Prince (Prince Rogers Nelson)
1958-2016 · Contribution: 1978-2016
Musician
Pioneered the genre-blending “Minneapolis sound” fusing funk, rock, R&B, and new wave, and in 1984 became the first artist to simultaneously hold the number-one film, album, and single in the United States with Purple Rain, a feat that also earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score

Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1958
- Active since
- 1978
- Category
- Arts, Music & Entertainment Tech
- Best known for
- "Purple Rain"The "Minneapolis sound"Self-played multi-instrumentalist
Impact on the world
Prince fused genres and mastered every instrument himself, building a career on total artistic control rare among pop superstars. He also famously battled his label for ownership of his work.
Sources
- Britannica
1 more sources and references are available to members.
Related visionaries
Jackson, Michael Joseph
1958-2009
Became known as the “King of Pop” after his 1982 album Thriller sold an estimated 70 million copies worldwide to become the best-selling album in history, won a record-setting eight Grammy Awards in a single night in 1984, and transformed the music video into a cinematic art form while breaking racial barriers on MTV and radio
Wonder, Stevie (Stevland Hardaway Morris)
1950-present
A blind child prodigy signed to Motown at age 11, became one of the most decorated recording artists in history with 25 Grammy Awards, the most ever won by a male solo artist, and produced a run of 1970s albums including Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life widely regarded among the greatest in popular music
Hendrix, James Marshall “Jimi”
1942-1970
Widely regarded as the greatest and most influential electric guitarist in rock history, revolutionizing the instrument's sonic possibilities through pioneering use of amplifier feedback and effects, and delivering an iconic distortion-laden rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the 1969 Woodstock Festival
Gaye, Marvin Pentz Jr.
1939-1984
Became one of Motown's most versatile and influential artists, known as the “Prince of Motown” and “Prince of Soul,” and in 1971 broke from Motown's producer-driven system to create What's Going On, a self-produced concept album addressing war, poverty, and the environment that Rolling Stone later ranked the greatest album of all time