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In Memoriam: Those We Have Lost from the Music Industry

formerlyfreedom

By formerlyfreedom
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CaughtOnTape

CaughtOnTape

Little Red Corvette came out when I was 7 years old.  I LOVED it.  I used to sing it at the top of my lungs whenever I heard it.  To say it was my jam would be putting it lightly.

 

My parents were understandably concerned about this, considering what the song was about.  Especially when I would sing the lines "I guess I must be dumb, she had a pocket full of horses, Trojan and some of em used." in the presence of other people.

My dad calmed my mother though, explaining to her that I didn't know what I was singing and not to worry about it.

 

I remember the day I realized what he was singing about.  I was 17 years old and in the middle of a drive to work I went, "ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!"

 

I then went through his entire catalog to see what else I had missed.

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Oosala
Oosala

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO.  I'm not havin' it.  Sinéad O'Connor, aged 56, has died.  I refuse to accept this, especially in the wake of the relatively recent death of Dolores O'Riordan.  Sinéad's

Chit Chat
Chit Chat

I was stunned to wake up to the news of his death this morning.  I'm a bit of an old fart, but I've always like the Foo Fighters.   I've especially enjoyed watching them whenever they did tributes to

Popples
Popples

From the Taylor Hawkins Tribute concert:

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Hanahope

Hanahope

Damn, I didn't realize Prince was only 6 years older than me.  That's way way to young to die.  Like Bowie, I didn't always like Prince's music, but I certainly appreciated his talent, his muscianship, his artistry.  He put on a helluva Super Bowl half time show, demonstrating that he was as still relevant as ever.  He will certainly be missed.

 

And yes, I think heaven has a good enough band up there now.  Stop!

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Whimsy

Whimsy

I saw a news tweet that said "Man found dead at Prince's estate in Minnesota," and I was like what, so some guy died at Prince's house. Then I saw the tweet about the man being Prince and freaked out. I was born and raised in Minnesota. When I was a teenager, we'd go to First Avenue (the club where Purple Rain was filmed) on Sunday nights, which were 16-plus nights. And we always held out hope that Prince would show up and play a set as he was rumored to occasionally do at the club. Sadly we never saw him. But still, it was always cool to go to that club because well, PRINCE. He made Minnesota cool. RIP, Prince. 

Me too!!  I was also raised in Minnesota and we always went to First Avenue in the late 80's early 90's.  This is breaking my heart....

DollEyes

DollEyes

(edited)

  So many great tributes to Prince have come in the last 12 hours, including an ad in today's New York Times, from Corvette, saying "Baby, That Was Much Too Fast." 

 

Especially touching is the rainbow that showed up over Paisley Park a few hours after his death, Spike Lee's Brooklyn dance party in tribute to Prince and the dance party at First Avenue, the club made famous in Purple Rain-which, last time I checked, is still going on. 

Edited by DollEyes
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Aquarius

Aquarius

I'm really having a hard time with this one.  Prince was so much a part of the soundtrack of my life, and his influence on some of my favorites like Lenny Kravitz is so strong . . . it does feel like a personal loss in a sense.  He was just so unique and charismatic and an amazing musical talent and performer.  I can't say that I listened to him all the time or had an exceptional fan reaction to him, but every time a song would come on the radio or I'd see him on television, I would just be hit over and over again with how amazing his whole thing was.  The complete package, as they say.

 

And YES! about having women in the band.  That always stuck with me, how they were front and center and not props.  That was a really big deal back then.

 

I can't even think about that tribute by the cast of The Color Purple without crying.  Actually I'm having a hard time thinking about any of this without crying.  I am heartily glad for all the tributes, etc. though, because at least the man was appreciated for what he was. 

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Deanie87

Deanie87

Ugh, I don't think that I will ever be able to hear the opening notes of Let's Go Crazy without bursting into tears (like right now!)

 

It's also cool when some of our finest musicians and living legends -- McCartney, Jagger, Elton John, etc. -- sing your praises and speak of how remarkable you were.

 

 

Two of my favorite stories are kind of about that.  In the interview after the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame concert where Prince paid tribute to George Harrison, Harrison's son is asked about what it was like to be on stage with Tom Petty, Eric Clapton, etc. and literally all he can talk about is Prince.  Its a tribute to his dad, and he is absolutely giddy about the fact that Prince is standing a couple of feet away from him.  It was the cutest thing ever, and I can't seem to find it online anywhere.

