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Dez Dickerson | |
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| Birth name | Desmond D'andrea Dickerson |
| Born | August 7, 1955 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Genres | Funk rock, pop rock, R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist, musician |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Website | www |
Desmond D'andrea Dickerson (born August 7, 1955) is an American guitarist and singer who was a member of Prince's band, the Revolution.
Dickerson was born in 1955 as Desmond D'andrea Dickerson, [1] in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A veteran of numerous Minneapolis rock bands, Dickerson answered Prince's call for a touring musician in the Twin Cities Reader, a local entertainment paper, in 1979. [2] After a 15-minute audition in the back of Del's Tire Mart, Dickerson was picked as guitarist. In 1980 when off the road for Christmas break, Dickerson had a profound conversion experience and became a born-again Christian. Afterwards, performing songs with sexual themes began to trouble his conscience. Even though Dickerson's and Prince's popularity were growing, he desired more and more to quit the band. He contributed songs for Prince's side projects, writing "He's So Dull" for Vanity 6, and co-writing "Wild and Loose", "After Hi School", and "Cool" for the Time. Dickerson contributed vocals to "Little Red Corvette" and "1999" on the 1999 album, as well as the guitar solo for "Little Red Corvette" that ranked number 64 on Guitar World''s list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos. [3]
Following the 1999 tour, Dickerson left the band to pursue other options. He was replaced by Wendy Melvoin.
After leaving the Revolution, Dickerson formed his own short-lived band, the Modernaires, and toured in support of Billy Idol on his 1984 Rebel Yell tour, frequently joining Idol onstage. Dickerson appeared in the movie Purple Rain with the Modernaires, but their song was not released as a single nor on the Purple Rain soundtrack. A solo recording deal failed to materialize, and in 1987 Dickerson relocated to Nashville to back singer Judson Spence. He also kept busy with session work and producing other artists.
In 1990, Dickerson was named vice president of A&R with the CCM (Contemporary Christian music) label Starsong Communications. Four years later he founded his own label, Absolute Records, a Christian rock record company. Artists on his label included Squirt, These 5 Down and Metropolis aka Metropolis America. He released a solo album in the late 1990s entitled Oneman, and then a book, My Time with Prince: Confessions of a Former Revolutionary, which spans from his audition in 1978 until leaving Prince in 1983.
In 2005, Dickerson released a double CD retrospective collection of his work from 1982 to 1987, including the complete version of the "classic" Modernaire. Taken from the film Purple Rain and featuring Prince on guitars, keyboards and backing vocals, this track was released on vinyl in 2008 by the UK label, Citinite.
Also in 2005, a three-CD set was released, Rock of Ages – Where Classic Hymns Meet Classic Rock!. This was produced, arranged, recorded and mixed by Dickerson and features powerful guitar riffs. It presented 32 well-known hymns in a rock format, with Dickerson playing many of the instruments. Joining Dickerson on this project was his son, Jordan Dickerson, who contributed drums to many of the tracks and bass guitar on some. Jordan also arranged "Agnus Dei".
Currently[ when? ], Dickerson manages record label and branding companies Pavilion Entertainment and Pavilion Synergies in Nashville. In 2012 he joined his former bandmates at a full-scale Revolution reunion which was set up by drummer Robert "Bobby Z." Rivkin to raise money and awareness for heart disease; Prince attended the performances but did not participate.
Starting in 2023, Dez, periodically, starting filling in for different hosts at Super Talk 99.7 WTN in Nashville, TN.
Glenn Hughes is an English musician, best known for playing bass and performing vocals in the hard rock band Trapeze and in the Mk. III and IV line-ups of Deep Purple, as well as briefly fronting Black Sabbath in the mid-1980s. He is known by fans as "The Voice of Rock" due to his soulful and wide-ranging singing voice.
Prince Rogers Nelson, known mononymously as Prince, was an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor. The recipient of numerous awards and nominations, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest musicians of his generation. He was known for his flamboyant, androgynous persona; his wide vocal range, which included a far-reaching falsetto and high-pitched screams; and his skill as a multi-instrumentalist, often preferring to play all or most of the instruments on his recordings. His music incorporated a wide variety of styles, including funk, R&B, rock, new wave, soul, synth-pop, pop, jazz, blues, and hip hop. Prince produced his albums himself, pioneering the Minneapolis sound.
Purple Rain is a 1984 American rock musical drama film scored by and starring Prince in his acting debut. Developed to showcase his talents, it contains several concert sequences, featuring Prince and his band The Revolution. The film is directed by Albert Magnoli, who later became Prince's manager, from a screenplay by Magnoli and William Blinn. The cast also features Apollonia Kotero, Morris Day, Olga Karlatos and Clarence Williams III.
