Paisley Park Records was
PrincePrince Rogers Nelson is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He performs under the mononym Prince but has also been known by various other names, most notably the unpronounceable symbol which he used as his stage name between 1993 and 2000...
's
record labelIn the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, associated with and funded in part by
Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label that operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. It is also affectionately known as Warners or the Bunny, based on the Bugs Bunny cartoons released by Warner Bros. Pictures.-History:...
. It was started in
1985-January-March:*January 28 - Various artists, under the group name USA For Africa, including Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Steve Perry, Kenny Loggins, Willie Nelson, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Huey...
, following the success of the film and album
Purple Rain. The label shares its name with Prince's recording complex Paisley Park Studios and the song "
Paisley Park"Paisley Park" was the first single in both the UK and Australia to be released from Prince and The Revolution's 1985 album, Around the World in a Day. The song has a psychedelic feel, similar to some of The Beatles' later work with echoed guitar and finger cymbals. The lyrics describe a Utopian...
" on his 1985
Around the World in a DayAround the World in a Day is the seventh album by Prince and The Revolution, released on 22 April, 1985 on Warner Bros. . The album was released without any publicity, simply turning up in record stores to the surprise of fans....
album.
The studio was designed by architect firm BOTO Design Inc, of Santa Monica, California, and was completed in 1988.
Paisley Park Records was
PrincePrince Rogers Nelson is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He performs under the mononym Prince but has also been known by various other names, most notably the unpronounceable symbol which he used as his stage name between 1993 and 2000...
's
record labelIn the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, associated with and funded in part by
Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label that operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. It is also affectionately known as Warners or the Bunny, based on the Bugs Bunny cartoons released by Warner Bros. Pictures.-History:...
. It was started in
1985-January-March:*January 28 - Various artists, under the group name USA For Africa, including Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Steve Perry, Kenny Loggins, Willie Nelson, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Huey...
, following the success of the film and album
Purple Rain. The label shares its name with Prince's recording complex Paisley Park Studios and the song "
Paisley Park"Paisley Park" was the first single in both the UK and Australia to be released from Prince and The Revolution's 1985 album, Around the World in a Day. The song has a psychedelic feel, similar to some of The Beatles' later work with echoed guitar and finger cymbals. The lyrics describe a Utopian...
" on his 1985
Around the World in a DayAround the World in a Day is the seventh album by Prince and The Revolution, released on 22 April, 1985 on Warner Bros. . The album was released without any publicity, simply turning up in record stores to the surprise of fans....
album.
History
The studio was designed by architect firm BOTO Design Inc, of Santa Monica, California, and was completed in 1988. It contains a recording and stage complex, and covers .
Artists who recorded for Paisley Park include
The TimeThe Time is a funk and dance-pop ensemble formed in 1981. They are close Prince associates and arguably the most successful.-History:The band was assembled under a clause in Prince's contract with Warner Bros. that allowed him to recruit and produce other artists for the label...
,
Sheila E.Sheila Escovedo , known by her stage name Sheila E., is an American musician, perhaps best known for her work with Prince and Ringo Starr.-Early life and Prince period:...
,
The FamilyThe Family is an R&B band formed by Prince and one of the first signed to his record label, Paisley Park Records. The band renamed themselves Fdeluxe in 2009.-History:...
,
Mavis StaplesMavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:...
,
George ClintonGeorge Clinton is an American singer, songwriter and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and began his work as a solo artist in 1981. He has been called one of the most prominent...
,
Carmen ElectraTara Leigh Patrick , professionally known as Carmen Electra, is an American glamour model, actress, television personality, dancer and sex symbol...
,
Jill JonesJill Jones is an American singer and songwriter, who was a backing vocalist for Teena Marie and Prince in the 1980s.-Biography:...
,
The Three O'ClockThe Three O'Clock is a defunct United States alternative rock group associated with the Los Angeles 1980s Paisley Underground scene. Lead singer and bassist Michael Quercio is credited with coining the term "Paisley Underground" to describe a subset of the 1980s L.A...
