{"id":1695,"date":"2019-02-01T19:37:12","date_gmt":"2019-02-01T19:37:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/prnalumni.org\/members\/?page_id=1695"},"modified":"2019-03-15T19:00:42","modified_gmt":"2019-03-15T19:00:42","slug":"spotlight-st-paul-peterson-pt-1","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/prnalumni.org\/members\/spotlight\/spotlight-st-paul-peterson-pt-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Spotlight: St. Paul Peterson (Pt. 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"

STORIES FROM THE PARK<\/h3>\n
\n\t

PRN Alumni Foundation is comprised of the former employees of Prince, Paisley Park, Paisley Park Records, PRN Productions, NPG Records, Love4OneAnother, any and all of Prince\u2019s companies spanning his impressive nearly 40 year career.<\/p>\n

There have been, quite literally hundreds of us in Prince\u2019s employ. The Foundation represents our collective voice.<\/p>\n

We are musicians, engineers, managers, lighting directors, wardrobe designers, stylists, makeup artists, drivers, bodyguards, admin staff, valets, drivers (and more!)<\/p>\n

This \u2018Stories From The Park\u2019 chronicle is a way for our colleagues of all tenures and job types to share a little bit of Prince\u2019s magic with you through our individual voices.<\/p>\n

We hope you enjoy getting to know us\u2026we feel as if we\u2019ve known you, Prince\u2019s fans (fam) forever <3<\/p>\n

With love and gratitude,
\nPRN Alumni Foundation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read More Spotlights<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n\n
\n\t\t\"St.\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>

Spotlight: St. Paul Peterson (Pt. 1)<\/h3>\n
\n\t

FOR LOCAL LEGEND ST. PAUL PETERSON\u2026
\nNOTHING COMPARES 2 PRINCE<\/em><\/h1>\n

Interviewed by writer: Tony Kiene <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Part 1:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Among the things that many PRN alumni know is how much Prince Rogers Nelson coveted the opportunity to share his knowledge with others. That said, the ability for someone to truly claim Prince as their mentor positions them in a rather exclusive club, one that Paul Peterson is beyond proud to belong to.<\/p>\n

Paul would be the first to admit that his relationship with Prince was at times complicated, and even nonexistent at others. Still, the influence that Prince had on him was indelible and the good times they shared, including several during the last few years of Prince\u2019s life, occupy a permanent place in Paul\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n

And perhaps there is nothing that embodies the relationship of these two men more than a single song, a song that would ultimately bring Paul\u2019s life full circle.<\/p>\n

The Origins of St. Paul<\/h2>\n

As the youngest son of Willard and Jeanne Arland Peterson, Paul was born into what was affectionately known as Minnesota\u2019s First Family of Jazz. \u201cYou gotta understand,\u201d says Paul, \u201cfor Norwegians, we were pretty funky. My childhood and that of all my siblings was immersed in be-bop and R & B. Our family was drawn to African American music because that\u2019s what we loved.\u201d<\/p>\n

It must have been serendipity then that Paul came of age in the same era (and locale) that The Minneapolis Sound began to take shape. By 1983, though only 18 and still a senior in high school, Paul was already turning heads in the music community just as his older brothers and sisters (Linda, Billy, Patty, and Ricky) had before him. And, it was his talent and versatility that soon caught the attention of Prince who tapped the young Richfield native to join The Time, taking up one of two keyboard spots that had been recently vacated by Jimmy Jam and Monte Moir.<\/p>\n

The next few months proved to be a whirlwind as Paul found himself not only learning directly at the feet of His Royal Badness, but also from his new brothers in what many considered the funkiest band around. By the end of 1983, Paul, just barely 19, had completed filming on what in the eyes of many would become the most famous Rock and Roll movie of all time, Purple Rain<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Shortly thereafter, he was around to help put the finishing touches on The Time\u2019s third Warner Bros. release Ice Cream Castle<\/em>. By this time however, Morris Day had left the band and Jesse Johnson soon followed. For the moment, The Time was no more. Of course, Prince, who was perpetually juggling a multitude of ideas, already had a plan in place for a new band.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want you to be the singer,\u201d Prince told a stunned Paul. And, in spite of any apprehensions he had, Paul replied \u201cYes\u201d and The Family was born. Featuring both St. Paul (as Prince had rechristened him) and Susannah Melvoin on lead vocals, the band was rounded out by Eric Leeds and holdovers from The Time, Jellybean Johnson and Jerome Benton.<\/p>\n

