rogifan said:

I know Morris Hayes worked with Prince the longest and I think John Blackwell was around since the early 2000s but that was off and on. So my first thought was Matt Fink. Did he work with Prince after the Lovesexy tour (Wikipedia says he stopped working with Prince in 1991)? My second thought is Shelby Johnson who I believe started working with Prince in 2006, though her first official big gig was the Super Bowl in 2007. Anyone else I'm missing? Is there a list out there of his longest serving band members? The Prince associates Wikipedia page is woefully inadequate.

Bobby Z ?

Here is a fabulous article I just snatched from Apples...

http://prince.org/msg/7/436527

[Edited 12/17/16 5:45am]

Sheila E and Eric Leeds

kepurplehunter said:

I Matt Funk just right for me!!

1979-1990

Eric Leeds 1986-2004 (and some TV/Tour performances later on I believe)

Solo albums

• Times Squared (February 19, 1991), Paisley Park
• Things Left Unsaid (February 16, 1993), Warner Bros.
• Now & Again (October 31, 2000), Nouveau

Prince albums

• Parade (1986)
• Sign o' the Times (1987)
• The Black Album (1988)
• Lovesexy (1988)
• Batman (1989) – original soundtrack
• Scandalous Sex Suite (1989) – single
• The Love Symbol Album (1992)
• Emancipation (1996)
• One Nite Alone... (2002) – live album
• N.E.W.S (2003)
• C-note (2004) – live album

But Morris is the longest serving member I Think....

Morris Hayes

• a.k.a. Mr. Hayes

Linda1974 said:

Linda1974 said:

rogifan said:

Linda1974 said:

1979-1990

Eric Leeds 1986-2004 (and some TV/Tour performances later on I believe)

Solo albums

• Times Squared (February 19, 1991), Paisley Park
• Things Left Unsaid (February 16, 1993), Warner Bros.
• Now & Again (October 31, 2000), Nouveau

Prince albums

• Parade (1986)
• Sign o' the Times (1987)
• The Black Album (1988)
• Lovesexy (1988)
• Batman (1989) – original soundtrack
• Scandalous Sex Suite (1989) – single
• The Love Symbol Album (1992)
• Emancipation (1996)
• One Nite Alone... (2002) – live album
• N.E.W.S (2003)
• C-note (2004) – live album

Was Eric's 18 years consecutive? I wasn't following Prince quite as much in the 90s.

http://www.princevault.co...Eric_Leeds

[Edited 12/17/16 6:54am]

Yeah, it's probably between Fink & Hayes. Bobby and Fink started at almost the same time, but Fink went at least 3 years beyond that. He lasted through 1990. Bobby left in 1986, so he didn't even have 10 years under his belt. Fink, even if you start in 1979, had 11 or 12, depending where you start I suppose.

lastdecember said:

rogifan said:

lastdecember said:

rogifan said:

I don't think he was with Prince after 2012 either. He wasn't at Dakota Jazz or Montreux in 2013 it was just Cassie O'Neal.

The one nite alone era he was not there at all and was on the musicology tour I don recall seeing him

i'm with lastdecember on this. he wasn't there for the JOTY shows i saw. not on the musicology dates or the W2America shows i saw either. but no doubt hayes is a loyal subject/soldier. he seems to have had several long stints at different times.

sonshine said:

Dr. Matt Fink!!!!

I think people were in and out so much that it is hard to get a fair look at longest running consecutive since with Prince people were in and out so much. I mean Sonny T was there and gone and then popped at gigs and then gone. The same with MR Hayes he was absent for awhile, the One Nite alone era was Renato and Blackwell and Rhonda pretty much, also John Blackwell was in and out, as was Rhonda Smith who I first saw in the "Chaos" days all through the Emancipation era then she was gone during Rave but all over the One Night alone era.

lastdecember said:

Linda1974 said:

Sheila E and Eric Leeds

was that consecutive?

sonshine said:

Shelby was with him quite a few years consecutively in the later years, but Morris and Matt still probably had more time under their belts over the span of his career. A related question: would Shelby technically be considered a band member if she didn't play an instrument? I consider the voice an instrument, but wasn't sure if that "counts"?

yes, singing is very much a part of the band

Linda1974 said:

But Morris is the longest serving member I Think....

Morris Hayes

• a.k.a. Mr. Hayes

Keyboard player in George Clinton's Funkestra (Graffiti Bridge) Keyboard player in Mazarati & The Time Keyboard player in The NPG

1989 1990-1991 1993-2012

4 Mazarati? 1990?

rogifan said:

I know Morris Hayes worked with Prince the longest and I think John Blackwell was around since the early 2000s but that was off and on. So my first thought was Matt Fink. Did he work with Prince after the Lovesexy tour (Wikipedia says he stopped working with Prince in 1991)? My second thought is Shelby Johnson who I believe started working with Prince in 2006, though her first official big gig was the Super Bowl in 2007. Anyone else I'm missing? Is there a list out there of his longest serving band members? The Prince associates Wikipedia page is woefully inadequate.

Fink worked with Prince till the beginning of 1991

he was keyboard player on the Nude tour

1978-1991

RJOrion said:

Kirky J? ...been with him as a dancer, choreographer, drummer drum programmer, friend, best-man, "weed-carrier/dopeman"(?), hype-man, Paisle Park Manager, and Walgreen's courier, since Purple Rain...

no. tony said that afterthe premiere of PR the 3 dancers went their own way and started their own band. tony guitar and vocals kirk on drumsand couple of other guys. they were all just out of university and tony just out the the marines. game boyz didn't hook up with prince again until after the lovesexy tour. so thats a gap of at least 5yrs. then from 93-96 when KJ worked on emancipation.

RJOrion said: