André Cymone wasn’t ready. He didn’t want to participate in a tribute concert to Prince, his childhood friend and former bandmate.

“It was way too soon,” he said, recalling a phone call this spring from Bobby Z, drummer for Prince & the Revolution. “Bobby doesn’t take no for an answer. He asked me four or five [different] times. I asked my crew [his kids]. They called him Uncle Prince.”

Cymone agreed to get involved with three concerts by the Revolution this week in Minneapolis.

Cymone, who grew up in Minneapolis but moved to Los Angeles in 1985, had to do some homework before he joined rehearsals in L.A. He had to learn the songs — the bass (the role he played with Prince), guitar and lead vocal parts because he didn’t know what would be asked of him.

He also had a confession to make: After he left Prince’s band in 1981, Cymone stopped listening to Prince’s albums.

“I never heard ‘Controversy,’ ‘1999’ and ‘Parade’ till four weeks ago,” he admitted. “I was blown away. His personality — his jokes — is all over that stuff.”

Cymone has plenty of stories to tell, including how Prince left his autograph on a basement vent in the house on Russell Avenue N. where he lived with Cymone’s family during high school. And the signature is still there.

On Aug. 13 at an invitation-only memorial service at Paisley Park, Cymone told some childhood stories about Prince. On Sept. 20, Cymone will release an EP, “Black Man in America.” In 2014, he performed at First Avenue to promote “The Stone,” his first album in 29 years.

“Prince and myself, we had our issues,” said Cymone, 58. “But we always came together. He’d call me before ‘Sign o’ the Times’ and play it and ‘what do you think?’ I had a song called ‘Let’s Get Crazy’ with Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King and he called and said ‘I got a song ‘Let’s Go Crazy.’ I don’t want you to think I took it from you.’”

While Cymone last talked to Prince in 2014, guitarist Dez Dickerson, who joined Cymone in Prince’s band in 1978, talked to the rock star three weeks before he died. Prince called him to talk business.

Dickerson, 61, who has a marketing company in Nashville, was en route to his fourth-grade stepson’s parent/teacher conference when his cellphone lit up with messages like “Is it true?”

“We found out what happened by googling,” Dickerson said of Prince’s death. “I had to excuse myself during the meeting to do two interviews from the school parking lot.”

Dickerson, who also rehearsed with the Revolution in Los Angeles — Melvoin replaced him in the band in 1983 — thinks the First Avenue concerts will have a higher purpose for the musicians and the fans.

“My feeling,” he said, “is you can’t keep from seeking catharsis in times of sorrow or tragedy — or anything unexpected.”

http://www.startribune.co...391345571/

Im skeptical when Andre says he never heard 1999 until recently.

That song was played non-stop on radio and TV at the end of 1999 because of the hysteria over Y2K.

ISaidLifeIsJustAGame said:

Im skeptical when Andre says he never heard 1999 until recently.

That song was played non-stop on radio and TV at the end of 1999 because of the hysteria over Y2K.

He's talking about the albums.

He said he's heard individual songs on the radio.

But he never listened to any Prince albums after he left.

this is funny and reminds me of what he did with Jesse Johnson & Shockadelica

definately on purpose lol

I had a song called ‘Let’s Get Crazy’ with Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King and he called and said ‘I got a song ‘Let’s Go Crazy.’ I don’t want you to think I took it from you.’”

OldFriends4Sale said:

--I don't believe him.

laurarichardson said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

He's talking about the albums.

He said he's heard individual songs on the radio.

But he never listened to any Prince albums after he left.

--I don't believe him.

lol

think he still has some grudges?

OldFriends4Sale said:

laurarichardson said:

OldFriends4Sale said: --I don't believe him.

lol

think he still has some grudges?

lets be Frank.....

Everything he says regarding Prince and his asociation with him is coloured "bitter"

He also said he dated Vanity before Prince, which I find suspect as well...

luvgirl said:

He also said he dated Vanity before Prince, which I find suspect as well...

I didn't know about this..

I know he tried to get to Sheila E before Prince though

Lovejunky said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

lol

think he still has some grudges?

lets be Frank.....

Everything he says regarding Prince and his asociation with him is coloured "bitter"

can I be Franco?

.

Don't get me wrong I love Andre, in his time with Prince too...

But his championing of Prince now is weird

People bash the Revolution, but they have always adored Prince

And from many interviews I've listened to I know they listened to Prince's album after they were no longer the band/in the band.

I still remember Wendy & Lisa talking about some of their favorites from LotusFlow3r etc

.

but Tony M as well (no one talks about him 'cashing' in)

OldFriends4Sale said:

André Cymone Interview
KPFA Radio October 31, 1998 San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area
"G-Spot" - KPFA disc jockey
(Thanks to Cecilia Vasquez for the transcription)
(link: http://prince.org/msg/5/316694, originally posted on alt.music.prince)
.
.
.

G: Now who came out first, was it the "Mary Jane Girls," "Vanity" or "The Girls"? Who had the idea first?

AC: I don't know. I know that the girl group I put together was put together before Vanity 6. That I know for sure 'cause actually at the time, before they came out, Vanity and I was going out.

G: Wow. Did you meet Vanity before Prince did?

