Prince Life And Times

"The definitive chronological guide to the life and times of one of popular music's true mavericks ... Prince: Life & times is a large format, lavishly illustrated, authoritative chronicle of his career, covering every album, every movie, and every tour."--Back cover.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The brilliant coming-of-age-and-into-superstardom story of one of the greatest artists of all time, in his own words—featuring never-before-seen photos, original scrapbooks and lyric sheets, and the exquisite memoir he began writing before his tragic death NAMED ONE OF THE BEST MUSIC BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST AND THE GUARDIAN • NOMINATED FOR THE NAACP IMAGE AWARD Prince was a musical genius, one of the most beloved, accomplished, and acclaimed musicians of our time. He was a startlingly original visionary with an imagination deep enough to whip up whole worlds, from the sexy, gritty funk paradise of “Uptown” to the mythical landscape of Purple Rain to the psychedelia of “Paisley Park.” But his most ambitious creative act was turning Prince Rogers Nelson, born in Minnesota, into Prince, one of the greatest pop stars of any era. The Beautiful Ones is the story of how Prince became Prince—a first-person account of a kid absorbing the world around him and then creating a persona, an artistic vision, and a life, before the hits and fame that would come to define him. The book is told in four parts. The first is the memoir Prince was writing before his tragic death, pages that bring us into his childhood world through his own lyrical prose. The second part takes us through Prince’s early years as a musician, before his first album was released, via an evocative scrapbook of writing and photos. The third section shows us Prince’s evolution through candid images that go up to the cusp of his greatest achievement, which we see in the book’s fourth section: his original handwritten treatment for Purple Rain—the final stage in Prince’s self-creation, where he retells the autobiography of the first three parts as a heroic journey. The book is framed by editor Dan Piepenbring’s riveting and moving introduction about his profound collaboration with Prince in his final months—a time when Prince was thinking deeply about how to reveal more of himself and his ideas to the world, while retaining the mystery and mystique he’d so carefully cultivated—and annotations that provide context to the book’s images. This work is not just a tribute to an icon, but an original and energizing literary work in its own right, full of Prince’s ideas and vision, his voice and image—his undying gift to the world.

"Prince was a gift and a genius. He showed us that we have no limits." Alicia Keys "He was the most incredibly talented artist. A man in complete control of his work from writer and musician to producer and director." Kate Bush "The most amazing performer I have ever witnessed." Joni Mitchell "He Changed The World!!" Madonna In a career that spanned five decades, Prince really did change the world. After making some of most inventive albums of the 80s - including 1999, Purple Rain, and Sign "O" The Times - he turned his attention to redefining his role in the music industry, changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol, declaring war on Warner Bros, and leading the internet revolution. When he died, on April 21 2016, the world lost one of the few artists who could truly claim to be called a genius. His legacy lives on, and will remain an inspiration for all time. Prince: Life & Times is a large format, lavishly illustrated, authoritative chronicle of his career, covering every album, every movie, and every tour. It includes profiles of key collaborators, assesses his various business dealings, and details his many side-projects - on stage, on record, on screen, and beyond. This updated second edition includes detailed information on Prince's activity from 2008 to 2016.

Silva provides a case study of the life and ideas of the self-styled Dom Oba II d'Africa, Prince of the People and "street character."

His name was Prince, and he was funky. He was also inspiring, infuriating, visionary, secretive, seductive, contradictory. Especially contradictory. He channelled dualities as if doing so were the most natural thing in the world. When he changed his name to an unpronounceable glyph, he merged symbols of the male and female to represent himself. When he recorded music - a daily torrent of creativity - he slipped with ease between male and female points of view. Switching instruments and musical styles throughout concerts and across albums - sometimes during individual songs - he saw no boundaries; instead, he brought opposing forces together. Like sex and religion - especially sex and religion - embarking on a quest to reconcile a dirty mind with a love for God. This book will chart the 5' 2" 'Minneapolis genius' rise from 'the next Stevie Wonder' to a unique artist whose towering legacy continues to shape pop culture.

Traces the life and career of the influential producer, shares the impressions of those who worked with him, and surveys Warner Brothers films.