RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

It's been fifteen years since actor and musical artist, Vanessa Williams has released new music. She had a thriving pop music career since the late 1980's but had recently decided to put her main focus on acting on the screen and stage. Yet unexpectedly Williams has dropped a new single, "Legs (Keep Dancing)" that is the first from an upcoming album due out later in the year. Inspired by the memoir, "The Legs Are The Last To Go" by the legendary, trailblazing actress, Diahann Carroll, the sixty-one year old Williams decided it was not too late to resume her recording career. The music video for this dance bop displays Williams in fine form, showing off her legs and some impressive, high energy moves. But Williams has not given up on acting as she is set to return to the stage in London's West End, as Miranda Priestly in Elton John's musical adaptation of "The Devil Wears Prada".

The alt-r&b duo, Lion Babe, that features vocalist, Jillian Hervey and producer, Lucas Goodman have also just released a new dance track, "So Pretty". This New York based outfit have been blending classic soul and electronic beats since 2012 and with their latest release, "So Pretty" delivers a shimmering house music song about feeling confidently beautiful on the inside and on the outside. For the video, looking and sounding very much like her mother, Vanessa Williams, Hervey is seen strutting around the city looking glamourous and fierce.



Here are a few recent songs that I am enjoying: "Espresso", the latest pop single from actress/singer, Sabrina Carpenter which is her first to reach the top-ten in several countries including the Billboard Hot 100; The song, "Make You Mine" from Madison Beer with the music video inspired by the horror-comedy, "Jennifer's Body"; Tinashe is back with "Nasty" which proclaims that she's looking for a freak and "Magnificent", the most recent song unearthed from the seemingly, unlimited musical vault from the late and highly prolific artist, Prince.









And I just recently watched again "Sweet Charity", the 1969 movie adaptation of the stage musical which was based on the Fellini film, "Nights of Cabiria". And while it does not work entirely for me, what makes the film truly stand out is the direction and choreography of Bob Fosse, making his screen directorial debut. He began first as a chorus dancer in the movies before heading to the Broadway stage, working his magic to become an acclaimed choreographer and later a director. Fosse's success continued as he returned to film, making five features and winning the Best Director Oscar for the musical, "Cabaret" in 1972. Here is the incredible number of "Big Spender" from "Sweet Charity" which features Paula Kelly and Chita Rivera that is a marvel in movement and sound.

THE 50 BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARIES OF ALL TIME

Music has always played an important part in cinema since the very beginning of the industry. The early films were silent but were accompanied by a pianist or even, in some large cities, a small orchestra in theaters. When recorded, synchronized sound began in 1927, it was a game-charger for the movies and the first sound feature film released, "The Jazz Singer" was, not surprisingly, a musical.

Over time, documentaries were made about music and the gifted artists who created these sounds. In recent years, this has exploded with a large number of movies about musicians, well-known, obscure or forgotten, in all genres have been filling cinemas and streaming channels.

Vulture has put together a list of fifty of what they consider to be the best music documentaries of all time. First putting these selections together in 2015, they have updated this listing to include recent releases. These movies (which include a few concert films) are all important and fascinating documents. There are films which deeply explore what has made many of these popular musicians so vital; highlight professionals who had assisted singers and musicians with their careers and reveal talented artists who never had a real opportunity to shine in their lifetime yet remain highly influential.

Click below to read the article:

The 50 Best Music Documentaries of All-Time

JAM & LEWIS - VOL. ONE

You may not immediately recognize the names of "Jimmy Jam" Harris and Terry Lewis but you definitely know their music:

"Saturday Love" by Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal

"Human" by the Human League

"Just Be Good To Me" by the S.O.S. Band

"If It Isn't Love" by New Edition

"U Remind Me" by Usher

"Tender Love" by Force MD's

"Encore" by Cheryl Lynn

And almost the entire discography of Janet Jackson. This is just a very small number of songs this dynamic duo has co-written and produced since 1983. They have worked with a wildly diverse group of musicians during that time which includes Rod Stewart, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Bryan Adams, Chaka Khan, Boyz II Men, Sting, Yolanda Adams, Herb Alpert, Patti Austin, Earth Wind & Fire and The Spice Girls.

