While we are celebrating 30 years of one of the best things to ever happen to us; I wanted to share this old interview and review of Prince's first gig as a signed artist. From Mpls Star Tribune. Enjoy!

StarTribune.com
Our teen-age virtuoso is home to play at last

By Jon Bream, Minneapolis Star

January 4, 1979

Few people had ever seen the kid perform. But everybody in the local music community was talking about him.

"Hey, have you heard those tapes by the Minneapolis teenager who played all the instruments himself?"

Well, several major record companies heard the tapes and began courting the kid, known as Prince.

Warner Bros. Records signed him in 1977 to a reported three-album, six figure deal and let him produce, arrange, compose and play all the instruments on his debut record, "For You," which was released last spring.

Now, almost three years after Prince Nelson began creating a buzz, the local music community and Warner Bros. bigwigs finally will get a chance to see him perform. The extraordinary one-man-band will take the stage as a band leader tonight and tomorrow at the Capri Theatre, 2027 W. Broadway.

"I'm nervous," Prince said with a sheepish smile. "I'll be terrified, because it's gonna take a while to block out the fact that there are people out there. I find it extremely hard to perform for people."

"I think I found it hard to sing and play in front of my band at first," said the 19-year-old, who has not performed publicly since he left a high school dance-band three years ago. "But now that I got to know them better, it's really easy now and we all bounce off each other as far as energy goes. I think before I can bounce off the crowd it will take a few songs."

Prince paused and looked down, displaying the reserve that has, in the past, led him to shun interviews and public appearances. He talks slowly, without a great command of the language. He stops in mid-thought, then suddenly, his big brown eyes peek out under the bill of his cap and he continues in soft-spoken monotone.

"I'm really free and open once I get to know a person. But when I first encounter something. I'm a little laid back and cautious. People constantly call me shy. I don't feel shy, but I guess I sometimes come off that way to people. Everybody at Warner Bros. has a big impression I'm really quiet. 'If he doesn't talk, he probably won't dance or sing too much.' I have to put to rest all those accusations.

Making the transition from a one-man band to a frontman was difficult at first, but Prince says he is handling it. "It's complicated at times," he said last week in an interview at the west Minneapolis home where his group rehearses. "It's fun when you hear it (his music) all come back with someone else's interpretation. Deep down, I can tell it's different, but sometimes on the surface it's better. It's not just me doing everything, trying to keep the energy level up at all times."

Onstage, Prince will play different instruments on different songs. He has been working out the arrangements for the past several weeks with the five members of his band.

Like their leader, the other members of the band are young, unknown Minneapolis musicians, some of whom play more than one instrument. The oldest is 23.

Prince spent about four months auditioning local musicians for his group. He was determined to limit his search to local players because he feels there is "a lot of unknown talent here."

However, he said he feels the local music climate stifles musicians. "There's not a lot of incentive here like there is in Los Angeles," Prince said. "That's one of the reasons I'm doing the concert (which is a benefit for the Capri, whose owner hopes to make it into a club). There could be more clubs and more (variety to) radio stations here."

Nevertheless, Prince appreciates the quiet of the Twin Cities and goes out of town for excitement. He's kind of a loner and homebody who prefers to record in his studio and experiment with the couple of dozen instruments he plays.

When he was 5, Prince, the son of a show business couple, composed his first song using two rocks. He says he graduated to bigger rocks and bricks before his writing began to improve and he took up the piano at age 7.

He had one lesson. He never learned how to read or write music, but that didn't deter his curiosity about instruments. When he was 13, he picked up the guitar. A year later, he began playing drums. The bass, organ, clavinet and an arsenal of synthesizers soon followed.

During those formative years, Prince preferred to make music, rather than listen to it. He stayed at home and learned his instruments. Thus, his childhood was rather introverted.

"I missed out on a lot," he reflected, "but I don't regret it. I missed out on socializing. But I get high off playing my music or going to a movie alone. I used to like to play sports, but I had to quit that. I used to want to go to college. I certainly don't have time for that. I wanted kids, too. But I don't have time for that either. I think the things I missed out on, my mind has changed about them. I think I've done what I wanted to do in life, in teen-age life."

Indeed, at 18, Prince became the youngest person ever to produce an album for Warner Brothers.

He spent five months holed up in ritzy recording studios in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Sly Stone and members of Santana stopped by an offered encouragement. Prince was honored, but he already has enough confidence, even though his one-man project ran way behind schedule.

The results have been pleasing, he reports. "For You" entered the top-200 album charts and also scored on the soul and disco charts. His single, "Soft and Wet," was well received in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston and the Carolinas.

To help promote his album, Prince attended autograph parties in some of those areas. "It was weird," he recalled. "It was mostly kids from 11 to 20. They were relating to me being so young. There's been ads in the teen magazines and my age has really come up.

The kids would ask me if my real name is Prince, what 'Soft and Wet' means, and did I really play all those instruments myself."

