Prince later recall that he was five when he saw his father perform and the experience

was so exhilarating that it made him want to be a musician Prince wrote his first song Funk

machine on his father's piano when he was 7 years old and soon after he also learned to play the

guitar and the drums in high school Prince played football basketball and baseball and studied ballet at the Minnesota

Dance Theater he played guitar for a local band 94 East and recorded a demo which

led to a contract with Warner Brothers records when he was only 19 Prince's early albums for which

he played virtually all of the instruments himself brought him a fan following and critical Acclaim but it was his

fifth album 1999 which was released in 1982 that marked his breakthrough as a major recording star 1999

produced three hit singles including Little Red Corvette Little Red Corvette greatly expanded princes fan base with

the video receiving extensive airplay on MTV at a time when the fledgling Music Channel featured few

black performers now joined by Apollonia Kotero and Morris Day here's Prince at the peak

of his powers in Purple Rain

Prince later recall that he was five when he saw his father perform and the experience

was so exhilarating that it made him want to be a musician Prince wrote his first song Funk

machine on his father's piano when he was 7 years old and soon after he also learned to play the

guitar and the drums in high school Prince played football basketball and baseball and studied ballet at the Minnesota

Dance Theater he played guitar for a local band 94 East and recorded a demo which

led to a contract with Warner Brothers records when he was only 19 Prince's early albums for which

he played virtually all of the instruments himself brought him a fan following and critical Acclaim but it was his

fifth album 1999 which was released in 1982 that marked his breakthrough as a major recording star 1999

produced three hit singles including Little Red Corvette Little Red Corvette greatly expanded princes fan base with

the video receiving extensive airplay on MTV at a time when the fledgling Music Channel featured few

black performers now joined by Apollonia Kotero and Morris Day here's Prince at the peak

of his powers in Purple Rain