Picture:

Never-before seen shots of a 17-year-old Princeare to be exhibited for the first time as part of a touring display that will launch in Los Angeles later this month (Feb14).

Photographer Robert Whitman's shots from his three 1977 sessions with Prince, which really capture the artist as a young man on the verge of superstardom, have been locked away - until now.

Whitman, now in his 60s, was just starting out as a commercial photographer in his native Minneapolis, Minnesota when he got the call to shoot music producer Owen Husney's new local discovery for a pitch to record companies.

He tells Wenn, "I didn't know anything about him and he was shy and I was nervous. I knew he was going to do something big when they played me his track Soft & Wet and he performed at his studio. I got goosebumps.

"The shots were for Prince's first press kit. We only used a few of the shots and created just 15 kits."

Prince and the photographer teamed up for their first session at Whitman's studio in a Minneapolis ice-cream factory.

He recalls, "I had no idea what I was doing - I had Prince kneeling by this awful furniture and blowing bubbles. I was trying everything I could think of."

But Prince never forgot his first photographer: "About 10 years later I was on the phone at LaGuardia Airport (in New York) and Prince walked by and said, 'Whitman, how are you?'"

The snapper became an in-demand fine art photographer and he filed away his Prince shots, only occasionally showing them off to friends who showed an interest in the star.

He adds, "I had not even thought of them and then I started to think about what to do with my archive and I discovered this young agent, called Jesse Blatt, who came to the studio, took one look at these Prince shots and started talking about a touring exhibition. It's very exciting."

The collection will debut at Hollywood's Mr. Musichead gallery on 20 February (14). The exhibition will run for a month.

The shots will also be part of a Whitman retrospective that he hopes to debut at the K Gallery in St. Petersburg, Russia in March (14).

Eye will b attending!!!

http://www.contactmusic.com/story/amazing-shots-from-prince-s-first-photoshoot-to-be-exhibited-in-hollywood_4061367

[Edited 2/10/14 15:40pm]

Aw, man, Mr. Musichead was right down the road from my apartment in Hollywood and where I used to get my art framed. Great, great place.

Here are some great exhibition pics from their site - http://mrmusichead.com/ev...ince-1977/

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Impressive harmonic and rhythmic nuances.

BobGeorge909 said:

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

This is cool but if these pics have been locked away all this time, I have no idea how I happen to have seen them already.

I've only seen the 2nd pic where his shoulders/head are showing

There are others from this shoot we've seen, but I've never see the other 2

purplesnowlove said:

buy him some decent clothes..

Those were decent clothes in the 70s.

OldFriends4Sale said:

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

This is cool but if these pics have been locked away all this time, I have no idea how I happen to have seen them already.

I've only seen the 2nd pic where his shoulders/head are showing

There are others from this shoot we've seen, but I've never see the other 2

like its a coincidence THESE r out NOW.....with his newfound afro

Prince being a HUGE MEGA star! Any old pics found of him is worth millions. Since he is rarely seen in public....

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

This is cool but if these pics have been locked away all this time, I have no idea how I happen to have seen them already.

nursev said:

wow dude knew how to tie a scarf around his waist

I do that, who knew Prince did that too?

What's that I see around a young Princes neck? A prophetic pre-symbol arrow pendant?

OldFriends4Sale said:

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

This is cool but if these pics have been locked away all this time, I have no idea how I happen to have seen them already.

I've only seen the 2nd pic where his shoulders/head are showing

There are others from this shoot we've seen, but I've never see the other 2

Same here. I do not recognise the other two photos

The mural in the background is perfect. All the shots look like he is dreaming music. So appropriately symbolic.

What an absolute cutie pie he is in these pics.

batman89 said:

What's that I see around a young Princes neck? A prophetic pre-symbol arrow pendant?

He was shy you know, so it's directions for the ladies.

NouveauDance said:

If the pix were taken in '77, wouldnt that make Prince 18 or19?

UncleJam said:

If the pix were taken in '77, wouldnt that make Prince 18 or19?

Prince put his age back two years back then. He got away with it, because he looked much younger & still does...

Some new images. Loving these!

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Nice

Nice shots, A really happy or truthfull moment for this guy there.

What's the statement of the long piece of toiletpaper? 70-ties thing?

These pics that were passed over by Prince, show a more boy next door wholesome look, It would have fit perfecty with his then black teen idol phase . I guess he decided not to go 4 that look. He chose a more dark mysterious look instead that fit his incognito image....

He grew his afro back just in the nick of time.