I'd heard his songs on the radio and I remember a bunch of us girls oggling his picture in Right On! in the junior high cafeteria, but I was strictly into classical music and considered all pop/rock/dance music just wallpaper.

My boyfriend had a tape of the Purple Rain soundtrack and I borrowed it from him. Sat up until 4:00 in the morning playing it over and over and over again. Wore out the tape, bought the vinyl (!), bought all his back catalog...don't know exactly when I became addicted, but I became a full-fledged Prince junkie from that point on.

Married the boyfriend!

Via the radio in 1978. A song called "Soft & Wet."

I was sitting up late one nite watching Fridaynite videos. Wating to see if they were going to air any Culture Club videos because I used to love this group.
Even though I had heard of Prince before,I was into Culture Club at the time.
Well, they didn't play any CC videos that nite, but they did play "When Doves Cry' I thought he was so cool in that bath tub. I was young and I remember thinking, Wow he lets people see him in a bath tub, how cool.

The next day I went and bought When Doves Cry, I was crazy about that song, I must have played it 50 times with out a break.

At high school a friend asked me to record some music (Duran Duran as I recall...) on a tape he gave me.. The tape wasn't blank. It had Purple Rain on it So I made a copy for myself before recording Duran over it...

That was the beginning, when SOTT came out I became obsessed!

I became aware of Prince in the 80s with Purple Rain and
such,and with the Batman movie.I remember liking "7" a lot
when I was in junior high,and I even bought the Purple
Rain soundtrack and The Hits 2 CD,but I wasn't
that much of a fan back then to appreciate it wholly.

It was October or November of last year 2001,and I
remember seeing a commercial on BET for The Rainbow
Children,where a bunch of fams at The Celebration who
had just listened to the album were talking about it and
giving their positive reviews saying that they were gonna
be "bumping it in their cars".They played a sample of TRC
and showed the cover of the album and saying "the
controversial new album from Prince".I became very intrigued
by this way to promote an ablum.

I'd had Mariah Carey's Butterfly for quite awhile
but I had never listened to her cover of The Beautiful
Ones and then when I did I couldn't stop listening to
it,I thought it was a great song.Same thing happened when
I heard Alicia's Keys cover of How Come U Don't Call me
Anymore.Then BET premiered Purple Rain and when
I watched the movie it was like seeing it for the first time cuz I hadn't seen it in so long and I could appreciate it now since I was older.

After that I decided to buy The Rainbow Children
on word of mouth alone,and it was unlike any music I had
ever heard,and that's what I expected.I liked it immediatlely.From then on I began buying all the other
albums on a regular basis,then I discovered The Org and I
thought it was a great place to talk about Prince music
since I couldn't do that with my own friends.

So that's how I discovered Prince music,the truth and
nothing but the truth.
[This message was edited Sat Dec 7 3:12:13 PST 2002 by Biscuit]

Supernova said:

co-sign...

I remember when I was 6 seeing the Lovesexy album at my cousins place, and that is the first thing I remember about knowing of Prince and who he was. Then in '92, a neighbour who was 3 years older than me loved D&Ps and I remember him telling me how Prince played so many instruments. I had a listen to D&P but nothing turned me on. By coinsidence (?) my favorite movie when I was a kid was Batman, though I never conciously picked up there were Prince songs in it!

The first musician I really admired was Miles Davis (I'm a trumpet player myself). And like the Cloud9 Dude, was reading in his bio about how much he loved Prince. A few days later there was an hour Prince special on Channel V (here is Australia). I was just changing channels, and started watching it trying to see what Miles saw in him. When I saw the 1999 clip, I totally flipped!. I had heard the song before, but for some reason that night it had a spell on me. The next day I went out and bout The Hits 1. And the rest is history...

I used to work in a movie theatre when i was 16, after my shift, the assistant manager, offered me a ride home. He had a huge crush on me, anyways on the way home. He wanted to express his feelings to me and he played and sang Adore. I fell into a love spell with him and with Prince. Shortly after, I borrowed the song, and became an OBSESSED FAN.

I TRULY ADORE PRINCE!

