Prince "I Wanna Be Your Lover," Rick James 1980 Raleigh, NC Concert Poster....

Description

Post-1980's

Prince "I Wanna Be Your Lover," Rick James 1980 Raleigh, NC Concert Poster. An original concert-advertising poster featuring a great bill of R&B/funk superstar Rick James with up-and-comer Prince as a "special guest" at Dorton Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina on Saturday, March 15, 1980. Though Prince was an opener on this U.S. tour, it proved to be a star-making run where more eyes were on him than the headliner. MTV was about to become a cultural force in the music world, helping Prince completely blow up in 1983 starting with "Little Red Corvette" and "Delirious." But that was still three years off, and Prince was paying his dues. Measures 20" x 26 ¼". In Very Good condition COA from Heritage Auctions.

More Information: Playing the 7,600+ arena with a cable-supported roof -- also known as the J.S. Dorton Arena -- it was a multi-use venue for concerts, political events, circuses, and the state fair.

James had been a guaranteed headliner for a few years by this point. He released his third LP, Fire It Up, in the previous year and was on tour promoting it in 1980. Rooted in funk and R&B with a pop sensibility, he had a long career in bands before striking it out on his own. Each solo record sold more than the previous one. Come Get It! spawned the hit singles "You and I" and "Mary Jane," and Bustin' Out of L Seven was a platinum-seller.

The singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist was one of the best around, unafraid to sing about what he lived. He flaunted his love for sex and drugs onstage and in song. While that raised eyebrows in the day, the more honest he was, the more people loved him. The same can be said about Prince Rogers Nelson.

Prince was a few years away from classic blockbusters like 1999 and Purple Rain. His second LP -- a self-titled one -- was on the record store shelves. The multi-instrumentalist channeled Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, and the Motown sound and made it very modern. Plugging his singles "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and "Sexy Dancer" from his self-titled album, the immensely-talented artist was on his way to be a superstar.

The thing is, he was such an impressive draw that he outshined the headliner on many dates of the six-month tour. Playing less than ten songs each show, they made a huge impact for those came out early. Word is that created a rift between James' camp and Prince's camp in this unofficially-named "Battle of Funk." It got to the point where the camps didn't spend much time with each other backstage.

Some key transitions happened for Prince's backing band on this tour. Matt Fink had yet to adopt his Doctor Fink persona (that would start when they toured off of Dirty Mind). A new song called "Head" played later on the tour was objected to by keyboardist Gayle Chapman and she eventually left the group. She was replaced by Lisa Coleman, who was a key collaborator in the legendary songs Prince would unleash in only a few years.

Prince would go onto to be a pop culture icon in the 1980s and 1990s. With hit singles, hit records, and hit movies, he never stopped doing what he loved. His death in 2016 was shocking and unexpected, leaving an irreplaceable hole in music, and a massive archive of unreleased material in his Paisley Park studio.

And for Rick James, his aura did not diminish. It flourished especially in the age of MTV. His 1981 "Super Freak" single and video were massive on radio and the all-music video channel, respectively. Helping launch Eddie Murphy's solo career with the "Party All the Time" single in the mid-1980s, he had a magic touch. Legal troubles and drug addiction would derail his life in the 1990s, but he would have redemption in the years before his death in 2004.

Condition details: Has various spots of creasing, toning, a circular mark on the verso, staple holes, bumped corners, and a ½" tear in the right edge.


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