These long-time friends, who first met in college, would join as musicians with the Minneapolis-based funk band called Flyte Tyme. After connecting with Prince and Morris Day joining as lead singer, the group evolved in to the Time and released their self-titled debut album in 1981. This band enjoyed great success before the duo, who had begun to produce other acts on the side, missed a concert while stranded in Atlanta during a snow storm. Harris and Lewis would end up leaving the Time, after either quitting or were fired (depending on who you ask) in 1983. The song they had produced during that time for the S.O.S. Band, "Just Be Good To Me" would become a smash hit and helped launch the production careers of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

Now after years of being in the background, Jam & Lewis have released their very first album under their own names. "Jam & Lewis Volume One" features an impressive line-up of artists that they have worked with previously (Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Usher) and for the first time (Toni Braxton, Babyface, Charlie Wilson, formerly of the Gap Band). And former Time members, Morris Day and Jerome Benton even show up along with The Roots on the track, "Babylove". This is a great collection of classic r&b by this influential team and I can't wait to hear the next volume.

2021 SUMMER NEW MUSIC PREVIEW

With the pandemic finally moving behind us and the ability to reconnect with other people, face to maskless face, on the horizon, music will be playing an important part of the upcoming hot weather season. And what will be the ultimate song of the summer? That is the big question and Vulture has created a guide on what new music we will be listening to and what we can possibly (hopefully) expect to hear. The list is separated by upcoming releases that have been confirmed (Billie Eilish, Prince, BTS,  Lana Del Rey) and potentially coming soon (the usual suspects, Adele, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar and Drake) . And there is a listing of all of the live music festivals (remember those??) happening throughout the summer.

Click below to read the article:

56 Albums We Can’t Wait to Hear This Summer

MY TUNE OF THE DAY

This tune of the day is actually a reason to talk about the television special, "Let’s Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to Prince" that aired on April 21st. This program was in order to honor the memory and career of the prolific, gifted musical artist who passed away on this date four years ago which is still really shocking to believe. The actress and comedian, Maya Rudolph hosted the event (and briefly performed with Gretchen Lieberum as a part of their tribute band to Prince, Princess) with a a variety of musicians coming out to entertain with their versions of the Purple One's Greatest hits.

As to be expected, there were some thrilling performances (H.E.R. and Gary Clark, Jr. doing a guitar-heavy cover of "Let’s Go Crazy"; the Foo Fighters delivering their version of "Darling Nikki" and the reunion of Morris Day and The Time who came together to do several of their big hits) and a few that failed to generate much excitement (Susanna Hoffs teaming with Chris Martin of Coldplay to turn the Bangles', "Manic Monday" in to an odd ballad; Beck singing a lackluster cover of "Raspberry Beret"; Usher doing a reprise of his Prince medley performance from this year's Grammys but singer, FKA Twigs was still only being used as a back-up dancer). Sheila E. was a constant presence throughout the show, playing as a backing musician for all of the acts and the dazzling percussionist even had the chance in the spotlight with an electrifying performance of her Prince produced smash, "The Glamorous Life".

One of my favorite moments of the evening was Earth, Wind and Fire doing an impressive cover of Prince's "Adore" from his 1987 album, "Sign o' the Times". Philip Bailey's distinctive falsetto sent this beautiful ballad soaring and the band made their version a highlight of the show. As "Adore" is one of my favorite songs by Prince, I have made it my tune of the day. Please listen and enjoy:

ORIGINALS

The one thing you could say about Prince, the late great artist who brought witty and lusty funk-rock to pop music, is that he liked to stay busy. He was incredibly prolific, churning out music at a pace that seemed almost inhuman. There were rumors that Prince had a vault filled with unreleased material as he was unable to put it all out for fear by his record label of releasing too much music. And the most amazing part was that almost all of these extra songs that have managed to slip out over time were actually good, more than worthy to have appeared on any of his albums.