 

The other story is about Peter Buck from R.E.M.  I was (and am) a huge fan of theirs and they don't really have much in common musically with Prince, so it surprised me that they were all big fans.  Peter Buck tells a story about how he would never, ever go to a stadium concert and goes on and on about the ticket prices, the prices of the beer, the rude fans, the horrible acoustics and the bad view of the stage.  Then he says that he makes an exception for Prince and goes to see him every time he comes through town and puts up with being elbowed in the stomach and drinking overpriced, flat beer.  

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TaurusRose

TaurusRose

In reading stories about Prince today, I saw one saying that he was 5'2".  I had no idea he was that short (for a man).  No wonder he wore heels all the time.  He never seemed that short on stage or with other people.

I knew he was on the small side, but I didn't know his exact height. No matter. The man was a performing dynamo.

LADreamr

LADreamr

I think that's what makes people attach to people like him and then mourn them so much when they go. It's like through their very being, they are saying, I know life is tough, and more often than not, seems to be holding you back as hard as it can, but here's how you do it: despite the abusive beginnings, despite the physical stature that may otherwise work against you, despite coming to your artistic age in a time that should shut you out, you be your most real and dynamic self. You bring your light to a dark world, and you do it your way and on your terms, and in so doing, give others permission to do the same for themselves, and together we'll share in the joy that comes from that enormous victory.

How do you not mourn when that light goes out?

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Readalot

Readalot

I'm really having a hard time with this one. Prince was so much a part of the soundtrack of my life, and his influence on some of my favorites like Lenny Kravitz is so strong . . . it does feel like a personal loss in a sense. He was just so unique and charismatic and an amazing musical talent and performer. I can't say that I listened to him all the time or had an exceptional fan reaction to him, but every time a song would come on the radio or I'd see him on television, I would just be hit over and over again with how amazing his whole thing was. The complete package, as they say.

And YES! about having women in the band. That always stuck with me, how they were front and center and not props. That was a really big deal back then.

I can't even think about that tribute by the cast of The Color Purple without crying. Actually I'm having a hard time thinking about any of this without crying. I am heartily glad for all the tributes, etc. though, because at least the man was appreciated for what he was.

I've seen Prince twice and Lenny Kravitz once and I tell you, you are spot on. They both exude sexual energy and passion that can be overwhelming (to say nothing about their musical talent!). Yesterday I was in shock. We had out of town relatives that I had to entertain and cook dinner for. All I wanted to do was call my friends over and with a drink watch MTV. This morning I pulled into the the driveway after dropping off the kids and "let's go crazy" came on the radio. I started singing and they started to cry. I guess I'm in a mourning phase now. On Sirius channel 50 they are playing a Prince channel for a week. So I'm out in the garage "cleaning up" but mostly in a daze listening to it now. I know a few network channels are doing specials tonight but we will be at friends Passover dinner. I need to tape them. I'm glad he had a faith. I hope if he realized he was dying he took comfort in his spirituality.
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MyAimIsTrue

MyAimIsTrue

I know a few network channels are doing specials tonight but we will be at friends Passover dinner. I need to tape them. I'm glad he had a faith. I hope if he realized he was dying he took comfort in his spirituality.

 

I'm going to a second seder this year so I'll be anxiously looking for specials on TV tonight.

Simon Boccanegra

Simon Boccanegra

I can't believe Madonna is the last of the big 4 80s/MTV icons left. All 3, whether they were troubled souls or no, left us entirely too soon.

 

Bruce is still kicking. He was at the level of Prince, Madonna, and MJ, and maybe a little more consistently front and center for that decade than Bowie was.  

 

I am terribly sad too, but at the same time, when someone great dies, I want to celebrate the achievements rather than dwell on the loss. Fifty-seven is too young, but at least this did not happen in 1985. There is so much to treasure: so much music, so many memories. I will never forget seeing Prince in the late 1990s. It was the greatest live concert I have ever seen in any pop/rock/R&B genre. His musicianship and his energy and the force of his personality were astounding. It didn't matter what the song was, whether it was "Little Red Corvette" or some track from deep on Emancipation that only the biggest fans would have known. Everything was excitement, the excitement running together into a state of bliss. He had a full house cheering and dancing even though practically no one had known until a few days earlier that he was going to be in town. And then he went to a small club and played another show after three hours on the big stage! 

