Morris Day
The charismatic frontman of The Time and Prince's childhood friend from North Minneapolis. They hung around The Way community center together, absorbing R&B and funk from older musicians. Day provided the comic foil and sexual swagger that balanced Prince's more enigmatic persona. Installed as frontman when Prince formed The Time in 1981, he was required to follow Prince's guide vocals note-for-note on the debut album—an indignity that fueled their competitive dynamic. During the 1982 Controversy Tour, The Time took the stage determined to show Prince up, playing tighter and funkier than seemed possible. On the final night in Cincinnati, after Prince and his band pelted them with eggs from offstage, a full food fight erupted between the camps. Prince held Day personally responsible and made him pay for all damages at the hotel. The Time would serve as Vanity 6's backing band from behind a curtain for thirty minutes on the Triple Threat Tour before playing their own set. Every night was a battle. Day's vocal work and stage presence turned The Time into one of the era's most electrifying live acts. His solo work continued the Minneapolis Sound tradition through the late '80s. In 2021, he appeared on Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis's debut album "Jam & Lewis Volume One," reuniting with his old rhythm section decades after they'd all escaped Prince's control.