The Time (band)

The Time were a funk and dance-pop ensemble of the early- and mid-80s. They were prominent protégés of Prince.

Related Topics:
Funk - Dance-pop - Prince

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The band was assembled under a clause in Prince's contract with Warner Bros. that allowed him to recruit and produce other artists for the label. Inspired by the 1980 film The Idolmaker, about the life of music promoter and producer Bob Marucci - the svengali figure behind such 50s/early-60's teen idols as Fabian and Frankie Avalon - Prince decided to put together a poppy funk group that would serve as a pet project and an outlet for further hits and material in the vein of his own early albums - while he himself went on to explore other genres and styles in his own career.

Related Topics:
Warner Bros. - 1980 - The Idolmaker - Bob Marucci - Svengali - 50s - 60 - Teen idol - Fabian - Frankie Avalon

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By 1981, he had built The Time out of an existing Minneapolis funk unit, "Flyte Tyme" (from the Donald Byrd song), which featured Jellybean Johnson on drums, Jimmy Jam and Monte Moir on keyboards, and Terry Lewis on bass. To this base were added Jesse Johnson on guitar and a lead singer named Morris Day, drawn from another local band, Enterprise. Prince had used an Enterprise song, "Partyup", on Dirty Mind, and his selection of Day was essentially a reward; he had originally tapped Alexander O'Neal - yet another player in the Minneapolis "Uptown" funk scene - for the vocalist slot, but O'Neal wanted too much money.

Related Topics:
1981 - Minneapolis - Donald Byrd - Jellybean Johnson - Jimmy Jam - Monte Moir - Terry Lewis - Jesse Johnson - Morris Day - Dirty Mind - Alexander O'Neal

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The band went on to release four albums during the course of their main career, each a solid slice of jammy, rock-infused 80s funk, generally light and humorous in tone, strongly influenced by Parliament - and, of course, Prince. Although they scored numerous hits (including "The Bird", Jesse Johnson's very catchy "Jungle Love", "777-9311", "Get It Up", "Gigolos Get Lonely Too", and "Cool", mostly on the R&B charts) during the early 1980s, they never approached superstardom, or developed a reputation for innovation or artistic brilliance in the manner of Prince. Though Day made a charismatic and alluring frontman, many have called his songwriting weak and self-indulgent, citing it as a reason that The Time never went on to even greater success.

Related Topics:
Parliament - 1980s

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In 1983, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who had begun writing songs and branching out into production work of their own (working with SOLAR to produce Klymaxx and with Tabu Records to produce the S.O.S. Band), were stranded in Atlanta by a blizzard and failed to make it to a Time concert in San Antonio, for which they were fined and then fired. Whether their firing was due to the incident or to their increasing independence has never been clear. The duo were replaced with Lisa Coleman (keyboards) and Jerry Hubbard (bass).

Related Topics:
1983 - SOLAR - Klymaxx - Tabu Records - S.O.S. Band - Atlanta - Blizzard - San Antonio - Lisa Coleman

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It was Day who left next, choosing to pursue a solo career in 1985 after a successful acting turn in Prince's Purple Rain film. The band disintegrated soon thereafter, with Jesse Johnson also opting to go solo. Meanwhile, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis went on to become one of the most successful songwriting and production teams of the 80s and 90s.

Related Topics:
1985 - Purple Rain - Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis

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The original lineup of the band united for the Graffiti Bridge movie and soundtrack, as well as a new album - Pandemonium. This spawned their highest selling single, "Jerk Out" and the album featured more input from the band than any other Time album. The reunion was short-lived, however and the band broke up once again.

Related Topics:
Graffiti Bridge - Pandemonium - Reunion

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Several members of The Time reunited in 1996, added a few new recruits and have remained together since. This version of the band can be seen in the Kevin Smith film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and tours frequently.

Related Topics:
1996 - Kevin Smith - Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

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An 2004 album attributed to Morris Day called It's About Time contains a few new tracks written by Day and a number of live performances by The Time.

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