Prince And The Revolution

Although Prince and the Revolution operated as an official unit solely between 1984 and 1986, their roots stretch to 1979, when Prince first gathered supporting musicians for the road shows behind his self-titled sophomore LP. Three years afterward, the 1982 release 1999 carried the phrase “and the Revolution” printed upside-down and partially obscured on its jacket. The initial track officially issued under the band’s name was the March 1984 B-side “17 Days,” paired with the Purple Rain lead single “When Doves Cry.” The full album and its companion film appeared soon after, showcasing Brownmark on bass and vocals, Lisa Coleman on keyboards and vocals, Matt “Doctor” Fink on keyboards, Wendy Melvoin on guitar and vocals, and Bobby Z. on drums. Both Around the World in a Day in 1985 and the 1986 soundtrack Parade for Under the Cherry Moon likewise bore the collective credit. Even though this lineup coincided with Prince’s era of greatest commercial reach and creative boldness, the group dissolved once the Parade tour concluded. Only Fink remained in Prince’s employ; the remaining core members launched or revived outside projects, notably the duo Wendy & Lisa and, later, fDeluxe, a revival of the Family. Scattered one-off appearances by various former members took place throughout the 2000s, culminating in a complete reunion for a 2012 benefit show at Minneapolis’s First Avenue, the venue where portions of Purple Rain had been filmed. Fink also fronted the Purple Experience, a Prince tribute ensemble. After Prince’s passing in 2016, Brownmark, Coleman, Fink, Melvoin, and Bobby Z. declared the Revolution’s return. The following year they traversed the United States, occasionally augmented by Mint Condition’s Stokley Williams, performing material drawn from Dirty Mind in 1980 through Parade.