 

When I read through a summary of the celebrity Twitter reactions, what struck me is the diversity of the musicians paying tribute to him. Very few of the responses were vapid "look at me" types. Artists older than Prince, roughly Prince's age, much younger than Prince. People from the world of opera, jazz, funk, hip-hop, R&B, hard rock, pop, country...they all loved him. They all came Uptown and they were all welcome at the party. That would make him happy.    

 

I close with a strange and beautiful and appropriately mournful cover from Little Jimmy Scott. 

 

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TVFan17

TVFan17

(edited)

I have been waiting for more musical tributes to come in.  When Glenn Frey passed away, Keith Urban seemingly ran right to the piano and busted out a pitch-perfect version of Take it Easy.  Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel did Eagles songs as part of their own sets in concert, as a tribute to Frey.  Elton John did a David Bowie song.

 

And, of course, Prince did a Bowie song.

 

 

When news of Prince's death came out, the Dixie Chicks were apparently on tour.  Somehow they got a Prince symbol and a purple backdrop, and sang Nothing Compares 2 U --

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHBFMjH9NFA&sns=tw

 

Natalie Maines actually sounds really great for most of the song -- her voice has the right tone to take on the Sinead O'Connor version -- but then her voice cracks in a couple of places.  I don't know if the voice is cracking because she is not using to singing it and is struggling with going into a falsetto, or if she is emotional.  For the most part, it's pretty good.

Edited by Sherry67
Ohwell

Ohwell

It is pretty good.  She sounds very emotional.

 

One of the newscasters, I think it was Lester Holt, said Prince had a surviving sister.  I had never heard anything about his family, I just knew he was married twice.  I guess I had assumed his parents were dead, but it will be interesting to see if he does have any immediate family members. 

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Enigma X

Enigma X

It is pretty good.  She sounds very emotional.

 

One of the newscasters, I think it was Lester Holt, said Prince had a surviving sister.  I had never heard anything about his family, I just knew he was married twice.  I guess I had assumed his parents were dead, but it will be interesting to see if he does have any immediate family members. 

 

I looked up Prince's survivng family earlier. Apparently, he has one full sister named Tyka Nelson and a slew of half-siblings from his mother and father.

Ohwell

Ohwell

(edited)

I looked up Prince's survivng family earlier. Apparently, he has one full sister named Tyka Nelson and a slew of half-siblings from his mother and father.

OK, thanks.  He really was a very private person, and so was his family apparently.  

 

Got this from the Daily Mail UK website:

 

"Prince's parents, John L. Nelson and Mattie Shaw, are both dead and Tyka is his only sibling.

After Tyka, Prince's closest relatives are his three half-sisters and four half-brothers.

His father John had three daughters and two sons from his marriage to Vivian Nelson - Lorna, Norrine, Sharon, Duane, and John.

Lorna passed away in 2006 and in 2011 her brother Duane died.

Then, after her divorce from John, Prince's mother Mattie remarried and gave birth to two sons, Omarr and Alfred."

 

His sister has two boys, so he was also an uncle. 

Edited by Ohwell
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TVFan17

TVFan17

(edited)

Fantasia offered up a tribute -- http://www.theroot.com/blogs/the_grapevine/2016/04/watch_fantasia_s_tribute_to_prince_will_bring_you_to_tears.html?utm_content=bufferc7908&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

 

 

And a bunch of other tributes from various musicians -- http://www.mtv.com/news/2871832/alicia-keys-prince-tribute-performances/

Edited by Sherry67
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Simon Boccanegra

Simon Boccanegra

One of his now-deceased half sisters (Lorna Nelson) sued him in the late '80s, claiming his "U Got The Look" plagiarized her song "What's Cooking in This Book?" The suit was dismissed, the court determining that the songs were "not substantially similar" (unlike, say, "My Sweet Lord"/"He's So Fine" and "Blurred Lines"/"Got To Give It Up").   

 

I remember a funny headline somewhere in a brief piece on Lorna's lawsuit: "But She Didn't Say Anything About 'Sister'."  

