Morris Day | |
|---|---|
 Morris Day on stage with fans, in 2024 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Morris E. Day |
| Born | December 13, 1957 Springfield, Illinois, U.S. |
| Origin | Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. [1] |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1980−2024 |
| Labels | |
Morris E. Day (born December 13, 1957) is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time.
Morris Day is best known as the lead singer of The Time, a group associated with Prince. Day and Prince attended the same high school in Minneapolis and in 1974, as teenagers, became bandmates in the band Grand Central. The band was managed by Morris' mother. [2] [3]
Morris announced in 2022 that he would be releasing his final solo album Last Call and retiring after his 2023–2024 tour. [4]
In addition to his roles in Purple Rain (1984) and Graffiti Bridge (1990), Day also appeared in small parts in films such as Richard Pryor's Moving (1988) and the Andrew Dice Clay film The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990). Day's presence on the screen decreased until, in 2001, he returned to film in Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back , performing "Jungle Love" with The Time after being introduced emphatically by Jason Mewes' character as "Morris Day and the Time!" and dancing with the movie's stars in the film's ending.
Day also appeared on the small screen in 1990 when he portrayed the character Lamarr on ABC's short-lived sitcom New Attitude . He guest-starred on the sitcom Eve as a pimp who wanted Eve's fashion boutique to design a flamboyant suit to match his witty personality, and appeared as himself in an episode on the series Moesha , attempting to file a lawsuit against Moesha's ex-boyfriend Q, who used a sample from "The Oak Tree" without permission. He also appeared in the series 227 .
He appeared opposite James Avery and Matthew Stewart in a pilot called Heart & Soul produced by Quincy Jones. In 2018, Will Smith revealed that he auditioned on the spot for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air with a script for a "failed Morris Day pilot" that Jones handed to him. [5]
In March 2022, an article written by the Los Angeles Times mentioned that the Prince Estate recently informed Day that he "can no longer use Morris Day and the Time in any capacity." After reading the letter that was sent to Day from the estate, music industry attorney Erin M. Jacobson mentioned in that same article that it was more accurate to say the letter stated that Day could not claim “ownership of the name,” but there was still opportunity to use the name via an agreement with the Prince Estate that would provide terms for Day to monetarily compensate “the trademark owner in exchange for the ability to continue using the name.” [6]
| Year | Album | Chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [7] | US R&B [8] | |||||
| 1985 | Color of Success | 37 | 7 | |||
| 1987 | Daydreaming | 41 | 7 | |||
| 1992 | Guaranteed | — | — | |||
| 2004 | It's About Time | 197 | 38 | |||
| 2022 | Last Call | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||
| Year | Single | Chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [9] | US R&B [10] | US Dance [11] | UK [12] | |||
| 1985 | "The Oak Tree" | 65 | 3 | 14 | 77 | |
| "The Color of Success" | — | 15 | — | — | ||
| "The Character" | — | 34 | — | — | ||
| "Love Sign" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987 | "Fishnet" | 23 | 1 | 12 | — | |
| 1988 | "Love Is A Game" | — | 71 | — | — | |
| "Are You Ready" | — | — | 8 | — | ||
| "Daydreaming" | — | 26 | — | — | ||
| 1992 | "Circle of Love" | — | — | — | — | |
| "Gimme Whatcha Got" | — | 77 | — | — | ||
| 2000 | "Get a Job" | — | 96 | — | — | |
| 2017 | "Over That Rainbow" | — | — | — | — | |
| "One Night Stand" (with Snoop Dogg) | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019 | "Lil Mo Funk" (with Snoop Dogg) | — | — | — | — | |
| 2020 | "Cooler Than Santa Claus" | — | — | — | — | |
| "Headrush" (with Trinidad James) | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021 | "Grown Man" (with Big Daddy Kane) | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Purple Rain | Himself | |
| 1988 | Moving | Rudy | |
| Heart and Soul | Curtis Brousseau | TV movie | |
| 1990 | The Adventures of Ford Fairlane | Don Cleveland | |
| Graffiti Bridge | Himself | ||
| 1991 | Hotel Dicks | Dick 1 | |
| 1997 | A Woman Like That | ||
| 2001 | Boys Klub | Marx 2 | |
| Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back | Himself | ||
| 2004 | West from North Goes South | Elvis Potter |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 227 | Prince Lionel | Episode: "The Prince" |
| 1990 | New Attitude | Lamarr | Main cast |
| 1997 | Moesha | Himself | Episode: "Rhythm and Dues" |
| 2004 | Eve | Rodney P | Episode: "Pimps Up, DivaStyle Down" |
| Da Boom Crew | Zorch | Main cast | |
| 2007-08 | Baisden After Dark | Himself/Band Leader | TV series |
Prince Rogers Nelson was an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer, and actor. The recipient of numerous awards and nominations, he is regarded as one of history's greatest musicians. He was known for his flamboyant, androgynous persona; his wide vocal range, which included a far-reaching falsetto and high-pitched screams; and his skill as a multi-instrumentalist, often preferring to play all or most of the instruments on his recordings. His music incorporated a wide variety of styles, including funk, R&B, rock, new wave, soul, synth-pop, pop, jazz, blues, and hip hop. Prince produced his albums himself, pioneering the Minneapolis sound.