AC: No, I didn't meet her before he did, but I went out with her before he did. 'Cause I had gotten invited to, they had a Minneapolis Music Award, and I usually don't go to award shows 'cause I don't really believe too much in all that kind of stuff, but I went to this award show 'cause my mom kind of sweated me and she said, "You really gotta go, you really gotta go." So I went. If my mom asks me to do something, I mean I love her so much, anything she'd ask me to do, I'm gonna do without even questioning it. So I went. I went in tore-up jeans (laughs), I think some Indian boots and just looking like complete like I'm just here to do this for my mom (laughs) So I got there and I saw this girl that I could not believe, and I saw Morris and I said, "Hey man, who is she?" And he told me who she was and he said that Prince was working with her, and I said, "Well, is he going out with her?" and he said, "Naw," so I was like ok.

Prince and Vanity were obviously seeing each other before they started working together "If you love me you'll move to Minneapolis with me" as she said he told her in that Donnie Simpson interview. so....
I'm not saying that they didn't hook up because I know Vanity was a fire cracker back then and might have done things to make Prince jealous as she herself said, but I think they probably hooked up after she and Prince broke up. He's probably too embarrassed to admit that he tried to hit on one of Prince's girls, so he's all, it was before Prince... if it's even true. I don't know if I even believe him, he's kind of shady when it comes to Prince and having the one up.
[Edited 3/27/17 14:08pm]

luvgirl said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I didn't know about this..

I know he tried to get to Sheila E before Prince though

André Cymone Interview KPFA Radio October 31, 1998 San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area "G-Spot" - KPFA disc jockey (Thanks to Cecilia Vasquez for the transcription) (link: http://prince.org/msg/5/316694, originally posted on alt.music.prince) . . . G: Now who came out first, was it the "Mary Jane Girls," "Vanity" or "The Girls"? Who had the idea first? AC: I don't know. I know that the girl group I put together was put together before Vanity 6. That I know for sure 'cause actually at the time, before they came out, Vanity and I was going out. G: Wow. Did you meet Vanity before Prince did? AC: No, I didn't meet her before he did, but I went out with her before he did. 'Cause I had gotten invited to, they had a Minneapolis Music Award, and I usually don't go to award shows 'cause I don't really believe too much in all that kind of stuff, but I went to this award show 'cause my mom kind of sweated me and she said, "You really gotta go, you really gotta go." So I went. If my mom asks me to do something, I mean I love her so much, anything she'd ask me to do, I'm gonna do without even questioning it. So I went. I went in tore-up jeans (laughs), I think some Indian boots and just looking like complete like I'm just here to do this for my mom (laughs) So I got there and I saw this girl that I could not believe, and I saw Morris and I said, "Hey man, who is she?" And he told me who she was and he said that Prince was working with her, and I said, "Well, is he going out with her?" and he said, "Naw," so I was like ok. Prince and Vanity were obviously seeing each other before they started working together "If you love me you'll move to Minneapolis with me" as she said he told her in that Donnie Simpson interview. so.... I'm not saying that they didn't hook up because I know Vanity was a fire cracker back then and might have done things to make Prince jealous as she herself said, but I think they probably hooked up after she and Prince broke up. He's probably too embarrassed to admit that he tried to hit on one of Prince's girls, so he's all, it was before Prince... if it's even true. I don't know if I even believe him, he's kind of shady when it comes to Prince and having the one up.... [Edited 3/27/17 13:27pm]

^^^Well it sure would explain a song or 2. They all have said they were very competitive with one another, soooo...I believe there's partial truth.

luvgirl said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I didn't know about this..

I know he tried to get to Sheila E before Prince though

André Cymone Interview KPFA Radio October 31, 1998 San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area "G-Spot" - KPFA disc jockey (Thanks to Cecilia Vasquez for the transcription) (link: http://prince.org/msg/5/316694, originally posted on alt.music.prince) . . . G: Now who came out first, was it the "Mary Jane Girls," "Vanity" or "The Girls"? Who had the idea first? AC: I don't know. I know that the girl group I put together was put together before Vanity 6. That I know for sure 'cause actually at the time, before they came out, Vanity and I was going out. G: Wow. Did you meet Vanity before Prince did? AC: No, I didn't meet her before he did, but I went out with her before he did. 'Cause I had gotten invited to, they had a Minneapolis Music Award, and I usually don't go to award shows 'cause I don't really believe too much in all that kind of stuff, but I went to this award show 'cause my mom kind of sweated me and she said, "You really gotta go, you really gotta go." So I went. If my mom asks me to do something, I mean I love her so much, anything she'd ask me to do, I'm gonna do without even questioning it. So I went. I went in tore-up jeans (laughs), I think some Indian boots and just looking like complete like I'm just here to do this for my mom (laughs) So I got there and I saw this girl that I could not believe, and I saw Morris and I said, "Hey man, who is she?" And he told me who she was and he said that Prince was working with her, and I said, "Well, is he going out with her?" and he said, "Naw," so I was like ok. Prince and Vanity were obviously seeing each other before they started working together "If you love me you'll move to Minneapolis with me" as she said he told her in that Donnie Simpson interview. so.... I'm not saying that they didn't hook up because I know Vanity was a fire cracker back then and might have done things to make Prince jealous as she herself said, but I think they probably hooked up after she and Prince broke up. He's probably too embarrassed to admit that he tried to hit on one of Prince's girls, so he's all, it was before Prince... if it's even true. I don't know if I even believe him, he's kind of shady when it comes to Prince and having the one up. [Edited 3/27/17 14:08pm]

Oh right. I remember this. It sounded so off that I tucked it under the bed.
Yeah lol Vanity and Prince weren't going together lol. As soon as they met they were going together.