Ep. 15 - The Little Prince

One of Prince's very first publicity photos, taken in the house of his manager Owen Husney by photographer Robert Whitman just as Prince was first attempting to first launch his career as a recording artist.

Prince’s legend looms so large that it often feels as if he simply descended from another realm. However, behind the Symbol was a flesh-and-blood human being who was greatly shaped by the city he grew up in. In this episode, we’ll look at Prince’s early life and the start of career, digging into his family history, his first bands and musical experimentation, and exploring the way his Minneapolis upbringing shaped Prince as a person and influenced his music.

This is the first part of a two part series. Next episode, we’ll pick up where this one left off and follow Prince’s life and career as it takes off. *** For more on racial housing covenants and segregation in the Twin Cities, check out Mapping Prejudice.

https://youtu.be/3-ssg2X3X-k?si=182brU9YIrFrubDs

Images and Video

Prince's family:

Prince’s maternal grandparents, Frank and Lucille Shaw, parents to Prince’s mother, Mattie Shaw.

Prince's mother, Mattie Shaw, with an infant Prince, ca. 1958.

Mattie Shaw Nelson Baker (date unknown)

Prince's father, John L. Nelson, ca. 1940s-50s.

The Prince Rogers Trio (Hennepin County Library), for some reason featuring four members.

Prince's father, John Lewis Nelson, at the piano in 1973.

In 2018, Prince's half-sister Sharon Nelson produced, Don't Play With Love, an album of compositions by John L. Nelson, performed by a band led by John L. Nelson's nephew Louis Hayes. It was the first music recorded at Paisley Park Studios since Prince's passing. You can learn more here: https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/princes-father-jazz-album-interview

And here is a scene from the semi-autobiographical film Purple Rain (1984) in which The Kid (Prince) confronts his father (played by actor Clarence Williams III). This scene was reputedly modeled after a real incident.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n5XSw6YhuI

Prince with his seven siblings (date unknown).

More young Prince:

Two-year old Prince, in a photo he later wrote his preferred name on: "Skipper."

Here is the WCCO interview of a 12-year-old Prince we referenced in the episode.

https://youtu.be/EQe0EoVoGqU?si=llXd067QevPJxKrZ

This ninth-grade photo of Prince appeared in the 1973 yearbook for Bryant Junior High School..

Prince's early musical career:

Grand Central's Linda Anderson, André Anderson, Morris Day, Terry Jackson, Prince, and William Doughty / Photo by Charles Chamblis

Grand Central Performing at the Dedication Ceremony of the Demolition of the YWCA. L to R: Andre Cymone (guitar), Linda Anderson (keyboard); Morris Day (drums); William Doughty; Prince. Older man at the back and man crouching in front are not identified. (Via Hennepin County Library)

Prince at Moon Sound, 1976 / Photo by Larry Falk.

Last but not least, here is an interactive map of Prince's Minneapolis: https://becoming.prince.com/map/

Sources Cited

Karlen, Neal. This Thing Called Life: Prince's Odyssey On and Off the Record. (New York, St. Martin's Press, 2020) "Nelson Finds It 'Hard To Become Known'," The Central High School Centralian, February 16th, 1976. Accessed at: https://www.thatericalper.com/2016/04/22/read-princes-first-interview-in-his-high-school-newspaper/#google_vignette

"Prince's Early Years," Prince.com,  https://becoming.prince.com/

Shabazz, Rashad. Prince's Minneapolis: A Biography of Sound and Place. (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2026

Swensson, Andrea. Got to Be Something Here: The Rise of the Minneapolis Sound. (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2017)

Podcast Credits

Minnesota Unknown is produced, hosted, written, and researched by Alex Weston, Hannah Norton, and Josie Bergmann. This episode was edited by Alex Weston. Our theme song is by Union Shakedown. This episode is copyright 2026 by Minnesota Unknown, LLC. All rights reserved.

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