The idea sounds ridiculous even to me, but regardless, I'm extremely curious.
What are some of Prince's many influences?

I can already make my own list of ones I already know. And I wonder if there are even more that I've never heard of or thought of before.

James Brown
Sly & the Family Stone
Stevie Wonder
Queen
Led Zeppelin
The Beatles
Earth, Wind & Fire

Anyone else that should be included in this list?

i think joni mitchell should be in that list too

santana
little richard
jimi hendrix
paul simon
jimmy jaM

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

I don't hear much Queen influence at all. Nor has he ever referenced them to the best of my knowledge. I know Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac were a big inspiration. Also add mirror's suggestions minus Jimmy Jam.
[Edited 6/14/07 9:26am]

Funkmeimfamous said:

he got his keyboard sound from jimmy jam dude he turned him on to synth horns

miles davis
too

duke ellingtom

Funkmeimfamous said:

Well, apart from on "3 Chains O' Gold".

And I thought Jimmy Jam was influenced by Prince, not the other way around, but I could be wrong on that.

leecaldon said:

There is also "Strays of The World" to consider.

stevie wonder and james brown. great choices of influence, from prince.

He once said in an interview that Chaka Khan is a big influence, but also his father was a jazz musician so he could have been influenced by a lot of jazz musicians of his fathers era

Those are major influences :

James Brown
Sly
Jimi Hendrix
Little Richard

All the rest are minor influences.

Delfonics
P-Funk
Rick James

jimmy jam

krayzie said:

Yeah, I don't know how I missed him... cuz people were saying that he does the Jimi Hendrix thing with the guitar... and he says that he plays his own style and doesn't like being compared to others.

I figured that we should take a moment and toast those who aided Prince along the way.

And as far as Queen is concerned, "Moonbeam Levels" sounded like it had their type of sound, so that's why I included them in the list.

santana
hendrix
page (led zeppelin's guitarist)
joni mitchell
mahalia jackson
p-funk
sly and the family stone
james brown
everything else that's already been said here

anyone know if he ever liked any blues?

happyhappy said:

Are you kidding

royalbadness said:

hell no, but tell me what shocked ya =P

i was watching some vid of how jimi hendrix played the guitar and it was exactly the same as the way Prince plays the guitar...so ill have to say JIMI H.

mirrorbestfriend said:

Duke Ellington for sure. People are quick to name Hendrix, Sly, James Brown and Stevie Wonder, but I can see Duke, and you know Prince has used Duke's music, back in '88 on the Lovesexy tour ('if I had a harem' intro) so he's deffinately taken note.
I think he's got that 'coolness' or saphistication about him nowadays too.

bonedaddy said:

charlie parker too

mirrorbestfriend said:

Yes i liked his version of Now Is The Time.

krayzie said:

When I say major influences, I'm kinda wrong.


Because those artists have been more than just major influences.

From music to live performances, Prince really bites or borrows from these guys so blatantly.

I named only those 4 guys as major influences simply because in everything he has done, those influences have always been "there" constantly through his career until now.
[Edited 6/17/07 17:33pm]

krayzie said:

Do you feel anything positive about "Prince"? He has been known to still stand out for many things, even if he, like the rest of your artists of which you are in favor for and, obviously prefer, have bitten off of someone in the music industry.

FarrahMoan said:

I didn't say that in a negative way...

krayzie said:

Oh, okay. Not that that would matter, anyway because I certainly don't think that the guy is a saint. I just don't think he is a talentless hack.

He used to say that back when he was a teenager, Sonny T. was his hero.


But like the Chaka Kahn comment, it was probably just him re-writing his own history to kiss the ass of a person that's sitting in the room.

FarrahMoan said:

You can be also a talented hack