,
Ingrid ChavezIngrid Julia Chavez, born 1965 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is a Mexican-American poet, vocalist, songwriter and photographer.-Personal life:Chavez was born January, 1965 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and raised in Marietta, Georgia...
,
Dale BozzioDale Bozzio , Boston Massachusetts, is an American musician and former Playboy Bunny. She became famous as the lead singer for the 1980s pop/new wave band Missing Persons.- Career :...
, and
Taja SevelleTaja Sevelle is a music recording artist from Minneapolis, Minnesota who began her music career in 1987 when she was signed to the Paisley Park Records label by Prince and given the stage name "Taj a Seville". In the same week she was accepted into the Berklee College of Music in Boston, she was...
.
While Prince had great chart success in the 1980s, the success did generally not transfer to other acts. With the exception of Sheila E.'s 1985 album
Romance 1600In Romance 1600 is the second album from singer-drummer-percussionist Sheila E.. The only track that Prince co-wrote and co-produced with Sheila is "A Love Bizarre," a 12-minute epic that became a major hit. This song was also a duet with her and Prince, whose influence is felt strongly throughout...
(also the label's debut non-Prince release), Tevin Campbell's single "Round and Round", and The Time's 1990 release, "Pandemonium", the label never had any commercial successes by artists other than Prince. In
1994
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1994.-January–February:*January 29 - The Supremes' Mary Wilson is injured when her Jeep hits a freeway median and flips over just outside of Los Angeles, California, USA...
, amid Prince's feud with Warner Bros., Warner ended its distribution deal with Paisley Park, effectively closing the label. Prince later started
NPG RecordsNPG Records is the current active record label owned by Prince, founded in 1993 to release his music after Paisley Park Records. Paisley Park was shut down by Warner Bros. Records in 1993. Warner Bros. distributed one NPG release in 1995, The Gold Experience. "NPG" is short for "New Power...
.
Paisley Park Records also released albums by
MazaratiMazarati was an American R&B band formed in the mid-1980s by former Prince and The Revolution bassist Brown Mark. Originally hailing from Minneapolis, they are now defunct as a group. The band's sole hit was a song called "100 MPH", which was written and co-produced by Prince.The band is notable...
,
Good QuestionGood Question was an R&B and dance music vocal duo from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consisting of brothers Sean and Marc Douglas. Their only chart hit came in 1988 when they hit number one on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart with "Got a New Love". The song also reached the R&B and pop charts in...
, Madhouse, Eric Leeds, and the late
Tony LeMansTony LeMans was a singer and songwriter associated with Prince and signed to Prince's Paisley Park Records.-Biography:He released his self titled debut album in 1989 on that label and it peaked at #58 on the Billboard R&B Album chart. Three singles were released without much chart success...
, whose debut album was produced by
David GamsonDavid Gamson is a keyboardist/musician . He has worked with, among others, Chaka Khan, Meshell Ndegeocello, Green Gartside, Sheila E., George Benson, Luther Vandross, Miles Davis, Al Jarreau and Roger Troutman...
of
Scritti PolittiScritti Politti are a British band, originally formed in 1977 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. Although there have been various changes in line-up, singer-songwriter Green Gartside was the founding member of the band and the only member to have remained throughout the group's...
. Also of note, the President of Operations for the label was Alan Leeds, brother of saxophonist Eric Leeds, who played sax in Sheila E.'s band, The Family and also toured with The New Power Generation. Alan won a Grammy for writing the liner notes for a
James BrownJames Joseph Brown , originally James Joseph Brown, Jr., also known as "The Godfather of Soul", was an American entertainer. He is recognized as one of the most influential figures in 20th century popular music and was renowned for his vocals and feverish dancing...
album, and at one point served as Prince's tour manager on several tours.
