Imagine a massive stadium filled with purple light. A man steps onto the stage holding a guitar. He is dripping with confidence. He is known as the sexiest, most mysterious pop star in the entire world.
But long before he was a global superstar wearing a raspberry beret, Prince was just a boy with a very deep, powerful family history.
To understand the true evolution of Prince, we have to leave the cold city of Minneapolis. We have to travel back in time to the Deep South.
Prince – 1999 (Official Music Video)
Prince was born in Minnesota. But his father, John L. Nelson, was from a tiny, rural town called Cotton Valley, Louisiana. The town is hidden deep in the woods, just a short drive from the Arkansas state line. John’s family lived there for many generations.
The story of Prince’s family is an incredible “zero to hero” journey. It is a story of survival.
If you look at Prince’s family tree, you will find absolutely amazing people. Six of his eight great-grandparents were born into slavery. His great-grandfather was the son of a white slave owner and a freed Native American woman. The family was filled with hardworking preachers.
He also had a fierce great-aunt named Mittie. She fled the South, moved to Chicago, and became one of the most powerful, popular Black speakers in the city. She fought fiercely for freedom and equality. Prince came from a long line of people who were never afraid to raise their voices.
FULL BIOGRAPHY of PRINCE | Childhood, music career, last years of life | Documentary
After World War II, Prince’s father, John, wanted a better life. He fled the harsh racism of the South and moved north to Minnesota.
Did his family support his choice to become a musician? Absolutely. Music was already flowing through his veins!
When John arrived in Minnesota, he started a jazz band. He called it the “Prince Rogers Trio.” He played the piano. He soon met and married a beautiful jazz singer named Mattie Shaw. Together, they had a baby boy. They named him after his father’s band: Prince Rogers Nelson.
Prince grew up in a house filled with music. He soaked up the jazz, the soul, and the deep history of his ancestors. He took that fierce, fighting spirit from Cotton Valley and put it straight into his art. He fought for his own musical freedom. He refused to let record labels control him.
He evolved from a kid in Minnesota into the most electric, confident, and sexy artist to ever live.
You can come from a tiny, hidden town. You can come from a past filled with heavy struggles. But if you hold onto your family’s strength and find your own unique rhythm, you can grow up to change the entire world.