previous            A–Z            next        Prince Rogers Nelson Pseudonyms:        Alexander Nevermind        Camille        Christopher        Christopher Tracy        Jamie Starr        Joey Coco        Love Symbol        Madhouse        Paisley Park        TAFKAP        The Purple One        The Starr Company        Tora Tora Prince Rogers Nelson (1958), known by his mononym Prince, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actor. He has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career.        In 1993, during negotiations regarding the release of Prince's album ‘The Gold Experience’, a legal battle ensued between Warner Bros. and Prince over the artistic and financial control of Prince's output. Prince is a trademark owned by Paisley Park Enterprises Inc. (Prince’s record label, and part of Warner Bros. Records). In 1991, PRN Music Corporation had assigned the trademarks Prince, The Time, Paisley Park, New Power Generation, and Prince and the Revolution to Paisley Park Enterprises. It was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in the categories of printed materials, clothing, electronic commerce, and entertainment services based.        During the lawsuit, Prince appeared in public with the word ‘slave’ written on his cheek. He gave the following statement: ‘The first step I have taken toward the ultimate goal of emancipation from the chains that bind me to Warner Bros. was to change my name from Prince to the Love Symbol. Prince is the name that my mother gave me at birth. Warner Bros. took the name, trademarked it, and used it as the main marketing tool to promote all of the music that I wrote. The company owns the name Prince and all related music marketed under Prince. I became merely a pawn used to produce more money for Warner Bros... I was born Prince and did not want to adopt another conventional name. The only acceptable replacement for my name, and my identity, was the Love Symbol, a symbol with no pronunciation, that is a representation of me and what my music is about. This symbol is present in my work over the years; it is a concept that has evolved from my frustration; it is who I am. It is my name.’        Prince has used many pseudonyms to separate himself from the music (either his own or that of others) about which he had said; ‘I was just getting tired of seeing my name. If you give away an idea, you still own that idea. In fact, giving it away strengthens it. Why do people feel they have to take credit for everything they do? Ego, that's the only reason.’ His pseudonyms include: Jamie Starr and The Starr Company (for the songs he wrote for the Time and many other artists from 1981–1984), Joey Coco (for many unreleased Prince songs in the late 1980s, as well as songs written for Sheena Easton & Kenny Rogers), Paisley Park (occasionally used in the early 1990s for his production credits on songs, including those written for Martika and Kid Creole), Alexander Nevermind (for writing the 1984 song ‘Sugar Walls’ by Sheena Easton), TAFKAP (The Artist Formerly Known As Prince), and Christopher (used for his song writing credit of ‘Manic Monday’ for the Bangles).        Prince’s music also featured in Billboards, a ballet created by the Joffrey Ballet. See also Beyoncé. Source: ‘Prince (musician)’,  Wikipedia, retrieved 2 October 2013 previous            A–Z            next