Jerome Benton | |
---|---|
Born | September 19, 1962 |
Genres | Rock, pop, R&B, soul, funk, funk rock, funk metal, dance |
Occupation(s) | Musician, actor |
Years active | 1981–present |
Labels | Warner Bros. Paisley Park |
Website | Official Website For Jerome Benton |
Jerome Benton (born September 19, 1962) is an American musical performer, backup dancer and comedic actor. He can be seen in music videos by Janet Jackson [1] and Prince, [2] but he is mostly known for his association with Morris Day [3] and The Time.
Benton is the brother of The Time bassist Terry Lewis and worked closely with the band behind the scenes in its initial stages. During one performance, lead singer Morris Day asked for someone to bring him a mirror. Benton responded by ripping a mirror out of the club's restroom and bringing it on stage for Day to comb his hair. This act elevated Benton's integration into the band as a comic foil to Day, along with his dancing and providing backing vocals. In 1983, when Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis missed a concert in San Antonio, Benton was tasked by Prince to pretend to fill in for Lewis on stage with his bass unplugged, while Prince provided the bass parts backstage. (Jam and Lewis were eventually fired after the tour.)
Benton appeared in the 1984 film Purple Rain [4] with the rest of The Time and assumed the role of Morris Day's bodyguard and valet. [5] He also appeared in Prince's second film Under the Cherry Moon , and in Prince's third film Graffiti Bridge . The chemistry between Day and Benton was well received. Although The Time soon dissolved after Day started pursuing a solo career, Prince retained Benton, as well as Jellybean Johnson and Paul Peterson for the short-lived project The Family.
Benton reunited with The Family on December 13, 2003 for a single charity performance along with other acts formerly associated with Prince.
Benton joined Prince alumnus Jill Jones, Greg Brooks & Wally Safford in Detroit June 2017 for "The Purple Block Party: Prince" sponsored by UrbanOne Station KISS 105.9 in honor of the late performer's birthday.
In January 2018, Benton joined his brother Terry Lewis in support of Super Bowl Live in Minneapolis. Jerome was featured in several performances including fDeluxe The Family, The Time, Morris Day & The Time and Sheila E. [6]
Benton returned to Minneapolis in support of the PRN Alumni Foundation in April 2019. The event featured a performance from Ingrid Chavez with an Author's panel featuring Chris Riemenschneider, Jim Walsh, Allen Beaulieu, Tamar Davis & Duane Tudahl. [7]
Jerome continues his hosting duties of The Purple Paisley Brunch. [8] This annual event series features the DJs spinning the best of the Minneapolis Sound with an unlimited brunch. This event is cultivated by Tonya Giddens [9] of BklynGurl Productions in New York.
Prince Rogers Nelson was an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer, and actor. The recipient of numerous awards and nominations, he is regarded as one of history's greatest musicians. 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 romantic 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.
Alexander O'Neal is an American R&B singer, songwriter and arranger from Natchez, Mississippi.
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B/pop songwriting and record production team. Their productions have received commercial success since the 1980s with various artists, most extensively Janet Jackson. They have written 31 top ten hits in the UK and 41 in the US. In 2022, the duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence category.
The Time, also known as Morris Day and the Time and The Original 7ven, is an American funk rock band founded in Minneapolis in 1981. They contributed to the development of the Minneapolis sound, an eclectic fusion of funk, R&B, new wave, synth-pop and dance. Led by singer-songwriter Morris Day the band members are known for having been close associates of musician Prince, and are arguably the most successful artists who have worked with him, achieving success with singles such as "Get It Up", "The Bird", "Cool", "777-9311", "Jungle Love" and "Jerk Out".
The Family was a band formed by Prince, and one of the first on Prince's record label, Paisley Park Records. The band reformed as fDeluxe in 2011. This band should not be confused with a 1970s Minneapolis R&B band of the same name.
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.
Graffiti Bridge is a 1990 American rock musical drama film written, directed by, and starring Prince in his third and final major theatrical film role. It is a standalone sequel to his 1984 film Purple Rain. Like its predecessor, it was accompanied by a soundtrack album of the same name.
Ice Cream Castle is a 1984 album by The Time. Their third album, it consists of six tracks in the funk-pop or ballad genre, and it was produced and arranged by Prince as "The Starr ★ Company".
Pandemonium is the fourth studio album by American band The Time released in 1990. Much like the three previous albums, the album consists of music in the funk rock genre, although this album breaks the Time's six-song album tradition. The album is a tie-in with the film Graffiti Bridge, and several songs from the album appear in the film.
Under the Cherry Moon is a 1986 romantic musical comedy-drama film starring Prince and marking his directorial debut. The follow-up to his 1984 film debut Purple Rain, it also stars former The Time member Jerome Benton, Steven Berkoff, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Francesca Annis. Although the film underperformed both critically and commercially at the time of its release, winning five Golden Raspberry Awards and tying with Howard the Duck for Worst Picture, its associated soundtrack album Parade sold over a million copies and achieved platinum status. Since Prince's death in 2016, several contemporary critics have also revisited the film and now consider it a cult classic.
Garry George "Jellybean" Johnson is an American drummer, guitarist, songwriter, record producer and musician based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Flyte Tyme was a funk band from Minneapolis that launched the careers of vocalists Cynthia Johnson, Alexander O'Neal and producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Many of the group's musicians would later work with Prince. The band's name is a sensational spelling of the phrase "flight time."
Daydreaming is the second album by American R&B/pop singer Morris Day, released in 1987 on Warner Bros. Records. It is the follow-up to Day's debut album, Color of Success, featured are two collaborations with Day's former band, The Time minus Monte Moir. One of these was the hit "Fishnet", which was produced with Time members Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
It's About Time is the fourth solo album to date by R&B singer Morris Day. Released 12 years after his previous album Guaranteed, It's About Time is somewhat a return to form for Day. With the exception of four new songs, the album consists of previous hits, recorded live with the modern line-up of The Time. The live material was poorly edited to remove curse words and to fade abruptly between songs, removing most of the audience reactions. The patchiness of the album was not received well. He would release his most recent album titled The Call on November 11, 2022
Rave Un2 the Year 2000 is a 1999 Prince concert film.
John Lewis Nelson, also known by his stage name Prince Rogers, was an American jazz musician and songwriter. He was the father of musicians Prince and Tyka Nelson and a credited co-writer on some of his son's songs.
The Controversy Tour was a concert tour by American recording artist Prince in support of his fourth studio album Controversy. The tour included Zapp and Roger and The Time as an opening act.
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.
The Parade Tour was a concert tour by American recording artist Prince in support of Prince and The Revolution's eighth studio album Parade and his 1986 film Under the Cherry Moon. The Hit n Run Tour was not a full scale American tour, but a string of concerts that was dubbed "Hit n Run" by Prince's manager. Most of those shows were announced days or hours before the actual concert took place. The Parade Tour marked the first full tour of Europe by Prince. It also saw the expanded Revolution line-up and featured Sheila E. and her band as an opening act for most shows.