The Time is a
funkFunk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and
dance-popDance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
ensembleA musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
formed in 1981. They are close
Prince associates and arguably the most successful artists who have worked with him.
PrincePrince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, Formation and Success
The band was assembled under a clause in Prince's contract with
Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
that allowed him to recruit and produce other artists for the label. Inspired by the 1980 film
The IdolmakerThe Idolmaker is a 1980 American musical drama starring Ray Sharkey, Peter Gallagher, Paul Land, Tovah Feldshuh and Joe Pantoliano.The film is based on the life of rock promoter and manager Bob Marcucci, who discovered and promoted several rock 'n' roll stars including Frankie Avalon and Fabian....
, 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
MinneapolisMinneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
funk unit, "
Flyte TimeThe band known as Flyte Tyme began life as a Minneapolis funk unit, taking its name from the Donald Byrd song. The group featured Alexander O'Neal on vocals, Jellybean Johnson on drums, Tony Johnson on lead guitar, Jimmy "Jam" Harris and Monte Moir on keyboards, and Terry Lewis on bass. It also had...
" (from the
Donald ByrdDonaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II, is an American jazz and rhythm and blues trumpeter. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd is best known as one of the only bebop jazz musicians who successfully pioneered the funk and soul genres while simultaneously remaining a...
song), which featured
Jellybean JohnsonJellybean Johnson is an American drummer, guitarist, songwriter, producer and musician based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota...
on drums, Jimmy Jam and
Monte MoirMonte Moir is the original and current keyboardist for The Time, as well as songwriter and producer for Janet Jackson, Alexander O'Neal, Gladys Knight, the Deja duo and Lolly Pop. He is also credited for working with Prince, Vanity 6, Deniece Williams, Thelma Houston and various other artists...
on keyboards, and
Terry LewisJames Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
on bass. To this base were added
Jesse JohnsonJesse Woods Johnson is a musician best known as the guitarist in the original lineup of The Time....
on guitar and a lead singer and childhood friend named
Morris DayMorris E. Day is an American musician and composer. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time.-1970s and 1980s:...
, and
Jerome BentonJerome Benton is an American musical performer, backup dancer and comedic actor. He can be seen in music videos by Janet Jackson and Prince, but he is best known for his association with The Time....
who was a promoter drawn from another local band called "Enterprise", who became Day's comic foil. Prince had used an Enterprise song, "Partyup", on his
Dirty MindDirty Mind is the third studio album by American musician Prince, released October 8, 1980 on Warner Bros. Records. Produced, arranged and composed primarily by Prince, it contains prominently sexual lyrics and incorporates musical elements of funk, dance and rock music. The album debuted at number...
album, and his selection of Day was essentially a reward; he had originally tapped
Alexander O'NealAlexander O'Neal is an American R&B singer. He is best-known for the songs "If You Were Here Tonight" and "Fake", and the duets with Cherrelle, "Saturday Love" and "Never Knew Love Like This".-Biography:...
- yet another player in the Minneapolis Uptown funk scene - for the vocalist slot, but O'Neal wanted too much money, himself being quoted as saying, "I basically didn't see no point in being a superstar with no money."
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
ParliamentParliament was a funk band most prominent during the 1970s. It and its sister act Funkadelic, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
- and, of course, Prince. Although they scored numerous hits (including "
The Bird"The Bird" is a song from The Time's third album, Ice Cream Castle. The song was initially recorded in the studio in 1983 with all instruments by Prince, except guitar, which was performed by Jesse Johnson. This version was replaced by a live recording with the full band at the First Avenue on...
", "
Jungle Love"Jungle Love" is a song from The Time's third album, Ice Cream Castle. The track was one of the first songs recorded for the album, being cut in late March 1983 during Prince's 1999 tour. "Jungle Love" was also one of the first Time tracks to involve other members of the band in the creation of...
", "
777-9311"777-9311" is the second track and lead single off The Time's second album, What Time Is It?, from the The Time album What Time Is It?. Recorded for the album at Prince's home studio in May-June 1982, the song was produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince with Morris Day later adding his...
", "
Get It Up-TLC version:"Get It Up" was covered by girl group TLC for the Poetic Justice soundtrack becoming a minor hit for the group and was later included in TLC's greatest hits album, Now and Forever: The Hits. The video for TLC's "Get It Up" was shot in June 1993....
", "
Gigolos Get Lonely Too"Gigolos Get Lonely Too" is the fifth track from The Time's six-song album, What Time Is It?. One of the first songs recorded for the album in December 1981, it was produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince with Morris Day later adding his lead vocals.The song is the album's only...