Accidental Martyr

Accidental Martyr

(edited)

The other story is about Peter Buck from R.E.M. I was (and am) a huge fan of theirs and they don't really have much in common musically with Prince, so it surprised me that they were all big fans. Peter Buck tells a story about how he would never, ever go to a stadium concert and goes on and on about the ticket prices, the prices of the beer, the rude fans, the horrible acoustics and the bad view of the stage. Then he says that he makes an exception for Prince and goes to see him every time he comes through town and puts up with being elbowed in the stomach and drinking overpriced, flat beer.

Don't forget that Buck, along with Mike Mills and Bill Berry of R.E.M. and Warren Zevon on vocals, recorded a cover of "Raspberry Beret" for their Hindu Love Gods album in 1990. Edited by Accidental Martyr
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Cobalt Stargazer

Cobalt Stargazer

Local Minneapolis radio station The Current is playing only Prince for 26 hours straight, all his songs in alphabetical order. They're currently in the D's. They're streaming it at thecurrent.org.

 

The blurb from the article at the top of the site's page says "In the nearly four decades of music Prince made, propriety and prejudice were routinely vanquished by good humor and elegant lust." How fitting.

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TVFan17

TVFan17

(edited)

This is an interesting article, as it shows the true range of the outpouring of comments (and shock) from people in all corners of the music industry and beyond -- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3552393/He-changed-world-true-visionary-Madonna-Chaka-Khan-Quincy-Jones-Justin-Timberlake-share-shock-sadness-Prince-s-sudden-death.html.

 

(Mick Jagger has a lot to say.)

 

Also, whenever a really famous, or really iconic, or really legendary person dies -- not just musicians -- you hear a lot of stories you've already heard about who the person knew and liked or disliked.  But there are always a couple of stories that pop up that you've never heard, from people who don't usually speak up.

 

In this case, it's Daryl Hall and Penelope Cruz.  I have never once heard of either of them meeting Prince before, and yet they both appeared with a story and/or photo.   Their stories are not that revealing, but it's just interesting that so many people knew Prince or met him.  It's interesting to me that he was at every Hall & Oates show back in the late '70s, for some reason.  But that's what happened with The Bangles too -- apparently he kept appearing at their shows and finally gave them a song.  It seemed like he was always studying other artists, either learning from them or figuring out ways he could help them -- maybe a bit of both.

Edited by Sherry67
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Ohwell

Ohwell

I'm still surprised that Tamron Hall knew him so well.  According to her, they were really close.  She said she communicated with him almost every day, almost as much as with her mother.  I do remember her saying that he composed her theme song for her MSNBC show but I didn't give that much thought.  I don't know why I'm so surprised, I guess it's because she seems so different from him, personality-wise.  She just acts so giddy on the Today show.  Just goes to show you never know. 

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TVFan17

TVFan17

I'm still surprised that Tamron Hall knew him so well.  According to her, they were really close.  She said she communicated with him almost every day, almost as much as with her mother.  I do remember her saying that he composed her theme song for her MSNBC show but I didn't give that much thought.  I don't know why I'm so surprised, I guess it's because she seems so different from him, personality-wise.  She just acts so giddy on the Today show.  Just goes to show you never know. 

 

Yes, exactly!  Tamron is another surprise in this whole thing.  I had never heard of her being acquainted with him in any way, let alone that close.  But you're right -- she has spoken up a lot in the last couple of days, and revealed that she just talked to him for hours after hearing that he had been rushed to the hospital with a flu.  She wanted to make sure he was okay.  He also wanted her to come to his dance party at Paisley Park last week and she couldn't make it. 

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DollEyes

DollEyes

(edited)

  it's been a couple of days and I'm still processing Prince's death. TMZ's not helping by posting a story saying that he might have died of a drug overdose the day after he died, barely giving his family, friends and fans a chance to even begin to grieve. TMZ being TMZ, they just couldn't wait a few days before putting that out into the universe. Like the saying goes, "Just because you can, that doesn't mean you should." I know about Prince's hip problems and how that can lead to painkiller addiction, but I don't care about the latter. What matters to me isn't how Prince died, but how he lived.  Calling Prince a genius would be an understatement. Prince was a self-taught musician who started writing songs when he was 7 years old, played 27 instruments, made his first album at 18 and has won numerous awards, including Grammys, a Golden Globe and an Oscar. However, and much more importantly, Prince also used his fame and talent for good, such as writing songs to raise money for Hurricane Katrina victims, giving money to Trayvon Martin's family or writing a protest song about police brutality, to name a few.

