The Time

Emerging first as Prince's earliest hands-on experiment in artist cultivation, the Time eventually shaped their own funk-rock catalog as a striking and flamboyant ensemble. Morris Day poured his brash, strutting charisma into dance tracks capable of rivaling those of Rufus Thomas, while the group distinguished itself from peers by forging a singular identity from Prince's boundary-pushing experiments. After a temporary split in the late '80s, Day launched a solo path, Jesse Johnson delivered two striking solo albums, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis rose to prominence as one of the era's premier production duos—surpassing even Gamble & Huff in reach—collaborating with acts ranging from Full Force and Janet Jackson to the S.O.S. Band and Human League. The ensemble regrouped in 1990 to issue the strong Pandemonium, which reached the U.S. Top 20. Members focused on individual releases through much of the '90s, yet nearly all reunited in the early 2010s under the name Original 7ven to unveil the album Condensate in 2011.