The Rise of Prince: 1958-1988

Book excerpt: The Rise of Prince: 1958-1988 gives you a front-row seat to the dramatic events of iconic artist Prince Rogers Nelson's dazzling rise to fame. The book opens with the gripping tale of Prince's final months in 2016, and then transports you to the Minneapolis of his childhood to tell a story that is by turns tragic and triumphant. This book's gripping, 50-page prologue provides a nearly day-to-day account of the events that unfolded between November 2015 and April 21, 2016, when Prince tragically died at Paisley Park. The great distance traveled by Prince during his final months - tours of Australia and New Zealand, a funeral in the Bay Area for former muse and lover Denise Matthews, a tour of Canada, and a final return home - in some ways mirrored on a grand scale Prince's nomadic childhood, to which the book returns after detailing the events of 2016.Thanks to the many close friends and associates who shared their stories with the authors, The Rise of Prince will both enlighten and deeply move Prince's legions of fans. What is ultimately revealed is the very human story of how a young man from a small Midwestern city overcame adversity to achieve one of the greatest runs of creativity in pop history, along the way creating an unparalleled universe of side projects, alter egos, and a musical legacy for the ages.Alex Hahn, writing with co-author Laura Tiebert, brings his extraordinary experience to this book, which includes fully updated and expanded elements of his controversial 2003 biography Possessed, a sought-after collector's item that remains a classic of Prince literature.The book is enhanced by exclusive photos from rock photographer Paul Natkin, one of the most renowned photographers of Prince.