Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Prince wasn’t your average Midwesterner. The American singer/songwriter was known for his extravagant sense of style, wide vocal range, and funky musical sound that blended funk rock, new wave, and synth-pop. Just one year after his first record was released in 1978, Prince’s self-titled second album went platinum. By 1984 he started calling his backup band The Revolution and released Purple Rain, the soundtrack to his first film. The album spent 24 weeks at the top of the Billboard charts and launched him into superstardom.