Prince - Blender

ARTISTS

Prince

With his eccentric persona, controversial stage shows, and musical range, Prince (born Prince Rogers Nelson, June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis) was one of the most popular artists of the 1980s. He signed with Warner Bros. in 1978 and released his debut album, For You, which included the hit "I Wanna Be Your Lover." While his next three albums — Prince ('79), Dirty Mind ('80), Controversy ('81) — eventually sold platinum, Prince's fifth album, 1983's 1999, was his commercial breakthrough. The following year Prince attained superstar status with the semi-autobiographical film Purple Rain and accompanying soundtrack. The Oscar-winning album, which included the No. 1 hits "Let's Go Crazy" and "When Doves Cry," spent 20 weeks atop the charts and went 10-times platinum. He again topped the charts with a soundtrack in 1989; this time for Tim Burton's Batman. Two years later Prince formed a new backup band, the New Power Generation, and released Diamonds and Pearls. While in the midst of a dispute with Warner Bros., Prince confounded his fans in 1993 by legally changing his name to a symbol. He became known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince or just the Artist, but by 2000 he was once again known as Prince. In 2004 he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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