プリンスさんのインスタグラム写真 - (プリンスInstagram)「Before he was the prodigious @warnerrecords signee known simply as Prince, a young Prince Rogers Nelson could be spotted playing community centers and neighborhood bars in North Minneapolis with his high school band, Grand Central. The roots of Prince's Grand Central band extend all the way back to the early 1970s, when Prince was attending Lincoln Junior High on Minneapolis's North Side and befriended another budding young musician, André Anderson. They joined forces with Prince's cousin, Charles "Chazz" Smith, and started picking up gigs at neighborhood barbecue joints, community centers, and recreation halls when they were just 12 to 13 years old. By the mid-1970s Grand Central was a force to be reckoned with, and had earned a reputation for beating out bands several years older than them at neighborhood "Battle of the Bands" showcases. The group blossomed to include two additional percussionists, Terry Jackson and William "Hollywood" Doughty, and a Farfisa organ player, Linda Anderson (sister to André). In their later years, @themorrisday would replace Chazz Smith on drums, and that formation of the group was historically documented by respected North Minneapolis photographer, Charles Chamblis. Grand Central would primarily play covers of Top 40 songs they heard on the local rock radio station, KQRS, incorporating songs by Santana, Earth, Wind & Fire, Jimi Hendrix, Tower of Power, and more. As time went on, however, they began mixing some of their original material into their set — and those early Grand Central funk-rock tunes were the first hints that Prince could have a future as an inventive, prolific, and boundary-pushing songwriter. Learn more about Prince's early life and career at the link in bio.」2月18日 6時43分