Prince became a global superstar in the 1980s, with albums such as 1999, Purple Rain and Sign O’ the Times. He sold more than 100 million records during his career. A singer, songwriter, arranger and multi-instrumentalist, Prince recorded more than 30 albums. His best known hits include Let’s Go Crazy and When Doves Cry.

A musical prodigy from a broken home, Prince famously wrote, arranged, produced and played almost all of his hit records. But the Purple man’s purple patch really came with his first band The Revolution. With them by his side, he wrote more than two dozen rock classics in a five-year flurry.

The man born Prince Rogers Nelson had the gift of producing some of the most compelling sounds of his generation. He combined traditional R&B and rock ‘n’ roll, reaching back into the musical territory first explored by Little Richard. There have been many who have done it since Prince did it, but at the time he did it, Prince was a trailblazer. With an openly flamboyant style that extended the influence of Jimi Hendrix and a vocal delivery that lived on the borders of rock and erotic, he was always unpredictable and always original.

Purple Rain, Little Red Corvette, 1999, Raspberry Beret, When Doves Cry, Kiss… At the same time, he created Manic Monday for The Bangles and Nothing Compares 2U, made famous by Sinead O’Connor.

In the studio, he was unstoppable. But the magic really happened on stage.