Prince (musician)
A visionary musical polymath who fused funk, rock, and soul into a wildly prolific and intensely personal artistic universe.
1958–2016 (age 58)·American musician and actor·Birthday: June 7·Baby Boomers
Biography
Prince Rogers Nelson, who performed under the singular mononym Prince, was a force of creative nature. Emerging from Minneapolis in the late 1970s, he crafted a sound that was immediately recognizable: slinky funk rhythms, searing guitar work, and sexually charged lyrics, all delivered with androgynous flamboyance. He was a true auteur, writing, producing, and performing nearly every note on his landmark albums like '1999' and 'Purple Rain.' The latter project—a hit album, film, and tour—catapulted him to superstardom in 1984. Famously controlling of his art, he battled his record label, writing 'slave' on his cheek and changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol. His later years saw a return to form as a revered elder statesman of music, a master guitarist and performer whose sudden death in 2016 left a void of sheer talent and audacious originality.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Prince was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Prince Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Prince's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2016Died at 58
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
Key Achievements
- Won seven Grammy Awards and an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score for 'Purple Rain.'
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, in his first year of eligibility.
- His 1984 album and film 'Purple Rain' spent 24 consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard album chart.
- Sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
Did You Know?
He wrote and recorded his debut album, 'For You,' entirely by himself, playing all 27 instruments.
He was a champion of artists' rights, famously battling his Warner Bros. contract in the 1990s.
The song 'Manic Monday,' performed by The Bangles, was written by Prince under the pseudonym 'Christopher.'
He was a skilled basketball player and would often hold late-night pickup games at his Paisley Park studio.
“Despite everything, no one can dictate who you are to other people.”
