonder what changed...they were on The Michael Baisden Show and were asked about it and they said Prince gave them his blessing as far as the name. Damn, we are so critical of Prince. He wants control of everything he owns. Whether we like it or not it's his choice.

Frederick96 said:

I wonder what changed...they were on The Michael Baisden Show and were asked about it and they said Prince gave them his blessing as far as the name. Damn, we are so critical of Prince. He wants control of everything he owns. Whether we like it or not it's his choice.

Exactly!!!

beener04 said:

So I was at my favorite bar on Saturday night and who strolls in wearing his usual fur coat? JELLY BEAN JOHNSON! I've seen him play at bunker's a few times and when the time played at the mn zoo a few summers ago.

of course I had to go tell him how big of a fan i was and he was so nice and gracious. I asked him if he still played with prince and he said he plays with the band morris day and the time ( i was like um DUH, i know who they are!)

then he proceeded to tell me that they are currently fighting with prince over the name 'the time'. i couldn't believe that prince would sink so low. i told him i love prince but wondered why he had to be a little bitch sometimes and he laughed

all in all it was a great experience. nice as can be! i hope to see him around minneapolis again soon

Any pics???

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Frederick96 said:

I wonder what changed...they were on The Michael Baisden Show and were asked about it and they said Prince gave them his blessing as far as the name. Damn, we are so critical of Prince. He wants control of everything he owns. Whether we like it or not it's his choice.

Exactly!!!

Hmmm, ok...let me try this one for size then.

"Damn, we are so critical of WB. They just want to control everything they own. Whether we like it or not, it's their choice."

Nope, I don't like it.

What benefit does Prince gain from controlling the name? Or, perhaps more importantly, what is he risking by letting them have it?

How much easier would his life get if he:

1. Gave The Time, The Family and any others their names to use independently;

2. Paid any outstanding debts and freed himself of any legal tangles to do with unpaid bills, etc...;

3. Generally stopped trying to control everything and embraced the natural flow that might actually result in him getting what he's owed as well (ie. money out, money in, IP out, IP in, masters out, masters in, and so on);

I don't see the pay off. I see how he has a right to maintain control of what he owns and the right to the legal battles - I just wonder if he continues to maintain a rod for his own back while he's at it.

One thing is certainly true though - it's his choice and he will continue to do what he wants, so it's a moot point in that respect.

I would be interested to know why he doesn't give The Time and The Family their names though. I don't buy the whole "they'd become a threat" deal. Does allowing them to use their names mean he loses out on royalties somehow?

I'm also curious as to how he has control over their names, yet WB had control over his - why didn't they also own The Time and The Family, or is that part of the legal red tape? ie. Are their holdups involved in this other than Prince?

Chiquetet said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Exactly!!!

Hmmm, ok...let me try this one for size then.

"Damn, we are so critical of WB. They just want to control everything they own. Whether we like it or not, it's their choice."

Nope, I don't like it.

What benefit does Prince gain from controlling the name? Or, perhaps more importantly, what is he risking by letting them have it?

How much easier would his life get if he:

1. Gave The Time, The Family and any others their names to use independently;

2. Paid any outstanding debts and freed himself of any legal tangles to do with unpaid bills, etc...;

3. Generally stopped trying to control everything and embraced the natural flow that might actually result in him getting what he's owed as well (ie. money out, money in, IP out, IP in, masters out, masters in, and so on);

I don't see the pay off. I see how he has a right to maintain control of what he owns and the right to the legal battles - I just wonder if he continues to maintain a rod for his own back while he's at it.

One thing is certainly true though - it's his choice and he will continue to do what he wants, so it's a moot point in that respect.

I would be interested to know why he doesn't give The Time and The Family their names though. I don't buy the whole "they'd become a threat" deal. Does allowing them to use their names mean he loses out on royalties somehow?

I'm also curious as to how he has control over their names, yet WB had control over his - why didn't they also own The Time and The Family, or is that part of the legal red tape? ie. Are their holdups involved in this other than Prince?