David Coverdale is an English singer and songwriter, he is best known as the founder and lead singer of hard rock band Whitesnake. Coverdale was the lead singer of Deep Purple from 1973 to 1976, after which he released two solo studio albums White Snake and Northwinds before forming Whitesnake in 1978.
Purple Rain is the sixth studio album by the American singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Prince. It was released on June 25, 1984, by Warner Bros. Records, as the soundtrack album to the 1984 film of the same name. Purple Rain was musically denser than Prince's previous albums, emphasizing full band performances, and multiple layers of guitars, keyboards, electronic synthesizer effects, drum machines, and other instruments.
Michael Harrison Sweet is a singer and guitarist from Whittier, California; he is the co-founder, songwriter, guitarist and lead singer of the Christian metal band Stryper. He's also had a successful solo career, and briefly served as singer and guitarist for Boston from 2007 to 2011.
Steve J. Morse is an American guitarist, best known as the founder of the Dixie Dregs and as the guitarist for Deep Purple from 1994 to 2022. Morse has also enjoyed a successful solo career and was briefly a member of the group Kansas in the mid-1980s. Most recently, Morse became a member of the supergroup Flying Colors.
"Purple Rain" is a song by American musician Prince and his backing band the Revolution. It is the title track from the 1984 album of the same name, which in turn is the soundtrack album for the 1984 film of the same name starring Prince, and was released as the third single from the album. The song is a power ballad that combines rock, R&B, gospel, and orchestral music.
The Revolution is an American band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1979 by Prince, serving as his live band and later as his studio band. The band's sound incorporated rock, pop, R&B, funk, new wave and psychedelic elements. Along with Prince's other projects, the Revolution helped create the Minneapolis sound. By the time of their 1986 breakup, the Revolution had backed Prince on two studio albums, two soundtracks and two videos.
Robert B. Rivkin, better known by the stage name Bobby Z., is an American musician and record producer, most known as being the original drummer for Prince's backing band The Revolution from 1978 to 1986.
"Little Red Corvette" is a song by American recording artist Prince. The song combines a Linn LM-1 beat and slow synth buildup with a rock chorus, over which Prince, using several automobile metaphors, recalls a one-night stand with a beautiful promiscuous woman. Backing vocals were performed by Lisa Coleman and Dez Dickerson; Dickerson also performs a guitar solo on the song.
Doug Aldrich is an American hard rock guitarist. He founded the band Burning Rain with Keith St. John in 1998 and has played with Whitesnake, Dio, Lion, Hurricane, House of Lords, Bad Moon Rising and Revolution Saints. He is currently a member of The Dead Daisies. He has also released several solo albums. Doug toured with former Deep Purple bassist and vocalist Glenn Hughes' band in 2015. It was announced in early 2016 that he would be replacing Richard Fortus as guitarist of The Dead Daisies.
Wendy Ann Melvoin is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Prince as part of his backing band The Revolution, and for her collaboration with Lisa Coleman as one half of the duo Wendy & Lisa.
Nole Floyd "Nokie" Edwards was an American musician and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was primarily a guitarist, best known for his work with The Ventures, and was known in Japan as the 'King of Guitars'. Edwards was also an actor, who appeared briefly on Deadwood, an American Western drama television series.
Jesse Woods Johnson is an American musician best known as the guitarist in the original 1981 lineup of The Time.
The Purple Rain Tour was a concert tour by American recording artist Prince and The Revolution following up on the success of his sixth studio album Purple Rain and his 1984 film Purple Rain. According to Spin, the tour sold over 1.7 million tickets.
Eric "Roscoe" Ambel is an American guitarist and record producer.
Jason & the Scorchers, originally Jason & the Nashville Scorchers, are a cowpunk band that formed in 1981 and are led by singer-songwriter Jason Ringenberg.
Prince and the Revolution: Live is a live concert video by Prince and the Revolution. Released after the Purple Rain Tour was complete, the video is a recording of the March 30, 1985 concert at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. The concert was also broadcast live throughout Europe as the final act of the 15th "Rock Night", an all-night show of four concerts staged by West German public broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk as part of its Rockpalast series that was simulcast by the Eurovision network of European TV stations.
Simon McBride is a Northern Irish singer and guitarist, who has played with other artists, including Deep Purple and Snakecharmer, as well as recording and touring his own band, and teaching at BIMM in Dublin.
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