Morris Day

Actor · born 13 December 1957 · Springfield, Illinois, USA

Morris E. Day (born December 13, 1957) is an American singer, composer, actor and band leader. In his teens, he went to the same high school as Prince in Minneapolis; they played together in the band Grand Central. In 1980, Prince covered Day's composition "Partyup" on his own album Dirty Mind. In 1981, the funk-soul-dance band The Time was founded by Prince with Day as its lead singer. The group released its eponymous debut album that year. Their second album, What Time Is It?, followed in '82. Then, in 1984, Morris and The Time got their cinematic big break performing in the Prince starrer Purple Rain. In it, Day portrayed the foe of Prince's character The Kid, earning critical acclaim for his acting. The Time's third album, Ice Cream Castle, was released that year, becoming its highest performing on both the U.S. and U.S. R&B charts until the release of Pandemonium, their fourth LP. In 1985, Day kicked off his solo recording career with Color of Success, eventually releasing four solo albums in all. He reunited with The Time to record Condensate, under the group name The Original 7ven, in 2011. Day has appeared in numerous films, as well as having acted on television. He has also written a memoir with biographer David Ritz titled On Time: A Princely Life in Funk.

Where to start: Purple Rain (1984).