This year marked 10 years since Prince died, and many still honor his legacy today, especially on the anniversaries of his birth (June 7, 1958) and death. He was a remarkable musician known for his creative styles of music including funk, pop, rock, and soul during the 1980s and 1990s.
Prince was not only an African American musician, but he was also a songwriter, singer, and producer. He was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota and grew up around jazz music. His father was a talented musician as a pianist of a jazz group called “The Prince Roger’s trio,” where Prince would see his father live on stage performing.
His career started when he was 19 years old and first signed a contract with Warner Bros. Records in 1977. Although he went through racial discrimination during a time when it was harder for artists of color to express themselves freely without being judged harshly, he shined.
Prince was a native of Minneapolis, and many stores in the area sell Prince memorabilia, like this one at the Mall of America.
He then released his first few albums that did have a starting success, but the 1999 album (1982) soared through the billboard charts. “Little Red Corvette,” a song from the album, was a sensational hit that produced a music video that played on MTV frequently. Behind Michael Jackson, he was the second African American musician to produce a music video on the channel, reflecting history made for African American artists.
Marcel Garde ’29, a member of Riordan’s DJ club, talked about the inspiration Prince provides to this day because of his work ethic. “He displayed his dedication to music when he wrote his first song at just 7 years old, and over time he gained more popularity, which shows how committed he was to his music.”
Michael Vezzali-Pascual ’88, an English teacher at Archbishop Riordan, has a special connection to Prince’s music. “When I was a freshman at Riordan, The Purple Rain album had just come out and it was our spirit week theme at the time. Everyone was just pumped up about the music and the tour at Cow Palace in Daly City.”
A few years ago, Riordan revised the pun “Purple Reign” and began playing “Purple Rain” over the PA after every Riordan victory.
Not only did he produce great success with his albums, but he had the opportunity to tour cities across the United States in his early career and later on in the 2000s, in addition to touring worldwide. And to this day, many fans who had the chance to see him live in concert are still amazed by his performance.
Alex Datoc ’87, Director of Campus Ministry, described an important time in his life when he saw Prince in concert. “Prince was my first ever concert and I appreciated his music more after I watched him perform his songs live. To perform the songs and to be an entertainer gave me a lot of respect for Prince as a musical artist.”
It has been 10 years since Prince has died, and compounding the initial disbelief of his sudden death for many fans is the realization that Prince has been gone for so long. He died on April 21, 2016 due to an accidental drug overdose. Despite the tragic loss, he created an influential impact around the world with the creative work of music he crafted and continues to inspire young generations all around the world.
