He'd be famous if the only thing he'd done was write hits for so many different artists. But he was so much more. He was the most gifted musician of his generation, and the most prolific as well. We will not see his like again. RIP.
Friday, April 22, 2016
RIP, Prince
There aren't too many Prince videos out there to post, so we have to go another route, with some of the songs he wrote that were big hits for other artists. And what a variety of artists and styles it was:
He'd be famous if the only thing he'd done was write hits for so many different artists. But he was so much more. He was the most gifted musician of his generation, and the most prolific as well. We will not see his like again. RIP.
He'd be famous if the only thing he'd done was write hits for so many different artists. But he was so much more. He was the most gifted musician of his generation, and the most prolific as well. We will not see his like again. RIP.
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3 comments:
Well said.
When I was in college, a buddy of mine had this band that played nothing but cover songs. He'd had a brief career in a band that had been modestly successful in the early 90s, in that they toured regionally with a few past-their-prime hair metal acts and scratched out a living. Now he was at Georgia Tech, and he'd put together this band to play crowd pleaders at weddings and whatnot, make a little cash without having to get a "real" job while in school. They were really good at it.
I went to one of his gigs at an honest-to-god redneck bar somewhere out in Henry County, GA (Gino knows it.) You know that scene in The Blues Brothers, with the stage behind chicken wire? That was the setup. And the crowd (though I don't believe anyone threw any bottles that evening.)
Anyway, they played what you'd have expected: Skynyrd, Allman Bros, Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson...that kind of thing.
Then, for whatever reason, they decided to close their set with "Purple Rain". I remember realizing what they were doing, and looking around, wondering how this was going to go.
It brought the house down.
Great story, Brian. Prince transcended a lot of barriers.
I'm friends with Dez Dickerson, Prince's lead guitarist (other than Prince himself, of course) during the Revolution days, just prior to everything busting wide open when the movie hit. Thanks to Dez, I've actually held a gold and a platinum record in my own hands. There are some stories...but maybe another time. (Mr D, I'll dig up my copy of Dez's book "My Time With Prince" for you).
I guess I would describe Prince as a force of nature in that he was like the weather; if you didn't like it, wait a few minutes and it will change. I absolutely loved some songs, and absolutely could not abide others. One could not help but be awed, though, by the enormity of Prince's muse and talent and versatility. The hits for others are really such a good example of that. His persona as Prince was multi-faceted, but he still had to be "Prince" when playing himself - and sometimes that obscured the artistry. These songs that others covered, perhaps, let that superb artistry shine through.
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