While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Dublin CA fans were saddened to learn that acclaimed guitarist and musician Prince has died at age 57. Not only was Prince an incredible and creative songwriter and a great performer on stage, but he also was a highly experienced guitarist who often put jaws on the floor when he took a solo. Prince’s full name was Prince Rogers Nelson. He was a guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and could play multi-instruments. He and his music revolutionized the industry. Prince was known for his diverse on-stage work, flamboyant stage presence, extravagant dress and makeup, and wide vocal range.
The key to longevity is to learn every aspect of music that you can – Prince
Quartz points to an interview in which Miles Davis discussed Prince: “His father took him to see James Brown when he was young, he got on the stage and danced with him. He has that, he has Jimi Hendrix, and Marvin Gaye. … He combines all that, all the time. That’s what he is. And his concept on the stage is like Charlie Chaplin.” Davis later compared Prince to Brown, Gaye, Hendrix, and Chaplin again in his 1989 autobiography, this time adding Sly, Little Richard, and Duke Ellington to the mix. “I think Prince’s music is pointing toward the future,” he wrote.”
He was born in Minneapolis in 1958 and developed an interest in music when he was very young. He bagged his first recording contract with Warner Bros. at the age of eighteen. Prince released his album ‘For You’ in 1978. His album Prince (1979) went multiplatinum, while his other three records ‘Dirty Mind’ (1980), ‘Controversy’ (1981), and 1999 (1982) also received success.
Rolling Stone had placed him at number 33 among 100 Greatest Guitarists. According to Rolling Stone he arguably played the greatest power-ballad guitar solo in history (“Purple Rain”), and his solo on an all-star performance of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” during George Harrison’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2004 had jaws on the floor. But he could also bring the nasty funk like Jimmy Nolen and Nile Rodgers (listen to the groove magic of “Kiss”) or shred like the fiercest metalhead (“When Doves Cry”). Sometimes his hottest playing simply functions as background “Gett Off” and “Dance On.” Prince got a lot of Hendrix comparisons, but he saw it differently, “If they really listened to my stuff, they’d hear more of a Santana influence than Jimi Hendrix,” he once told Rolling Stone. “Hendrix played more blues, Santana played prettier.”
He was a legendary music player from 1980s until his death, and he was best known for songs such as “Purple Rain”, “Little Red Corvette”, “1999”, and “When Doves Cry”. Prince the singer, songwriter, arranger and instrumentalist was widely acclaimed as one of the most inventive guitarist.
I am Rex Lee Bell and I am the founder of Guitar Confidence which provides mobile guitar lessons. I normally go to my client’s home to give personal one-on-one lessons in the privacy of their own home. Guitar Confidence covers Dublin, San Ramon, Pleasanton, Livermore and all cities in east and south bay.
Prince’s death is a great loss to the entire music industry, he was a true performer. A person that departs from this earth never truly leaves, and for someone like Prince he will always live in our hearts and minds, through us, they live on. We in Dublin, though saddened by the loss, and while our guitars gently weep, bid Prince a’safe travels to his next engagement.
Watch this video of Prince playing with Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, Jeff Lynne and others perform “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” at the 2004 Hall of Fame Inductions. Only he could steal the stage from a group of performers who were on that stage.
Leave a Reply