John L. Nelson, also known as Prince Rogers, was a Minneapolis-based jazz musician in 1950s. However, he will always be remembered as the father of Prince the genre-bending star of the 1980s. During his peak in the 1980s, Prince credited John L. Nelson for several collaborations: “Computer Blue”, “Around the World in a Day,” Christopher Tracy’s Parade,” Under the Cherry Moon,” and even “Scandalous!” All of them bore his name because they featured a chord sequence Prince heard from his father. However, Prince didn’t leave his hometown during his time as a musician. He was born in Louisiana’s Webster Parish on June 29, 1916. In 1948, he moved to Minneapolis, where he took the stage name “Prince Rogers”, which he would eventually give to his son. In 1958, Prince Rogers Nelson was born. This happened one year after his father married Mattie Dela Shaw. Before divorcing in 1968, the couple had another child, Tyka. Nelson lived in Minnesota from 1968 to his death. He was separated from Prince during his teenage years and into his adulthood. Many of his compositions were recorded in 2018 and released under the title Don’t Play with Love. This project was conceived by Sharon L. Nelson, who is also the eldest child of John’s first marriage. It also features Louis Hayes. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, apple.com