Craig RiceCraig Rice may refer to:* Craig Rice , pseudonym of Georgiana Ann Randolph Walker Craig, American author of mystery novels and short stories...
also served as President shortly after Alan Leeds left.
Prince's management firm at the time, Cavallo, Ruffalo & Fargnoli, affectionately known as the "Spaghetti Bros.", began signing artists to the label, at times even without Prince's knowledge or permission. That precipitated the beginning of the end to a successful partnership. Shortly after firing the management team, lawsuits ensued and it was discovered that the label was mismanaged from the outset, with Warner Bros. taking heavy losses due to exorbitant advances paid to Prince and his management team for the label. Warner Bros. also helped to pay for the recording studio built in Chanhassen, a US$10 million world-class recording facility that also was a soundstage. Warner executives insisted on a return on their investment, which resulted in several major artists recording their albums at Paisley Park Studios, at times even against Prince's wishes.
Paisley Park Records folded with Prince retaining the masters of all artists, artists advances that were kept by the company, and no support from the label. All releases are out of print, including releases by George Clinton, whose albums recorded on Prince's label are the only recordings of his that are currently out of print.
There were catalog numbers for both the original pressing of
The Black Album (25677) and for
Camille, but they were canceled and abandoned and, therefore, it can be said that both of those albums (which showcase the Camille alter ego) and certainly the numerous unreleased music and full length films and video work that are known to have been created in Prince's state-of-the-art Paisley Park studios are among the rarest of the Prince catalog on the Paisley Park record label.
Prince albums
- 1985: Prince
Prince Rogers Nelson is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He performs under the mononym Prince but has also been known by various other names, most notably the unpronounceable symbol which he used as his stage name between 1993 and 2000...
and the RevolutionThe Revolution was an American rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1979 by Prince. Although widely associated with rock music, the band's sound incorporated heavy metal, pop, funk, R&B and hard rock elements. Before their official break-up, The Revolution had released one studio album,...
: Around the World in a DayAround the World in a Day is the seventh album by Prince and The Revolution, released on 22 April, 1985 on Warner Bros. . The album was released without any publicity, simply turning up in record stores to the surprise of fans....
- 1986: Prince
Prince Rogers Nelson is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He performs under the mononym Prince but has also been known by various other names, most notably the unpronounceable symbol which he used as his stage name between 1993 and 2000...
and the RevolutionThe Revolution was an American rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1979 by Prince. Although widely associated with rock music, the band's sound incorporated heavy metal, pop, funk, R&B and hard rock elements. Before their official break-up, The Revolution had released one studio album,...
: Parade
- 1987: Prince
Prince Rogers Nelson is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He performs under the mononym Prince but has also been known by various other names, most notably the unpronounceable symbol which he used as his stage name between 1993 and 2000...
: Sign of the Times
- 1988: Prince
Prince Rogers Nelson is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He performs under the mononym Prince but has also been known by various other names, most notably the unpronounceable symbol which he used as his stage name between 1993 and 2000...
: LovesexyLovesexy is an album by Prince, released in 1988. Lovesexy was issued as a substitute record after the release of the infamous Black Album had been suddenly canceled. The Black Album and Lovesexy almost act as companion pieces, sharing the song "When 2 R In Love", but are nearly opposite in theme...
- 1990: Prince
Prince Rogers Nelson is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He performs under the mononym Prince but has also been known by various other names, most notably the unpronounceable symbol which he used as his stage name between 1993 and 2000...
: Graffiti BridgeGraffiti Bridge is an album by Prince, and the soundtrack to the 1990 film Graffiti Bridge.The album was much better received in sales than the film, reaching #6 in the US and #1 in the UK. Nearly every song on the record was written by Prince despite the handful of artists performing, including...
- 1991: Prince
Prince Rogers Nelson is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He performs under the mononym Prince but has also been known by various other names, most notably the unpronounceable symbol which he used as his stage name between 1993 and 2000...