Tatyana Marisol Ali is an American actress and singer best known for her role as Ashley Banks on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from 1990 to 1996. She starred as Tyana Jones on the TV One original series Love That Girl!, and played a recurring role as Roxanne on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless from 2007 to 2013. In 2023, she starred in Giving Hope: The Ni’Cola Mitchell Story on Lifetime.
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The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom created by Andy and Susan Borowitz that aired on NBC from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager born and raised in West Philadelphia who is sent to live with his wealthy uncle and aunt in Bel-Air, Los Angeles, where his lifestyle often clashes with that of his upper-class relatives.
Purple Rain is a 1984 American romantic rock musical drama film scored by and starring Prince in his acting debut. Developed to showcase his talents, it contains several concert sequences, featuring Prince and his band The Revolution. The film is directed by Albert Magnoli, who later became Prince's manager, from a screenplay by Magnoli and William Blinn. The cast also features Apollonia Kotero, Morris Day, Olga Karlatos and Clarence Williams III.
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince were an American hip hop duo from West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consisting of rapper Will Smith and turntablist Jeff Townes. Active full time from 1986 to 1994 and occasionally thereafter, the duo became just the third rap group in recording history to receive platinum certification, after Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys. The group received the first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989 for "Parents Just Don't Understand" (1988), though their most successful single was "Summertime" (1991), which earned the group their second Grammy and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Will Smith and Jeff Townes have remained close friends and claim they never split up, having made songs together under Smith's solo performer credit. DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince have sold over 5.5 million albums in the US. Their latest performance dates back to November 2023.
Purple Rain is the sixth studio album by the American singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Prince. It was released on June 25, 1984, by Warner Bros. Records as the soundtrack album to the 1984 film of the same name. Purple Rain was musically denser than Prince's previous albums, emphasizing full band performances, and multiple layers of guitars, keyboards, electronic synthesizer effects, drum machines, and other instruments.
Kid 'n Play is an American hip-hop duo from New York City who were most popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The duo is composed of Christopher Reid ("Kid") and Christopher Martin ("Play") working alongside their DJ, Mark "DJ Wiz" Eastmond. Besides their musical careers, they also branched out into acting.
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance is an honor presented to recording artists for quality rap performances. It was first presented at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards in 1989 and again at the 32nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1990, after which point the award was split into two categories: Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. These two categories were combined again in 2012 as a result of a restructure of Grammy categories, and the reinstated Award for Best Rap Performance was presented at the 54th Grammy Awards in 2012. The restructuring was the consequence of the Recording Academy's wish to decrease the number of categories and awards and to eliminate distinctions between solo and duo or group performances.
The New Power Generation, also known as the NPG, was the backing band of musician Prince from 1990 to 2013. They were replaced by 3rdeyegirl as his backing band in 2013. In 2015, the New Power Generation reunited as Prince's backing band for his final studio album before his death, Hit n Run Phase Two. They reunited once again in 2017 for a US and European tour.
"The Bird" is a song from The Time's third album, Ice Cream Castle. The song was initially recorded in the studio in 1983 with all instruments by Prince, except guitar, which was performed by Jesse Johnson. This version was replaced by a live recording with the full band at the First Avenue on October 4, 1983. This is the first Time song to be released both live and featuring The Time as a band, rather than primarily Prince with Morris Day on vocals. The song has become a signature number for the band and continues to be played in every Time concert to this day. In addition, two additional live versions have since been released: one on Prince's Rave Un2 the Year 2000 DVD and one recorded at the House of Blues in 1998 for Morris Day's 2004 album It's About Time.
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The Time, also known as Morris Day and the Time and The Original 7ven, is an American funk rock band founded in Minneapolis in 1981. They contributed to the development of the Minneapolis sound, an eclectic fusion of funk, R&B, new wave, synth-pop and dance. Led by singer-songwriter Morris Day, the band members are known for having been close associates of musician Prince, and are arguably the most successful artists who have worked with him, achieving success with singles such as "Get It Up", "The Bird", "Cool", "777-9311", "Jungle Love" and "Jerk Out".
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Graffiti Bridge is a 1990 American rock musical drama film written, directed by, and starring Prince in his third and final major theatrical film role. It is a standalone sequel to his 1984 film Purple Rain. Like its predecessor, it was accompanied by a soundtrack album of the same name.
Ice Cream Castle is a 1984 album by The Time. Their third album, it consists of six tracks in the funk-pop or ballad genre, and it was produced and arranged by Prince as "The Starr ★ Company".
Jesse Woods Johnson is an American funk musician best known as the guitarist in the original 1981 lineup of The Time.
"Summertime" is a song by American hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, released in May 1991 by Jive and RCA as the lead single from their fourth studio album, Homebase (1991). The song was produced by Chicago-based producers Hula and K. Fingers, and it won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 1992 Grammy Awards. It spent a week at number #1 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart, as well as reaching #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also became the duo's first single to enter the top ten of the UK Singles Chart, peaking at #8.
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"Yo Home to Bel-Air", alternately titled as "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (Theme)" or merely "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", is a song by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince first heard in 1990 as the theme song to the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Lyrics were composed by rapper and sitcom star Will Smith, performing under his stage name the Fresh Prince, and the song was produced by Jeffrey Townes under his stage name DJ Jazzy Jeff.
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