", "
The Walk"The Walk" opens side two of The Time's second album, What Time Is It?. Recorded for the album at Sunset Sound in January 1982, the song was produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince with Morris Day later adding his lead vocals and Vanity 6 providing some backing vocals.The funk song...
" and "
Cool"Cool" is a song by The Time, released as the second single from their eponymous debut album. Like most of the album, the song was recorded in Prince's home studio in April 1981, and was produced, arranged, and performed by Prince with Morris Day later adding his lead vocals...
", mostly on the R&B charts) during the early 1980s, they never approached superstardom. But as good as they were, they weren't allowed to play a note on their debut album. Prince recorded all the music himself, crediting the production to Jamie Starr and
Morris DayMorris E. Day is an American musician and composer. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time.-1970s and 1980s:...
, who at least was allowed to sing on the record, but was required to follow Prince's guide vocals note-for-note.
A growing rivalry began to develop between the two groups, as The Time toured with
PrincePrince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
and
his bandThe 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,...
during his 1982
Controversy TourThe Controversy Tour was the third concert tour by Prince, in support of his fourth studio album Controversy. Also the tour included The Time as an opening act.-History:...
. Frustrated with their lack of input on the albums bearing their name and being underpaid, The Time would take to the stage with the purpose of showing up Prince, much the same way Prince and his band undermined Rick James when they toured with him as James' opening act. (Unlike what happened during Rick James'
Light it Up tour, no one was leaving before the headliner, Prince, finished his set.) The tension came to a head on the final night of the tour in Cincinnati during the Time's set when Prince and some of his cronies egged their supporting act from off stage. Things further escalated after The Time's performance when guitarist
Jesse JohnsonJesse Woods Johnson is a musician best known as the guitarist in the original lineup of The Time....
was handcuffed to a wall-mounted coat rack and further humiliated. Prince, of course, demanded no interruptions during his performance, but as soon as he left the stage, a food fight erupted. When the battle continued at the hotel, Prince made Morris Day pay for all damages, claiming that he had started the whole thing.
During the 1983's
1999/Triple ThreatThe 1999 Tour, was up till then, Prince's longest tour of the U.S. in support of his fifth studio album 1999. In addition, to Prince and his band, his latest all girl group Vanity 6 made their first live act tour along with the returning Time....
tour, The Time were forced to play as
Vanity 6Vanity 6 was a female vocal trio assembled by Prince in the early 1980s.They released one studio album, which blended the sounds of pop, New Wave, dance music, R&B, and funk.-Formation:...
's backing band from behind a curtain, before playing their own hour-long set with only a small pay increase.
Jimmy Jam and Terry LewisJames Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
, who had begun writing songs and production work of their own (working with
SOLARS.O.L.A.R. Records was an American record label founded in 1977 by Dick Griffey, reconstituted out of Soul Train Records only two years after it was founded with Soul Train television show host and creator Don Cornelius.-Company history:In 1975, Soul Train Records was founded by Dick Griffey and...
to produce
KlymaxxKlymaxx is a female Pop/R&B band from Los Angeles, California.-Biography:Klymaxx was conceived and formed by Bernadette Cooper, who also chose the name. The dream of an all girl band became a quest she pursued after leaving college...
and with
Tabu RecordsTabu Productions was an American record label founded by Clarence Avant in 1975. The label focused on R&B and funk.-Founding:Avant founded the label after Sussex Records went out of business in June 1975. Tabu's flagship release, “Stormin'” by Brainstorm, was released in 1977...
to produce the S.O.S. Band), were stranded in Atlanta by a blizzard and failed to make it to a Time concert in
San AntonioSan Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, for which Jerome had to mime playing bass guitar on stage while Prince played Lewis' part off stage, and Lisa stood in for Jimmy Jam. Subsequently, the duo were fined and then fired. Although Prince would state in a 1990
Rolling Stone'sRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
interview that he "didn't fire
Jimmy Jam and Terry LewisJames Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
. Morris asked [him] what [he] would do in his situation. Remember, it was [Morris'] band." Whether their firing was due to the incident or to their increasing independence has never been clear. Monte Moir took the opportunity to leave as well, and would also work with Jam and Lewis. The three were replaced with Mark Cardenas and
Paul PetersonPaul Peterson, also known as St. Paul, is a musician best known for his memberships in the bands The Family and The Time and the single "Intimacy."...
on keyboards and Jerry Hubbard on bass. This new line up were featured in Prince's
Purple RainPurple Rain is a 1984 film directed by Albert Magnoli and written by Magnoli and William Blinn. Prince makes his film debut in this movie, which was developed to showcase his particular talents, hence, the film contains several extended concert sequences. The film grossed more than US$80 million at...
film. The Time rode the wave of popularity created by the movie and hit singles "
Jungle Love"Jungle Love" is a song from The Time's third album, Ice Cream Castle. The track was one of the first songs recorded for the album, being cut in late March 1983 during Prince's 1999 tour. "Jungle Love" was also one of the first Time tracks to involve other members of the band in the creation of...
