SS4GOKU said:

Yes. The Jet Magazine picture sealed the deal. I was 16 years old at the time.


[Edited 1/27/07 18:28pm]

mozfonky said:

Wrong. Or at least in my case. They were playing the HELL outta Soft 'N Wet here in Detroit. It was a funky tune and very different from what was being played on black radio at the time. Now, granted, I didn't actually BUY the record until a little later, but I was DEFINITELY a fan.
[Edited 1/27/07 18:27pm]

that's cool, i believe you, prince has always had a second home in detroit.

Actually, this is how my now 82-years young dad became a fan: when Soft 'N Wet came out, they used to play it all the time at the roller rink he frequented. (Ya'll Detroiters remember Northland Roller Rink--still exists). Straight outta the "Roll Bounce" movie! Anyway, my dad's been a Prince fan ever since.
[Edited 1/27/07 18:39pm]

nurse said:

That's my fateful year too, In 1982, I was 12 in the 7th grade when 1999 came out and I got hooked. I had heard of Prince and his early music because my older sister played his songs but I was too young to appreciate it.After 1982 I became obsessed about getting all of his past vinyl albums. I would buy his past albums and 45's instead of clothes sometimes. At 12, home life was not ideal and Prince came along at the right time. He helpled me to see that life could get nothing but better if I believed it could. I can honestly say that today his music has the same meaning it had back then. Most recently "The Word" inspired me to make some changes that I was hesistant to make. I'm grateful that I got to share this too short existence with Prince. It's sad to think there will be future generations that will never get to experience him live or know the feeling of listening to new Prince material. Ahh, but there is Prince's infamous Vaults.

Since Fall'79. I heard that intro to I wanna Be Your Lover and thought wtf is rocking that guitar?

jimmyrogertodd said:

MY SISTER BOUGHT THE 45 OF SOFT & WET AND WE PLAYED THE CRAP OUT OF THAT RECORD OUT! AND WHEN HE DROPPED "PRINCE" ALBUM AND HE WAS BUTT-NAKED ON THAT WHITE HORSE
THE GATES OF HEAVEN OPENED

no i wasn't even born...

fan since the beginning. soft and wet was played a lot on the r&B station in columbus, ohio, even though the station was only on in the daytime. Wow, the ___old days!

I was a kid when I first heard Soft and Wet. I remember clearly when it first came out. I thought it was a white girl singing and the name of the band was called Prince. Like the band called Foxy who had the hit song the very same year "Get Off". I thought that if a band was called Foxy, then a band could be called Prince. But yeah, at the time, I thought it was a white girl singing. When I went to buy the single and saw the cover of the album on the 45 sleeve, only then I realized it was some brother that looked like a member from The Slyvers. I was surprised, cuz Prince's image (or lack thereof) didn't fit at all with the song.

I always lived in So. California and in 78, there was this great radio station out here called KDAY. It's still out here but it plays rap today. Anyway, they played Soft and Wet to death. It was regarded as a pure disco song out here. I make mention of L.A., cuz Prince was always very big out there. Waay before the Purple Rain explosion. He always made radio appearences during 79-81 and played clubs out here. The very popular L.A. club Flippers, Prince played at in early 81 during his Dirty Mind Tour. When I saw him on his Controversy tour in Feb 82 at the Santa Monica Civic, the place was jammed packed. Every race under the sun was there too. He had a serious cult following back then.

I'm in Seattle Wa. and I didn't hear about Prince until American Bandstand where he sang Lover, I was not a fan of his then, I was only 12 and he seemed too weird. Few years later, he hit his peak and I was a teen who aspired to be a musician and he's been a role model ever since. As far as his first album, if I remember correctly, it sold only 1 or 2 hundred thousand, a flop by record standards. Most of his back catalogue didn't really begin to sell until Purple Rain, that's when everyone discovered that this guy has been working hard for 7 years previous and they couldn't get enough. Dirty Mind, and his first album only then sold respectable numbers. Prince was a commercial hit and controversy did ok and of course 1999 was the step right before his explosion.

I have been a fan of prince since 1979.wanna be your lover is still one of my favorites.In my dreams, i still want to be his lover!!!!!