: Diamonds and PearlsDiamonds and Pearls is Prince's thirteenth album, which was released in 1991. It was the first Prince album to be officially co-credited with the The New Power Generation, and spawned many hit singles, including "Gett Off", "Cream", "Money Don't Matter 2 Night", "Insatiable", and the title track...
- 1992: Prince
Prince Rogers Nelson is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He performs under the mononym Prince but has also been known by various other names, most notably the unpronounceable symbol which he used as his stage name between 1993 and 2000...
: Love SymbolThe fourteenth album by Prince, officially titled as the unpronounceable symbol , was released as a double vinyl or single CD, on October 13, 1992. The album has been referred to as the The Love Symbol Album, Symbol or as OThe fourteenth album by Prince, officially titled as the unpronounceable...
- 1993: Prince
Prince Rogers Nelson is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He performs under the mononym Prince but has also been known by various other names, most notably the unpronounceable symbol which he used as his stage name between 1993 and 2000...
: The Hits/The B-SidesThe Hits/The B-Sides is the first greatest hits compilation album by Prince, released in 1993. It is a comprehensive 3-disc set, with a great many of his hit singles and fan favorites...
Other albums
- 1985: Sheila E.
Sheila Escovedo , known by her stage name Sheila E., is an American musician, perhaps best known for her work with Prince and Ringo Starr.-Early life and Prince period:...
: Romance 1600In Romance 1600 is the second album from singer-drummer-percussionist Sheila E.. The only track that Prince co-wrote and co-produced with Sheila is "A Love Bizarre," a 12-minute epic that became a major hit. This song was also a duet with her and Prince, whose influence is felt strongly throughout...
- 1985: The Family
The Family is an R&B band formed by Prince and one of the first signed to his record label, Paisley Park Records. The band renamed themselves Fdeluxe in 2009.-History:...
: The FamilyThe Family is a 1985 album released on Prince's Paisley Park Records label by the band of the same name. The album consists of eight tracks of funk-jazz with two instrumentals and three ballads. A single was released for "The Screams of Passion," a modest hit that was re-released in 1996 on the...
- 1986: Mazarati
Mazarati was an American R&B band formed in the mid-1980s by former Prince and The Revolution bassist Brown Mark. Originally hailing from Minneapolis, they are now defunct as a group. The band's sole hit was a song called "100 MPH", which was written and co-produced by Prince.The band is notable...
: Mazarati
- 1987: Sheila E.
Sheila Escovedo , known by her stage name Sheila E., is an American musician, perhaps best known for her work with Prince and Ringo Starr.-Early life and Prince period:...
: Sheila E.Sheila E. is the third solo album from Sheila E. released on Paisley Park records.Sheila E. produced two singles, "Hold Me" and "Koo Koo" in the U.S. "Love On A Blue Train" was the first single released in Japan. The album is notable for its Latin influence and prominent presence in this hybrid of...
- 1987: Taja Sevelle
Taja Sevelle is a music recording artist from Minneapolis, Minnesota who began her music career in 1987 when she was signed to the Paisley Park Records label by Prince and given the stage name "Taj a Seville". In the same week she was accepted into the Berklee College of Music in Boston, she was...
: Taja Sevelle
- 1987: Jill Jones
Jill Jones is an American singer and songwriter, who was a backing vocalist for Teena Marie and Prince in the 1980s.-Biography:...
: Jill Jones
- 1987: Madhouse
Madhouse is a jazz-fusion band from Minneapolis that was created by Prince. Two Madhouse albums were officially released in 1987. -History:...
: 8
- 1987: Madhouse
Madhouse is a jazz-fusion band from Minneapolis that was created by Prince. Two Madhouse albums were officially released in 1987. -History:...
: 16
- 1988: Dale Bozzio
Dale Bozzio , Boston Massachusetts, is an American musician and former Playboy Bunny. She became famous as the lead singer for the 1980s pop/new wave band Missing Persons.- Career :...