" and "
The Bird"The Bird" is a song from The Time's third album, Ice Cream Castle. The song was initially recorded in the studio in 1983 with all instruments by Prince, except guitar, which was performed by Jesse Johnson. This version was replaced by a live recording with the full band at the First Avenue on...
" and were household names in 1984.
It was Day who left next after arguments with Prince, choosing to pursue a solo career in 1985 after a successful acting turn in
Purple Rain. Soon thereafter, with Jesse Johnson also opting to go solo (taking other Time members Cardenas and Hubbard with him), the band disintegrated; the remaining members (Benton, Jellybean Johnson and Peterson) were reformed into a new short-lived project called
The FamilyThe Family is a 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:...
. Meanwhile, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis went on to become one of the most successful songwriting and production teams of the 80s and 90s.
In 1990, the original seven members of the band reunited for the
Graffiti BridgeGraffiti Bridge is the twelfth studio 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...
movie and soundtrack, as well as a new album,
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...
. The project was originally called
Corporate World and was set to only feature Morris and Jerome, but Warner Bros. demanded that the original line-up be brought in if Prince wanted the company's backing for the movie. This spawned their highest selling single, "
Jerk Out"Jerk Out" is a song from The Time's 1990 album Pandemonium. The song was originally recorded in December 1981 by Prince at his home studio during sessions for What Time Is It?. Prince originally performed all instruments and vocals and this recording remains unreleased. Prince reworked the...
" and the album featured more input from the band than any other Time album. The reunion was short-lived, however - infighting within the band caused them to disband once again. Morris and Jerome have since remained a team, with both trying out some small acting roles over the next few years.
Several members of The Time reunited in 1995, added a few new recruits and have remained together since. This version of the band can be seen in the
Kevin SmithKevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
film
Jay and Silent Bob Strike BackJay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a 2001 American action adventure comedy film written, directed by, and starring Kevin Smith as Silent Bob, the fifth to be set in his View Askewniverse, a growing collection of characters and settings that developed out of his cult favorite Clerks...
and tours frequently to this day. The band is usually billed as "Morris Day and The Time".
A fifth Time album is rumored to have been completed in the late 90s, recorded with the new lineup but production and coordination with Prince has prevented its release. The title
Old Dogs, New Tricks was the working title. A 2004 album attributed to Morris Day called
It's About Time contains a few new tracks written and performed by Day and a number of live performances by The Time.
Reunion and "The Original 7ven"
The Time reunited at The 50th Grammy Awards on February 10, 2008 in a medley that included
RihannaRobyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
and featured "
Jungle Love"Jungle Love" is a song from The Time's third album, Ice Cream Castle. The track was one of the first songs recorded for the album, being cut in late March 1983 during Prince's 1999 tour. "Jungle Love" was also one of the first Time tracks to involve other members of the band in the creation of...
."
In June and July 2008, all of the original members of The Time (Morris Day, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Jesse Johnson, Jerome Benton, Jellybean Johnson, and Monte Moir) reunited once again for a series of shows at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
A recent interview as of January 2009 mentions that guitarist Jesse "FunkFunk" Johnson states he is working with The Time on their upcoming album. The Time appeared at The Fox Theater, in Detroit, Michigan on June 11, 2010, with the original lineup to a packed house. Two days later during what Jimmy Jam dubbed "The Stingy Tour" on June 13, 2010 the "magnificent 7" played a hometown reunion concert in Minneapolis, MN, and, during that concert, announced on stage that a new album was "90% complete," which confirmed information provided in a
Billboard profile published a week earlier.
In September 2011, the band announced a name change to The Original 7ven and a new album
Condensate to be released October 18, 2011 with the single "#Trendin" released September 20.
As for why the band decided to call themselves by a new name, Jimmy Jam said that “the decision was made at that point that we could either continue to, shall we say, negotiate or argue or plead or whatever. We decided to go the route of let’s not hold things up because of the name. Let’s embrace the opportunity to move forward in a new era, with a new outlook, with a new album and that’s what we did. We think the name reflects exactly who we are. We are the Original 7even and that basically, for me, covers it.”
On October 27, 2011, The Original 7ven appeared on the
Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Studio albums
| Year |
Title |
Chart positions |
| U.S. The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
|
U.S. R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
|
| 1981 |
The Time
- Released: July 29, 1981
- Label: Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
|
50 |
7 |
| 1982 |
What Time Is It?
