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It may sound crazy, but some times have a color to them. Oct. 28, 1929 will always be remembered as “Black Monday,” thanks to that day's precipitous stock market plunge, which inaugurated the Great Depression. During the 1950s, both Ernest Tubb and Elvis Presley testified as to what a “Blue Christmas” felt like. And just about anyone who was alive in 1984 can tell you the summer was purple that year.
Purple as in “Purple Rain,” the album and motion picture that established Prince as a superstar. The record was released on June 25, 1984, with the movie following almost exactly a month later, and to say both were genuine pop culture phenomena wouldn't be overstating the case.
The album, with radio hits like the title track, “When Doves Cry” and “Let's Go Crazy,” eventually went 13 times platinum, and has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. Meanwhile, the film took in more than $80 million at the box office, and established Prince (if only briefly) as a true Hollywood leading man.
But for some of us in '84, it wasn't just Prince who made “Purple Rain” so enjoyable. While his music for the soundtrack was unquestionably amazing, many viewers were put off by Prince's preening, almost mincing performance as “the Kid.” Instead, the man who many of us came to consider as the true breakout star of the film, was the fellow who played “Morris,” the Kid's cocky competitor — Morris Day, lead singer of the Time. Day had known Prince since high school, when the two had joined André Cymone in a band called “Grand Central.”
Flash forward to 1981: Prince is now an up-and-coming star thanks to his R&B hits like “Soft and Wet” and “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” and has begun to attract crossover attention thanks to his third album, “Dirty Mind.” He decides he wants to form another band with which he can explore his funk roots while his own solo career heads in a poppier direction. Enter the Time.
The Time were comprised of drummer Jellybean Johnson, Jimmy Jam and Monte Moir on keyboards, bassist Terry Lewis, guitarist Jesse Johnson and Jerome Benton, a former band promoter who served as a dancer and comic within the band. Originally, the lead singer was to be Alexander O'Neal, but after a financial disagreement led O'Neal to walk away from the project, Prince turned to his old buddy, Morris Day.
Although the members of the Time were accomplished, virtuoso musicians, they were not allowed to play on their first album, which was simply called “The Time,” and which spawned two R&B hits, “Cool” and “Get It Up.” Instead, except for the lead vocals by Day, all of the instruments on the album were played by Prince or members of his own band, like keyboardist Matt Fink. But as the Time began to tour broadly, their reputation as an amazing live act grew — setting the stage for a period when the acolytes would come to challenge their more famous master.
We'll continue our look at the history of the Time next week in this space... and in the process discover that the time for the Time may not have fully passed.
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Notes is supported by the Gay and Lesbian Fund, committed to enriching life in Colorado by supporting the arts.
Purple as in “Purple Rain,” the album and motion picture that established Prince as a superstar. The record was released on June 25, 1984, with the movie following almost exactly a month later, and to say both were genuine pop culture phenomena wouldn't be overstating the case.
The album, with radio hits like the title track, “When Doves Cry” and “Let's Go Crazy,” eventually went 13 times platinum, and has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. Meanwhile, the film took in more than $80 million at the box office, and established Prince (if only briefly) as a true Hollywood leading man.
But for some of us in '84, it wasn't just Prince who made “Purple Rain” so enjoyable. While his music for the soundtrack was unquestionably amazing, many viewers were put off by Prince's preening, almost mincing performance as “the Kid.” Instead, the man who many of us came to consider as the true breakout star of the film, was the fellow who played “Morris,” the Kid's cocky competitor — Morris Day, lead singer of the Time. Day had known Prince since high school, when the two had joined André Cymone in a band called “Grand Central.”
Flash forward to 1981: Prince is now an up-and-coming star thanks to his R&B hits like “Soft and Wet” and “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” and has begun to attract crossover attention thanks to his third album, “Dirty Mind.” He decides he wants to form another band with which he can explore his funk roots while his own solo career heads in a poppier direction. Enter the Time.
The Time were comprised of drummer Jellybean Johnson, Jimmy Jam and Monte Moir on keyboards, bassist Terry Lewis, guitarist Jesse Johnson and Jerome Benton, a former band promoter who served as a dancer and comic within the band. Originally, the lead singer was to be Alexander O'Neal, but after a financial disagreement led O'Neal to walk away from the project, Prince turned to his old buddy, Morris Day.
Although the members of the Time were accomplished, virtuoso musicians, they were not allowed to play on their first album, which was simply called “The Time,” and which spawned two R&B hits, “Cool” and “Get It Up.” Instead, except for the lead vocals by Day, all of the instruments on the album were played by Prince or members of his own band, like keyboardist Matt Fink. But as the Time began to tour broadly, their reputation as an amazing live act grew — setting the stage for a period when the acolytes would come to challenge their more famous master.
We'll continue our look at the history of the Time next week in this space... and in the process discover that the time for the Time may not have fully passed.
-------------------
Notes is supported by the Gay and Lesbian Fund, committed to enriching life in Colorado by supporting the arts.
