Photo Credit: Songwriters Hall of Fame
Prince was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on the 40th anniversary of the release of his semi-autobiographical film, ‘Purple Rain.’
Minneapolis’ Target Center was an ocean of purple on July 27 as fans flocked to celebrate Minnesota’s icon, the late singer Prince, and the 40th anniversary of his semi-autobiographical film, “Purple Rain.” The arena was filled with historic memorabilia from Prince’s Purple Rain era, as fans watched the film before the legend was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Prince Rogers Nelson, known mononymously as Prince, was first elected in 2013 for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. However, the policy is that a songwriter must personally attend the annual induction and awards gala to be officially inducted, and Prince’s schedule did not permit him to attend for several years. The organization had been working with him to coordinate his schedule, according to President and CEO Linda Moran.
“He reached out at the end of 2015 and said how important the award was to him and that the June 2016 ceremony could work,” said Moran. “We planned that it would be unannounced and a surprise; but unfortunately Prince passed away two months beforehand in April. It has been a long road, but we are thrilled that one of the world’s most prolific and phenomenal songwriters is finally a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.”
Prince’s sister, Sharon L. Nelson, accepted the award from Gilbert Davison, a longtime professional colleague of the artist. Nelson said she has fond memories of her brother walking around writing lyrics on a yellow notepad. “You will always remember his songs,” she said. “This is the award he wanted more than any other in life — to be known as a great songwriter.”
Prince crossed into all genres of music effortlessly, and wrote every song in his catalog. He had 19 songs in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, and five that went to No. 1, with “Let’s Go Crazy,” “When Doves Cry,” “Kiss,” “Batdance,” and “Cream.” He has sold over 100 million records as an artist, and also wrote hits for other artists, including Sheena Easton, Kenny Rogers, Madonna, Stevie Nicks, Patti LaBelle, Celine Dion, Kate Bush, and The Bangles.
Some of his hits, which he wrote and recorded, were also covered by other artists and met with tremendous success, including Chaka Khan, Tom Jones, Sinead O’Connor, Alicia Keys, The Pointer Sisters, and Cyndi Lauper.
