Pop icons at 50: Prince
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Enlarge By Richard Lui, The (Palm Springs, Calif.) Desert Sun

Prince: Born June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis



HIS TOP SELLERS SINCE 1991


Diamonds and Pearls, 2.5 million copies
Musicology, 2.1 million copies
The Hits 2, 1.7 million copies
The Very Best of Prince, 1.5 million copies
The Hits 1, 1.4 million copies

Source: Recording Industry Association of America






Yahoo! Buzz Digg Newsvine Reddit FacebookWhat's this?By Edna Gundersen, USA TODAY
Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson were turning the music world upside down in the '80s. This summer, they're turning 50. USA TODAY examines the vital signs of the durable pop triumvirate.
Prince Rogers Nelson

Born June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis

Credited with developing the Minneapolis sound and launching a host of acts from The Time to Sheila E., Prince enjoyed healthy success with Dirty Mind, Controversy and hit-loaded 1999, which made him an MTV sensation. But it was 1984's Purple Rain movie and soundtrack that catapulted Prince from salacious funkster to global superstar. The album spent six months atop Billboard. The prolific composer, producer, arranger, singer and multi-instrumentalist kept momentum with a rapid succession of critical (Sign o' the Times) and commercial (Batman) hits.


PHOTOS: Prince over the years
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Rather than full-blown tours, Prince has whipped up excitement in recent years with single-venue runs or savvy appearances: his showstopper with Beyoncé at the 2004 Grammys, an electrifying Super Bowl show in 2007 and his headliner gig at this year's Coachella festival.

"Prince covered a Radiohead song at Coachella, which displays crafty cultural radar you can't imagine Michael Jackson having," says Blender editor in chief Joe Levy. "He's re-established himself as a live act, which is the way into the future."

Prince's reign peaked with 1984's Purple Rain, which sold 13 million copies.

Prince's annual take in 2004 (from his Musicology tour) was second only to Madonna, and his tickets were far cheaper.

"While he doesn't tour as frequently as some, when he does, it's a big deal and in high demand," says Ray Waddell, Billboard's senior editor for touring. "In 2007, Prince's 21 sellouts at the O2 Arena in London was the year's top-grossing engagement at $22 million, a remarkable feat. He is definitely in the upper echelon of touring."

Prince opened his Paisley Park Studios, today boasting four state-of-the-art digital recording studios and a 12,500-square-foot soundstage, in 1987 in Minneapolis. Since fulfilling his Warner contract in 1996, he's released and distributed most of his music independently. His net worth has been estimated between $100 million and $250 million.

Prince's eclectic tendencies and prolific output have resulted in a rich but inconsistent catalog that peaked commercially with Purple Rain. Artistically, Dirty Mind, 1999 and Sign o' the Times are counted among his masterpieces, making the 1980s his most impressive period. Setbacks began when Prince dropped his name and adopted a cryptic symbol during contract disputes with Warner. Since returning to form with 2004's Musicology, Prince has regained his luster.

"He's the Woody Allen of musicians," Spin editor Doug Brod says. "People forget about him until he releases something powerful."

"Commercially, he's never had the same impact as Madonna or Jackson," Brod says. "Critics say he has more relevance."

He's had a significant influence on rap and R&B artists, but his cultural impact may be limited because "he's an individual genius who can't be duplicated," says Levy. "There's no other Jimi Hendrix, either."

Part of his appeal is that we know very little about him, says Us Weekly editor in chief Janice Min. "Where Madonna is consumed by building her fame, Prince is consumed by creating an aura of mystery."

Prince may have the easiest time easing down the road.

"In 10 years, you can imagine Prince opening a theater in Las Vegas with shows booked 100 days straight," Levy says. "He makes the music he's always made sound in the moment. That's roughly akin to what Muddy Waters did in his career."

Min marvels, "He looks exactly the same as he did in the '80s. As long as he's cranking out good music, I can't imagine people won't be there."

The Rolling Stones set a survival standard that Prince should have no problem surpassing, says Brod. "His chops are as good, if not better, than the Stones. James Brown and Chuck Berry stayed active into their 70s," and he could do the same.
[Edited 8/15/08 5:18am]

Fury said:

Ay, there's the rub.

yeah...what is Prince gonna be doing when he's 70?
[Edited 8/15/08 9:08am]

"He's re-established himself as a live act, which is the way into the future."

Precisely!

What's hilarious is that if you read those numbers from albums sold (if those are accurate) is he hasn't had a platinum album that wasn't a greatest hits package since DIAMONDS AND PEARLS.

Yeah, i'm not counting Musiclogy because he pulled that little Ticketmaster stunt to get that number and most of those cd's ended up in the garbage at arenas around the country.


YIKES.

GREAT ARTICLE!

Min marvels, "He looks exactly the same as he did in the '80s."
UM I DON'T THINK SO! but he still fine!!

ButterscotchPimp said:

Actually, Musicology sold over 1 million copies at retail.

lspear76 said:

Um, no it didn't.

That's a pretty cool article.

Nice article, cute picture...I love the statement about Prince's Relevance to the music community. So True...Prince puts the Muse in Music.