One example is "Erotic City", the now classic jam from 1984 that was simply put as a B-side to the single of "Let's Go Crazy" from the "Purple Rain" soundtrack. Prince would continue to put many interesting songs as B-sides of his singles and eventually put some of his most popular ones on the 1993 box-set of his first greatest hits collection as a bonus CD.

And other thing about Prince is that he liked to share. He was more than willing to provide music for artists that he admired like Chaka Khan, Sheena Easton and Patti LaBelle as well as lending a helping hand to many new musicians he would introduce that would go on to find some success like Sheila E, Vanity 6, and The Time.

"Originals" is the latest posthumous release, following last year's "Piano and a Microphone 1983", which features the demos of fifteen songs by Prince that he wrote and gave to other artists. This collection features his versions of Apollonia 6's "Sex Shooter"; "Jungle Love" and "Gigolos Get Lonely Too" which would be recorded by The Time; "You're My Love" that country music artist, Kenny Rogers would perform and "Manic Monday" which would become the breakout single for the rock band, The Bangles. And then there's "Nothing Compares 2 U" that was originally given to the band he formed called The Family which they recorded on their 1985 self-titled album before Sinéad O'Connor covered it five years later and made it a worldwide hit. Prince's demo version appears here on this album but it has been released previously. Enjoy a few examples to see how fully formed these songs were in demo and how he could have easily released these versions:

KOOL & THE GANG 2017 TOUR

Just as much as audiences love new music, they also enjoy looking back at their old-school favorites. Those concert packages that puts together several vintage bands of the past are a rite of the summer and the latest features the slightly odd combo of Village People, Morris Day and The Time and the headliners, Kool & The Gang. I caught them on the first day of a two-night stand at the Hollywood Bowl on July 21st.

The Village People kicked off the night with a surprisingly brief twenty minute set although in hindsight it was plenty of time as it soon began to feel like they were doing slight variations of the same song. It's not really unexpected that most of the original members of these acts have departed in one form or another but this disco novelty act of gay male fantasy types features the most of their founding members. With the Indian (Felipe Rose), the GI (Alex Briley) and lead vocalist, the cop (Ray Simpson who replaced Victor Willis in their heyday) still around, the People did a fun, high-energy show that featured them doing their signature butch-dance moves while performing their greatest hits like "Macho Man", "In The Navy" and the enduring smash, "Y.M.C.A" which they did a detailed demonstration before the song on how to properly do the hand movements.

Before The Time came out, a tribute to Prince, who they were closely associated with, played on the video screens that featured his music and early pictures of him with Morris Day. Then the band arrived on stage to the sound of the Purple One's "1999" with Day checking out his look in a mirror carried by his "valet", Jerome Benton before launching in to their first hit, "Get It Up". They sounded great but seemed to have a hard time getting this crowd engaged. I think it may be for a lack of recognizable hits as The Time didn't have a major impact on the pop charts in their day as Prince did. The group fared better when they touched on his music with them doing a cover of "D.M.S.R". During the sentimental ballad, "Gigolos Get Lonely, Too", Day had his son, Derran come on stage to belt out a verse. While he has an impressive voice, it still came across like a shameless plug with the proud father advising the audience to find him on social media afterwards.