 

  As the past two days has shown, Prince has influenced many musical genres. I've seen musicians from Alabama Shakes to Jimmy Buffett cover his songs. I also saw a quote where someone asked Eric Clapton how it felt to be the great guitarist ever, he said, "I don't know-ask Prince."  Stevie Wonder, whom Prince has called one of his biggest influences, said that Prince influenced him. When people of Clapton & Wonder's caliber can give Prince props, that's incredible, to say the least.  I plan to honor Prince by listening to as many Prince songs as I can. One of my new favorites is his 2008 cover of Radiohead's "Creep":

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFXZNt4oLkE

Edited by DollEyes
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Enigma X

Enigma X

I am also shocked and impressed with how many people from various walks of life who were a fan, or, at least, respected Prince. The wrestler Steve Austin ("Stone Cold") even paid his respects. I know in this day and age that any and everyone can, but they don't have to.

 

When I was five 2 of my older sisters were his biggest fans. This was around 1980. They were around 14 and 15. I listened to their cassettes, and he brought more than creative light; he brought creative color.

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TVFan17

TVFan17

(edited)

I am certainly celebrating how Prince lived and the unique phenomenon that he was... but I think a lot of us would be lying if we said we weren't very curious to know what happened and what caused it.  A man of his age -- it's not like he was 95 years old -- in good shape, with no known history of drug abuse or alcohol abuse, should not have died.   He may have been suffering horribly with his hip problems and took too much of something or another to ease the pain.  Maybe he had a lot of health issues that were never revealed.   Maybe something related to his epilepsy played into it.   Or maybe one of his handlers made a terrible mistake somewhere along the line (like in the case of Michael Jackson and that doctor).  But he should not have died -- alone in an elevator -- at 57 years old.

 

I think we all have the same questions that Prince's family and friends must have (unless they knew of him being very ill) -- what happened?  What was the Walgreens trip about?  What was this "flu" that sent him to the hospital and caused a plane to land 45-50 minutes earlier than it was supposed to?

 

Some deaths -- as sad as they may be -- are not entirely unexpected because of how the people lived their lives.  Amy Winehouse, Scott Weiland, and so on -- sad, but not shocking.  Other deaths seem to come out of the blue -- and Prince's is one of them.

Edited by Sherry67
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LeeLeePanda

LeeLeePanda

https://twitter.com/ADLavinsky/status/723346989958582272

"This is what it sounds like when thousands of Prince faithful sing Purple Rain. @StarTribune"

I was one of the people in that crowd. I don't think I've ever seen so many people downtown at one time. I left a little before midnight, but had friends who stayed at First Ave until 7 in the morning. Minneapolis loves him, and it's just so painful that he's gone.

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Ohwell

Ohwell

(edited)

I just read an AP story that he's been cremated and there was a private service.  I haven't seen it confirmed anywhere else though.

 

http://www.msn.com/en-us/music/celebrity/publicist-prince-cremated-then-private-ceremony-held/ar-BBsathi?li=BBnb7Kz&OCID=msnHomepage

Edited by Ohwell
TVFan17

TVFan17

Springsteen sang Purple Rain in tribute:

 

 

I wondered when Bruce would pop up with a song!  Poor Bruce -- this whole tour he has been on has involved one cover version of a dead person's song after another.  So far he has covered Bowie, Frey and now Prince -- I don't know if he has done any other songs, like busted out a Motorhead cover or anything.

 

Last time I checked, Lady Gaga had been strangely silent as far as comments on Prince.  I didn't see anything on social media from her, and I believe she has mentioned him in the past as being an influence or a favorite.

TVFan17

TVFan17

(edited)

Jimmy Buffett too? 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2I6-DtTFSk

 

 

James Corden

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT7k_1HGKQU

 

I've been waiting to see if anyone at Coachella did a Prince tribute in their set.  This is the last weekend, and tomorrow is the final night of Coachella.  I heard that someone did something, but it was one of the bands that I've never heard of so I don't know where to look for it.  I was hoping that Guns N' Roses or Sia would do a Prince tune.

Edited by Sherry67
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