During the summer of 1984, there seemed to be a million things going on in Prince\u2019s universe, all at the same time. On the night of his 26th<\/sup> birthday, Prince and The Revolution unveiled several new songs in a gig at First Avenue. Sheila E.\u2019s debut album was released in early June to be followed by the soundtrack to Purple Rain <\/em>later that month. Next was The Time\u2019s Ice Cream Castle <\/em>and on July 26th<\/sup> came the World Premiere of Purple Rain <\/em>at Mann\u2019s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.<\/p>\n

Yet Prince, as always, was a few steps ahead of everything else that was going on around him, whether he\u2019d created it or not. And it was during that summer of 1984 that Prince started recording the basic tracks for his latest project.<\/p>\n

It had already been a pretty decent summer for (the still teenage) Paul as he officially added his first major label release as well as a major motion picture credit to his r\u00e9sum\u00e9. And, not long after he returned home from the Hollywood premiere of Purple Rain<\/em>, Paul began to contribute his vocals to songs that would ultimately form The Family\u2019s debut album.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way it worked in those days,\u201d notes Paul \u201cis that I wasn\u2019t necessary at the beginning of the process. Prince would dispatch a cassette over to me. It was often a fully-formed track and it was my job to learn the song based on his guide vocal.\u201d While Paul was impressed by all the songs that were written for this record, there was one that immediately stood out to him.<\/p>\n

The Song<\/h2>\n

When the demo of \u201cNothing Compares 2 U\u201d arrived at his mother\u2019s house (where he was still living at the time), Paul immediately sat down at the kitchen table and hit play. His first thought was, \u201cOkay, this is heavy duty. This is on another level.\u201d Paul adds that \u201cAt this particular time Prince was so prolific, so in tune with what was going on, not only within his own musical sphere but the entire culture. This song seemed to be the perfect embodiment of that clairvoyance.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he studied the track and sought to capture its emotion and accurately mirror all of Prince\u2019s different inflections and complex phrasing, it quickly took on a very personal connection to him. Paul and his high school sweetheart, Julie, began dating in 10th<\/sup> Grade before she broke his heart a year later. Although they were now back together, Paul couldn\u2019t help but to lament the time they spent apart. Prince\u2019s extraordinary composition spoke directly to those feelings and to Paul gave the song an even \u201cdeeper meaning.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it came time to record the vocals for \u201cNothing Compares 2 U\u201d Paul remembers David Z engineering the session at the fabled warehouse on Flying Cloud Drive, but can\u2019t recall if Prince was there or not. \u201cHe might have come by at the end, but you know 34 years have passed so I can\u2019t say for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul\u2019s vocals would not be the final contribution to the song, as Prince decided to employ legendary composer Clare Fischer to add string arrangements. As Paul recalls, it was Susannah that encouraged Prince to use Fischer, who had made a name for himself in both jazz and soul circles for decades. \u201cWhen I heard the finished song with Clare\u2019s orchestration,\u201d says Paul, \u201cwhich stripped away much of Prince\u2019s original instrumentation, I found myself loving the song more, if that was even possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul first sang \u201cNothing Compares 2 U\u201d in front of a live audience on August 13, 1985 during The Family\u2019s debut performance at First Avenue. Then, a few days later, the band\u2019s eponymous album became the second LP released on Prince\u2019s new Paisley Park label (following Prince and The Revolution\u2019s Around the World In A Day<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Underscored by the singles \u201cThe Screams of Passion,\u201d and \u201cHigh Fashion,\u201d The Family <\/em>is widely considered among the best (Prince) associated artist albums of all time. And although never released as a single, the band\u2019s original recording of \u201cNothing Compares 2 U\u201d became an instant classic among fans.<\/p>\n

Read Part 2<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a9 Tony Kiene & PRN Alumni Foundation<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PRN Alumni Foundation is comprised of the former employees of Prince, Paisley Park, Paisley Park Records, PRN Productions, NPG Records, Love4OneAnother, any and all of Prince\u2019s companies spanning his impressive nearly 40 year career. There have been, quite literally hundreds of us in Prince\u2019s employ. The Foundation represents our collective voice. 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