I wonder if Prince is aware of these older groups.

funksterr said:

beener04 said:

So I was at my favorite bar on Saturday night and who strolls in wearing his usual fur coat? JELLY BEAN JOHNSON! I've seen him play at bunker's a few times and when the time played at the mn zoo a few summers ago.

of course I had to go tell him how big of a fan i was and he was so nice and gracious. I asked him if he still played with prince and he said he plays with the band morris day and the time ( i was like um DUH, i know who they are!)

then he proceeded to tell me that they are currently fighting with prince over the name 'the time'. i couldn't believe that prince would sink so low. i told him i love prince but wondered why he had to be a little bitch sometimes and he laughed

all in all it was a great experience. nice as can be! i hope to see him around minneapolis again soon

I'm absolutey positive they can win the name, but it would take time to resolve through the courts. Yet it's a fight worth having, in my opinion, for the guys personaly and the familes that love them. The funny thing is that so much of the making of that band has nothing to do with Prince creatively, yet in his own mind, due to his shady azz CONtracts, he should 25-30 years later call all the shots and make all the loot. Ego is a trip.

Your post is bonkers.

1) They can't win the name. Remember Jackson 5? Bad example, maybe. However, courts don't typically settle that way. Contracts are contracts, copyrights are copyrights. Were they able to get the name in the past, they would have by now. Their last album was 20 years ago. Can you believe it? The last brand new album by The Time was 20 years ago.

2) So much of the making of that band came directly out of the brain of Prince. Doesn't matter what you might bring up about some members of that band and I know they are all extremely talented guys, but Prince is who devised their whole shtick, their music, their stage act, and everything else about their careers. The only thing I can think of is that they perhaps already wore suits (as Jimmy and Terry went on to KEEP wearing suits even as normal joe producers).

3) I really just feel that if these associated artists like The Time and The Family had real aspirations to release a new album, Prince's control over their former names would not matter. Let's face it, the only people who know who the fuck The Family is are us Prince geeks. No one else thinks, "Hey remember that band The Family... They were my favorite." No one does that. And as far as The Time goes, they have a small audience from their exposure on Jay and Silent Bob but the rest is all from their time with Prince.

If the music is what mattered the most, they should be able to work around it. Morris' real name is Morris Day. There's nothing stopping them from calling themselves Morris Day and the Boys, the Peeps, the Bros, etc. The same audience who knew them as The Time would know them that way. I know it's not 'the same' but why fight with Prince for 20 YEARS when your fans are desperate for music before you die??

Spinlight said:

1) They can't win the name. Remember Jackson 5? Bad example, maybe. However, courts don't typically settle that way. Contracts are contracts, copyrights are copyrights. Were they able to get the name in the past, they would have by now. Their last album was 20 years ago. Can you believe it? The last brand new album by The Time was 20 years ago.

2) So much of the making of that band came directly out of the brain of Prince. Doesn't matter what you might bring up about some members of that band and I know they are all extremely talented guys, but Prince is who devised their whole shtick, their music, their stage act, and everything else about their careers. The only thing I can think of is that they perhaps already wore suits (as Jimmy and Terry went on to KEEP wearing suits even as normal joe producers).

3) I really just feel that if these associated artists like The Time and The Family had real aspirations to release a new album, Prince's control over their former names would not matter. Let's face it, the only people who know who the fuck The Family is are us Prince geeks. No one else thinks, "Hey remember that band The Family... They were my favorite." No one does that. And as far as The Time goes, they have a small audience from their exposure on Jay and Silent Bob but the rest is all from their time with Prince.

If the music is what mattered the most, they should be able to work around it. Morris' real name is Morris Day. There's nothing stopping them from calling themselves Morris Day and the Boys, the Peeps, the Bros, etc. The same audience who knew them as The Time would know them that way. I know it's not 'the same' but why fight with Prince for 20 YEARS when your fans are desperate for music before you die??

I sure hope that, for the sake of those bands and their fans, that someone with influence reads that post.

They can change there name to Morris Day & The Time. Like Morris is using to tour with and actually did release an album under that name of live hits. But I think the reason they don't use that name is because it downplays the other members creativity & makes Morris the star. The other members have had just as much if not more success than Morris has had..I think Prince has a good reason why he won't clear the name 4 them 2 use & I will support him. Even though I'm a huge fan of the ORINGINAL The Time. I think he is waiting to own all of The Time masters first so he can reap the full benefit of there

reunion .....

Spinlight said:

Your post is bonkers.

1) They can't win the name. Remember Jackson 5? Bad example, maybe. However, courts don't typically settle that way. Contracts are contracts, copyrights are copyrights. Were they able to get the name in the past, they would have by now. Their last album was 20 years ago. Can you believe it? The last brand new album by The Time was 20 years ago.

