lezama said:

nosajd said:

Great first post!

.

I was born in 1978, making me 36 so I guess my corresponding birthyear album is For You.

.

I was about 16 when I purchased my first Prince/Symbol album which was The Gold Experience, purchased b/c I had recently heard TMBGITW & 7 (I know it's not on TGE) on the radio & I thought it was badass that someone so famous was changing their name to an unpronouncable symbol... I had to figure out who this dude was whose music I liked so much.

We're the same age. But my first Prince album was the symbol one. It was one of my first CD's ever.

Right on! The symbol album was my next Prince cd which did not disappoint.

I am coming up on 39, being born in April 1976, a time when Prince was doing extra curricular work for Chris Moon at Moonsound as well as juggling high school and his role in Champagne.

.

I was 15 when I got into Prince in late 1991 with the song Cream that hooked me in and the superlative album Diamonds and Pearls. It also clicked with me rather than being a one trick pony, this guy had also done the Purple Rain stuff and my journey of discovery had begun.

I was 12 when PR came out but I had no idea it even existed. I was into MJ at the time and I remember listening to the Thriller album when my mom said to me that there was a new singer who was up and coming and his name was Prince. She said it looked like he might be even bigger than MJ. I mocked her and laughed. A few months later at school I hear Darling Nikki being played on one of those futuristic, UFO looking beatboxes and thought it sounded so cool. When I was told it was Prince, my mums comments resonated in my mind and it was from then on I just had to know more about this Prince bloke.

To this day my mom blames herself for the years I have inflicted Prince on her.

Rebeljuice said:

I was 12 when PR came out but I had no idea it even existed. I was into MJ at the time and I remember listening to the Thriller album when my mom said to me that there was a new singer who was up and coming and his name was Prince. She said it looked like he might be even bigger than MJ. I mocked her and laughed. A few months later at school I hear Darling Nikki being played on one of those futuristic, UFO looking beatboxes and thought it sounded so cool. When I was told it was Prince, my mums comments resonated in my mind and it was from then on I just had to know more about this Prince bloke.

To this day my mom blames herself for the years I have inflicted Prince on her.

ha ha, that's a nice story, thanks for sharing

I'm 41. Heard my first Prince song in 1983 (I was 9), and it was love at first listen. He has remained my very favorite singer since that day.

SuperSoulFighter said:

^I'm a little younger than you. I was 17 when I discovered him in 1988 with the awesome groundbreaking Lovesexy album... (Okay, I knew about P before, but this album got me hooked.) [Edited 3/17/15 13:06pm]

I'm the same age. was a fan since 1999 (the album), but SOTT was when I decided that I was to become a purplehead.

20. Got into Prince right around the 21 nights shows in 2007.

jillybean said:

I'm 41. Heard my first Prince song in 1983 (I was 9), and it was love at first listen. He has remained my very favorite singer since that day.

47 later this year. I first remember seeing the Controversy video on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert around 1981 or 82, as well as Adam & the Ants, and I hated both! I started coming around after 1999 and LRC were MTV hits, and Let's Go Crazy became a teen dance club anthem, and then in mid 1985 the Purple Rain movie pretty much made me a fan.

So far from what is up here 33 replies with a total age of 1280 years.

.

Oldest - 56

Youngest - 16

Mean - 38.8 years (Same age as me!! )

Mode - 44 years, an incredible 8 people are 44 and 3 are 45, another 4 are early 40s.

Median - 44

Data - so far

16, 19, 20, 20, 22, 26, 33, 34, 35, 35, 36, 36, 36, 38, 41, 41, 42, 43, 44, 44, 44, 44, 44, 44, 44, 44, 45, 45, 45, 49, 49, 49, 51, 51, 56

Inferences - 4 main streams can be identified generally with the time they became Prince fans. These are not carved in stone and there will always be many exceptions.

1. Purple Rain Period stream (Age 41 to 45), people who became fans around the time of Purple Rain, they would have all been in Junior high at the time, a large group. They are survivors ffom a time millions of Fairweather fans who got into Purple Rain and then turned off during his later 80s period, these purple people are the loyal ones who stayed. This would also include people who discovered him during the 1999 era mainly through LRC and then hardened their fanness in Purple Rain

2. Diamonds and Pearls (Age 35 - 38) Mostly fans picked up during this period when Prince had a pop sounding album with 4 major hits that garnered many new teenage listeners. Some fans in thsi group may have discovered him in the Purple Rain era and crystallised their fanhood only from about Batdance onwards up to the Gold Experience era.

3. Long Haulers (Aged over 45) - People who generally encountered Prince way before he was a big star, these people deserve the most respect, having been loyal the longest and liking Prince when many others had no idea who he was. To be in the group you need to have dug him before 1999 came out, meaning you must have been a fan at least by the time Controversy dropped.

4. New fans (Aged under 30 down to mid teens), these are happening young people who have mostly either discovered Prince through one of his recent albums, songs or even from their parents or relatives who played a classic Prince album and were hooked.

