Happy Birthday Prince, THE GREAT PURPLE ARTIST!

Prince, "Love Symbol" or "The Artist Formerly Known As", was an amazingly epic weirdo. 

Today, June 7th, 2018 would have been his 60th birthday. 

When I was a kid, the first record single I owned was, "Little Red Corvette". It was catchy, it was groovy, it spoke to me and I was not even a big fan of Corvettes. Prince has always been and will always be one of my all time favorite recording artists. I snatched up the Sign "O" the Times album as soon as I was aware of its existence. 

Then something magical happened...

I saw a commercial on TV, which said Prince was performing a live concert (the LoveSexy Tour) at the Hampton Coliseum, relatively close to where I lived (nothing was ever closer than an hour away, because I grew up in the middle of No-Wheres-Ville, Gum Swamp, Virginia)! I knew I needed to experience it. I was about 10 years old and I had never been to see a live music concert like this before, so I managed to convince my parents to take me. 

It was a life altering experience. 

I went to this show on October 8th, 1988, and I can remember it as if it were yesterday. 

I remember Prince pulling up in his Ford Thunderbird, I remember my dad freaking out when they got on the bed and began to grind, I remember all the sexy dancing, I remember the energy, the stage in the round, the mind blowing Sheila E. drum solo, I remember the musicality, but most of all I remember how weird and wonderful the vibe was, how free everyone was, not only on stage but in the audience as well. 

Prince was enabling everyone in the audience, even my dad to feel the funk! From that point on, I knew that there was something special in the air when a weirdo artist lets their freak flag fly! 

It was a huge blow to my creative flow, when Prince passed away (far too soon) in April of 2016. So I did what I do and I made some art to honor "The Great Purple Artist" for his birthday! 

T-shirts featuring this design are available in the shop!

 

Be inspired and have your mind blown, watch the "LoveSexy" tour concert here: