
Celebrities passing away, especially in 2016 has been more common than not... but finding out yesterday about the passing of Prince came as an unexpected and HUGE shock.
I was introduced to Prince on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE way back in 1981. This episode is epic for so many reasons; Todd Rundgren was the musical guest, Charlene Tipton was the host (and I had a crush on her), Charles Rocket dropped an 'F' Bomb on live TV and for some reason there was another musical guest... Prince. I believe the song he sang was (I think) 'Party Up' and I was a bit impressed. It was a few years later when his epic 1999 was released and because of the rock elements and crazy hooks, I became a fan.
The next year Prince (and his band the Revolution) released the epic film, PURPLE RAIN and from there his career took off and never seemed to keep evolving. Despite his ability and mastery of every instrument, he surrounded himself with some incredible musicians like Dez Dickerson, Andre Cymone, and Wendy & Lisa.
Ever changing and evolving, Prince and his music could never be defined... funky, rocky, danceable... there was something for everyone.
One of the cool things back in the day was that despite what your music tastes were, Prince seemed to fit into any genre. He was heavy and progressive enough for my musical tastes and also dressed like I wish i could have.
So thank you for all the amazing music and great memories.