Goes by the name of Prince. Oh you've heard of him, you just forgot how good a guitarist he is. This guy is a genius. Don't believe me? That's ok. Do you think he is still a pretender prancing around in frilly outfits? Let me tell you, and this is just my humble opinion, Michael Jackson is the pretender next to this guy. Have a look at these four selections for the proof.
Tom Petty & Friends, While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Tom Petty and his good friend Jeff Lynne and others from a VH-1 performance (I have no idea when. George Harrison's induction into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame?). This is one of my favorite Beatles tunes "by George". Everything rocks along nicely, and then, seemingly out of nowhere, this little dude with a red hat on appears and rocks out an epic solo on his pedestrian 'lil Telecaster. He didn't earn four Grammys and an Oscar for nothing!
Everlasting Now. Why mess with success? I knew Prince was the real deal after seeing him in Purple Rain. This is from a live performance on the Jay Leno show sometime in 2002-03. Because it doesn't get much more funky and alive than this. Oh lookee...Sheila E on percussion too. Nice! Check the lyrics out, because this is a gospel tune.
Don't let nobody bring U down (Let nobody)
Accurate knowledge of Christ and the Father
Bring the everlasting now
Join the party, make a
sound (Join the party)
Share the truth, preach the good news
Amen!
The Cross, I Wish U Heaven. From the albums Sign O the Times and Lovesexy. What does Prince have over Jimi Hendrix? Pretty much everything. Vocal range, musical versatility, longevity. And then there is creativity and artistry. It's all evident here,
The Beautiful Ones. This is from just this past April. I've never watched the "George Lopez Show," because it's on waaay past my bed time. Putting down the guitar in this video, did I mention Prince can dance too? He's the consummate showman. And a finder of talented team members. This video showcases all of this.
You don't have to like his work, but you can't deny that he has been given a gift. See you next week.
