In a few weeks Morris Day and the Time will light up the Knight Theater stage. If you have ever seen him you know that he gives a show … but so did many of the other artists of his time. When you think about Morris you automatically are reminded of his role in Prince’s film “Purple Rain,” and the fact that he got his start as a member of The Time, a band that Prince assembled. Knowing this, you can only expect to that both would be known for electric performances (Morris was trained by one of the best). But not long after the two started working together, things got shady, but who would ultimately end up with music lovers’ hearts and the right to claim the title of the “baddest mofo low down around this town” (channeling my inner Sho’nuff from “The Last Dragon”)?
Related: MJ VERSUS USHER VERSUS Chris Brown: Who’s The Baddest?
The Evidence:
Prince Highlights
Prince has so far produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career, to date. He founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of the instruments on his recordings. In addition, Prince has been a “talent promoter” for the careers of Sheila E., Carmen Electra, The Time and Vanity 6,[2] and has written songs for these artists and others (including Chaka Khan, The Bangles, and Sinéad O’Connor).
Rolling Stone has ranked Prince #27 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Earning 33 nominations, Prince has won seven Grammys. He also has had two albums − 1999 and Purple Rain − awarded the Grammy Hall of Fame Award.
Morris Day Highlights
Morris Day got his start as a member of The Time, assembled under a clause in Prince’s contract with Warner Bros. that allowed him to recruit and produce other artists for the label.
Inspired by the 1980 film The Idolmaker, Prince decided to put together a pop-funk group that would serve as an outlet for material in the vein of his own early albums, while he explored other genres and styles in his own career.
By 1981, he had built The Time out of an existing Minneapolis funk unit, “Flyte Time” (from the Donald Byrd song), which featured Jellybean Johnson on drums, Jimmy Jam and Monte Moir on keyboards, and Terry Lewis on bass. To this base were added Jesse Johnson on guitar and a lead singer and childhood friend named Morris Day, and Jerome Benton who was a promoter drawn from another local band called “Enterprise”, who became Day’s comic foil.
The band went on to release four albums (mostly performed by Prince + singer Morris Day alone) during the course of their main career, each a solid slice of jammy, rock-infused 80s funk, generally light and humorous in tone, strongly influenced by Parliament – and, of course, Prince. Although they scored numerous hits (including “The Bird“, “Jungle Love“, “777-9311“, “Get It Up“, “Gigolos Get Lonely Too“, “The Walk” and “Cool“, mostly on the R&B charts) during the early 1980s, they never approached superstardom.
Prince VERSUS Morris Day: Who’s The Baddest?Market Research
What’s Your Favorite Prince Song?survey software
What’s Your Favorite Morris Day and The Time Song?Market Research