Yes they can. Not saying it would be quick simple or easy, only possible. I think Prince will never give them anything, so they should sue to try to get something if not everything.

2) So much of the making of that band came directly out of the brain of Prince. Doesn't matter what you might bring up about some members of that band and I know they are all extremely talented guys, but Prince is who devised their whole shtick, their music, their stage act, and everything else about their careers. The only thing I can think of is that they perhaps already wore suits (as Jimmy and Terry went on to KEEP wearing suits even as normal joe producers.

Oh really? What was Andre Cymone's role? What was Morris Day's role? Jesse Johnson?

3) I really just feel that if these associated artists like The Time and The Family had real aspirations to release a new album, Prince's control over their former names would not matter. Let's face it, the only people who know who the fuck The Family is are us Prince geeks. No one else thinks, "Hey remember that band The Family... They were my favorite." No one does that. And as far as The Time goes, they have a small audience from their exposure on Jay and Silent Bob but the rest is all from their time with Prince.

Ummm. The Time is at minimum 80's pop and R&B royalty that pretty much no one associates with Prince much except Prince fans. I'll say it again most fans of The Time don't care much for Prince's she-male persona and the group does not need him to be successful.

If the music is what mattered the most, they should be able to work around it. Morris' real name is Morris Day. There's nothing stopping them from calling themselves Morris Day and the Boys, the Peeps, the Bros, etc. The same audience who knew them as The Time would know them that way. I know it's not 'the same' but why fight with Prince for 20 YEARS when your fans are desperate for music before you die??

They haven't fought with Prince for 20 years. They reunited fairly recently with a verbal commitment from Prince that they could use the name. A commitment he has now waffled on over money and power issues. Period. I think if he could get a hit album in his own right, he wouldn't care what they put out, but right now he doesn't want to be upstaged.

funksterr said:

Spinlight said:

Your post is bonkers.

1) They can't win the name. Remember Jackson 5? Bad example, maybe. However, courts don't typically settle that way. Contracts are contracts, copyrights are copyrights. Were they able to get the name in the past, they would have by now. Their last album was 20 years ago. Can you believe it? The last brand new album by The Time was 20 years ago.

Yes they can. Not saying it would be quick simple or easy, only possible. I think Prince will never give them anything, so they should sue to try to get something if not everything.

Ummm. The Time is at minimum 80's pop and R&B royalty that pretty much no one associates with Prince much except Prince fans. I'll say it again most fans of The Time don't care much for Prince's she-male persona and the group does not need him to be successful.

If the music is what mattered the most, they should be able to work around it. Morris' real name is Morris Day. There's nothing stopping them from calling themselves Morris Day and the Boys, the Peeps, the Bros, etc. The same audience who knew them as The Time would know them that way. I know it's not 'the same' but why fight with Prince for 20 YEARS when your fans are desperate for music before you die??

They haven't fought with Prince for 20 years. They reunited fairly recently with a verbal commitment from Prince that they could use the name. A commitment he has now waffled on over money and power issues. Period. I think if he could get a hit album in his own right, he wouldn't care what they put out, but right now he doesn't want to be upstaged.

Prince will never be upstaged by The Time.

The fact you called Prince a she-male immediately relinquishes my interest in this thread. (No small loss for you, I'm sure.)

By the way, they have been fighting with Prince over the name for at least 12 years.

Spinlight said:

Prince will never be upstaged by The Time.

The fact you called Prince a she-male immediately relinquishes my interest in this thread. (No small loss for you, I'm sure.)

By the way, they have been fighting with Prince over the name for at least 12 years.

I didn't call Prince a she-male. It's no secret he likes to act feminine and masculine at the same time on stage. You're just running away from defeniding your claim that Prince " devised their whole shtick, their music, their stage act, and everything else about their careers" "out of his brain.

And you can doubt The Time all you want, but that Chaka Kahn album basicaly produced by The Time in 2007, beat's the living hell out of the silly shti Prince produced on her. They can, and likely will, upstage Prince with their new material and that, more than anything, is why they can't get Prince to sign off.

funksterr said:

Spinlight said:

Prince will never be upstaged by The Time.

The fact you called Prince a she-male immediately relinquishes my interest in this thread. (No small loss for you, I'm sure.)

By the way, they have been fighting with Prince over the name for at least 12 years.