I was never really impressed by his first album, it had the seeds of genius as far as musicianship and production but his singing was at a beginners level and his songwriting was undeveloped. I don't remember being impressed by anything but some of his playing on that album. Truly astonishing how far his songwriting had gone by his next album where almost every song was great. Our man always knew how to go back to the drawing board dig down in the well and improve himself. He did it with his songwriting, his voice and his dancing.

I became a fan from the time I first heard When Doves Cry. Then I was blown away by the Movie Purple Rain, I immediately bought the Lp and subsequently scooped up all prior lp's from "for you ... 1999", As well bootleg lp and vhs.

First Prince song I heard was "Controversy" in 81. I was 7 years old.

Saved allowance for two weeks to buy "1999", the first album I ever bought with my own money.

March 83 saw the Triple Threat tour when it hit San Diego and was absolutely mortified by all of my brothers gangsta friends saying that Prince's show sucked and The Time "turned him out."

July of 84 I was in Oakland visiting my grandmother. My cousin and her friends were going to see "Purple Rain" on opening night. Was on my way out the door with them when Grandma said I couldn't go cuz it was rated R (I was only 10). DEVASTATED doesn't describe the feeling!!! Had to wait a whole friggin month before returning home and tricking my babysitter into taking me to see it.

Anyway...I pinpoint the "1999" concert as the moment I was irreversibly hooked.

SS4GOKU said:

No. But I have been since 1989. My first song to fall in love with is DMSR. I didn't start wishing that I could have his baby untill 1991.

Rhondab said:

I hope you weren't getting soft and wet at ten yrs. old.

Yesssss.....'78!!!

Yes, since 78, I was a young impressionable 11 year ( don't try to do the math

I will be 40 this year), with an older brother who played Soft and Wet.

I got in trouble for singing Head, Sister, Soft and Wet and Jack u Off.

Then I figured out what the songs meant . I guess I would have banned my own

children from listening to them too. I even cut school, spent the night in the

streets of Downtown San Jose, Ca to be the 1st in line to buy tickets to For

You and Little Red Corvette tours, once in the 9th grade then the 10th or 11th

grade. I did a lot of lying to in High School to see Prince and buy his albums.

I even cut school to go to a radio station to try to win Purple Rain tickets,

and yes I was a straight A student at a Catholic all girls school and graduated

from college!!!! Listening to Prince did not ruin my life and the Lord has

forgiven me for all that lying and cutting that I did!!

mozfonky said:

What's your point exactly? And yes I have been a fan since 1978. I was one of the 500,000 purchased the For You album. And I really don't think selling 500,000 copies of your first album was considered a flob by R&B standards back then.

MsDsolo said:

wlcm2thdwn said:

Same here. Although I remember hearing Prince's song "I Wanna Your Lover" (when it first came out) on the radio back in the summer when I was going to the beach with some of my relatives.

I also was familiar with some of the songs off the "1999" CD, but I REALLY got into Prince when I saw the movie "Purple Rain". That was what got me hooked.

I have listened Prince since I was a little kid because my two sisters are also hardcore fans; during the late 80's, when I was very young, I mean, 6 or 7 years old, my sisters we're listening albums like Sign o' the times, Purple Rain or the Batman soundtrack all the time, and I got into Prince during those years; but the first Prince album I bought was Emancipation

By the way, "For you" is one of my least favourite Prince albums
[b:6fcf9c5199][Edited 2/4/07 12:42pm][/b:6fcf9c5199]
[b:6fcf9c5199][Edited 2/4/07 12:43pm][/b:6fcf9c5199]

I can honestly say I have been a fan since 1978. I was only 8 , but I thought Soft & Wet was a very catchy song the first time I heard it.I bought the 7inch single, but i did'nt buy the whole album back then because someone else in the household did. Back then I had no idea that I would idolize him , but I did knew that after listening to his first album For You so many times I was looking forward to hearing more.

fantasticjoy said:

Thats the year I was born.

Since 1979. I recall walking to the beach with a "boombox" in hand, blaring his cassette. Still a huge fan. Love than man & in awe of his neverending talent and ability to touch my soul!

SS4GOKU said:

My sister claims I was, but I was 6 at the time, and don't remember.

1983

around 1982-83...