#brownmark

Prince And The Revolution

When Prince put together his backing band in Minneapolis, Minnesota after the release of his first album “For You”, he brought about a multi-racial, multi-gendered band which consisted of André Cymone on bass guitar and vocals, Dez Dickerson on guitar and vocals, Bobby Z. on drums, Gayle Chapman on keyboards and vocals, and Matt Fink on keyboards. In 1979, material was recorded with the band, acting as a side project known as The Rebels. The recordings were a group effort with lead vocals by Cymone, Dickerson or Chapman. The project was shelved for unknown reasons. The band underwent two line-up changes. Gayle Chapman quit the band in 1980 and was replaced by Lisa Coleman. André Cymone would leave the band in 1981 and was replaced by Mark Brown, renamed BrownMark by Prince. The words "and the Revolution" can be seen printed backwards on the cover of Prince’s fifth album 1999. The Revolution served as his live and studio band after making its studio album debut on 1999 (1982). The Revolution rose to international fame with the movie Purple Rain (1984) and the soundtrack which reached number one on the Billboard 200 and became certified 13× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The Revolution consisted of various band member line-ups from 1982 - 1986 consisting of: Dez Dickerson on guitar and vocals, BrownMark on bass, Bobby Z. on drums and percussion, Lisa Coleman on keyboards, piano, and vocals, Dr. Fink on keyboards, Jill Jones on vocals, Wendy Melvoin on guitar and vocals, Miko Weaver on guitar, Susannah Melvoin on backing vocals, Eric Leeds on saxophone, Matt "Atlanta Bliss" Blistan on trumpet and (known as The Bodyguards) Jerome Benton, Wally Safford and Greg Brooks as dancers, vocalists and comic foils. The group disbanded after the Parade Tour in 1986.

So, apparently someone told someone else that they played the opening riff for “When Doves Cry.”  The second someone told that comment publicly and the first someone claims they did not say it.  Let’s be perfectly clear, here’s what you said JUST THIS WEEK: https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/26282-wendy-melvoin-playing-for-the-revolution?page=1

That great poet laureate of the 1980s, Oran “Juice” Jones, once, “said you without me is like cornflakes without the milk.” That’s basically The Revolution without Prince. To quote that other great mind, David Ruffin, “The Revolution without Prince is a group in search of a Prince” (and no imposters, no impersonators, please, we’ve had enough of those; no holograms, either). Since some folks are really feeling themselves these days, let’s make your musical mediocrity VERY PLAIN using pictures since you were given all the pieces to the puzzle and still couldn’t find a clue no better than you can find the right notes in your diaphragm to sing. So we are going to help you once again.  The following are animated examples of all the ways The Revolution (and one particular female guitarist) are a joke:

In closing, we need to remind the wannabe front woman of who she is and where she came from: PLAY YOUR POSITION, know your role and stay in your damn lane. Because we have 30 years of receipts of you talking smack about that man before he died and best believe we will pull those out if need be! Susannah, you better get your sister together before we do!

                                        *****UPDATE*****

We got a message for that guitarist from David Ruffin, seems he also wanted to remind you that Prince was the David Ruffin and she is Otis.... and well, “ain’t nobody coming to see you, Wendy!”

The Revolution's bassist, BrownMark discusses his friendship and work with Prince and band's reunion

Prince's band before, after, and during Purple Rain has reached legendary status in their own right in the years since the 80s. 

The Revolution changed the sound of R&B, and their bassist, BrownMark held down the low end on that iconic sound.