I didn't call Prince a she-male. It's no secret he likes to act feminine and masculine at the same time on stage. You're just running away from defeniding your claim that Prince " devised their whole shtick, their music, their stage act, and everything else about their careers" "out of his brain.

And you can doubt The Time all you want, but that Chaka Kahn album basicaly produced by The Time in 2007, beat's the living hell out of the silly shti Prince produced on her. They can, and likely will, upstage Prince with their new material and that, more than anything, is why they can't get Prince to sign off.

I will believe it when I hear it which I would love to! all statements without an actual cd being produced is all speculation. I just think if they are all that (which I believe they are) the name thing is a lame excuse.

[Edited 3/2/11 7:13am]

wonder505 said:

funksterr said:

I didn't call Prince a she-male. It's no secret he likes to act feminine and masculine at the same time on stage. You're just running away from defeniding your claim that Prince " devised their whole shtick, their music, their stage act, and everything else about their careers" "out of his brain.

And you can doubt The Time all you want, but that Chaka Kahn album basicaly produced by The Time in 2007, beat's the living hell out of the silly shti Prince produced on her. They can, and likely will, upstage Prince with their new material and that, more than anything, is why they can't get Prince to sign off.

I will believe it when I hear it which I would love to! all statements without an actual cd being produced is all speculation. I just think if they are all that (which I believe they are) the name thing is a lame excuse.

[Edited 3/2/11 7:13am]

Jam and Lewis are constantly producing top quality music on somebody. It's not as though these guys are Bill Withers sitting in his studio afraid the new songs won't live up to the past glories. They are always putting out stuff. And since they are The Time, you can't blame them one bit for not wanting to rename the band.

funksterr said:

wonder505 said:

I will believe it when I hear it which I would love to! all statements without an actual cd being produced is all speculation. I just think if they are all that (which I believe they are) the name thing is a lame excuse.

[Edited 3/2/11 7:13am]

Jam and Lewis are constantly producing top quality music on somebody. It's not as though these guys are Bill Withers sitting in his studio afraid the new songs won't live up to the past glories. They are always putting out stuff. And since they are The Time, you can't blame them one bit for not wanting to rename the band.

Regardless of who put out what, I want to hear it from the group. Also Who came up the name again? I'm asking because I really don't know the history. I've always thought it was Prince, am I wrong?

[Edited 3/2/11 11:21am]

beener04 said:

So I was at my favorite bar on Saturday night and who strolls in wearing his usual fur coat? JELLY BEAN JOHNSON! I've seen him play at bunker's a few times and when the time played at the mn zoo a few summers ago.

of course I had to go tell him how big of a fan i was and he was so nice and gracious. I asked him if he still played with prince and he said he plays with the band morris day and the time ( i was like um DUH, i know who they are!)

then he proceeded to tell me that they are currently fighting with prince over the name 'the time'. i couldn't believe that prince would sink so low. i told him i love prince but wondered why he had to be a little bitch sometimes and he laughed

all in all it was a great experience. nice as can be! i hope to see him around minneapolis again soon

I've met JB too and he is a cool cat. I over-heard him talking with someone during the 7.7.7 shows and they (Morris Day & The Time) were supposed to open for them and P cancelled at the last minute and JB was pissed off about that. I don't wanna say further then that. I'll keep my man's confidence.

Shh ... LoL

wonder505 said:

funksterr said:

Jam and Lewis are constantly producing top quality music on somebody. It's not as though these guys are Bill Withers sitting in his studio afraid the new songs won't live up to the past glories. They are always putting out stuff. And since they are The Time, you can't blame them one bit for not wanting to rename the band.

Regardless of who put out what, I want to hear it from the group. Also Who came up the name again? I'm asking because I really don't know the history. I've always thought it was Prince, am I wrong?

[Edited 3/2/11 11:21am]

Prince owns the name and all of the publishing rights. A lot of the MUSIC and concept for the band was actually Andre Cymone's idea (likely based on Kid Creole and The Coconuts), so it's possible that he or others helped to settle on the name. The Time is by far not simply Prince's ideas come to life, but instead a collaborative effort that included most of the musicians in P's circle in the early 80's. In the end Prince was the only member of the crew signed to a major, and he was able to take complete ownership of the group as a result. He allegedly recorded over the guys parts on the albums, sometimes note-for-note replaying what they contributed simply so he could ego-trip and say it was all his in the end.