Findings - A few members had their ages guessed by cryptic clues (Ages when an album was released)

Ages are given at the time of the survey, so anyone aging another year soon are counted at the age now.

- Average age is just under 39, but a large groupof Prince fans are in their early to mid 40s.

.

Bobzillas's response was not included as I was composing this post while he posted. His age of 46 would not change the data much, but clearly is Purple Rain era.

[Edited 3/18/15 13:43pm]

bobzilla77 said:

47 later this year. I first remember seeing the Controversy video on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert around 1981 or 82, as well as Adam & the Ants, and I hated both! I started coming around after 1999 and LRC were MTV hits, and Let's Go Crazy became a teen dance club anthem, and then in mid 1985 the Purple Rain movie pretty much made me a fan.

Do you still hate Adam Ant?

I'm 55. Moved to the Twin Cities in 1983 and was greeted with '1999' from this new musician Prince, quickly followed by Purple Rain.

Adorecream said:

So far from what is up here 33 replies with a total age of 1280 years.

.

Oldest - 56

Youngest - 16

Mean - 38.8 years (Same age as me!! )

Mode - 44 years, an incredible 8 people are 44 and 3 are 45, another 4 are early 40s.

Median - 44

Data - so far

16, 19, 20, 20, 22, 26, 33, 34, 35, 35, 36, 36, 36, 38, 41, 41, 42, 43, 44, 44, 44, 44, 44, 44, 44, 44, 45, 45, 45, 49, 49, 49, 51, 51, 56

Inferences - 4 main streams can be identified generally with the time they became Prince fans. These are not carved in stone and there will always be many exceptions.

1. Purple Rain Period stream (Age 41 to 45), people who became fans around the time of Purple Rain, they would have all been in Junior high at the time, a large group. They are survivors ffom a time millions of Fairweather fans who got into Purple Rain and then turned off during his later 80s period, these purple people are the loyal ones who stayed. This would also include people who discovered him during the 1999 era mainly through LRC and then hardened their fanness in Purple Rain

2. Diamonds and Pearls (Age 35 - 38) Mostly fans picked up during this period when Prince had a pop sounding album with 4 major hits that garnered many new teenage listeners. Some fans in thsi group may have discovered him in the Purple Rain era and crystallised their fanhood only from about Batdance onwards up to the Gold Experience era.

3. Long Haulers (Aged over 45) - People who generally encountered Prince way before he was a big star, these people deserve the most respect, having been loyal the longest and liking Prince when many others had no idea who he was. To be in the group you need to have dug him before 1999 came out, meaning you must have been a fan at least by the time Controversy dropped.

4. New fans (Aged under 30 down to mid teens), these are happening young people who have mostly either discovered Prince through one of his recent albums, songs or even from their parents or relatives who played a classic Prince album and were hooked.

Findings - A few members had their ages guessed by cryptic clues (Ages when an album was released)

Ages are given at the time of the survey, so anyone aging another year soon are counted at the age now.

- Average age is just under 39, but a large groupof Prince fans are in their early to mid 40s.

.

Bobzillas's response was not included as I was composing this post while he posted. His age of 46 would not change the data much, but clearly is Purple Rain era.

[Edited 3/18/15 13:43pm]

Nice work!

31. First prince song I remember was Diamonds and Pearls, hated it. Next song I remember was The Most Beautiful Girl in the world, hated it. I basically dismissed prince for years since all I knew by him were his 90's ballads.

Scotsman1999 said:

jillybean said:

I'm 41. Heard my first Prince song in 1983 (I was 9), and it was love at first listen. He has remained my very favorite singer since that day.

I'm the same age as you - I heard 1999 back when it was released in a store that was selling hi-fi's and I was getting interested in all that stuff along with music in general. It wasn't until '85 though that I got into music in a big way, when I saw the Raspberry Beret video..that was me, hooked.

Love it!! First song I heard was "Delirous," on a local radio station, playing on my neighbor's father's boombox. I just loved every single thing about it and the way I felt listening to it. I asked who was singing, and he said, "That's Prince, he's from here," (I've always lived in Minneapolis). Then another neighbor said they had the "1999" cassette, and invited me over the next day to listen to it. I was so in love. It was magical. It was truly.

Were you at home watching MTV when "Raspberry Beret" came on? I love hearing stories like that!!

[Edited 3/19/15 7:20am]

The song that really intrigued me is When Doves Cry. I first heard it and watched the video on MTV. That beat hooked me and that's all she wrote. I could never have imagined the depth of my fandom today.

18. I discovered Prince in 2010, reading about MJ (Prince is not very popular here in Brazil) and I became interested in his music last year (I'm a new fan)

I'm 42, first song I heard from him was 1999 in early '83. Been a fan ever since. Seen him 3 times, Vegas, and LA twice. He is truly a MUSICAL GENIUS.

I'm 45. First got addicted by seeing the LRC and 1999 vids on MTV(since they were in heavy rotation). After my bro bought me all of P's vinyls up until that point, I realized that I had heard/seen him before through media such as Midnight Special, radio, etc.

