SEATTLE — A new exhibit at Seattle’s Museum of Popular Culture (MoPOP) called “Prince from Minneapolis” opens Saturday.
It features nearly 50 artifacts of “The Purple One,” including his first photo shoot in 1977, and the iconic shirt he wore during “Purple Rain.”
“At a certain point, he started asking me to DJ his private parties, so I was fortunate to be able to do that and have a ringside seat to Prince’s ascent,” said DJ Kevin Cole, a host on Seattle radio station KEXP.
Now a staple on the Seattle music scene, Cole was in Minneapolis in the early 1980s – the house DJ at First Avenue, which was the very club where Prince cut his teeth on the way to superstardom.
Prince had the perfect mix of bravado and bravura. But before he was Prince, he was Prince Rogers Nelson, a scrawny teenager with titanic dreams.
By 1984, Prince had honed his craft becoming a global icon with “Purple Rain.” He had mass appeal, an androgynous sex symbol with unparalleled musical chops – and showmanship to match.
“He had a vision for everything,” Cole said. “Music, image, onstage. He had a singular vision, and he was dedicated to it. Of course, it helps that he was a genius. He could play everything. He was the greatest guitarist in the world, I think.”
MoPOP curator Brooks Peck says it took more than a year for the exhibition to come to fruition.
For the next eight months, he hopes it will bring together Prince’s oldest and newest fans alike.