About this poster

In the summer of 1983, Prince was an up and coming international super star on the rise. He had already had some big hits with I Wanna Be your Lover, Controversy, 1999, Delirious and Little Red Corvette. Being a local star, he was asked by the Minnesota Dance Theater to perform a benefit concert at the First Avenue & 7th St. Entry; a small rock club in Minneapolis. He wanted to assist the benefit but he had a bigger vision in mind for what appeared to be a humble event. The club advertised that the show would comprise ‘Prince and Friends’ but this show heralded the debut of guitarist, Wendy Melvoin, in his new band; The Revolution. Unbeknownst to the 1,000 or so people inside the club, there was a mobile recording truck was parked outside the venue. It was on this date of August 3, 1983, that the world of popular music was changed forever. This unsuspecting crowd heard for the first time ever Prince & The Revolution perform the songs Purple Rain, I Would Die 4 U and others being recorded for the upcoming album; Purple Rain. Prince knew he had written something significant and game changing and had the forethought to record video and audio from the performance. In particular the title song, Purple Rain, turned out so spectacular that it was added to the album as the recorded version that we all know. Some additional studio layers were added but that guitar solo and the song as it was from that live performance became the published song. This wound up being one of ‘those shows’, a historic musical event of legendary proportions.

In this image, I have Prince in the attire he wore at that very concert. This was before his Purple Rain trench coat jacket and signature Cloud guitar he played later in the movie and on tour. At this event he played his Hohner Mad Cat guitar. It was a guitar that he played for years and years including his famous performance at the George Harrison tribute concert in 2002 with a who’s who of guitar players and stole the show with his solo during the song ‘While my Guitar Gently Weeps’.

I literally put three years of work into this image on and off. I wanted to perfect it before revealing it. I only recently became fully satisfied that I had achieved the vision I had in my head and thought it was ready for production and release. With the timing of the fifth year of his passing this coming week it seemed like the right moment had come to finally share this image with the world. I’m very proud to announce my tribute to the only and only Purple One; Prince, in a defining moment of his career that launched him into a true icon for the ages. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did creating it. This is an 11 color screen print with 3 different metallic inks. The poster is a large print measuring 24”x 36”. It is Prince after all and needed to be on a grand scale to match his unbelievable and otherworldly talent.

- JH