John L. Nelson
| John L. Nelson | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | John Lewis Nelson |
| Born |
June 29, 1916 Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died |
August 25, 2001 (aged 85) Chanhassen, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Years active | 1948—1966 |
| Associated acts | Prince, The Prince Rogers Trio |
John Lewis Nelson (June 29, 1916 – August 25, 2001),[1] also known as Prince Rogers, was an American jazz musician. He was the father of musician Prince and a credited co-writer of some of his songs.
Life and career
Nelson was born in Louisiana, the son of Carrie (Jenkins) and Clarence Nelson. The Nelsons had four other children. He traveled to Minneapolis to become a musician in 1948. Playing the piano, he used "Prince Rogers" as a stage name and started a band called The Prince Rogers Trio with local musicians.
In 1956, he met Mattie Della Shaw (November 11, 1933 – February 15, 2002) at a show on the north side of Minneapolis. Shaw was an aspiring jazz musician who became the musical group’s singer. She had one son, Alfred Frank Alonzo Jackson (born July 6, 1953).[2] Nelson married Shaw on August 31, 1957,[3] and the couple had two more children, musician Prince[4] (1958–2016) (who was named after his father’s stage name) and daughter Tyka Nelson (born 1960). When Nelson’s career failed in late 1960, the couple became estranged and formally separated in 1965 and were divorced on September 24, 1968.[5]
Nelson died on August 25, 2001, aged 85, in his home in Chanhassen, Minnesota. That year Prince dedicated Joni Mitchell’s song "A Case of U", on his One Nite Alone... album, to his father.
Work with Prince
John L. Nelson wrote (or co-wrote) some music which was released by Prince in the 1980s.[6]
ASCAP credits, or co-credits, him with the following:
- "Father’s Song" and "Purple Rain Cues", from the film Purple Rain, 1984
- "Computer Blue" from the Purple Rain album and film, 1984
- "Around the World in a Day" (composed with David Coleman and Prince) and "The Ladder" (composed with Prince), from the album Around the World in a Day, 1985[7]
- "Christopher Tracy’s Parade" (composed with Prince) and "Under the Cherry Moon" (composed with Prince) from the album Parade, 1986[8]
- "Under the Cherry Moon Cues" from the film Under the Cherry Moon, 1986
- "Scandalous!" from the Batman album and film, 1989
References
- ↑ https://www.geni.com/people/John-Lewis-Nelson/6000000007748549638
- ↑ http://www.mncourts.gov/mncourtsgov/media/CIOMediaLibrary/Documents/Affidavit-of-Heirship-of-Alfred-Frank-Alonzo-Jackson-and-Response-of-Special-Administrator.pdf
- ↑ http://www.mncourts.gov/mncourtsgov/media/CIOMediaLibrary/Documents/Affidavit-of-Heirship-of-Tyka-Nelson-and-Response-of-Special-Administrator.pdf
- ↑ Pierre Perrone, "John Nelson". The Independent. London. September 1, 2001. Archived from the original on 1 February 2012. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
- ↑ http://www.mncourts.gov/mncourtsgov/media/CIOMediaLibrary/Documents/Affidavit-of-Heirship-of-Tyka-Nelson-and-Response-of-Special-Administrator.pdf
- ↑ Perrone (2001)
- ↑ Credits in album booklet.
- ↑ Credits in album booklet.