It’s hard to believe that it has already been almost two years since the greatest entertainer, Prince, has left this world for the eternal realm. There is no question that Prince was way beyond a superstar. With countless hits and over 100 million albums sold plus classic films such as Purple Rain (1984) and Signs o’ the Time (1987), Prince proved to be one of the hardest working musicians in show business. But, as always, one man can’t do it alone. When one thinks of Prince’s band, The Revolution and The New Power Generation, only two names come to mind: Sheila E. and John Blackwell.
The R&B, funk, pop, and fusion drummer John Blackwell was born on September 9, 1973 and raised in Columbia, South Carolina. His father, John Blackwell, Sr., who was also a drummer, played along with Mary Wells, King Curtis, Joe Simon, J.J. Jackson, the Drifters and the Spinners. Blackwell began his career playing in his high school jazz and marching band. He also began playing in jazz clubs at the age of 13. In 1995, when he was twenty-two, he began playing for the band Cameo. He held this position for 3 years and then moved to Los Angeles in 1998. That same year, he got a job playing for Patti Labelle, which led to him playing on the Grammy Award winning live album, Live! One Night Only.
Throughout the years, Blackwell performed with artists like Justin Timberlake, P. Diddy and D’Angelo. But, earlier in his career, Prince and Blackwell connected through Patti Labelle. In 2000, Blackwell left Labelle to join Prince’s band, “The New Power Generation.” He toured and recorded with Prince for twelve years. You can hear him on Prince’s instrumental album, N.E.W.S, and the live album, Live at the Aladdin, Las Vegas.
Blackwell was an important and famous musician in his own right. He had endorsements from Tama Drums and Zildjian cymbals and sticks. He only moved to Zildjian after a long co-operation with the companies Sabian and Vater Most recently he worked with D’angelo for D’Angelo’s comeback album, Black Messiah. Sadly, Blackwell passed away because of a brain tumor in the summer of 2017. He was only forty-three.
Another Prince collaborator who can never be left out of the discussion is the beautiful percussionist Sheila E. Sheila E. was born on December 12, 1957 in Oakland, California. Her father, Pete Escovedo was a Latin jazz percussionist. Sheila E. started her musical career in 1978 playing percussion for jazz bassist, Alphonso Johnson on the album Yesterday’s Dream.
Before meeting Prince, she played for Marvin Gaye, Herbie Hancock, Diana Ross, George Duke and Lionel Richie. She was a part of Marvin Gaye’s final 1981 tour, the Midnight Love Tour.
She first met Prince in 1978 during her father’s concert [name]. After she performed, Prince approached her and said one day, they would work together. Eventually that promise became a reality when Purple Rain was made in 1984.
Prince and Sheila E.continued to work together until 1989, but even during that time, she had a successful solo career with top 10 singles such as “The Glamorous Life,” “The Belle of St. Mark,” and “A Love Bizarre.”
Prince and Sheila E. eventually teamed up once again in 2008. She also worked on a lot of other projects in that year, including one of Gospel’s biggest stars, Tonex’s Out the Box album, Beyonce’s single “Work It Out”—performing alongside with Pharrell—and releasing her own solo albums. She recently played drums for in the orchestral soundtracks for Man of Steel (2013) and Batman v. Superman (2016).
Prince definitely shared—and arguably eclipsed—the spotlight with his supporting musicians which is one reason why he was one of most legendary artists this world will ever experience. His legacy lives on forever especially with Sheila E. and Morris Day & the Times continuing to hit the stage in his honor. Rest in Purple, Prince!