By the time Kool & The Gang arrived to close out the show, the crowd was warmed up and ready to party. Bass player and the namesake of this popular band, Robert "Kool" Bell (who is still on hand) started this group as a funk band in the late sixties before moving towards r&b and pop with the arrival of James "J.T." Taylor as lead singer in 1979. They got everybody on their feet with solid versions of their hits "Hollywood Swinging", "Ladies' Night", "Jungle Boogie" and "Get Down On It" enhanced by a fantastic horn section that features a couple of original players. Taylor has been long gone from the group but Lavell Evans does a serviceable job of filling in for the former vocalist yet not completely escaping moments that made them sound like a wedding band. Kool and company wanted everybody to know they are still in the game as they performed a new song, "Sexy (Where'd You Get Yours)". While it was perfectly keeping with their funky spirit, it was hardly anything noteworthy and just gave people a chance to head out for a beer run. With the sound of Kool & The Gang's biggest hit, "Celebration" signaling that the night is coming to a close, it was an enjoyable evening of music and memories.

A SALUTE TO PRINCE

It's hard to believe that it's been a little over a year since we lost the phenomenally talented musician, Prince. He would have turned fifty-eight on June 7th and the world still hasn't seem to have recovered from the tragic passing of this truly iconic artist.

I just recently caught up with watching this year's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction and my favorite part of the program had nothing to do with any of the inductees. It was a brief musical tribute to the Purple One by Lenny Kravitz that blew me away. I have to say it's the absolute best out of the many tributes paid to Prince to date, so please check out Mr Kravitz performing inspired live versions of "When Doves Cry" and "The Cross":

THE INFLUENCE OF PRINCE

The world is still reeling from the shocking loss of the musical genius, Prince. He was a consistent creative force with an inimitable talent and boundless energy. With an impressive body of work that ranged from politically charged anthems, tender love ballads, funky dance tunes and raunchy sex ditties, it's no surprise that other artists were attracted to his material.

Here are some of the amazing covers of songs written by the Purple One or they were created by him for that specific performer. There is even a hit song by Stevie Nicks that was inspired simply by his presence in the recording studio.

"When You Were Mine" - Cyndi Lauper (1983) mp3

"Sugar Walls" - Sheena Easton (1984) mp3

"Do Me Baby" - Meli'sa Morgan (1985) mp3







"Yo Mister" - Patti Labelle (1989) mp3

"Nothing Compares 2 U" - Sinéad O’Connor (1990) mp3

"Round and Round" - Tevin Campbell (1990) mp3

"I Wanna Be Your Lover" - Corinne Bailey Rae (2011) mp3

PRINCE (1958 - 2016)

It's with a sad and heavy heart, I have to report that Prince, the boldly innovative and incredibly prolific funk & roll artist, has passed away. There has not been a specific cause of his death disclosed to date, although he was involved in an emergency airplane landing last week and rushed to the hospital.

Prince Nelson Rodgers was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Even after becoming famous and traveling across the entire globe, the city remained his home with him later building Paisley Park recording studio there. Both of his parents were jazz musicians and a young Prince took to music eagerly. At seventeen, he recorded several demos that caught the attention of Warner Bros. Records. He signed to the label with the very rare offer of creative control for three albums and ownership of the publishing rights.

Two years later, Prince released his debut, "For You" for which he wrote, produced and played all of the instruments. The album wasn't a major hit but the single, "Soft and Wet", which made the top-twenty on the soul chart, definitely made people take notice of his dazzling talent and sexually provocative nature. His self-titled follow-up in 1979 would be his first major breakthrough with the song, "I Wanna be Your Lover" reaching the soul and pop charts and selling over a million copies.

With his fame building, Prince took to the world of acting by starring in the film, "Purple Rain" in 1984 which was loosely based on his life. The movie became a box-office hit but the soundtrack was a massive smash selling over thirteen million copies in the U.S alone with four top-ten singles including the title track and "When Doves Cry".

Prince was one of the highest selling artists of all time with sales of over 100 million records. He had recorded thirty-nine studio album with his latest, "HITnRUN: Phase One" and "HITnRUN: Phase Two" both released last year. Prince won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe, an Academy Award and was inducted in to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

Much like David Bowie, (another icon we sadly lost earlier this year), Prince was a musical chameleon that confidently mixed and twisted many genres to create his own unique sound. Also like Bowie, he pushed the boundaries of gender norms, performing in make-up, high-heels and colorfully flamboyant costumes that some might consider feminine. Yet Prince was unconcerned with questions or comments regarding his sexuality as he was quite secure and seemed to enjoy the controversy his appearance stirred.

