Mr Nelson on The Northside : A Companion Guide

Mr. Nelson on the Northside is a documentary that looks into the early days of Prince. I have been following the progress of this project for quite a few years now and was happy they finally got it out for us to see!

Documentary on P in production! Let's show our interest in it so it can be picked up for distribution! Thanks @cmatlock03! 💜 pic.twitter.com/ASzjBzyEQs

— Darling Nisi (@darlingnisi) May 3, 2019

I super appreciate any insight into the community support of Minneapolis around that time. There is a perception that Prince was TOTALLY self made without any help or assistance, and that honestly was not the case! I appreciate how they laid out the early days (Prince’s parents pics not withstanding 😉) and described the context of the environment he grew up in.

I think this story is largely lost among fams who tend to minimize this part of Prince’s life to the recycled stories of his “tragic” family life and relationship with his parents. That commentary has been sorely lacking in cultural and situational context, and I was happy that Prince himself provides some of the missing pieces in his own autobiography to set the story straight from his perspective.

More widely, Mr. Nelson on the Northside provides the context of what was going on in the Twin Cities and how they responded during the pre/early civil rights era. If this project made you hungry for more about this time just prior to and during Prince’s early days, here are some other resources you should check out :

My first peek into those early days was via 2011’s Condensate DVD that came with “The Original 7ven’s” (the band formerly known as The Time) album of the same name. They mention the importance of Spike Moss, discuss Sonny T as someone they looked up to, and also mention honing their talents at the community center known as The Way, which is also covered in Mr Nelson. See if you can find a used copy as it’s now out of print and  is a costly penny!

If you want a taste of the talent that was competing in local battle of the bands competitions, check out the Purple Snow: Forecasting the Minneapolis Sound collection by Numero Group. This LP collection comes with a book that profiles the bands and talks about the style and music of the Minneapolis Sound that predated P and the gang. (Of course Prince has a cameo in there too). You can also stream these songs on your favorite streaming service!

A book I couldn’t put down once I started was Got to Be Something Here : The Rise of the Minneapolis Sound by Andrea Swensson. I wish this book would have gone on and on and on…the stories and the histories are SO RICH and it explained A LOT about why Prince navigated his career the way he did. I was honestly hoping the documentary would lean more into the content of her book, but was happy to see Andrea as part of this project to speak on it as well! SUPER recommend her commentary on the segregation of local clubs…maybe a thread to pull on for a future Muse episode?

From my own Muse 2 the Pharaoh archives, definitely check out Unpacking Race in the Legacy of Prince. Joined by Erica Thompson, we study Prince’s early days and track how those influences manifest in how he moves through his career.

A few years ago, the Minnesota Historical Society put together a program called Prince : From Minneapolis to the World. You will see familiar faces as part of this, but of particular interest is the segment Prince and Minneapolis : Discover Prince’s North Minneapolis with a presentation by independent historian Kristen Zschomler and a moderated conversation with cousins Chazz Smith, Shantel Manderville and Frank Collier, and early musical mentors Pepe Willie and Spike Moss.

Sticking with the thread of Michael Dean’s Podcast on Prince, check out these interviews with folks who were around during the early years via your favorite podcast provider :

• Pepe Willie
• Terrance Terry Jackson
• Charles “Chazz” Smith
• Black in Minneapolis (with Independent Journalist Ralph L. Crowder III)
• Andre Cymone
• Perry “PJ” Jones

Here’s a clip of Bobby Lyle, who is also featured in Mr Nelson, talking about meeting a young Prince. (Thanks Daniel!)

Twin Cities PBS has put out several documentaries about relevant topics around racism and segregation in the Twin Cities. Of note are Jim Crow of the North :

And Cornerstones : A History of North Minneapolis

And finally, of course the ULTIMATE authority on Prince’s early days is Prince himself! Check out his bio/autobio/memoir The Beautiful Ones for his take on his mother, his father, the bussing situation, a bit about Ms. Bernadette,  his reflections about the racism he encountered growing up in Minneapolis and more! (Don’t skip the intro there’s a lot in there!)

There’s so much to learn about this time and we are just scratching the surface! Excited to see what other work is to come from those documenting the early legacy of the soul forever known as Prince!

The Screening of Mr. Nelson on the Northside is still available! You can still purchase a ticket as well as watch additional footage about life in North Minneapolis!