Prince: Footage from Newsreel When Icon Was 11 Surfaces
A local Minneapolis television station unearthed footage of an 11-year-old Prince from a newsreel stashed in their archives. Local CBS affiliate WCCO-TV reports the reel was untouched for 52 years…
A local Minneapolis television station unearthed footage of an 11-year-old Prince from a newsreel stashed in their archives.
Local CBS affiliate WCCO-TV reports the reel was untouched for 52 years and is dated April 1970. During that time, Minneapolis Public Schools saw their educators go on strike. The footage was restored "...to offer context to the educators strike that happened in the same district just last month."
When WCCO Production Manager Matt Liddy viewed the restored footage, he said, "I immediately just went out to the newsroom and started showing people and saying, ‘I’m not gonna tell you who I think this is, but who do you think this is?’ And every single person [said] 'Prince.'"
While the footage didn't contain Prince identifying himself to the news crew, WCCO did some digging and was able to contact a Prince historian and one of the music legend's childhood friends. No question, that young boy was Prince.
The full 6:13 piece below is well worth a watch, if only to see a rare glimpse of Prince as a child.
Prince and the Revolution's iconic Purple Rain was released 37 years ago today (June 25.) Its run on the top of the Billboard 200 Album Chart has made it one of the most successful soundtracks of all time.
This got us thinking about other soundtracks that topped the Billboard 200 over the years. Here are seven, and some may surprise you.
'Saturday Night Fever' (1977)
RSO/CapitolThe 'Saturday Night Fever' not only topped the Billboard album chart for a staggering 24 weeks, it also won the GRAMMY for Album of the Year.
'Purple Rain' (1984)
Warner Bros.What 'Saturday Night Fever' was to the 1970s, that’s what 'Purple Rain' was to the 1980s. Oddly enough, this Prince vehicle also topped the Billboard album chart for 24 weeks.
'Mary Poppins' (1965)
UMGAn undeniable classic that has entertained families for generations, the soundtrack to Disney’s 'Mary Poppins' topped the Billboard album chart for 14 weeks in 1965 thanks to the incomparable Julie Andrews.
'Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1' (2014)
UMGWhat makes this soundtrack’s success so interesting is that it’s the only soundtrack to top the Billboard 200 album chart that is comprised entirely of previously released songs. It’s worth mentioning that each track is a classic rock/classic hits mainstay, which only helps prove the staying power of these songs.
'Wayne’s World' (1992)
RepriseAnother example of the power of classic rock! This soundtrack topped the Billboard 200 chart for two weeks on the strength of the film’s use of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
'Miami Vice' (1985-86)
UMGJust how huge was this TV series? Its soundtrack was the number one album on the Billboard 200 for 11 weeks with tracks from Glenn Frey, Tina Turner, Phil Collins and that killer instrumental theme from Jan Hammer.
'Top Gun' (1986)
Columbia/LegacyKenny Loggins, FTW! Between “Danger Zone” and Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away,” it’s no wonder this soundtrack topped the Billboard 200 chart for five weeks in 1986.