Prince rarely gave interviews with the most infamous was during his very first national television appearance on "American Bandstand" when he pissed off host Dick Clark when he barely spoke to answer any questions. I'm sure the singer was just shy but it also seems clear that he preferred to let his music speak for him. The Artist who will forever be known as Prince has left behind a vast amount of great music for us to cherish and enjoy. He will truly be missed.

VANITY (1959 - 2016)

I am very sad to report that Vanity, the beautiful singer who once fronted Prince's girl group, Vanity 6, best known for the sexually provocative song, "Nasty Girl", passed away on February 15th. She had left behind show business and a wild lifestyle years ago and became a born-again evangelist in the '90's. The former singer/actress had recently been suffering from kidney failure and being treated with peritoneal dialysis due to many years of drug abuse.

She was born Denise Matthews in Ontario, Canada and started in beauty pageants before moving on to some modeling and acting in low-budget films as "D.D. Winters". She soon traveled to America and landed in Los Angeles and it didn't take long for her to get noticed.

Matthews met Prince during the American Music Awards in 1980 and encouraged her to move in to music. The Purple One renamed her "Vanity", teamed her with his former girlfriend, Susan Moonsie and Brenda Bennett and they became "Vanity 6". The sexy trio released a self-titled album in 1982 and with the help of the hit song, "Nasty Girl", the record sold over half a million copies.

Vanity decided to leave the group to start a solo career and signed with Motown Records in 1984. She recorded two moderately successful albums on the label and appeared in films like "The Last Dragon" and "Action Jackson" with Carl Weathers. It was during this time she got heavily involved with drugs. After nearly dying from an overdose, Vanity claims to have seen Jesus and told her if she left this life behind to devote herself to him, he would save her. Matthews recovered and never looked back, spending the rest of her life as a born-again Christian.

Here are some notable songs during her time as Vanity:

"Nasty Girl" - Vanity 6 (1982) mp3

"Mechanical Emotion" - Vanity (1984) mp3

Take a look at the music video for one of Vanity's songs from her solo career, "Under The Influence":

HOT AND FRESH OUT THE KITCHEN

TAYLOR SWIFT - "1989"

Country superstar, Taylor Swift has made a risky move by making her fifth album, "1989" a pure pop record. This could potentially be career suicide as country music fans are notoriously unforgiving when a beloved artist abandons their loving arms. I don't think Ms Swift has much to fear as the album looks poised to becoming one of the biggest sellers of the year.

For her official foray in to pop music, Swift has wisely decided against relying on current trends and looks back to the sounds of the 1980's for inspiration. The title of this record comes from the year of her birth and with production assistance from pop-hit makers, Max Martin, Ryan Tedder and Shellback as well as Jack Antonoff of the indie band, Fun and alt-rocker, Imogen Heap, she has crafted a collection that evokes a feeling of the past but remains quite modern. And considering she hasn't done much living at only twenty-four, Swift also shows great maturity as a songwriter.

"Blank Space", the latest single from the album looks sure to be another smash:

"Blank Space" - Taylor Swift (2014)

STEVIE NICKS - "24 KARAT GOLD: SONGS FROM THE VAULT"

One of Taylor Swift's idols, Stevie Nicks has also looked to the past for her latest release, "24 Karat Gold: Songs From the Vault". Nicks had a large collection of unrecorded songs she had written that went as far back as when she was dating Lindsey Buckingham before they joined Fleetwood Mac in 1975. They are now seeing the light of day as Nicks went to Nashville with producers, Waddy Wachtel and Dave Stewart (formerly of The Eurythmics) to record these lost treasures. The majority of the songs are by the singer but there are a few covers including "Carousel" by Vanessa Carlton which was one of her mother's favorites.