At a recent autograph party and disco dance in North Carolina, however, Prince didn't have much of a chance to talk to his fans. He said about 3,000 kids showed up and after 20 minutes, the crowd rushed the stage. Amid the hysteria, Prince departed and Warner Brothers representatives just passed out posters of him.

Back home, the budding recording star is removed from that kind of commotion. He doesn't have to listen to Warner Brothers' overblown build-up, look at record store posters or read the write-ups in teen magazines and black publications.

"I try not to listen to that," Prince said. "That's why I stay here. People expect you to be an egomaniac because of who you are. The way I am now, I was always. I supposed if I lived in California and rode in limos and had people waiting on me hand and foot, I could change. I'm not into all that.

Although he may be removed from the west coast record business mania, Prince is not without his pressures in Minneapolis. He recently parted with his manager Owen Husney, who had been his mentor and benefactor for more than two years. Husney declined to comment but Prince said the split was for personal reasons. The musician said he has arranged to "take care" of his business affairs.

Prince's booking agency is setting up a brief concert tour this winter and spring. Agents for such performers as Ashford & Simpson, Santana and Chaka Khan have expressed interest in having Prince appear as their opening act.

After his tour, Prince expects to return to the studio to record his second one-man album. He hopes the disk will be an improvement over "For You," but he doesn't feel pressured.

He often thinks big, but he speaks with a soft-spoken confidence.

"I do what I want to do," he said, "otherwise, this business will kill you. It (success) will happen if it's supposed to. I don't worry about it too much. What it all boils down to is nothing means nothing except love. As long as I've got that, I don't need money. If I went broke, it wouldn't faze me. Love and music. As long as I got that, everything's cool. Everything."

© 2008 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

StarTribune.com
Prince's 1st concert is energetic, sexy

By Jon Bream, Minneapolis Star

January 7, 1979

He had the opportunity to play his first concert in New York's prestigious, 120,000-seat Madison Square Garden. But instead, Prince, the teen-aged, one-man-band recording star, chose to debut at the Capri Theater, an obscure movie house in his hometown of Minneapolis. Backed by five other young, local musicians, Prince gave an encouraging debut performance Friday before about 300 persons.

Jive-talking emcee Carl Ray of KUXL introduced the 19-year old prodigy -- who had produced, composed, arranged and played all the instruments on his first album "For You" as the next Stevie Wonder. That comparison may have been a bit too lofty and presumptuous. But, in many ways, Prince (who was named after his father's stage name) lived up to his regal name.

He strutted across the stage with grand Mick Jagger-like moves and gestures. He was cool, he was cocky and he was sexy. Prince is a real showman. He reached out to the audience, and the fans, especially the teen-aged girls, embraced him. His one-hour show sounded quite different from "For You, " which is dominated by falsetto singing and smooth, soulful sounds. Onstage, Prince and his band tore into an uproarious, hard funk sound.

At times, it sounded like a kind of a youthful if not immature mixture of the Isley Brothers (when they had Jimi Hendrix as their guitarist) and Sly Stone. Bassist Andre Anderson and guitarist Dez Dickerson often relied on flashy pyrotechnics and overzealous showmanship. Yet, what the players lacked in sophistication, polish and experience they made up for with refreshing energy and emotion.

By contrast, Prince's singing was more thoroughly professional and quite convincing. He demonstrated a fascinating female-sounding falsetto with uncommon range. Unfortunately, several times his voice (which recalled Smokey Robinson's) was swallowed by the feedback and clutter of the inferior sound system. Even the pretty, acoustical ballad, "So Blue," was marred by an annoying buzz in the sound system.

Despite delays for technical problems, the pacing of the show was effective. Prince, who played several different instruments during the concert, opened with the soft, catchy title song from his album. He then moved into a jazz-rock-funk instrumental and his dance-oriented first single, "Soft and Wet." A couple of new, hard funk tunes were sandwiched around the acoustic number. Then the program closed with a trio of tunes dominated by loud instrumental work.

The highlight was the finale, "Just as Long as We're Together," Prince's contagious, new single that should appeal to soul, pop and disco audiences alike.

As a whole, Prince's performance clearly indicated he has extraordinary talent. Combined with careful direction, time, experience and refinement, that should spell as royal future for Prince.

© 2008 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

I have just read the first article at this time...I thought the information was presented wonderfully....I really enjoyed reading it...And I think about how far Prince has come...especially knowing that He's still the same...He'd rather have his lover cleaning house, than hire a maid. Prince is real, and very real and successful...
Studying Prince, as a side issue of loving him, has proven to me how grateful Prince is for the initial faith that Warner Brother's had...and how there can still be a level of friendship, after Prince claimed his own earned territory. I hope that there is always a mutual thought on Prince's success. Great writing from the author: Jon Bream.

And I remember 1979, like it was yesterday when listening to "Just as long as were togeher." and I didn't know until now, that that song was popular, because I didn't know anything other than the album myself...So I was unaware that I was a part of that group of individuals loving that song. Because, I was only thirteen.