: Riot in English
- 1988: The Three O'Clock
The Three O'Clock is a defunct United States alternative rock group associated with the Los Angeles 1980s Paisley Underground scene. Lead singer and bassist Michael Quercio is credited with coining the term "Paisley Underground" to describe a subset of the 1980s L.A...
: Vermillion
- 1988: Good Question
Good Question was an R&B and dance music vocal duo from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consisting of brothers Sean and Marc Douglas. Their only chart hit came in 1988 when they hit number one on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart with "Got a New Love". The song also reached the R&B and pop charts in...
: Good Question
- 1989: Tony LeMans
Tony LeMans was a singer and songwriter associated with Prince and signed to Prince's Paisley Park Records.-Biography:He released his self titled debut album in 1989 on that label and it peaked at #58 on the Billboard R&B Album chart. Three singles were released without much chart success...
: Tony LeMans
- 1989: George Clinton
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and began his work as a solo artist in 1981. He has been called one of the most prominent...
: The Cinderella TheoryThe Cinderella Theory is the fifth studio album by American funk musician George Clinton, released August 2, 1989 on Paisley Park Records. It was released three years after his previous studio effort, R&B Skeletons in the Closet, which was his last album for Capitol Records...
- 1989: Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:...
: Time Waits for No OneFor the Rolling Stones song, see Time Waits for No One .Time Waits for No One is an album by American soul singer Mavis Staples. This album was her first on Prince's Paisley Park Records label and was released on May 24, 1989. The album includes six Prince-penned songs and two songs written by...
- 1989: Kahoru Kohiruimaki: Time The Motion
- 1990: The Time
The Time is a funk and dance-pop ensemble formed in 1981. They are close Prince associates and arguably the most successful.-History:The band was assembled under a clause in Prince's contract with Warner Bros. that allowed him to recruit and produce other artists for the label...
: PandemoniumPandemonium is a 1990 album by The Time. Much like the three previous albums, the album consists of music in the funk-pop or ballad genre, although this album breaks the 6-song album tradition. Originally, the album began life as Corporate World, with nearly all of the material written and...
- 1991: T.C. Ellis: True Confessions
- 1991: Eric Leeds
Eric Leeds is an American jazz and funk musician who plays the saxophone and other woodwind and brass instruments. He is best known for his work with Prince.- Biography :Leeds was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of a retailer...
: Times Squared
- 1992: Ingrid Chavez
Ingrid Julia Chavez, born 1965 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is a Mexican-American poet, vocalist, songwriter and photographer.-Personal life:Chavez was born January, 1965 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and raised in Marietta, Georgia...
: May 19, 1992
- 1993: George Clinton
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and began his work as a solo artist in 1981. He has been called one of the most prominent...
: Hey Man, Smell My FingerHey Man, Smell My Finger is the sixth studio album by American funk musician George Clinton, released Ocotober 12, 1993 on Paisley Park Records. It is Clinton's second and last release for the Paisley Park label, owned by Prince. The album features an array of musical guests including Prince,...
- 1993: Carmen Electra
Tara Leigh Patrick , professionally known as Carmen Electra, is an American glamour model, actress, television personality, dancer and sex symbol...
: Carmen ElectraCarmen Electra is the self-titled debut album by Carmen Electra, released in 1993. The album was a project designed by Prince to promote Electra, his latest protégé at the time whom he was also dating, as a sexy female rapper. The album features music written by Prince with some input by band...
- 1993: Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:...
: The VoiceThe Voice is an album by American soul singer Mavis Staples. This album was her second for Prince's Paisley Park Records label and was released on August 24, 1993. The song "Melody Cool" from the 1990 movie Graffiti Bridge appeared on this album as well as the movie soundtrack...
- 1993: Eric Leeds
Eric Leeds is an American jazz and funk musician who plays the saxophone and other woodwind and brass instruments. He is best known for his work with Prince.- Biography :Leeds was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of a retailer...
: Things Left Unsaid
External links