PRINCE AND PURPLE RAIN

In 1984, Prince, along with his band, The Revolution, released what would become his best-selling album and a touchstone of 1980s pop culture. Purple Rain has gone on to sell 25 million copies and counting. In Prince and Purple Rain, Andrea Swensson, a Minneapolis-based journalist and host/co-producer of Prince Official Podcast, takes a deep dive into the legendary musician's most famous album on its 40th anniversary. Chapters cover: Prince's youth and early music career in Minneapolis, as well as each of the five studio albums that preceded Purple Rain; Prince's backing band, The Revolution, and the backgrounds of each of its individual members, with an emphasis on the Purple Rain studio and touring members: drummer Bobby Z, bassist Brown Mark, guitarist Wendy Melvoin, keyboardist Lisa Coleman, and keyboardist Matt Fink; Track-by-track analyses of each side; A look at the groundbreaking film of the same name and its multiplatinum soundtrack; Awards, accolades, and critical reception; Prince's legacy post-Purple Rain, up to his untimely death in 2016. Featuring a foreword by Prince superfan Maya Rudolph and iIlustrated with performance and off-stage photography as well as memorabilia from top collectors, Prince and Purple Rain is a definitive and beautifully produced tribute to a legendary album from a legendary performer and artist.