Prince has been inspired by people who have crossed his path leading him experiment with music in a different ways

Rosie Gaines /Raegae
Mayte /spanish and some Indian soonds
MaceoParker/Jazz
Larry GRaham/Funk
The thought occured to me that The song on TRC Everywhere is A jazzed up Kingdom Hall song and before some of you Jump on my back,I do know what the hymns sound like and I was wondering will the Kingdom hall songs be Prince's next Experimentaion on a larger scale ... The Kingdom Hall songs is just steady paced Music usually with Piano only not upbeat not that it's supposed to be because the songs are for worship.On the Other hand The FUNK may leave us soon ...but the song Reflection give me hope that he will still groove. Prince made references in TRC but would you embrace the music The same if he decided to sing Kingdom Hall songs 4 us to hear his message the only thing is the Kindom hall songs are not Funky

and let's not forget about the major wendy&Lisa influence...

lovebizzare said:

hit me with a brick how could I forget

utopia7 said:

I visited a KH once. There were no instruments. The songs almost put me to sleep...back to the subject. The funk ain't got to leave if Prince don't want it to. There are a lot of musical artists who are very religious who are still funky. Funky ain't exclusive to secular music.

Rosie Gaines led him to experiment with Reggae? By the Blue Light she was gone...

I can't imagine Prince having musical influences. I just see him as being one.

utopia7 said:

Ummm...excuse me but Prince was funky looong before he met Larry Graham. Oh yeah...I've never heard of Kingdom Hall songs...and that's all I have to say about that.(ala Forest Gump)

None of those four people are directly responsible for influencing Prince's music. Prince had "experimented" (as you say) with all of these styles before.

And "Everywhere" is not a "jazzed-up Kingdom Hall song" either. First off, its not even jazz, it is latin (approaching samba) Gospel music.

If he decides to start covering Kingdom Hall songs then Prince will truly be dead. And this is NOT because they are JW songs - I'd feel the same way if he covered things like Ave Maria, Pie Jesu etc - for fucks sake!

Sheila
Eric
Dez
Andre
Wendy
Lisa
Levi
Tony M. (unfortunately)
Kirk Johnson (unfortunately)

I'd say they were Prince's main collaborators and the people who influenced his sound the most (i.e. people he has worked with for anything length of time, and they have directly led Prince into a certain path with his music - not is actual influences like Chaka, Sly, James Brown, Stevie Wonder et all).

As far as Maceo and Larry are considered, I figure it's the other way around. Prince loves to emulate his heroes, so what better way to do that than to add their greatest sidemen to your band?