This is one of the tracks I really like:

"Starshine" - Stevie Nicks (2014)

PRINCE - "ART OFFICIAL AGE"

After being musically silent for far too long, the iconic Prince has returned with not one but two new releases. "Plectrumelectrum" and "Art Official Age" are being released by his former label, Warner Bros Records which he claimed at one time that they treated him like nothing more than a slave but clearly time has healed those old wounds. The former CD is an avant-garde, hard-edged rock album with his all-female backing band, 3rdeyegirl but I'm going to focus on the later which delivers more of the funky sound that I love. Prince seems to be in a more playful, sensual mood these days which is reflected in this new music. Along with the expected idiosyncratic touches scattered throughout, this is one of his most accessible albums in years.

"Clouds" - Prince (2014)

ANNIE LENNOX - "NOSTALGIA"

As is the trend these days for record labels to have veteran artists travel down a musical memory lane, Annie Lennox has just released her version with the appropriately titled, "Nostalgia". Ms Lennox had previously recorded a covers album of pop songs that inspired her back in 1995 with "Medusa" but this time the dynamic vocalist has gone back even further. This collection features songs from the Great American Songbook and some jazz tunes. She has taken on such classics ranging from Billie Holiday's "God Bless The Child" and "Strange Fruit", "Summertime" from Gershwin and "Georgia On My Mind" made famous by Ray Charles. Ms Lennox convincingly performs each song with warmth, style and class. "Nostalgia" has even made it to the top of the Billboard jazz chart.

Here is a clip of the singer performing "Summertime":


TINASHE - "AQUARIUS"

One of my favorite songs of the year is "2 On" by the twenty-one year old Tinashe and after releasing several popular mixtapes, her debut, "Aquarius" is now out. Although this singer/actress brings to mind the late Aaliyah, the Zimbabwe born, L.A. raised artist moves further out of the realm of traditional r&b or hip-hop. Tinashe had a hand on the writing of most of the songs along with top producers DJ Mustard, Mike Will Made-It and Stargate to help expand her sound and together they created a work that is sexy, experimental and highly innovative.

Enjoy this sample of the sounds of Tinashe:

"Cold Sweat" - Tinashe (2014)

Dawn Richard, a former member of the female pop singing group formed by Sean "P.Diddy" Combs, Danity Kane, has dropped the music video for her new single, "Blow". Richard is part of the alt-r&b movement and this pulsating clip is equally offbeat:

BREAKFAST CAN WAIT

I knew there had to be a reason that the publicity-shy artist, Prince made an appearance at this year's Grammys and it wasn't just to give somebody an award. The purpose seems to be timed to remind that program's global audience that he's still around and he has some new music to share.

His latest tune, "Breakfast Can Wait' has dropped and it's hot. It brings to mind the funky, more sensual sounds from his early days before he fought with his record label, changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol, found religion and began making music that was simply too esoteric. The song is no where near as raunchy as what we used to expect from the Purple One but the lyrics are still as clever as ever. I'm still a very big fan and looking forward to whatever comes next.

Have a listen:

"Breakfast Can Wait" - Prince (2013)

PRINCE AND HIS EXTENDED "FAMILY"

When Prince signed with Warner Bros. Records, he had a clause in contract that allowed him to recruit and produce other artists for the label, so he quickly took advantage of that. He sought out musicians that he knew from his early days or simply people that he met that interested him and he would build an act around.

Since Prince wrote and produced almost all of the music for these artists, despite what was listed on the credits, this allowed him another creative outlet to get more of his music out in to the world. Some of these acts became somewhat successful while most only had a very brief moment in the spotlight.

Here are just a few of the artists that Prince helped introduce:

THE TIME

The Time was one of Prince's first and most successful acts as he assembled together a group of musicians from part of another Minneapolis funk band, Flyte Time that included Terry Lewis on bass, Jimmy Jam and Monte Moir on keyboards and drummer, "Jellybean" Johnson. He added Jesse Johnson on guitar and a childhood friend, Morris Day as the lead vocalist. Jerome Benton, a concert promoter was brought on board as part of a comic routine with Day during concerts.