Released: August 25, 1982
Label: Warner Bros. |
26 |
2 |
| 1984 |
Ice Cream Castle Ice Cream Castle is a 1984 album by The Time. Much like the two previous albums, the album consists of six tracks in the funk-pop or ballad genre and it was produced and arranged by Prince as "The Starr ★ Company"...
Released: July 2, 1984
Label: Warner Bros. |
24 |
|
| 1990 |
Pandemonium Pandemonium 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...
Released: July 10, 1990
Label: Paisley Park RecordsPaisley Park Records was Prince's record label, associated with and funded in part by Warner Bros. Records. It was started in 1985, following the success of the film and album Purple Rain...
(through Warner Bros.) |
18 |
9 |
| 2011 |
Condensate (as The Original 7ven)
Released: October 18, 2011
Label: Saguaro Road Records |
58 |
10 |
Singles
| Year |
Title |
Chart positions |
Album |
| U.S. Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
|
U.S. R&B |
U.S. Dance |
| 1981 |
"Get It Up -TLC version:"Get It Up" was covered by girl group TLC for the Poetic Justice soundtrack becoming a minor hit for the group and was later included in TLC's greatest hits album, Now and Forever: The Hits. The video for TLC's "Get It Up" was shot in June 1993....
" |
– |
6 |
16 |
The Time |
| 1982 |
"Cool "Cool" is a song by The Time, released as the second single from their eponymous debut album. Like most of the album, the song was recorded in Prince's home studio in April 1981, and was produced, arranged, and performed by Prince with Morris Day later adding his lead vocals...
" |
90 |
7 |
– |
| "Girl "Girl" was the final single released from The Time's debut album. Like most of the album, the song was recorded in Prince's home studio in April 1981, and was produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince with Morris Day later adding his lead vocals. The single reached number 49 on the U.S...
" |
– |
49 |
– |
| "777-9311 "777-9311" is the second track and lead single off The Time's second album, What Time Is It?, from the The Time album What Time Is It?. Recorded for the album at Prince's home studio in May-June 1982, the song was produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince with Morris Day later adding his...
" |
88 |
2 |
42 |
What Time Is It? |
| "The Walk "The Walk" opens side two of The Time's second album, What Time Is It?. Recorded for the album at Sunset Sound in January 1982, the song was produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince with Morris Day later adding his lead vocals and Vanity 6 providing some backing vocals.The funk song...
" |
– |
24 |
– |
| 1983 |
"Gigolos Get Lonely Too "Gigolos Get Lonely Too" is the fifth track from The Time's six-song album, What Time Is It?. One of the first songs recorded for the album in December 1981, it was produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince with Morris Day later adding his lead vocals.The song is the album's only...
" |
– |
77 |
– |
| 1984 |
"Jungle Love "Jungle Love" is a song from The Time's third album, Ice Cream Castle. The track was one of the first songs recorded for the album, being cut in late March 1983 during Prince's 1999 tour. "Jungle Love" was also one of the first Time tracks to involve other members of the band in the creation of...
" |
20 |
6 |
9 |
Ice Cream Castle |
| "Ice Cream Castles "Ice Cream Castles" is the opening track from The Time's third album, Ice Cream Castle. The track was one of the last songs recorded for the album, being cut in late January 1984, along with "My Drawers". The song was composed by Prince and Morris Day, Day provided lead vocals and Jesse Johnson...
" |
106 |
11 |
– |
| 1985 |
"The Bird "The Bird" is a song from The Time's third album, Ice Cream Castle. The song was initially recorded in the studio in 1983 with all instruments by Prince, except guitar, which was performed by Jesse Johnson. This version was replaced by a live recording with the full band at the First Avenue on...
" |
36 |
33 |
6 |
| 1990 |
"Jerk Out "Jerk Out" is a song from The Time's 1990 album Pandemonium. The song was originally recorded in December 1981 by Prince at his home studio during sessions for What Time Is It?. Prince originally performed all instruments and vocals and this recording remains unreleased. Prince reworked the...
" |
9 |
1 |
6 |
Pandemonium |
| "Chocolate "Chocolate" is a song from The Time's 1990 album Pandemonium. The song was originally recorded in mid-April, 1983 by Prince at Sunset Sound studios during sessions for Ice Cream Castle. Prince originally performed all instruments and vocals and this recording remains unreleased, but circulates...
" |
– |
44 |
– |
| 2011 |
"#Trendin" |
– |
77 |
– |
Condensate |
External links