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Best of Prince’s Proteges

Twenty-two tracks he wrote, produced, played on or simply willed into existence for somebody else. Prince's second career was making other people famous.

The Minneapolis machine

Prince's productivity was such that his own albums could not absorb it, so he built an ecosystem instead. The Time, Vanity 6, Apollonia 6, Sheila E., The Family, Jill Jones, Taja Sevelle, Madhouse — most of these acts existed because he wanted somewhere to put songs.

He often wrote, arranged and played nearly everything himself, then handed the results to a front person, frequently under a pseudonym: Jamie Starr, Christopher, Alexander Nevermind, Joey Coco. Several of the biggest hits of the 1980s are Prince records that nobody knew were Prince records at the time.

What to listen for

The Time's "777-9311" is the one musicians talk about — that bassline is Prince, played on a synth, and it is one of the most technically absurd things in funk. "Jungle Love," "Cool," "Get It Up," "Wild and Loose" and "Ice Cream Castles" complete the Time selections.

Sheena Easton's "Sugar Walls" was written by Prince as "Alexander Nevermind" and was one of the records that prompted the formation of the PMRC and the eventual parental advisory sticker.

The Bangles' "Manic Monday" was a Prince song given away under the name "Christopher," and it went to number two — kept off the top by "Kiss."

Chaka Khan's "I Feel for You" is a Prince composition from his own 1979 album, transformed by Arif Mardin, Melle Mel and Stevie Wonder's harmonica into something else entirely.

Sheila E.'s "The Glamorous Life" and "A Love Bizarre" are the drummer-bandleader records, and Jody Watley, Wendy & Lisa, Jesse Johnson, André Cymone and Nona Hendryx map the wider orbit.

Alicia Keys' "How Come You Don't Call Me" and Janelle Monáe's "Neon Valley Street" are the later generations paying the debt.

Go deeper

The Time's What Time Is It? (1982) is the essential protege album and one of the funkiest records ever made.

Sheila E.'s The Glamorous Life and The Family's self-titled album — which contains the original "Nothing Compares 2 U" — are the other two to find.

And for how deep this goes: Sinéad O'Connor, Martika, Kenny Rogers and Stevie Nicks all had hits with Prince material. The man gave away songs most writers would build a career on.

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