Produced by Prince, "The Time", the group's self-titled debut was released in 1981 which featured rock-based r&b with a comedic edge and featured the hit songs, "Get It Up (Album Version)" "Girl" and "Cool".

By the second album, "What Time Is It?", due to a tense rivalry with Prince and his band during concert tours, a frustration with a lack of creative input and feeling underpaid for their contribution, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Monte Moir decided to leave The Time. They went on to work together writing and producing for other artists including, most famously, Janet Jackson.

Prince replaced them with Mark Cardenas and Paul Peterson on keyboards and Jerry Hubbard on bass and this new line-up was featured in the film, "Purple Rain" and recorded a third album "Ice Cream Castle" together.

Because of the success of the movie, Morris Day felt it was time to leave the group to pursue a solo career in 1984 and Jesse Johnson soon followed, taking with him Cardenas and Hubbard. This effectively brought an end to The Time and Prince placed the remaining members in to a new group called The Family in 1985.

The original members reassembled in 1990 for Prince's film, "Graffiti Bridge" and recorded another album together, "Pandemonium" but it became a short-lived reunion as The Time broke-up once again due to a clash of egos and in-fighting.

"Get It Up" - The Time

VANITY 6

Prince originally envisioned an all-female singing group that would perform in lingerie and he would call them, "The Hookers". He put together his personal assistant, Jamie Shoop, Brenda Bennett who was the wife of his set designer and Susan Moonsie who was his girlfriend at the time.

The trio recorded a few demos but then Prince met Denise Matthews, a Canadian nude model and B-movie actress. He was so captivated by her that he decided to build the group around her and Shoop was dismissed. Prince wanted to rename Denise, "Vagina" but to be pronounced va-GEE-na. She declined but came up with her own name, "Vanity".

The group became Vanity 6, with the "6" to apparently stand for the number of breasts amongst the ladies, and they released their self-titled album, "Vanity 6" in 1982. The biggest single from the album was "Nasty Girl" but due to the sexual lyrics, the song met resistance from pop radio but it managed to climb to the top ten of the r&b and dance charts.

Vanity was preparing to record the group's next album and do a part written for her in Prince's upcoming film, "Purple Rain" when she decided to leave Vanity 6. She went on to sign with Motown Records as well as perform in some feature films including "Action Jackson" and "The Last Dragon". After years of drug abuse, Vanity got sober, became born-again, renounced her sinful past and is currently a Christian preacher.

"Nasty Girl" - Vanity 6

Here is a music video of the ladies performing the song, "He's So Dull":




APOLLONIA 6

After Vanity abruptly left the singing group, Vanity 6, Prince was in search of a replacement. He found Patricia Kotero, an aspiring singer and actress.  He named her, "Apollonia" and the trio became known as Apollonia 6. She was given a role in the film, "Purple Rain" and sang a duet with Prince for the soundtrack on the song, "Take Me With U".

Apollonia 6  released their only album in 1984 to tie in with the film and the only notable song was "Sex Shooter" which was featured in "Purple Rain". The group soon disbanded with  Apollonia going on to record a solo album in 1988 and appeared on the television show, "Falcon Crest" and some low budget movies.

"Sex Shooter" - Apollonia 6


SHEILA E.

Sheila Escovedo is the daughter of famed percussionist, Pete and has followed in his footsteps but she also plays the tuba and guitar. Sheila met Prince in 1978 during one of her father's concerts and he told her that they should work together one day.

That didn't happen, however, until 1983 during the recording of the "Purple Rain" soundtrack where she added vocals to the song, "Erotic City". That lead to him writing and producing her first solo album, "The Glamorous Life" in 1984. The title song, which was originally intended for the aborted Apollonia 6 follow-up album, became a top ten hit for her and reaching number one on the dance charts. This was her biggest hit although she had a top twenty hit with "A Love Bizarre" from her second album, "Romance 1600" in 1985.