38 now (1976)

12 when I bought my first P album (1989)

I am 45, 11 years younger than Prince to the day. I first heard little red corvette and 1999 in 1983 and liked it alot and giggled at the fallos on the cover when I saw it in the record store, but never actually bought it. Then I heard When Doves Cry on the radio and I was slackjawed. It was different, cool and it got better every time I heard it. Asked my mother to get me Purple Rain, she came back with Born in the USA by Springsteen...Thanks mum... I used my pocket money to get it myself and was absorbed in the magnifiscence of Purple Rain. Then not many months later I was at friends house and his little brother had a new Prince album! Around the World in a Day... It floored me. Been a Prince ever since. And what a great journey it has been, and still is.

From the way some of the people around here behave, I'd say about 5!

I'm 55. I heard IWBYL on someone's boombox in '79, and liked it instantly. Heard it occasionally on the local am pop station here in Charleston, SC. Controversy was the next Prince song that made me bounce in my seat on the way to work in '81, but I had no clue who the artist was, or what his music would come to mean to me in my life journey. No question I was loving everything about the pop classics LRC and 1999, so I bought the 1999 cassette. In 1982, I played those two songs until the take broke in my cassette player. Still at that point, other than the two hits, the 1(penis) on my 1999 tape and the two hits were the only things I'd discuss with my friends...If I played the rest of the cassette, I forgot it immediately. '83 and in particular '84 were difficult years for me personally. I remember the summer Purple Rain was released, friends had the vinyl of the soundtrack, and my friend's husband played the title track and he was HYPED (Larry Brown, where are you now? lol)! The movie was going to open at the Naval Weapons Station theatre, and didn't I want to go??? I declined.

Then the AMA's were televised live in January of '85. I was visiting friends and they wanted to watch. It was pretty much blah until Lionel Richie,iirc introduced Prince and the

Revolution. As soon as I saw him I knew he was different. As soon as he started to sing, I was hooked. After that night it became all about finding out everything this man put out, seeing the movie I missed, and realizing the treasure the entire 1999 lp was. Screw (pardon the pun) the penis. I collected his entire output from the beginning, and except for a brief interlude in the 90's when I was being courted by my husband, have never stopped. When I decided to stop lurking and join the org in 2009, I felt it only fitting that my screen name reflect when I became a dedicated fan of Prince, hence Elle85n09 seemed appropriate. Prince's music, and most importantly my ability to will myself out of a deep dark hole, helped me to move past one of the toughest experiences in my life. Our timing couldn't have been better...

Thanks Prince.

TMI?? Actually, I did it for Bart. He's never ragged me for anything and I'm feeling neglected. Just kidding. I love Bart, and every other person in this special go to place for me.

[Edited 3/22/15 20:30pm]

44

I came to Prince from The Time, 1981-1982.

I loved them and of course I knew of Prince and was blown away when I realized he was involved with The Time.

Big fun this thread! Grazie for these recollections.

43 now - I'm from April '72. What does that make me... When I was in group 6, the highest class of primary school, 1984 it was time for Prince! The movie had come out, the album and after the summer I went to secondary school and got more involved with the few music magazines like POPFOTO, OOR, HITKRANT, MUSIC EXPRESS but then in bookstore at the station I found out about (among others) SKY magazine and Q and Rolling Stone and whatever other read as long as I could find more news about Prince.

Then one day my brother had Around The World In A Day and he accidentally started with side B: that scratch start of America. I thought WTF? oh now we didn't say that back then. Must have been something like, dude you f*ck the vinyl!!

THERE WAS NO SUCH A THING AS INTERNET THEN.

You only had a few radio stations, TV just got commercial in Holland, however Dutch channels N1 and N2 and later N3 were pretty Prince minded in the eighties. Especially COUNTDOWN, they had the Detroit Cobo Hall show in '86. So you made sure the VHS tape was new and would last long enough. You would made sure no one would erase it by accident. You had magazines and news paper articles on albums and eventually concerts came to Holland. So more exposure in magazines: REVU. It was great that the Sign Of The Times movie got recorded mostly IN Holland and then brought to the cinemas. Except... Our little province town didn't have a cinema. I went to Utrecht one night to see it in the Springhaver theater - anyone know this one? And the LoveSexy craziness with Dortmund as a bonus! I had courage enough by the time of the world tour premier June 2nd 1990 in the Nude Tour. Rainy, but I couldn't care less. SEN-SA-TI-O-NAL! And then towards the end of the decade a few fanmagazines got into hype. Fanmagazines like Principalitiy (was that correct?) and Elephants & Flowers and a rare fanclub night in the (original) Tivoli where they played the Grafitti Bridge movie and some live footage! And another year, somewhere 1994 of 1995 the played the Glam Slam Miami (?) show in a local club house. BIG FUN!

I have been fortunate to see Prince live about 10 times and I am e.x.t.r.e.m.e.l.y. grateful for his existence in life.

Again, good one this thread!