The New Power Generation
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| The New Power Generation | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA |
| Genres | Rock, pop, R&B, soul, funk, funk rock, funk metal, New Wave, dance, psychedelic rock, hip-hop |
| Years active | 1990-present |
| Associated acts | Madhouse |
| Members | |
| Prince Morris Hayes Cora Dunham Josh Dunham Shelby J Frederic Yonnet |
|
| Former members | |
| see below | |
The New Power Generation, also known as The NPG, is the current backing group of musician Prince.
Contents |
[edit] History
The phrase "Welcome to the New Power Generation" was mentioned on the opening track of 1988's Lovesexy. New Power Generation was used for the first time as a band name in the 1990 film Graffiti Bridge, and it was also used as a song name on the accompanying soundtrack album.
The New Power Generation debuted live during the Nude Tour in 1990 and on record on the 1991 album Diamonds and Pearls.
When Prince began his formal dispute with Warner Bros. and changed his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol in 1993, the NPG became a side-project for Prince, allowing him to release music outside of his contract. The NPG was intended to appeal to a more urban audience than Prince's mainstream material.[citation needed]
The NPG's debut album, Goldnigga, featured Tony M. as lead vocalist/rapper. The album relied heavily on rap, while the music itself was reminiscent of 1970s funk. Prince participated heavily in writing and performing the music, while Tony wrote and performed raps. Prince provided co-lead vocals on two songs, "Black M.F. in the House" and "Johnny", and the two were often performed by him in his own concerts and aftershows.
A reduced NPG returned to the Prince fold when he began performing under the symbolic moniker in early 1994, backing him on The Gold Experience. The following year, this incarnation released Exodus in 1995. Prince again took a role behind the scenes, adopting the guise of the masked "Tora Tora" and performing lead vocals on several tracks, sometimes with an altered voice. His participation in this version of the NPG was much more apparent. Although several raps were recorded for the album, they were left out of the final release, and the focus was more on funk.
Three years later, another NPG album was released titled Newpower Soul (modifying a song title from Exodus). In fact, a spoken outtake from Exodus mentions the upcoming album, indicating its planning stages. Featuring an almost totally different version of the NPG (only Kirk Johnson and Morris Hayes were retained), Prince features prominently on the cover and liner notes and provides lead vocals on all songs. Unlike the two previous releases, the album relies heavily on drum programming by Kirk Johnson and features input from Larry Graham and Doug E. Fresh.
A fourth album, Peace, due to be released in 2001, never materialized, although a few songs have been made public through limited-release singles at concerts or through Prince's former official website, NPG Music Club.
Some members have worked with Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers on his debut solo album.
[edit] Band members
| Instrument | Name | Year(s) | Notes | |
| Rhythm guitar | Levi Seacer, Jr. | 1991–1993 | Original member; member of Prince's stage band since 1987. Played bass before the addition of Sonny T. |
|
| Kat Dyson | 1996–1997 | |||
| "Rev." Michael Scott | 1997–2001, 2004, 2006 (February) |
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| Bass guitar | 1991–1996 | Original member. Was originally slated to join Prince's band when André Cymone left. | ||
| 1996-2004 | Took a break in 1999 while Larry Graham performed with Prince. | |||
| Josh Dunham | 2005– | |||
| Keyboards | 1991–1996 | Original member | ||
| Kip Blackshire | 1999–2001 | Also provided additional vocals | ||
|
Renato Neto |
2002–2008 | Took a break for most of 2006. No longer in the regular line-up. | ||
| Organ | 1991–1992 | Original member. Co-lead vocals on many tracks. Has also worked with Prince on various projects after her departure. | ||
| 1993–2001, 2005– |
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| Drums/Percussion | 1991–1996 | Original member | ||
|
Kirk Johnson |
1991–1993, 1996-2000 |
Percussion and additional vocals originally. Later became drummer and producer/drum programmer. |
||
| 2000–2004 | ||||
| Cora Dunham | 2005– | |||
| Horns | since 1992 (sporadic) |
Previously known as the NPG Hornz. | ||
| since 1991 (sporadic) |
Originally member of The Revolution. Provides saxophone and flute. |
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|
Tony Morris |
1998–2000 | |||
| 2000–2002 | ||||
| Maceo Parker | 1999–2007 | |||
| Greg Boyer | 2001–2008 | |||
| William Lee Hogan | 2007 | |||
| Mike Phillips | 2003–2007 | |||
| Harmonica | Frédéric Yonnet | 2008– | ||
| Additional vocals | Tony M. | 1991–1993 | Original member. Raps. | |
| Damon Dickson | 1991–1993 | Original member. | ||
| Mayte | 1992–1996 | Provided background vocals and Spanish vocals. | ||
| Marva King | 1997–1999, 2007–2009 |
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| Shelby J | 2006– | |||
| Ledisi | 2008– | |||
| Liv Warfield | 2009– |
[edit] Discography
This is the discography of The New Power Generation, credited as a separate entity from Prince.