Sheila E. has released six albums to date but she is now best known as one of the best percussionists working today and she has worked with a wide spectrum of musical artists including Diana Ross, Ringo Starr, Gloria Estefan, Marvin Gaye, Carlos Santana and just recently with Marc Anthony on this past season finale of "American Idol".

"The Glamorous Life" - Sheila E.


THE FAMILY

After The Time disbanded, Prince created a new band called The Family. It consisted of former Time members, keyboardist, Paul Peterson who was renamed, St. Paul and became the lead singer, Jerome Benton and Jellybean Johnson still on drums. Prince added Eric Leeds, a member of his band, The Revolution, on saxophone and his girlfriend at the time, Susannah Melvoin, the twin sister of Wendy (of Wendy & Lisa) as a vocalist and keyboardist.

"The Family" was released in 1985 and much like The Time albums, Prince wrote, performed and produced all of the tracks and simply later added the vocals of St. Paul and Susannah. The song, "The Screams of Passion" became a modest hit for the band but the album also featured the first version of the song, "Nothing Compares 2 U" which would later become a worldwide smash for Sinead O'Connor in 1990.

Also like members of The Time, St. Paul left the group to pursue a solo career due to a lack of creative control and Prince lost interest in The Family without a vocalist and simply added them to his band, The Revolution except Jellybean Johnson who went on to work with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

"The Screams Of Passion" - The Family

PRINCE: WELCOME 2 AMERICA CONCERT

As he did at Madison Square Garden in New York last December, Prince is now in Los Angeles performing a multi-night run at The Forum with his "Welcome 2 America" tour which I saw April 22nd..

On a large, lighted stage that was in the shape of the symbol when he was known as "The Artist Formerly Known As Prince", The Purple One made his entrance rising from the middle of the structure, wearing one of his over-the-top, trademark suits, where he performed the first song with all of the lights up.

I was not familiar with this song, (it might have been "Welcome 2 America", the song that he opened the New York shows with) in fact, I didn't recognize the next three songs he performed as they were probably newer material but it could have also been because The Forum's sound system is so awful that it made the music sound muddy and unrecognizable. If this venue wants to continue booking music events, they really need to invest in an updated sound system.



Photo: Dean Decent

The song that I finally knew was, "She's Always In My Hair [12" Version]", an unusual choice since this was the b-side of the single to his hit song, "Raspberry Beret" (which he played later) but since he had no new record to promote, it was clear that Prince was going to be adventurous and play whatever interested him. He continued on with some interesting and inspired musical choices that included his version of  Kool & The Gang's "Hollywood Swinging" and The Time's "Cool" where Prince brought on stage actor, Cuba Gooding, Jr and I think, Nicole Schertzinger of  The Pussycat Dolls to dance with the band during the number.

Prince soon arrived with a collection of his own hit songs; "When Doves Cry", "Cream", "Controversy (LP Version)" and "U Got The Look". He began playing on the piano, singing "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore (LP Version)" when he is joined on stage by Alicia Keys where they perform a sizzling duet.

Since Prince has become a Jehovah's Witness, he has stated that he will no longer perform any of sexually-oriented material but that didn't stop him from teasing the audience by playing musical snippets of  "Darling Nikki" and Vanity 6's "Nasty Girl" but he just shook his head.

After his third encore of a soaring version of "Purple Rain", the lights of the theater came up, so we chose to leave after having a hot, sweaty funky good time. It is entirely possible that Prince may have returned to the stage to play some more as people were staying put, screaming for more.

Here are some of the nastier stuff I wish he had played:

Dirty Mind - Prince (1980)

Lady Cab Driver - Prince (1983)

Erotic City - Prince (1983)

Gett Off - Prince (1991)