I was given a mix tape by a friend in 1989, couple of weeks later bought Purple Rain and 1999, longed for the release of Batman and went to a see Prince at Wembley Stadium, but I don't know at which point I considered myself a fan.

In 1987 after listening 2 Sign O' the Times. I've always liked his earlier music but they were just the songs that was played on the radio. I never heard a whole album of his until my friend borrowed SOTT. After I heard it I went and bought my own and really listened 2 it. That's when I got hooked. It made me get more in2 his earlier work.
I became a fan after I picked up the Black album not 2 long after SOTT was out. The store I bought it from had may bootlegs and magazines on him. I was like a kid in a candy store. I went there once a week 2 get stuff. I think that classified me as a fan

Well scared as a child but when I got older man! the "beautiful one" had me whipped!
and I made my step dad go out and buy everything in sight!! boy! I was prince crazy,,,

I remember hearing 1999 on the radio back in 1982 or thereabouts,loved it and was intrigued wanted to hear more.

I was only 11 and my mum gave me the money to buy the album!!! Oh lawd I was reduced to a giggling mess when I first heard some of those lyrics hehe.

From then on I was hooked and here I am 20 years later still hooked.

Much love Pochacco

ahh...I remember me and my girlfriends walking down the street screaming "baby baby baby listen to me" and " do you want him? or do you want me? cause I want you!" (yep..true) LOL but then I was only...what? bout 12 13? but kinda lost track of him after that...till around the year 1992...had just graduated highschool...and was going to college...having serious car issues...my dad gets me this 1979 diesle pick up truck to drive...it had a tape deck and the radio didn't work...so I rummaged through all my old tapes and was like "hey, I got 1999, cool" (didn't even realize I had it) so I popped it in one night...doh! my ass was kicked! so I played it again...and lo and behold my ass was kicked again...I did some more rummaging...and I found more prince tapes that I didn't know I had...batman, and lovesexy...and that was that...I was hooked, started buying up all I could and loved it all...

http://freaksonthisside.h...festo.html...it's all there.

I was 9 yrs old, riding home late one night in the back of my parents car when i found a personal stereo on the seat. i placed on the earphones and pressed play. i had no idea what was on th tape and i anxiously waited for the first song to beggin. It seemed as though the delicate hiss of tape had been rolling for over a minute before when suddenly - BAM!! sign o'the times began. i couldnt believe what i was hearing. then came 'play in the sunshine. then it hit me, 'Housequake'. this is my earliest memory of listening or appreciating music. the feeling has never died.the king is dead...long live the prince.

In 1982 at age 4. I remember seeing his face on t.v. and kissing it. I didn't know it was Solid Gold or what he was singing,but boy did I think he was cute. I remember kissing the T.V. set and whenever he was on t.v. my mom would put the television on and dance with me. From that day on I was a Fan. My friend camped out to get Purple Rain concert tickets. I was in Heaven. This was my first concert and I was so excited when I caught a purple tambourine. I was totally Smitten from that day on.

Back in 79 they used to play Soft and Wet on the gentleman's skate at the skating ring. Man, I had to get that shit. Bell bottoms flaring, bush's blown out. The honeys used give us much play to that cut! Thought it was the Emotions or some shit come to find out it was Prince's crazy ass. Been jamming ever since.

My hormones and love for music and the fact that my parents used to tell me he was the devil's son.

I grew up in the caribbean listening pretty much to reggae, calypso, and whatever top 40 and r&b filtered down to the radio stations there. i liked every prince song i heard, which was pretty much lets go crazy, purple rain, kiss, and little red corvette, and sott. I had no idea who the man was or of any other works. i decided one day to get "his album"...i was only 15. Well, that album was Lovesexy. For the first 2 weeks, i thought, what IS this? Never heard ANYTHING like it. I developed after that a serious liking for it. When i moved to the usa the next year, i immediately went to a music store to search 4 more prince. Imagine my shoch and exhilaration upon seeing 9 albums besides on the shelves. I bought each one as i could afford 2. Prince's music became the soundtrack of my life too. I can't begin to list the songs that blew me away. I mean he was so in a different place than ANY other musician/songwriter, (even other legends and geniuses) As a musician/singer/songwriter myself, I have been SO affected by the man's body of work, quality of work, genius of his work, arrangements of his work and by the man's main instrument, which i consider 2 B his voice (mine too)

Eye was 17 when eye first fell in with this fine sexy man! Once eye saw him in concert 4 the 1st time in 83 eye was hooked 4 life! The man is so damn talented and FINE!

I Bcame fan in 2001

It wasn't 4 some song or some video or some concert. It was 4 'RAVE's cover LOL funny what a cover can do to a person. The brotha got some sex appeal like I ain't neva seen.

I liked LP and after that, I went on buying O+>,PR,Emanc,TH/B-S,. And now I'm buying more stuff like(The crystal ball, Come, Gold, Parade, C&D, D&P, SOTT, 1999, 4 U, P, TRC, TV). I have all his movies except 4(PR live)

Heard and enjoyed the covers by Mariah and Alicia.

Saw a promo 4 The Rainbow Children on BET.Just a bunch of
fans at Paisley Park who just listened 2 it and talking
'bout how much they liked it.

Watched BET's premiere of Purple Rain and it was like
watching it 4 the first time.

Bought The Rainbow Children and loved it.

Just need 7 more of the released albums.

All of this in eight months.

Soft & Wet came out when I was in Jr. High.

've been a fan since.

Summer 1982. I was instantly Purplized by the MUSIC. My ears have known joy ever since.

Whilst hiding up a tree at school smoking, a prefect walked right underneith me with a small stereo. They then sat down at the foot of the tree and pressed play on the cassette deck (pre CDs!). Unable to move for fear of being caught, and subsequently suspended for having being caught smoking twice that term already, I just hung out (literally) and listened to the music.

And it kicked off with the words, "Dont worry, I wont hurt you...".

That was me hooked.

14 years ago
my brother's persistence to make me listen to:
Lovesexy, the album
Lovesexy, the concert broadcasted live in Europe
a little later
Small club, second show that night, the must have aftershow

I started in a new department at work when i was about 17 and the lad i worked with was really into Prince.

I was just starting to get interested in music, and this lad from work used to play Purple Rain in the car when we did deliveries.

I was hooked straight away!!!

I then bought Purple Rain the film and thought it was fantastic.

I bought all of his new material after that and then started buying his older stuff like Sign of the Times and Lovesexy.