[edit] Albums
| Year | Album | US | UK | Worldwide sales (when available) | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Graffiti Bridge | 6 | 1 | 2.0 million | Unnamed New Power Generation members provided backing vocals on the song "New Power Generation". |
| 1991 | Diamonds and Pearls | 3 | 2 | 7.0 million | Album by Prince and The New Power Generation. |
| 1992 | Love Symbol | 5 | 1 | 3.5 million | Album by Prince and The New Power Generation. |
| 1993 | Goldnigga | - | - | - | Album by The New Power Generation. Tony M. performs lead vox. |
| 1995 | Exodus | - | 15 | - | Album by The New Power Generation. Prince as Tora Tora performs lead vox. |
| 1996 | Girl 6 | 75 | - | - | Includes "Count the Days", from Exodus and title track is credited to The New Power Generation, with Prince on lead vox. |
| 1998 | Newpower Soul | 22 | 38 | 500,000 | Album by The New Power Generation. Not a "Prince" release, though Prince is now the band's lead singer. |
| 2004 | The Chocolate Invasion | - | - | - | The New Power Generation is credited for the track "Gamillah". |
| 2004 | The Slaughterhouse | - | - | - | The New Power Generation is credited for the tracks "Peace", "2045: Radical Man" and "The Daisy Chain". |
| 2006 | 3121 | 1 | 9 | 1.38 million | The New Power Generation is credited for "shouts" on the song "Lolita". |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Song | US | US R&B | US Dance | UK | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "New Power Generation" Provided backing vox | 64 | 27 | - | 26 | Graffiti Bridge |
| 1991 | "Gett Off" by Prince and The New Power Generation | 21 | 6 | 1 | 4 | Diamonds and Pearls |
| 1991 | "Cream" by Prince and The New Power Generation | 1 | - | - | 15 | Diamonds and Pearls |
| 1991 | "Diamonds and Pearls" by Prince and The New Power Generation |
3 | 1 | - | 25 | Diamonds and Pearls |
| 1992 | "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" by Prince and The New Power Generation |
23 | 14 | - | 19 | Diamonds and Pearls |
| 1992 | "Insatiable" by Prince and The New Power Generation | 77 | 3 | - | - | Diamonds and Pearls |
| 1992 | "Thunder" by Prince and The New Power Generation | - | - | - | 28 | Diamonds and Pearls |
| 1992 | "Sexy M.F."/"Strollin'" by Prince and The New Power Generation | 66 | 76 | - | 4 | Love Symbol/Diamonds and Pearls |
| 1992 | "My Name Is Prince" by Prince and The New Power Generation |
36 | 25 | 9 | 7 | Love Symbol |
| 1992 | "My Name Is Prince" (remixes) by Prince and The New Power Generation |
- | - | - | 51 | - |
| 1992 | "7" by Prince and The New Power Generation | 7 | 61 | - | 27 | Love Symbol |
| 1992 | "The Morning Papers" by Prince and The New Power Generation |
44 | 68 | - | 52 | Love Symbol |
| 1992 | "Damn U" by Prince and The New Power Generation | 108 | 32 | - | - | Love Symbol |
| 1993 | "2gether" | - | - | - | - | Goldnigga |
| 1993 | "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Prince and The New Power Generation | - | 62 | - | - | The Hits/The B-Sides; B-side to "Peach" |
| 1994 | "Get Wild" | - | - | - | 19 | Exodus |
| 1994 | "Count the Days" | - | - | - | - | Exodus |
| 1994 | "Super Hero" by The New Power Generation featuring The Steeles | - | - | - | - | Blankman: Music from the Motion Picture |
| 1995 | "Purple Medley" The New Power Generation contributes "additional music" | 84 | 74 | - | 33 | - |
| 1995 | "The Good Life" | - | - | - | 29 | Exodus |
| 1996 | "Girl 6" | - | 78 | - | - | Girl 6 |
| 1997 | "The Good Life" (re-issue) | - | - | - | 15 | Exodus |
| 1998 | "The War" | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1998 | "The One" | - | 44 | - | - | Newpower Soul |
| 1998 | "Come On" | - | - | - | 65 | Newpower Soul |
| 2001 | "Peace"/"2045: Radical Man" | - | - | - | - | The Slaughterhouse |
| 2001 | "The Daisy Chain"/"Gamillah" | - | - | - | - | The Slaughterhouse/The Chocolate Invasion |
| 2002 | "Days of Wild" by Prince and The New Power Generation | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2004 | "Controversy (Live in Hawaii)" by Prince and The New Power Generation | - | - | - | - | - |
[edit] See also
- List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
