Rubber B has become well-known as a highly respected crafter of custom rubber watch bands for timepieces from some of the most respected watchmakers in the field, including such brands as Patek Philippe, IWC, and Breitling. Rubber B has a variety of straps in different colors and styles in our product portfolio that are appropriate for both business/formal wear and more casual situations as well.
For this particular blog entry, we are going to be learning more about one of the most prolific and gifted musicians of the 20th and 21st centuries – Prince Rogers Nelson, better known to a legion of fans around the world as simply Prince, or as his most ardent fans and journalists sometimes called him, “The Purple One.”
Prince tragically passed away far too soon in April of 2016, but he left behind an incomparable artistic legacy that will carry on for decades to come. In order to celebrate his legacy and the plethora of achievements he obtained, we will be looking more thoroughly at his life and career, as well as a series of watches that were made to celebrate him upon his passing.
Who Was Prince?
Prince Rogers Nelson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on June 7th, 1958, to Mattie, a jazz singer, and John Lewis Nelson, a songwriter, and pianist. Despite his significant financial success later on in life, Prince would live the entirety of his life in Minneapolis and be credited with helping to pioneer the “Minneapolis Sound,” a brand of music that combined pop songwriting elements with funk production techniques and baselines.
As a young man, Prince was an athlete, playing football, baseball, and basketball during his time at Central High School.
Prince’s Early Show Business Career
Prince would write his first song, “Funk Machine,” on his father’s piano at the age of seven. After playing in several Minneapolis-based bands in his youth, Prince would eventually record and release his first album, “For You,” which was released in 1978. The album would perform moderately well, but it was the following year, when his second album, “Prince,” was released, that he would truly start gaining the attention of national audiences, who were previously unfamiliar with his work.
Mainstream Success and Purple Rain
In 1980, Prince would release the controversial album “Dirty Mind,” which gained significant attention for its (at that time) highly sexually explicit lyrics. The following year, he would go on to form the band “The Time,” which would be fronted by his high-school friend and frequent collaborator, Morris Day.
However, after releasing a handful of other albums, 1984 would prove to be one of the most significant years in Prince’s career. That would see the release of the film “Purple Rain,” and its accompanying soundtrack, both of which would go on to be highly profitable and well-received, and catapult Prince into superstar territory, opening up an entirely new avenue of fame for him in the process. He would also act in the film, portraying the lead role of “The Kid,” though he would only appear in a handful of other films throughout his career.
Prince’s Artistic Legacy
After releasing an astonishing 39 solo albums during his lifetime, Prince would pass away at the age of 57 on April 21, 2016, at his Minneapolis estate, Paisley Park. An outpouring of tributes from fellow musical collaborators and other celebrities would come to pass in the days following his death.
Prince was notably satirized in an episode of “Chappelle’s Show,” in which the comedian played Prince in a sketch that was part of a story told by Eddie Murphy’s older brother, Charlie, about the time the two played a pick-up basketball game at Paisley Park and then ate pancakes afterward.
Prince also appeared on an episode of the sitcom “New Girl” in 2014 after it became known to the show’s producers that he was a fan of the sitcom. In the episode, the main characters are invited to a party at one of Prince’s homes and become excited upon finally getting to meet him.
Today, his legacy as a boundary-pushing singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist (it was believed he could play about 30 different instruments) is firmly ensconced, with Prince being one of the highest-selling, and most beloved, musical artists of all time.
What Commemorative Watches Honor Prince?
Upon his death, several commemorative watch pieces were produced to honor Prince. Super brass would produce a watch that would honor him from his “Sign of the Times” era.
Additionally, a number of purple watches became popular in the time surrounding his passing. These included such pieces as:
· The Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity
· The Horophile X Dietrich OT-H
· The Hublot Big Bang Tutti Frutti
· The Rolex Oyster Perpetual 39 in “Red Grape”
· The MB&F HMX Black Badger
Are You in Need of a Custom Rubber Watch Band For Your Luxury Watch? Visit Rubber B Today
Every Rubber B custom rubber watch strap is made only from 100% vulcanized rubber, and all of our products are FDA and BVGG compliant as well.
If you would like to learn more about our complete list of products, shipping policies, pricing, or have questions about our custom rubber watch straps, please visit the Rubber B website today for more information. One of our team members will be happy to answer your inquiry in a timely manner.
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