In my momma's womb when she was partying @ one of his concerts!
OOO YEA baby!

thecloud9mission said:[quote]I was reading Miles Davis' autobiography & he wouldnt stop raving about Prince. I know if its good enough for Miles then its good enough for me, bought a few of his albums & loved it.

Anyone else??

Nah, I discovered Miles after Prince. I found Prince wedged between Frankie and Wham in 1984.

I was 7 years old and saw his performance on the SNL 15th anniversary special (i still have the tape) and had my parents buy me the Batman soundtrack. Nothing else really happened until I got into freshman year in high-school and my english teacher was a huge collector and old-school fan. He taped some rehearslas for me and I went out and bought a bunch of 12"s and all the back catalogue. When I told my teacher, he said "And so it begins..." That's when the 'addiction' began.

Knew some big Prince hits, but never got hooked.

But on a holiday, friends of mine had the first 30 minutes of 'Parade' on tape. I loved Girls & Boys, because of it's humor and lightness, after the moody and musically very sophisticated 'Under the cherry moon'.

There was something James Bond about it, so to say.
[This message was edited Sat Dec 7 14:35:13 PST 2002 by LillianLaughs]

I was about 8 years old and watched the American Music Awards when I saw Prince for the first time performing Purple Rain and I was amazed! From then on, I was practically raised by Prince!

thecloud9mission said:

Well it all started when i was like 3 or 4.My brother started listening to Prince and from then on that's all i have knew growing up.I can't imagine going a day without listening to Prince it's like brushing my teeth.Anyway i have my bro to thank.Thankyou djemale!

I was 15 (1985) and it was a horrible time for me then... very difficult time indeed (no details...)

I went for a walk and on bench I found a cassette someone must have forget there. Came back home and listened to it. It was a tape of ATWIAD and the ladder really really helped me over.

Next day I went to the record store and bought all his stuff and still I'm doing and still his music helps me over difficult time!

"Would you run to me..."

Back in 93 I was buying the Hits Album for a friend as a Christmas gift, and I ended up keeping it for myself. My favorite song at the time was Pop life, and when I heard it for the first time in a long time, I've been hooked every since.

I saw "1999" on Top Of the Pops UK in 1983 (:I: was 4) and :I: was curiously aroused by Jill Jones' apparel and this flamboyant figure which ended up being the man himself!!!

'dre

It was the summer of '92 and there was a girl in my class at school who I had the biggest crush on. Being kinda shy and being that she was a goddess, I never knew what to say to her..until one day I overheard her say that she loved Prince. So thinking this was the perfect way to get talking to her, I got a loan of D&P ofa one of my friends to see what his music was like...and I was blown away!! Went straight out to buy Purple Rain (the only other P record I knew at the time!) and couldnt belive the huge amount of stuff he had already released. At that point I became hooked, and spent every spare penny that year buying anything of Prince's I could get my hands on.

Never got the girl tho', but if I ever see her again i'll shake her hand and buy her a pint!..I owe her more then she'll ever know..

Theres some great stories here

It is thanks to my fav bat!!! Heard Batdance and said: "God, this one's crazy" That's when I really got into Prince... But back in the days I dug When Doves Cry when in France the Purple Rain album made him a star...

1983, 13 yrs old. Got my first radio and listened to it all night long. Remember hearing 1999 for the first time. Immediatlely loved the song. Didn't know much more than. Than 1984; When doves cry. I remember listening to the album charts from than on every week just to catch another tune from this album. Saved up all my money and went out to buy Purple Rain. Still here, still hooked

Coolfunky69

my mom really likes prince and she played me some of his 80's stuff and for the longest time i thought that he was just another watered down popstar.

then at this music camp i go to, all the instructors were lecturing me about how he plays 40 instruments, produced himself and was an international sensation when he was like 19. so i started listening to my moms albums closer and i saw it completely differently.

then finally, i picked up the crystal ball sesions and heard his funk and i was BLOWN AWAY!!! and ever since ive always carried a prince cd with me wherever i go.

When I heard 'Raspberry Beret' for the first time (1985, I was twelve years old) I was sold. I couldn´t get that song out off my head during that summer.

I discovered Prince back in '79 in Nkongsamba(Cameroon) through "i wanna be your lover"-Funky!